Provisional Accounting Blog

The words manager and leader are often used synonymously, but in reality they couldn’t be more dissimilar. All managers are certainly not leaders, but they definitely should be. Managers traditionally operate a top-down basis that fails to motivate and engage their employees. Leaders tend to be more effective because they use an all-inclusive approach that allows people to feel good about themselves, which tends to stimulate greatness.

Learn how to differentiate between the two and why it’s always better to be a leader.

Managers vs. Leaders: 5 Key Differences

Five ways to distinguish between managers and leaders include:

1. Leaders Share Credit with the Group: Leaders want to help their team get to the next level. These humble people are more concerned with the greater good than their own needs, so they’re always quick to credit their team for great work. On the contrary, managers often take credit for work completed by their employees, rather than routing the glory back to its rightful owner. This often leads to resentment, as employees (obviously) don’t enjoy watching someone else take the praise for their work.
2. Managers Emphasize the Negative: Managers tend to be a bit pessimistic. Instead of looking at the big picture, they’re always quick to point out shortcomings. On the other hand, Leaders look for the good in everything. Sure, they may need to call out a few flaws in a project, but they’ll start by highlighting the things that are working really well for it. It’s much easier to inspire people with positivity than negativity.
3. Leaders Involve Employees in the Decision-Making Process: Leaders know their team members have great ideas, so they ask for their input in the problem-solving process. Conversely, managers take an authoritarian approach, by giving their employees specific orders to follow — and veering off-course is typically not encouraged. When people are able to contribute, they’re much more motivated to do their best work.
4. Managers Get Upset When Mistakes Happen: Mistakes happen, but managers don’t take too kindly to them. When an employee experiences a slip-up, their manager is always quick to criticize, while leaders take a much more lenient approach. When a mishap occurs, a leader addresses the situation in a more indirect manner, allowing the person to own it and learn from it, rather than becoming embarrassed and defensive.
5. Leaders Offer Frequent Praise: Leaders understand the power of positive reinforcement and they practice this method frequently by praising team members for small achievements. On the flip side, managers typically forget to offer recognition for a job well done, instead only giving feedback of the negative variety. Employees don’t expect to receive constant praise, but it’s disheartening to rarely — if ever — receive accolades for going the extra mile.

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It’s beyond frustrating to go through rounds of interviews for a job you really want, only to be presented with a non-negotiable lowball salary offer. Compensation is a huge factor in whether or not you accept a position, so waiting to discuss your expectations until the very end can result in a huge waste of time for everyone.

In the past, it was often considered taboo for candidates to bring up their salary requirements, but this is no longer the case. In fact, it’s advisable to take matters into your own hands and bring it up yourself if the company seems to be holding back.

3 Tips to Approach Salary in a Job Interview

Feeling a little uneasy about bringing up your salary requirements? Use these three tips to ease into the topic:

1. Research Your Market Value: You probably already have a number in your head that you would like to earn, but you need to conduct research to see if that figure is realistic. After all, you don’t want to sell yourself short or risk looking greedy by demanding way more than your peers are making. Use sites like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and salary.com to see what other accounting professionals with your level of experience are earning for similar positions in your area.
2. Avoid It on the First Interview: If you’re asked about salary requirements during your first interview, there’s no need to be coy, but don’t be the one to broach the topic. The initial interview is your time to find out more about the position and work hard to present yourself as the best fit. If you focus on money too soon, you’ll give the impression that you’re more interested in the paycheck than the position itself — and that won’t impress any hiring manager.
3. Bring It Up If You’re Invited Back: After you’ve been invited back for round two, you can feel confident that you’ve made a great impression on the hiring manager. Now is the perfect time to start talking salary, to make sure you’re on the same page. In the initial stages, you don’t need to give an exact number, so simply state your desired range to make sure your expectations align. Any company worth your efforts should appreciate your attempt to make sure you’re not wasting their time.

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Millennials will make up 75 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2025, according to Deloitte, so appealing to this young demographic is crucial to the long-term success of your company. You’ve probably already noticed that recruiting Millennials requires a different approach than you’ve used in the past, so you’ll need to make a few adjustments if you want your company to appeal to them.

This generation of workers is driven, notably tech savvy and a little more relaxed than what you may be used to. Recruitment strategies that worked on Baby Boomers and Generation X simply won’t cut it, so it’s time to learn what they want.

5 Ways to Attract Millennial Candidates     

Not quite sure how to entice Millennials to want to join your team? Get started by implementing these five company-wide initiatives

1. Offer Meaningful Work: Millennials are more than happy to work hard, they just want to know their efforts won’t be in vein. Get their attention by presenting them with projects that allow them to make a positive impact.
2. Provide Flexibility: Younger workers view being tied to a cubicle from 9am to 5pm as archaic. When possible, allow your employees to work remotely and hold flexible hours, as this work style is highly favored by Millennials.
3. Arrange for Regular Learning Opportunities: The Millennial generation is eager to learn and grow their skillset. Set money aside to send employees to conferences and training sessions so they can keep up with the latest industry happenings.
4. Implement a Mentoring Program: Devise a mentoring program with two-fold benefits by pairing Millennials with more established workers. Younger workers are able to get the feedback they crave and older employees can tap their protégé for help leveraging technology.
5. Create a Strong Digital Presence: If your company doesn’t have a great website and a robust social media presence, Millennials will consider you obsolete. If you want to impress them, invest in your digital assets. Share details about the hiring process on your website and post engaging company updates on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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If you’re looking for a new accounting position, you’ll be relieved to hear the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job growth for the field to increase by 13% through 2022 — compared with the 11% predicted for all occupations. However, competition is still going to be intense for the most highly sought-after jobs with the best companies. If you want to make a great impression, you’ll need to work hard to sell yourself as the absolute best fit.

3 Things an Accounting Manager Wants to Hear

Gain a competitive advantage on other skilled accounting candidates, by emphasizing these three points:

1. You Thrive Under Pressure: As you’re well aware, accounting can be a very stressful field. Month-end and year-end closing can bring many long hours and late nights, so an accounting manager wants to hire someone who can cope with the added stress without a second thought. It takes a very special type of person to handle this, so use examples of past situations to explain how you’re able to stay calm under pressure and why you actually revel in it.
2. You Enjoy Keeping Up with Industry Trends: Good accountants know how to get the job done right, but the best people in the industry truly love what they do. Prove you’re one of them by displaying a strong knowledge of current trends impacting the industry and describing how you stay up-to-date with them. If you make a point to attend periodic training sessions or are part of an accounting professional association, be sure to mention that.
3. You Would Never Compromise Your Integrity: When you’re interviewing for a position that can seriously impact the company’s financials, the hiring manager needs to know you can be trusted. If you’re asked if you would be willing to lie for the company, you can be certain this is a trick question — and if it’s not, you don’t want to work there anyway! Always make it clear that you’re a very honest person who wouldn’t compromise your integrity for the organization under any circumstances.

Ready to find a fulfilling new accounting job?

Contact Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing. We’re pleased to offer temporary/contract, temp-to-hire and direct hire opportunities with some of Seattle’s top companies!