CFOs Say Accounting Grads Need IT Knowledge

Accounting graduates entering today’s job market should be prepared to highlight their technical expertise as well as their gift for numbers. Fourteen hundred chief financial officers (CFOs) surveyed recently by recruiting firm Robert Half Finance & Accounting said that in addition to accounting skills, they are looking for proficiency in:

• tnformation technology (34%)
• general business (23%)
• communication skills (17%)
• customer service orientation (11%)
• leadership abilities (9%)
• don’t know/no answer (5%)
• Other (1%)

“To improve efficiencies, organizations are automating many of their accounting functions or upgrading their financial information systems,” Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International Inc., said in a statement. “As a result, recent accounting graduates with a demonstrated aptitude for technology-related projects are at an advantage in a competitive market.”