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IMAs

Secrets to a Successful
Accounting Career
Fall 2011
IMA, the association for accountants and financial professionals in business, is pleased to release a
compilation of career-focused Strategic Finance articles, Secrets to a Successful Accounting Career.
IMA is your one-stop source for professional development and career enhancement. This report
will help you redefine your career path options and provides specific, actionable career advice.
Strategic Finance is IMAs award-winning, monthly publication and provides the latest information
about practices and trends in accounting and finance.

Reaching Your Career Goals

Personal Branding: Create Your Value Proposition

Building Skill Excellence

Take Charge of Your Online Brand

www.imanet.com
CAREERS
By Mark Morgan

Reaching Your
Career Goals
It wont be long before we will
say goodbye to 2011. How is
your career management plan
progressing? Breaking Through One Step the roles you need to move up in
at a Time the organization. Evaluate the pil-
At some point in time, everyone lars of your career management

T his is the fifth installment of


our six-part series aimed at
providing the framework for
starts at the entry level of an orga-
nization. From there, skill applica-
tion and development combines
plan, and assess if you are building
the network, skill excellence, self-
awareness, and personal branding
building a successful career man- with network connections and soft- to compete successfully.
agement plan. Weve explored the skills acumen to significantly influ-
components and application of ence your path and trajectory. Consistent and Persistent
the four pillars: networking, lever- Having a vision coupled with well- You wont always be first in line for
aging self-awareness (situational planned strategy is essential for you roles needed to move up in the
assessment), skill excellence, and to be selected for role opportunities organization. Understanding and
personal branding. As 2012 comes that build an internal knowledge acquiring the technical require-
into view, it still isnt too late to base and business acumen required ments for targeted roles, consistent
build a career management plan. for higher-level roles. demonstration of skill excellence in
An effective plan will optimize The majority of senior-level current roles, and taking ownership
application of technical and rela- executives in a functional area for building relationships with the
tional skills within your current arrive in their roles via a shared decision makers will significantly
work environment as well as pro- career path. Its important to iden- increase your career momentum
vide a solid network and founda- tify the underlying roles and and prevent stagnation or stalls.
tion should circumstances require processes that drove their progres- Table 1 highlights the key compe-
you to launch an external job sion and then plot a high-level tencies for job levels and how the
search. view of the experience and organi- factors within the pillars of your
In August, we discussed how zation support you would have to career management plan should
personal branding combines with gain in order to arrive at a targeted evolve and mature to satisfy them.
your technical and relational skill level or area of the organization. The emphasis and mix of
sets to create a powerful personal The main factors driving success required technical and relational
value proposition in the work- in your organization most likely skills changes with each level of
place. Your value proposition will will be tied to gaining experience progression. Some people will rise
differentiate you with decision within certain functional areas and through the organization quickly,
makers in the organization so you geographies and working with cer- some will plateau at a certain level,
become the candidate of choice tain key functional leaders. This and some will leave the organiza-
for opportunities and assign- sounds obvious, but you must take tion. The combination of technical
ments. Now lets examine building ownership for managing relation- skills developed and soft-skills
a strategy to target and achieve ships and acquiring the develop- tools from your career plan will
long-range career goals. ment necessary to gain access to optimize your success within your
16 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I October 2011
CAREERS
Table 1. Career Progression Path and How to Influence Success

Job Bands: Key Competencies: Career Plan Evolution:


Strategy Network: Experts and advisors to
Vision provide insight and support
Vice President Integrity Skill Excellence: Commanding presence
Leadership Self-Awareness: Master of grasping
Facing skills situations and maximizing outcome
Executive Director Branding: Face of the function

Senior Director Tactical delivery Network: Well connected within the


Influencing skills broad organization and profession
Accumulated technical expertise Skill Excellence: Superior technical
Director Delegation and staff development skills and knowledge base
Breadth of experience Self-Awareness: Organizational maturity
Depth of perspective and ability to bring closure to issues
Associate Director Trust Branding: Partner of choice

