Coco Hou: Accounting skills still the most sought after in Australia
- Written by Tess Sanders Lazarus
Accounting and training expert and CEO of Platinum Professional Training, Coco Hou, today said it is easy to understand why accounting skills are still the most desirable skills to have in Australia. According to LifeHacker.com.au, accounting skills are the skills most sought after by employers across the country. They are number one in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, sit second behind repair in Western Australia and sit third behind mentoring and sales in Victoria.
“This type of information is important to know when looking for a job or seeking out a promotion,” Ms Hou said today.
“By understanding which skills are in demand, you can adjust your resume accordingly and pick up additional qualifications to ensure you are offering the skills which employers are seeking.
“More and more, organisations are seeking the advice and involvement of finance and accounting professionals to assist with decision making. People with accounting and commercial skills who can draw on their insight and capabilities to improve business decision making are considered highly valuable.
“Whether you work in a project team, or with a specific business involved in delivering goods and services, the ability to apply accounting principles to the management of your work is really valued.”
According to Coco Hou, “many people think that accountants and accounting professionals deal with numbers all day and to some extent that is true. But they also deal with business information and decision making supported by facts and figures which is a crucial skill to have in the ever changing world of business.”
“This is why I love being an accountant and working in accounting, because it is such a rewarding and interesting profession. Through my business Platinum Professional Training, I am able to help others seek out careers and achieve advancement in accounting as well.
“To help people understand why accounting is such a great career option, I have identified five key positives:
. With accounting skills, you’ll always be in demand. Research shows, employers are looking for people with accounting skills more than any other skills
. You’ll never be bored. Having accounting skills means you’ll get involved in a broad range of business activities, from traditional accounting activities through to business delivery and decision making activities
. You’ll be able to start up your own business. If you decide at any time that you want to broaden your horizons, you can set up a business as a side gig and work for one or multiple clients or even work full time as a service provider
. You’ll meet and work with interesting people. Having accounting skills means you’ll get to work with a broad range of people, all from different areas of an organisation or from different businesses. This not only expands your network, it means you’ll build a wonderful circle of friends and colleagues
. You’ll have responsibility and be considered an expert. People will come to you for advice and guidance to assist them with important matters, business decisions and issues. As someone with accounting expertise you’ll also be given carriage of important activities.
“Accountants and those with accounting expertise usually develop excellent client relationship management capabilities. This is because you are always in an environment where you are providing advice, services or guidance.
“If you own or work in a public practice, you have to be able to retain current clients and bring in new ones. If you work in an organisation in the corporate sector, you need to meet the needs of your team, and teams from other organisational departments.
“There are many options for gaining skills in accounting. You can study at university or study through an organisation like Platinum Professional Training which provides courses in classrooms and online.
“Accounting is a great career and I strongly encourage people to consider accounting. It is clearly good for employment, but also offers many other career benefits as well.”
Coco Hou, is the Managing Director of Platinum Professional Training. Platinum is one of Australia’s largest accounting training and internship providers with offices across all major Australian cities. Coco Hou is also a CPA qualified accountant and Managing Director of Platinum Accounting.