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Expected Technological Competencies For Accounting Students
by Marshall Romney; John W. Hardy; Nancy S. Hardy; and
Bradley J. Farmer
What Do I Need To Know?
When students seek an internship or full-time position with an accounting
firm, they often wonder what skills they need to have. To prepare this
article, we talked with several students who were on internships this
past summer to determine the technological skills they were expected to
bring to their first day of work. One student who was on an auditing internship
with a Big 5 firm noted, "On my first day of work we had several
hours of orientation, but most of the orientation was filling out forms
and firm information. We were expected to already know how to operate
our laptops and most of the software. I had never used Lotus Notes before!
My senior and the other audit staff recognized that I needed help with
audit procedures because of my lack of experience. They didn't, however,
expect me to ask for help with my computer. I'm glad that I already knew
how to operate a computer, use a spreadsheet, and navigate a network."
After talking with several students who did internships with Big 5 accounting
firms this past summer, we have identified several areas of necessary
technical competence. Although these suggestions are geared specifically
towards accounting firms, these competencies are useful, if not necessary,
for nearly any career in the business world today.
General Computer Knowledge
Computers are ubiquitous in the business world today. Every position in
an accounting firm requires some general knowledge of computers and their
functions. Current accounting students especially will be expected to
be proficient with computers and software. Some of the general competencies
required include knowing how to navigate in Windows and customize it for
your preferences.
Windows is a relatively easy-to-use interface. It includes many timesaving
tools, including the Windows Explorer. If you are one of the people who
must open countless directories to find the file you need, the Windows
Explorer can save you a lot of time. It is usually found on the start
menu and it generally has a small computer icon next to it. The Explorer
shows the directory tree on the left-hand side with sub-directories and
files in the selected directory on the right. You can view several levels
of folders at a time simply by clicking the plus sign to the left of the
directory name. Files can be copied and moved between folders by simply
dragging and dropping the individual icons in the Explorer. Operations
such as changing file properties, renaming files, and creating new folders
can also be performed in the Windows Explorer. Using the Windows Explorer
can save time navigating through different folders and performing other
tasks.
Another timesaving feature of Windows is customization. The task bar can
be easily customized using the "Taskbar" option under "Settings"
on the "Start" menu. It is often helpful to organize programs
with the same functionality or add commonly used programs and documents
to the Start Menu. Shortcuts to commonly used programs can also be placed
directly on the desktop. Shortcuts can be created by right clicking over
the program's icon. A menu will appear, including the option "Create
Shortcut." Clicking on that option will create a new icon titled
"Shortcut to." The icon will have a little arrow in the bottom
left-hand corner, indicating that it is a shortcut. Use Windows Explorer
to put this shortcut on the desktop. Some computers even allow you to
customize "hotkeys" that start programs when you press a particular
combination of letters on the keyboard.
Customizing the menus and toolbars of individual programs can also be
very useful. You should add functions that you use often and remove functions
that you do not use. Many common applications (including Microsoft Office)
let users customize their menus and toolbars.
Students in accounting programs today generally have extensive experience
with the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office. The benefits of
learning Windows and Microsoft Office is that they are standard in nearly
all companies and offices. The navigation and personalization skills you
learn will be highly transportable. However, most firms have developed
their own software for auditing, tax, human resources, research, or other
purposes. In-house software often includes different functions and different
procedures. However, even proprietary software generally uses menus and
terminology from Windows.
Searching
In your classes, you have undoubtedly had to do some research. Different
classes and firms may use different research tools. Perhaps you have had
experience with the Internet, Lexis-Nexis, CCH, or a Folio infobase. The
different research tools are similar, but it is important to recognize
the differences between them.
Fortunately, most research skills are transportable between tools. For
example, identifying the facts and the issues is a skill that is independent
of any particular research tool. Knowing how to choose the right search
terms is another independent skill.
However, different research tools may be organized in different ways.