Senior Manager Timeliness Network: Map influence sources and


Leadership qualities and fit with company build relationships with impact
Quality of insight Skill Excellence: Continuous
Manager Integrity development and knowledge growth
Commitment Self-Awareness: Ability to build relations
Relation building and conflict resolution and manage perceptions
Professional growth exhibited Branding: Demonstrate capacity, quality,
innovation, and delivery

Senior Analyst Aptitude Network: Gain traction in the organization


Analytic skills Skill Excellence: Aptitude and accuracy
Analyst Innovative thinking Self-Awareness: Gain insight and prepare
Maturity and fit with role Branding: Demonstrate initiative and
Entry Role Adaptability ability to apply skill sets with quality results

current organization or help you, your organization. presence. Remember that the five
if necessary, to find a better fit in a The workplace is a very com- people you associate with most at
new company. petitive arena, so its critical for work will have the greatest influ-
you to know where you want to go ence on your future.
Play to Win in the organization and clearly Skill ExcellenceContinuous
A career management plan is your understand the rules of engage- learning and growth. Focus on
personal business case to assemble ment for how to get there. Then acquiring the skill and experience
a resource base, assess the land- you must decide if youre willing foundation necessary for roles two
scape, and create professional to make the commitment, sacri- levels above your current place in
equity in the place where you fices, and efforts required to earn the organization.
invest the majority of your life. the opportunities and fit into the Self-AwarenessDont over-
Your network is your advisory culture. If not, then its best to play your strengths. Adapt style,
board; self-awareness enables you leverage your diagnostics and and modify delivery to comple-
to take an objective view of the career management plan to exit ment the culture and ensure fit.
landscape; branding is your mar- and find a place where the job Practice your elevator speech.
keting plan; and skill excellence is opportunities and cultural fit are Exercise good listening skills.
your face to the customer. Profes- more compatible. Personal BrandingQuietly
sional equity will be created in In evolving and maturing the and steadily distinguish yourself
proportion to the quality of the elements within the pillars of your through quality delivery that adds
components of your career man- career management plan, remem- incremental value to the client.
agement plan and how well you ber these essentials: Anticipate, innovate, and excel at
are able to align them with the NetworkMaintain a solid execution.
drivers of the career ladder for base while building an upward c ont inue d on p age 61

18 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I October 2011
Careers
c ont inue d from p age 18
A career is a marathon, not a
sprint. The hills get higher as you
progress, so you must prepare for
the climb. Its never too late to
build a career management plan.
Tomorrow is another day at the
office where your ability to net-
work, interact, demonstrate skill
excellence, and show your person-
al brand will be tested against your
peers. Anticipate, innovate, and
excel in your execution with the
help of a solid plan. SF

Mark Morgan is a finance profes-


sional and founder of The Hyperni-
con Group, a management consult-
ing firm assisting clients in achiev-
ing strategic, process and organiza-
tional excellence. He is also a mem-
ber of the IMA Global Board of
Directors and IMAs Eastern Con-
necticut Chapter. Please contact
Mark at mark@thehygro.com.

October 2011 I S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E 61
CAREERS
By Mark Morgan

Personal Branding:
Create Your Value
Proposition
Building your personal brand
the right way will let you make
a positive impression on the
decision makers in your Essence of Branding workplace. There are people who
organization and build your As accountants, were taught that, dress in a unique ways, behave in
professional presence. in principle, goodwill is the intan- unique ways, and bring their cru-
gible value paid for an asset above sade for a cause to work each day.
the book, or pure, value. That This type of branding distinguishes

