Looking to get ahead in the finance and accounting business? First, you have to realize that it’s a competitive market. To stand out to your company’s leadership, you need ambition, drive, and a diverse set of skills.
Ambition and drive you can find within yourself. But for the skills part, you have acquire those over time. But where should you put your attention?
Developing a new capability takes time and effort. You only want to invest in the skills that will bring you added success down the road. As such, you need to be judicious about which abilities you try to cultivate.
With that in mind, here is a list of key skills that will make you stand out to leadership as you look to score a promotion:
How to Stand Out to Leadership and Land The Promotion
Finance and Accounting Skills
It may seem almost too obvious to say, but it’s something you should keep in mind: you probably won’t get promoted if you aren’t good at your current job. As such, your first step up the corporate ladder should involve mastering your immediate role.
That means excelling at the finance and accounting skills you need on a day-to-day basis. Master your daily tasks. Become the best in the office at what you do. From there, you can look for other ways to supplement your skill set.
Communication
As you move up the corporate ladder, your job will have less and less to do with the rote tasks of finance or accounting. You’ll become focused on other activities. This could include supervising others, working with clients, or attempting to develop innovative new projects.
Whatever the case, the days of holing up in your workspace, putting on headphones, and cranking through a series of rote tasks will be behind you. Communication will become a premium skill. You’ll need to connect with your team and to discuss complicated topics with non-experts.
As a result, an ability to communicate will become a key focus during promotion decisions. The decision-makers at your company will want to see your ability to work with others and to discuss topics with diverse stakeholders, like customers and investors.
Innovation and Problem Solving
When you get a promotion, your concerns typically broaden. You’re no long worried about the day-to-day completion of tasks. Instead, you have to look over the horizon to plan for the future.
That’s why innovation and problem solving represent such important traits. The decision-makers in your company want to know that you can anticipate potential problems and come up with inventive ways to sidestep them. As such, your should discover ways to demonstrate these abilities and put yourself at the head of the line for promotions.
Company-Specific Skills
Each organization values skills differently. You shouldn’t approach your career planning as a one-size-fits-all effort. Instead, tailor your strategy to your specific company and even to your particular supervisors.
How do you do that? Here’s a few steps you can take to make sure you match your skill-building to what your company wants most:
- Look at the successful people around you
- Talk about your ambitions with your supervisor
- Fill in gaps you see in your team
- Volunteer for more responsibility
Advance Your Accounting and Finance Career! Elby Can Connect You To The Right Opportunities!
Ready for your career to take a leap? If you can’t land a promotion at your current employer, it might be time to look elsewhere. Partnering with a top recruiter, like Elby Professional Services, will give you the support you need to drive your professional development forward.
Contact Elby today to get started.
