The Essential Skills for Candidates Entering the Accountancy Profession

Abstract

The skills required to become a successful accounting professional are evolving. In the past, accountancy students that excelled in memorizing and retaining technical content have generally performed well in their professional careers. The advancement of technology such as robotic process automation and artificial intelligence has changed that status quo in the profession. Essential skills (ES) such as critical thinking, deduction, problem solving, teamwork and collaboration, inclusive mindset, effective communication and presentation, articulate writing, professionalism, ethical reasoning, and the ability to provide/receive constructive criticism are becoming paramount in this new environment. Professional and academic frameworks have promulgated the importance of these higher order skills. However, accounting programs have generally not adapted as well in preparing students with these skills. The authors provide directors of accounting programs with two different approaches in implementing these ES into their curriculums.