H ow is your 2011 career man-


agement plan progressing?
The first of our six-part series
intangible value, or branding dif-
ferentiation, becomes the ongoing
quality associated with the asset.
and raises awareness but does little
to speak to their quality of work
and potential for future value.
on career management appeared Branding success means building Although personal branding is
in the January 2011 issue. Now, value for the quality of your work far more about substance than
more than half the year has evapo- and differentiating your future appearance, your appearance is
rated. What progress have you value potential. still a very critical element of
made to structure and initiate the No organization has a perfect branding success. Appearance
actions necessary to build your career development and succession- should communicate that youre a
competitive edge in the work- planning process. Most decision positive fit with the company cul-
place? makers view the organization from ture and that your presence, as
The first three installments a distant, elevated platform. Even viewed through the lens of the
focused on building the pillars of though companies promote the decision makers, can consistently
an effective career management fact that they have a succession- be counted on to be appropriate.
plan: networking, leveraging self- planning process, its a hard fact Branding based on unique appear-
awareness (situational assess- that opportunities and assignments ance and behavior often requires a
ment), and skill excellence. In this are awarded to people management person to demonstrate a greater
issue, well explore the fourth knows, likes, and trusts. amount of quality work and sub-
pillar: personal branding. Your personal branding efforts stance in order to overshadow the
Weve already explored building weave your soft and hard skills first impression created by their
skills excellence and leveraging the into a portfolio that establishes unique dress and behavior.
soft skills of networking and self- ongoing conversation about you Unique appearance and behavior
awareness. Personal branding within the circle of decision mak- usually wont stand the test of time
weaves these three components ers. Personal branding speaks to and will become a caricature rather
into a personal value proposition your unique selling points and than a lasting positive impression.
for the workplace. Your personal values within the competitive Most companies have adopted
branding efforts will differentiate landscape of all other brands and business-casual dress environments,
you with decision makers in the is often the source of first impres- with some opting for casual dress
organization so you can become sions for decision makers. on Fridays or even full-time casual.
the candidate of choice for oppor- Every day we all see examples of You should adopt the guidelines, fit
tunities and assignments. personal branding efforts in the into the culture, and wear clothing at
August 2011 I S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E 13
CAREERS
the high end of the scale. Spend the providing exactly what they need A good professional profile is
extra money to buy good-quality vs. someone who tries to impress built with vibrant, concise, and
clothing that demonstrates respect them with volumes of informa- forward-looking wording. Your
for the workplace. tion. Be concise and organized. Facebook profile should comple-
Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert State the issue clearly, and recom- ment your professional profile.
and author of many books on the mend a solution early in the pre- Weve all heard stories of Face-
workplace, noted in an interview sentation; then follow with an book pages that have torpedoed
that as hard as it is to accept, appropriate amount of detail and and sunk careers. Dont be one of
dressing like your boss is still the narrative. Always do a quality them. If you havent yet built your
best way to get ahead. Weave in check of your work for spelling social network profile, read the
the lessons from the self-awareness and word use, and be certain the first article in our series, then start
pillar (March 2011) to evaluate little things that could derail you establishing relationships with
how to maximize the impact of like page numbers, dates, and con- people who can be a resource to
your appearance branding and fit fidential designationsare in your career development.
in the company. Remember, most place. Quality work that meets the The networking pillar (January
decision makers view the organi- analytical need and is formatted 2011) requires you to build an
zation from a distance, and properly will always find its way to influence map of key stakeholders.
appearance is a large part of their higher places in the organization Use LinkedIn to get connected to
first impression. than it was first delivered. as many of the key stakeholders
and decision makers as possible.
Brand Your Work Product Technology and Building Dont force yourself on a person
Weaving hard skills into your per- Relationships who has a profile with very few
sonal brand is essential to creating In the Stone Age, pre-Internet cor- connections. But a person whose
positive conversation around your porate world, people exerted great profile and connections reflect
analytical contributions. Each efforts to make contact, gain an openness to invitations is fair
company has a style and format introduction, and ultimately earn game to approach electronically.
for written communication. How an in-person opportunity to make
you format your work product is a first impression. Now LinkedIn Building Personal Relationships
more important than whats in and Facebook have become the Remains Critical
your content because the decision networking door openers. Having a person as a LinkedIn
maker will never appreciate the Both internal and external deci- connection is only a statistic. Keep-
quality of what youre contribut- sion makers immediately turn to ing your name fresh with them is
ing if he or she isnt positively your LinkedIn profile when your essential. This requires occasionally
attracted by the presentation. name crosses their radar. Its far dropping a brief note to people on
Master the slide formats, presen- easier and safer for them to gain your connection list to bring them
tation style, and font characteristics insight to who you are before up to date on your professional
your key executives are most com- offering in-person meetings to activities, inform them of some-
fortable seeing. Borrow and study explore what you are. Then most thing interesting you read, or pass
old slide decks for format and style. will turn to Facebook to see if along a link for a site they might
Preview your work with key stake- your personal profile comple- be interested in viewing.
holders in the organization where ments how you portray yourself in Its essential to build personal
you will ultimately submit your your professional profile. relationships with key stakehold-
material. Demonstrate that you Your professional profile on ers and decision makers. Be con-
value their input by reflecting the LinkedIn should include a recent scious of and take full advantage
feedback in the final product. photo, accurate professional and of each opportunity that might
Executives are more impressed academic history, and a crisp view afford contact with a high-value
with someone who demonstrates of your past accomplishments, target of career influence. Be
respect and value for their time by strengths, and career aspirations. c ont inue d on p age 60

