Uncommon for Employers to Assign Accounting and Financial Mentors

May 16, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Those just entering the finance and accounting professions will have to take the initiative to ask for help when it comes to finding someone to show them the ropes, a recent survey suggests.

The survey of 1,400 chief financial officers by the staffing service Accountemps found that 58% say it is uncommon for new finance and accounting hires to be matched with mentors, either on a formal or informal basis.

A quarter of respondents said it was somewhat common for companies to assign mentors and 13% said it was very common.

“Mentoring is a valuable way to transfer wisdom, foster talent and promote best practices within a company,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps, in a news release. “The faster a business can help new employees get up to speed, the more quickly these professionals can begin contributing. A confidant also is useful for explaining aspects of an organization that are sometimes not obvious to a newcomer. Mentors can provide insight into the prevailing culture of a company, including the preferred modes of communication and other often-unspoken rules.”

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