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20 new members joined CMA in August, 2007. 5 were member referrals, and $25 Target GiftCards are being mailed out every week. To find out about how you can receive a $25 Target GiftCard click here.
Congratulations to our new members, referring members and the CMA team!
If you hold a certified public accountant (CPA) designation, you have proof of your solid understanding of broad accounting principles and financial reporting. If you hold the certified internal auditor (CIA) credential, you possess expertise in auditing records, identifying risks and enhancing internal controls. Certifications such as these prove your skills to prospective employers and assure your current company of your value and qualifications for higher-level assignments.
But success in finance and accounting depends on more than technical know-how. Employers today also value soft skills, such as communication, collaboration and strategic thinking. Wouldn’t it be helpful if you could work toward certification in these skills to demonstrate your mastery of them?
Unfortunately, that’s not possible yet. But if it were, the following hypothetical credentials would be worth earning:
Accredited in Clear Communication (ACC)
The ACC certification would demonstrate the ability to explain financial techniques and principles in plain English so that managers and colleagues outside the accounting or finance department can understand them. Government regulations, financial reporting rules, treasury-management techniques and tax laws are complex and difficult for those who don’t spend their days working with numbers. Nevertheless, these concepts have an impact on all areas of the business, and finance professionals are increasingly called upon to present them to wider audiences.
Those with the ACC certification would know how to translate jargon, avoid acronyms and explain arcane concepts so they could speak and write with their audience in mind. For example, ACC holders would not simply toss around a term like EBITDA without first explaining that it means earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The person also would elaborate on the metric’s value.
Finally, ACC holders would have demonstrated receptivity, or the ability to listen. Understanding what others are saying not only establishes rapport but also assures them their concerns are being taken seriously.
Certified Team Player (CTP)
Collaboration is key in today’s business world. As a result, accounting and finance organizations need professionals who can work with colleagues from different business areas and even other parts of the world. Those with the CTP designation would have mastered the skills of teamwork, diplomacy and negotiation. They would have studied ways to create harmony, resolve conflicts, exercise tact and keep their own egos in check.
CTP holders would always go the extra mile to ensure the success of the team by not blindly pursuing their own agendas but rather taking others’ points of view into consideration before settling on a course of action.
Chartered Big-Picture Synthesizer (CBPS)
Increasingly, finance professionals participate in decision making that goes beyond the accounting department. A business faces strategic financial decisions that require evaluating the company’s position in its industry and the marketplace as a whole. To aid in these decisions, CBPS holders would have gained a broad understanding of economic issues and market forces.
These professionals would be called upon to sift through, weigh and piece together data to create a meaningful, holistic picture. These valuable specialists would have studied problem solving and mastered data analysis to find connections between disparate facts. Professionals with the CBPS designation would help companies with strategic decisions such as determining the financial benefits or liabilities of a new product line.
Lifelong Learning Specialist (LLS)
New regulations and accounting standards appear often, challenging professionals to keep up with the evolving field and continue adding value to their employers and clients. Professionals with the LLS certification would have, in essence, learned how to continue to learn. They would have intellectual curiosity and the ability to continue expanding their knowledge of accounting and finance. They would invest time in broadening their skills to prepare themselves for the future.
As a financial professional, you already possess the essential technical skills and possibly one or more industry-recognized certifications required for your position. Your ability to advance will be limited, though, if the softer side of your skill set is lacking. To prevent this from occurring, look for ways to “earn” the professional designations described here by strengthening your abilities in each area. Although these certifications may not actually exist, the skills they describe have a real impact on your career success.
Founded in 1948, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, a division of Robert Half, is the world’s first and largest specialized financial recruiting service. The company has more than 350 offices throughout North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
While employees have embraced dress-down Fridays and casual work environments, a recent survey suggests that workers might not want to hang up their business suits just yet. Ninety-three percent of managers polled by Robert Half International said a person’s style of dress at work influences his or her chances of earning a promotion. So if you’re angling for the top spot, dress like the person who’s in it. Here are some additional tips for choosing the right workplace wardrobe:
One thing to remember about dressing up for work: When you look good, you’ll feel more confident. And that confidence will be reflected in your performance, something your manager will be sure to notice.
Source: Robert Half - workvine.com
Visa USA Inc., the domestic division of Visa Inc., paid Timmons & Co. $200,000 to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, according to a disclosure form.
The firm lobbied on various pieces of legislation dealing with personal data privacy and identity theft, Internet gambling, health information technology and more, according to the form posted online Aug. 7 by the Senate's public records office.
San Francisco-based Visa, the biggest credit card network in the U.S., in June filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering expected early next year. It would become the last of the four major credit card networks to go public following Discover Financial Services LLC, American Express Co. and MasterCard Inc.
Daniel Shapiro, former deputy chief of staff for Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is among those registered to lobby on behalf of Visa.
Under a federal law enacted in 1995, lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches. They must register with Congress within 45 days of being hired or engaging in lobbying.
Establishment size matters in determining employee compensation and job tenure, concludes a study released recently by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The study found that all other things being equal, employees of larger establishments have longer job tenures than those working in smaller establishments. Moreover, the study found that service and manufacturing occupations pay more in larger establishments as well.
Written with funding from the Office of Advocacy by John Hope and Patrick Mackin of SAG Corporation, the study determined that each additional year of tenure on a job reduces the probability of turnover by 81%. It also established that the offering of benefits reduces the probability of an employee leaving in a given year by slightly more than 26%.
"The reasons for shorter job tenure and lower compensation in smaller establishments are not yet well understood," said Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for the Office of Advocacy. "Smaller establishments tend to be younger, and younger firms are more volatile. Their higher closure rate could be a major factor in determining job tenure rates. More study is needed to fully understand this phenomenon," he said.
The report, The Relationship Between Employee Turnover and Employee Compensation in Small Business, analyzes a unique set of data drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Office of Advocacy, the "small business watchdog" of the federal government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats, and it funds research into small business issues.
Source: The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
You found an awesome educational event that you want to attend, now you need to sell your boss on the value to the company.
Attached is a flyer that outlines that average training cost per employee- per year vs. the training cost at WRCC. Download wrcc_tell_the_boss.pdf
Please send your feedback or any other thoughts on how to sell the conference value to the Boss.
We had 13 scholarship applicants submitted for the Western Region Credit Conference. I am pleased to announce that the scholarship committee awarded 4 $1000.00 scholarships to the following individuals:
Thanks to everyone who applied. To find out more about the 20th Anniversary Conference click here.
Only the Natural Sleep System from Englander is made from 100% Pure Natural Laytex. Natural Laytex is completely non-toxic and order free Natural laytex is environmentally safe.
If you are planning to attend the Western Region Credit Conference October 17-19, 2007 at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas, make your room reservations today.
Our room block is close to 2/3 full, and we would hate to have you miss out on a great priced room.
Go to http://www.wrcc.biz to learn more about this exciting conference.
Excellence in Fine Wine Delivery. BothZephyr - North and Zephyr - Sonoma provide Next Day
Delivery to the entire Bay area with frequent coverage
to adjacent areas including Lake Tahoe. 
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