14 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I August 2011
Careers modifications to optimize results. introduction opportunities rarely
c ont inue d from p age 14 Attracting people who can help arise in a scripted and structured
aware that technology has actually you succeed is critical to building way. Unpolished rambling during
created major hurdles to break the your own brand. Your character this career-critical three-minute
ice, have conversations, and build personal and professionalis window will require a ton of
relationships. defined by the sum of the five peo- cleanup effort and can result in
Relationships are built most suc- ple you spend the most time with. irreparable damage.
cessfully in small increments of Successful branding requires you Learn how to execute for excel-
interaction. Offsite meetings and to make choices. Surround yourself lence to optimize the interaction
conferences are key opportunities with people who can have a posi- opportunity. Be polite and profes-
to gain access to high-value targets tive influence on building your sional. Stay away from questions
on your influence map. Breaks and character, and spend your time that are personal and overly social.
common areas are the prime places doing activities that lift you in Let the high-value target ask the
to successfully interact with a high- incremental steps toward becom- personal and social questions,
volume target on your influence ing who and what you want to be. then always gauge their ego factor
map. What do you see most people before you answer. Executive ego
doing during breaks or when stand- Execution Is Even More Critical will get ruffled if your answer
ing by themselves? They have their Change and excellence guru Tom migrates the conversation toward
face buried in their BlackBerry or Peters introduced The Brand anyone but themselves. Be pre-
are texting on their phones. What Called You concept in 1997 in his pared to ask leading questions that
does this communicate? They writings that describe getting are timely and relevant, and give
arent open to conversation and ahead in the corporate culture as answers that put the conversation
dont want to be approached. the Age of the Individual. A huge back in the executives control.
If you are staring at your Black- component for successful personal
Berry or are texting, then you have branding is preparation for execu- How to Play to Win
a wall between you and others that tion excellence when the opportu- The workplace is a very competi-
negates the prime opportunity to nity presents itself to interact with tive environment where positive
be approached or initiate conver- a high-value target on your influ- differentiation is critical to attract-
sation where you most likely will ence map. ing the attention of decision mak-
pick up valuable nuggets of infor- Theres no replacement for hard ers. Dont try to recreate the gold
mation that could open the door- work and effort in preparing for standard. Study what is working
way for building a relationship. So successful interpersonal interac- and excel at delivering to that
appear open and approachable. tion. Preparation requires study, standard through your personal
Initiate conversation while planning, and practice. A three- branding efforts that draw from
demonstrating appropriate cour- minute conversation with a deci- the other pillars of your career
tesy. Remember, decision makers sion maker most often creates an management plan. SF
give opportunities to those they unchanging view of your fit and
know, like, and trust. potential. This may not sound fair Mark Morgan is a finance
When youre attempting person- or even logical, but its true. professional and founder of The
al interaction with a key stakehold- Therefore, be prepared. Weve Hypernicon Group, a management
er or decision maker, respect the all heard about having an elevator consulting firm assisting clients in
atmosphere and situation. Dont speech ready for the time when a achieving strategic, process and
force your way into a group or decision maker unexpectedly organizational excellence. He is
conversation. Use the lessons from opens the door to a relationship also a member of the IMA Global
your self-awareness exploration by saying tell me about yourself. Board of Directors and IMAs East-
(March 2011) to understand how Preparation and practice will ern Connecticut Chapter. Please
to leverage your personality make what you say smooth, con- contact Mark at
strengths and make situational cise, and polished. These critical mark@thehygro.com.
60 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I August 2011
Building Skill
Excellence
It takes a variety of skills to
succeed in your job and cross-
functionally throughout the
whole organization. Honing Part three of the series focuses research and development (R&D).
your technical skills is a large on the skill excellence pillar by Simple reporting of numbers
part of your success. discussing key components for wont create value and sustain
building a skill set, growing pro- your presence in an organization.
fessionally, and demonstrating Demonstrating ownership of the