In CCH, for example, your search results may vary widely depending on
which source documents you select. Results in Lexis-Nexis will also depend
on which library and file you are in. Although it is important to know
what you are looking for, in most research tools it is equally important
to know where you are looking. It is also important to know the search
lexicon for your particular research tool. Lexis-Nexis, for example, searches
for the exact string that you enter. You can increase the scope of your
searches by adding wildcards and truncation operators. On the other hand,
CCH automatically increases the scope of your search by using synonyms
and other forms of the search terms. Understanding these sometimes-subtle
differences can help you be a more efficient researcher. One former intern
was surprised at the amount of research he was required to do as a beginning
staff member. Although many research skills can be learned on the job,
general experience with searches will be very valuable.
One note about the Internet: Internet research creates special problems.
Information is often hidden among the millions of websites, and the integrity
of the information source is sometimes questionable. Most of these obstacles
can be avoided by initially selecting the proper site. Many firms subscribe
to Internet business information resources, so you may want to ask your
employer for the proper site before you begin Internet research.
Getting Connected
The large CPA firms have invested heavily to ensure that their professionals
have all the resources they need to work effectively. Sharing these resources
across a network has been very popular in all of the firms.
Students will rarely have the responsibility for setting up or maintaining
the network. However, one of the students who performed an internship
this last summer was able to use his skills to set up a network on the
job site. The senior accountant on the job was not accustomed to using
a hub. (A hub is the basic connection point for computers connected to
a network). This student was able to use a basic knowledge of Windows
95 and networks to set up the team so that they could share files and
resources. This knowledge gave the student a reputation for technical
ability in the office and reflected well on his performance evaluation.
Regardless of the technical competence of the professional, his computer
will undoubtedly be equipped with a network hookup and modem. Students
have to know the general rules of connecting to a network and to the Internet.
It is important, for example, to know where you can plug in your modem.
A digital phone line---common in workplaces today---can damage an analog
modem. Co-workers and client personnel can help if there is any question
about how to connect safely.
Although an in-depth knowledge of networks is not necessary, simple network
skills are important. An accounting professional should know how to log
into a network, find files and programs on the network, and print from
different computers. Other useful skills include knowing how to share
files and folders, map network drives, and capture printer ports. Knowing
how to get connected is becoming more important in any business profession.
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are one of the primary tools of business and are the primary
software tool of most accountants. Proficiency with spreadsheet software
such as Microsoft Excel is a requirement for success in most accounting
positions.
Each of the students who were asked about their internship experiences
said that experience with spreadsheets was a necessity. They noted that
a basic knowledge of spreadsheets was not an added "plus" on
their performance evaluations---it was an expectation. In addition to
basic spreadsheet skills, advanced skills such as macros, advanced formulas,
and customization can be important. Students seeking internships and full-time
positions need to know how to use spreadsheets effectively.
Other Competencies
There are many other technological competencies that can be important
for an accounting professional. Other possible competencies include presentation,
statistical and enterprise software, hardware, programming languages,
database and query creation, and many others. Depending on your area of
interest and your firm's area of need, you may be required to have experience
in any of these areas.
Conclusion
Former interns agreed that general computer knowledge, searching, getting
connected, and spreadsheets are important skills for students seeking
internships and full-time positions. These skills are best developed while
a student is still in school. The student who hasn't developed these skills
will be behind her co-workers before her first day of work.
Students shouldn't come to the conclusion that they should avoid asking
for help. Senior professionals are more than happy to assist new personnel
with any questions or problems. Certainly, a simple question at the outset
is preferable to a large difficulty later on. The intern who insists he
knows how to do everything will not be popular among his co-workers. However,
a little technical knowledge and competence will ease the burden on students
and their supervisors as they begin full-time jobs or internships. To
use accounting terminology, technical expertise is an asset to your employer
and lack of technical ability is a tremendous liability.
Marshall B. Romney, John W. Hardy, and Nancy S. Hardy are professors of
accounting in the School of Accountancy and Information Systems at Brigham
Young University. Bradley J. Farmer is a masters of accountancy candidate
at BYU.
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