TAKE TIME AS A VOLUNTEER INTO ACCOUNT
VOLUNTEERING should be a part of every accountant’s resume.
That is the message from Platinum Professional Training chief executive and accountant Coco Hou, who says the endeavour helps not-for-profits and accountants alike.
She says accountants make great volunteers as they have a skill very few people have and even fewer people are willing to give away.
“There are thousands of community organisations out there that either lack the capacity to hire an accountant, or don’t see the need for one,” she says.
“Trained accountants can fundamentally change how a community organisation is run (and) improve the efficiency of charitable organisations that do amazing work for people in need.”
Alternatively, they may donate their time as a speaker to business networks or as an informal adviser for budding start-ups.
They may even join a board. Hou says volunteering is more than just an ethical thing to do as it can also give accountants valuable experiences they can use to further their career.
“A lot of young students and graduates I meet are surprised by the amount of people they have to compete with to get those highly coveted graduate experience can be extremely daunting,” she says.
“Employers will always look favourably upon a candidate who has donated their time and accounting skills to community organisations, charities, startups and business associations.”
Hou believes employers may even be more impressed by volunteer work in accounting than an actual degree.
“Volunteer work shows you’ve actually worked with the software programs that you’ll be expected to use at a proper job,” she says.
“It also shows that you have initiative, drive and have acquired hands-on experience.”
Hou started training and internship provider Platinum Professional Training after noticing university students graduating without the practical skills needed to work in the field – from how to use cloud-based accounting software programs to how to interact with clients.
“We skip a lot of the theory they have already covered at university and focus on the real essential workplace skills they need to be employable and promotable,” she says.
“Volunteering is the best way of applying and developing the skills that we teach.”