H ow is your 2011 career man-


agement plan progressing?
The first of our six-part series
performance that will optimize
value in an organization.
While the self-awareness portion
access to financial information
under your responsibility and how
it relates to the delivery of the
on career management appeared of your career plan is built around business results will ultimately
in the January issue. If you initi- the soft skills required for interper- determine the value created and
ated an activity scorecard, you sonal success, the skill excellence lead to opportunities for career
should be close to accumulating pillar is built around development growth and advancement. Owner-
1,500 points for the plan develop- and demonstration of the hard ship is demonstrated by improv-
ment and networking activity you skills of functional and technical ing the timeliness, quality, and
have completed. expertise. But skill excellence isnt utility of the information reaching
In the March issue, leveraging limited to education and function- the client group. Linking your data
self-assessment explored the cause- al training. How far your skill and analytical contribtions to
and-effect relationship between excellence drives your career suc- improve the work stream for the
you and the work environment. cess is determined by how well you client group creates value.
When you do this exploration, you can exercise those skills to influ- Your contribution to an organi-
can achieve a level of self-awareness ence the understanding, quality, zation is measured equally by both
to better manage relationships and and delivery of business results. what you do and how you go
improve the projection of your skill about delivering your work prod-
set to the organization. Take Ownership of Your uct. Building a skill set that will
Its never too late to build a Skill Development advance career momentum
career management plan around Finance and accounting positions requires demonstrating aptitude,
the four pillars outlined in Janu- in corporations are staff and func- ownership, initiative, innovation,
ary: situational assessment, net- tional in nature or are line and and continuous growth and learn-
working, personal branding, and technical-support oriented. Exam- ing. See Table 1 for some examples
skill excellence. An effective plan ples of staff and functional roles of how to do this.
will optimize application of rela- include the controlling, reporting, Each individual must own the
tional and technical skills within treasury, tax, audit, and compli- effort to build his or her skill set.
your current work environment ance groups. Line and technically Career management requires a
and provide a solid foundation oriented roles support the various continuous learning process for
should circumstances require you lines of business, such as sales and functional skills and knowledge of
to launch a job search. marketing, supply chain, and the internal business process as
16 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I June 2011
CAREERS
By Mark Morgan

Table 1. Building a Skill Set

Skill Fundamentals: Examples of Actions to Build an Effective and Holistic Skill Set

Aptitude Relate functional responsibility to overall business processes, drivers, and P&L goals. Identify
data sources, and master use of systems to acquire necessary information for analysis. Con-
tribute perspective beyond the boundaries of your function to the development of client busi-
ness strategy.

Ownership Build a map of the functional, matrixed, and client lines of your role. Identify the key deliver-
ables for each group. Map the business and reporting processes supported by your role. Vali-
date with functional and client groups. Map the data flows, analytics, and reporting responsibil-
ities for your role. Link to timelines and client needs.
Initiative Match the delivery of information and analytics to the style and needs of the client group. Bring
opinion and analytics that improve decision making and drive actions toward higher margin
returns. Relate financial data and performance against competitors while identifying underlying
drivers of difference.
Innovation Improve data flow from systems into analytical models, then into management reports linked to
business key performance indicators (KPIs). Create modeling that improves utility of forecasts
and facilitates client visibility into cause-and-effect alternatives. Propose methodologies that
simplify process workstreams, which results in increased efficiency and reduced costs.
Growth Earn assignment on special project team for key strategic issue or team executing a key tactical
initiative. Shadow operations group or sales force for period of time to build understanding of
key commercial processes. Take temporary assignment outside functional area to better under-
stand business process and operations.

