Do accountants become more valuable as they get older?

When it comes to the accounting industry, many people describe it as “the older you get, the more popular you become.” So, as the functions of accountants continue to evolve and upgrade, is this statement still applicable? The reporter learned that many accountants over the age of 35 encounter confusion when changing jobs. I originally thought that at this age, with certificates, experience, and enhanced abilities, I would be sure of success in job-hopping. However, I often face the embarrassing situation of "failure to succeed at a high level and failure at a low level".

The age of 35 is the threshold for job hopping

Recently, a netizen registered as an accounting supervisor on a forum posted, "A financial manager in his early 40s, with certificates and experience, can't find a job." So difficult" post caused heated discussion. In the replies, many people expressed that they had the same concerns.

“Accountants do not necessarily become more popular as they get older. There is a risk of being eliminated by society at any time, especially accountants who live outside the system.” The poster even lamented in the article.

The reporter learned that this poster does have better hardware: 41 years old, graduated from a formal university of finance and economics, 20 years of financial management experience, worked in the world's top 500 companies, and has been in a relatively large-scale company He serves as the financial manager of a private group company and has extensive experience in group internal auditing and financial and taxation control. He also has qualification certificates such as international internal auditor and real estate appraiser.

Why do people with such conditions often hit the wall when applying for jobs again? He first revealed an important piece of information: when submitting a resume to find a job, the age requirement is generally under 35 years old.

The "35-year-old threshold" set by recruitment companies is not only for accountants. In fact, job-changers in many industries face this problem. When setting this threshold, in addition to considerations of energy, physical strength, etc., companies also consider whether applicants can quickly integrate into the company like young people to adapt to the new corporate culture.

An accounting supervisor had such an experience during recruitment. He said: “I once interviewed a colleague in his 40s who was a certified public accountant with many years of experience. He has worked as a project manager and as a financial director in a company. He is very smart, but the company did not hire him in the end. It was not because of age discrimination, but because he felt that he did not fit in with the overall atmosphere of the company. "There is another reason, according to Huacan Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. Zhao Tuanjie, the company's audit director, said: "Managers in many companies now tend to be younger and more knowledgeable. They have more or less concerns about their older subordinates and are always worried about whether their instructions will be fulfilled." "There are other reasons why it is difficult for older accountants to find jobs. For example, job seekers over the age of 35 have relatively high requirements in terms of position, salary, etc. For another example, some companies prefer to train financial department management talents internally rather than recruit externally. On the one hand, companies can provide their employees with good career development channels; on the other hand, the senior financial managers they train themselves are more familiar with the business and may be more loyal. Of course, this does not rule out the fact that many companies prefer external recruitment.

You must have a career plan before the age of 30

The "35-year-old threshold" set by recruitment companies has repeatedly hit the wall for many older accountants who want to change jobs. So, is it true that older accountants must not change jobs or should be cautious about job-hopping? Faced with such job seekers, companies will generally consider: What is the applicant's motivation for changing jobs? Is it to pursue career development or for other reasons? Zhao Tuanjie said: "Older age is not the only criterion for job selection. If it encounters suitable candidates, the company is also willing to accept them. After all, older age means rich experience, sophisticated handling, and can quickly adapt to the company's business needs. , thereby avoiding problems such as training. "In response to the above poster's own situation, some netizens in the same industry believe that the certificate examination should not be too complicated, but should be selective and purposeful.

In addition, industry insiders suggest that you should have a career plan before the age of 30, otherwise it will be really difficult to choose after the age of 40.

In this regard, Ma Lin, director of the Finance Department of Jiangsu Changqing Agricultural Chemical Co., Ltd., said that it is necessary to obtain qualification certificates in important accounting industries such as intermediate accountant, certified public accountant, etc. before the age of 30. , then practice in an accounting firm for a few years, and at around the age of 35, work as a senior management talent such as financial director in a company to be listed or listed. "In terms of career planning, Zhao Tuanjie suggested: "The career planning of financial personnel needs to be based on their own interests, hobbies and professional expertise. I suggest that accountants use the SWOT (situation analysis) method to conduct a comprehensive analysis of themselves in order to plan based on their own characteristics. When analyzing your own characteristics, you can also listen to the suggestions of teachers, colleagues and classmates around you in order to fully and truly understand your own characteristics. ”

Soft power is the magic weapon for “older accountants” to change jobs

The above-mentioned poster also revealed that interview companies pay more attention to his financing capabilities, connections, etc. In this regard, he He said that in the future, he will pay more attention to the cultivation of soft power and connections. After all, we have passed the era when certificates were particularly rare. "So, how do recruiting companies consider "older accountants" to apply for jobs? "Good tax response ability." The ability to raise funds, and the ability to cooperate with government inspection departments are abilities that companies particularly value," Ma Lin said. "Some companies planning to go public hope that the personnel they recruit will have working experience in listed companies so that they can handle the Securities Regulatory Commission and transactions freely. At present, some companies planning to be listed focus on the project managers who conduct audits for them, and the firm has even become the cradle of talent training for them. "Zhao Tuanjie believes that strategy. Excellent thinking, comprehensive management skills and continuous learning capabilities are also what the company's financial leader must possess. The person in charge of finance needs to participate in the company's daily major economic decisions. If they stick to professional accounting knowledge, they may not be able to fully understand and grasp the company's strategy, and thus cannot fully control the company's profit model. They may even miss good opportunities such as mergers and reorganizations. At the same time, the person in charge of finance needs to coordinate management with other business departments. If they do not have good communication skills and management abilities, they may encounter more resistance when implementing relevant systems.

In addition, accounting knowledge is updated very quickly, and continuous learning ability is a basic requirement for business managers, and financial managers are no exception.