As a young professional, I feel comfortable saying this. There are plenty of employers who are frustrated with the employees that are currently joining their teams. Working in the line of work that we do, we hear this more often than we would like to.

It’s visible in the statistics that are all over Google, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and other resources that share both anecdotal and factual information. “…while 87% of recent graduates feel well prepared to hit the ground running after earning their diplomas, only half of hiring managers agree with them.”

The types of skills that these employers feel like their new hires are missing are not largely the technical skills to get the job done. It’s those other skills that define “being a professional”. For instance, “44% of managers feel writing proficiency is the hard skill most lacking among recent college graduates, while public speaking follows with 39% of managers feeling this way.”

Beyond those skills, which are more tangible, there are some intangible skills of being a good worker that are more alarmingly missing in the emerging generation, according to managers:

  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
  • Attention to Details
  • Communication
  • Ownership
  • Leadership
  • Interpersonal Skills & Teamwork
  • Time Management & Productivity

CPA firms are looking for training that will prepare their young professionals to be successful in their firms. What types of training do they need? We have started a list below.

Strong Communication with Clients & Teams – Professional Speaking & Writing for Intra-team & Client Communications

The emerging generation has been identified as one that is savvy with technology. Majority of the communication that occurs amongst young professionals today is through an online means. Between text, email, Snapchat, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other means, there are so many ways to communicate in short, pithy ways. This translates well to technical speed, but not to interpersonal skills with both internal teams and external clients. Your clients are perceptive, and professional writing & speaking are important to them in the people who are handling their money. These are crucial skills for young CPAs and professionals working in accounting offices.

Productivity – Getting More Done, in Less Time, Without Losing Quality to Maintain Client & Team Satisfaction

Your clients are looking for their requests done well, and done quickly. There are many different aspects of productivity. Managing time through managing a to-do list, managing email, managing workspaces. The emerging generation is coming through the pipeline with way more distractions than we care to know about. Which means they’ve grown up multitasking, which is not the most efficient way of doing things. As much as we think we can multitask, science shows us that our brains can only take on one task at a time. If we flip back and forth between tasks, we get set back a little bit every time we turn back to a task. The emerging generation needs to have their brains rewired [which is possible, the brain is very resilient], and be able to develop more productive habits.

Working in Teams to Get the Job Done – Servicing Clients and Managing Projects as a Team

Your clients are asking you to have a team for them. They want to have one point-of-contact, but they also want to know that they have a team of people who are looking out for their best interests. As a leader, you’ve learned the importance of having colleagues who are able to work in teams. Your young professionals need to learn how to collaborate & perform in teams with a shared goal. And just as important, working in teams for internal projects and tasks as well.

Having a Sense of General Professionalism – Developing a Professional Brand

One of the greatest challenges cited by managers & leaders of young professionals is just that—general professionalism. The understanding of culture, responsiveness, timeliness, appropriateness, work ethic, and other professional norms that we learn by being in professional roles are things that this emerging generation may be taking a little longer to learn. It may seem simple, but training on general professionalism can be extremely helpful to the culture of a firm.

Need a Training Source…That Also Gets You CPE?

Working with CPA & financial services clients, we have heard about these skills gaps, and we are answering that need. Our Accounting Professional Training Academy outlines the programming that speaks to all of the above, and more. If you have found yourself challenged with some of your new hires, or you have some young professionals showing a lot of promise, this could be a great place to send them.

velocityHUB Accounting Professional Training Academy

The velocityHUB Accounting Professional Training Academy allows you to drive the professionalism & leadership of your teams. The academy is affordable, market-tested, and provides an opportunity for 12 hours of CPE. The curriculum is included below:

  • Session 1 – Professional Brand in the Accounting Industry
  • Session 2 – Personal Productivity
  • Session 3 – Persuasive Speaking & Verbal Client Communication
  • Session 4 – Business Writing & Written Client Communication
  • Session 5 – Working in Teams at Your Firm – Part 1
  • Session 6 – Working in Teams at Your Firm – Part 2

Interested in learning more? We’d love to connect with you. You can visit our site or connect directly with the academy director and velocityHUB Partner, Amanda E. Rogers at amanda@velocityhub.com.

About Amanda E. Rogers

Amanda E. Rogers is a Partner at velocityHUB, where she and her team serve as consultants, trainers and executive coaches to some of the world’s leading companies, universities and entrepreneurial, growth-oriented businesses. Amanda serves as the Director of Partnerships, velocityHUB’s franchise opportunity. She is the account executive for technology, manufacturing and professional services clients. Amanda is the Co-Founder of velocityHUB’s Victory Academy, a series of leadership development programs specifically focused on maximizing the potential of the emerging generation for college students and millennials. Amanda serves as a leadership coach to thousands of young professionals, college students and student-athletes at some of the country’s most prestigious schools and companies. She was named Young Professional of the Year in 2016.

About velocityHUB

velocityHUB delivers results-oriented training programs, high-value consulting and targeted executive coaching to many of the world’s leading companies, small and medium businesses, and non-profits. Our vision is to build one million leaders to drive performance, sales and revenue growth.

Contact:  Amanda E. Rogers | 603.402.1734 | amanda@velocityhub.com