Learning Increase familiarity with business segment and industry issues through intense reading of
periodicals. Attend trade show with operations or commercial group to understand technologies
and market developments. Take advanced study courses (MBA), and obtain professional certifi-
cation (CMA (Certified Management Accountant), CPA (Certified Public Accountant), CIA (Certi-
fied Internal Auditor)).

well as the external factors impact- Demonstrate Ownership, and accurate, compliant, and transpar-
ing the business environment. The Influence Data Quality ent manner. Though IT platforms
corporate culture recognizes and Those in finance and accounting produce standard reporting, the
rewards those who take personal roles are the primary owners for finance professional must aquire
responsibility for managing the assuring that the acquisition, pro- expertise to access the source data
development of their skill set and cessing, and conversion of data and enhance the transparency of
professional growth. occurs seamlessly and in a timely, the data through custom reports
June 2011 I S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E 17
CAREERS
written in software such as Excel. management of data and driving the major Internet sites frequently
Custom reporting should provide the quality and reliability of the reference business partner as a
details for the drivers of the under- end product that reaches the client critical characteristic of senior
lying activity of the business. group. See Table 2 for examples positions. The concept of business
Effective ownership enables the that demonstrate taking ownership partner is the underlying essence
functional leaders of the business and delivering impact. of value creation for finance and
to focus on their core responsibili- accounting roles. Business partner
ties while operating with reliable Create Value for the Client is client recognition for the critical
data flows and optimum data The business environment oper- need to bridge ownership of data
availability. Visibility, contribu- ates in a constant state of change. management and analysis to go
tion, and value to an organization All finance and accounting profes- beyond reporting figures to bring
are increased through taking own- sionals earn their place in an orga- insight that helps steer the course
ership for minimizing data issues nization or seat at the table with of decisions.
impacting the performance of the their client groups by being Joel Barker introduced the
business process flow. engaged and active professionals. requirement for business to accel-
The conversion of data into use- The constant change and challenge erate the speed of change and
ful information requires the finan- in the regulatory, reporting, and explore new solution paradigms in
cial professional to connect analyt- economic environments require his 1992 iconic book, Future Edge,
ical delivery with the overarching ongoing initiative to align profes- written at the time information
business processes, the underlying sional skills and services with the technology greatly advanced our
drivers, and the decision process of business process in a manner that access to data. Fundamental advice
the business. Skill excellence that influences business results. from Barker for reaching new lev-
delivers impact is demonstrated Job postings for finance and els of achievement is to anticipate,
through taking ownership for the accounting professionals across innovate, and excel in execution.

Table 2. Taking Ownership and Delivering Impact

Skill Focus: Examples of Activities that Demonstrate Ownership and Influence Quality of Data and Analysis

Seamless Assure that data availability enables business process performance and is aligned with creation of
end product. Manage the development of required information submissions with minimum impact on
client resources. Influence data flow and processing to achieve increased analytic and review time
with client group.

Timely Relate the activities of your role to the timelines of the client group. Meet with the client group and
discuss. Map data sources impacting your role. Organize monthly meeting to manage data flow and
control timing. Manage data flow and reporting in a manner that is aligned and seamless with the
client business processes.

Accurate Build models and measures that provide sanity checks for data and highlight deviations requiring in-
vestigation. Assure allocation methodologies and expense timing are consistent between budget as-
sumptions and actuals. Provide brief cover page to analysis and reports that identifies data sources
and assures tie to ledger.

Compliant Invest time to educate client group on internal financial policies and practices. Work proactively with
the audit group to build compliance into client processes and data flow. Take initiative to self-audit
processes and data flow. Prepare client group for audits.

Transparent Educate client group on allocation methodologies and timing assumptions in budgets and forecasts.
Build process discipline and data access to enable insight into client group in advance of final ledger.
Provide analysis and reports with insight to link client performance with business goals and influence
actions.

18 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I June 2011
Table 3. Differentiating Yourself

Skill Excellence: How to Differentiate Yourself in the Workplace

Anticipate Know your clients travel schedule and calendar. Plan your availability, and prepare accordingly to de-
liver. Bring reality into focus by identifying the gaps between current and required performance to de-
liver goals. Build multiple fact-based analytical scenarios with defined actions to provide client with
opinion and options.

Innovate Identify all sources of impact to operations, and construct disciplined reviews to control timing and
impact. Establish global service centers in cost-effective locations to eliminate duplication and lower
operating costs. Analyze price, consumption, and service model for all services to identify opportuni-
ties to reduce baseline costs.

Excel Network across the organization to understand business requirements and manage expectations.
Establish shared incentives across the organization to fund new investment through reduced baseline
costs. Quarterback execution to deliver business goals through converting analysis to tactical plans
with measures.

Achieving execution as a business nant driver of career success. In


partner and driving value creation highly matrixed organizations
requires a continuous cycle of with multiple dotted-line report-
linking functional expertise and ing relationships and a more open
analytical skills with a fundamen- culture, soft skills are essential to
tal understanding of the business gaining access and acceptance in
process to provide leadership that order to demonstrate the harder
influences information quality, skill set. Global organizations
contributes insight, and drives most often operate with distinct
expected business delivery. cultures within their headquarters
group, operating regions, and
Achieving Differentiation functional lines that require flexi-
Theres no standard formula for bility, sensitivity, and adjustment
building, focusing, and leveraging in order to adapt to each situa-
skill excellence in an organization. tion. You need to assess the cul-
Remember, as one of four pillars ture of your organization and
in the career management plat- make sure you have the right skills
form, skill excellence represents to succeed. SF
the hard skills in the overall port-
folio each person must build. Mark Morgan is a finance profes-
Organization and culture heavily sional and founder of The Hyperni-
influence the blend of hard and con Group, a management consult-
soft skills that must be practiced ing firm assisting clients in achiev-
situationally in order to gain ing strategic, process, and organiza-
recognition in the workplace. See tional excellence. He is also a mem-
Table 3 for ways to differentiate ber of the IMA Global Board of
yourself in the workplace. Directors and IMAs Eastern Con-
In hierarchical organizations necticut Chapter. Please contact
with parochial culture, functional Mark at mark@thehygro.com with
excellence is most often the domi- questions and comments.
June 2011 I S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E 19
CAREERS
By Janette Marx

Take Charge of Your


Online Brand
Building your professional image
involves more than updating your
rsum. Heres some advice for
proactively branding yourself in After conducting an honest information you suspect may
todays digital world. assessment based on your answers, already be available, whether nega-
you should be able to develop a tive (Jane Doe + misdemeanor),
statement thats both authentic positive (Jane Doe + awarded),

I ts a Web 2.0 world, and infor-


mation about each of us is pro-
lific and readily available to poten-
and appealing to a potential
employer. This is your branding
statement. Think of it as a person-
or neutral (Jane Doe + volun-
teer). Many companies are per-
forming these types of searches
tial employers. In the accounting al mission statement, and use it as before making a hiring decision!
and finance world, its imperative the ruler by which you measure Youll want to update, remove,
that you know what that informa- your branding efforts. Remember or disassociate any content thats
tion is saying about you. If you to keep it simplethe more you inconsistent with your desired
arent creating your brand, chances try to communicate, the more brand. For example:
are its already creating you. diluted your message will be. Revisit the entry-level rsum
The good news is that taking you posted years ago on Mon-
control of this information along Assess Your Existing Brand ster, CareerBuilder, or other job
with other traditional job-search Next, youll need to assess the sites. While use of these gener-
tactics, such as networking, can information about you thats alist job boards can be mini-
impact your career profoundly already available online. If youve mally useful in your search,
and positively. set up accounts with any of the your profile is still active, so
To establish your brand, answer various social networking sites, you need to be sure its com-
the following questions: those are a great place to start. municating the most up-to-
What are my strengths and Also, conduct a search on your date information about you.
weaknesses? name in various forms, including While youre at it, post a revi-
What do I have to offer all of the nicknames you may have sion date within the text of
thats exceptional or unique used in the past. Dont stop at your rsum so that it will be
from other candidates? What is Google. Search Bing, Yahoo, or clear to all who view it whether
my differentiator? even DogPilea search aggregator the information is current.
What am I known for? What do that pulls from various other Use privacy settings for person-
I want to be known for? search sites. Use a variety of search al information as appropriate
What are my short- and long- techniques to be sure you find on social networks such as
term career goals? Where would content that may be buried just LinkedIn or Facebook. A word
I like my next job to be, and under the surface. For example, of caution, however: Nothing
what attributes will that try searching on a common mis- on the Internet is truly private.
employer will be seeking? spelling of your name or using Remove and avoid posting, to
Have I highlighted my advanced your name in conjunction with the best of your ability, any
degree and/or certifications? common keywords to check for content that you wouldnt want
July 2011 I S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E 17
CAREERS
According to research released by the Society for Human Resource
ter. While this can still take a
Management (SHRM) in April 2011, 56% of organizations frequently
great deal of time and energy,
scan LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other professional networking
the overall commitment neces-
sites for recruitment purposes. Another 20% confessed that while
sary to maintain this type of
they havent previously done so, they plan to begin using social media
content is far less than that of a
sites for recruiting in the future.
traditional blog.
Follow, comment on, and for-
your manager, potential man- Here are a few ideas to help you ward news from blogs, podcasts,
ager, or even the folks who get started: and RSS (Real Simple Syndica-
report to you to see. Join and participate in profes- tion) feeds. In particular, RSS
Be sure that content on sional communities. Seek out feeds are critical to staying
LinkedIn and other sites match- the online communities of two abreast of your industry, news
es information on your rsum or three highly relevant profes- about your company and its
(i.e., dates of employment, sional organizations. Join their competition, and new jobs.
company names, titles, etc.). network, add your name to
Your Facebook page can have a their directories, follow and Maintain Your Brand
large impact on how hiring comment on their blogs, and Now that youve managed to suc-
authorities perceive you. That even contribute content in the cessfully create and/or redirect
picture of you and your friends form of Web articles, if you your brand, be sure to stay in con-
at a beach party may not can. With an audience of peers, trol by keeping your brand:
enhance your ability to score timewise youll get the most AuthenticNothing is more
that opportunity with your bang for your buck here. powerful than actually being who
next employer. Create or enhance your profile you claim to be.
Disassociate content thats on public directories such as ConsistentRemember to con-
inconsistent with or will dilute Wink, Spoke, and ZoomInfo. tinuously measure your Web con-
your brand. In other words, Stick to professional network- tent against your desired message.
you can continue participating ing. While social network sites Publishing posts, pictures, or other
in the personal-interest com- like Facebook are fine, opt to content that isnt relevant will only
munities you enjoy as long as spend the bulk of your time dilute your message.
they meet the above criteria. and energy with professional RelevantThe Web is dynamic
Also, consider using an alias networking sites like LinkedIn and ever-evolving. Be sure to con-
instead of your real name for if youre after career growth. tinuously revise, update, and
those forums to keep your Ask peers and colleagues to pro- renew your information so your
forum identity separate from vide references and testimonials brand can evolve along with it.
your professional one. regarding your work ethic, quali- Again, in this Web 2.0 world,
Tighten up and manage your ty, or knowledge and to comment information about you is readily
circle of friends. Remember, on or share your blog content. available to potential employers,
you can often be judged by the Determine how much effort and many of them are actively
company you keep. youre able and willing to com- seeking it out to aid in their
mit to blogging. With more recruiting efforts. Embracing this
Create Content Consistent with than 100 million Web authors trend by creating a brand thats
Your Desired Brand on the World Wide Web, suc- consistent with your goals is vital
Going forward, measure every bit cessfully managing and pro- to managing your career. SF
of content you post on the Web moting a blog can be intensely
against the yardstick of your time-consuming. If you feel Janette Marx is senior vice president
desired brand. If it doesnt pro- you must share your profes- of Ajilon Finance, a part of Account-
mote your brand, then ultimately sional insight, opt for a micro- ing Principals. You can reach her at
your brand wont promote you. blogging platform such as Twit- Janette.Marx@ajilon.com.
18 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I July 2011

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