女人如何在會計師事務所闖天下？
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親愛的安妮：《財富》雜志介紹過在男性主導的傳統行業，如工程類，女性如何取得成功。我一直在關注這方面的話題，不知道您能否對我的行業提供一些建議。我剛開始讀大三，主修會計專業，輔修金融。我即將開始找第一份“正式的”工作，所以我接受了學校就業中心的建議，聯系在“四大”會計事務所內工作的校友們。毫無例外，他們都是男性。所以，我想知道，這只是這所學校的特殊情況，還是說在這個職業的頂端，女性普遍非常稀少？如果是后者，我該如何增加晉升的機會？您有什么建議？——J.J. 親愛的J.J.：很好的問題。一方面，你所選的領域有著巨大的市場需求。據就業數據分析機構Wanted Analytics統計，今年上半年，會計和審計類職位空缺增加了19%，金融類工作機會增加了21%。而且薪酬也在上漲。獵頭公司羅致恒富公司最新發布的一份工資調查報告顯示，2016年，雇主為新入職的會計和財務類員工提供的起薪將提高4.7%，遠高于員工薪酬預算的總體增幅（3.3%）。 但在另一方面，會計領域缺少女性高管，這絕不只是你的校友中出現的個案。美國注冊公共會計師協會最近的多元化調查發現，女性在注冊會計師事務所中所占的比例接近一半（44%），但在合伙人和負責人中所占的比例僅有19%。這已經是巨大的進步，因為在1989年，會計事務所合伙人和負責人僅有1%為女性。但相比2011年的21%，這一比例出現了小幅下降。 那么，究竟是哪些障礙在阻止更多的女性進入會計事務所高層？克里斯汀?拉姆皮認為：“會計與傳統上由男性主導的其他行業沒有什么實質性區別。”拉姆皮目前經營自己的咨詢公司，為會計事務所提供員工培訓與發展，不過她之前的經歷讓她了解為什么許多女性在成為合伙人之前便選擇辭職。 她回憶說，在一家“四大”事務所工作期間，“看著那些高層，他們的那種生活并不是我想要的。尤其是在審計高峰期，他們經常要無休止的加班，并且以此為榮，跟別人炫耀。有一位高層每天晚上都在辦公室的沙發上過夜，一周沒見過家人。”如果員工希望在工作之外還能有自己的生活，他們肯定不會選擇成為合伙人，包括拉姆皮的一些男性同事。 這種全天候無休、不晉則退的文化可能正在發生變化。美國注冊公共會計師協會的報告認為：“下一代注冊會計師事務所的領導者，希望公司形成一種對家庭友好的環境，以實現健康的工作與生活平衡。事務所必須適應員工關切問題的變化。” 與此同時，能否進入高層也取決于你自己。拉姆皮提供了下面四條建議： 磨練溝通技能。拉姆皮說道：“大多數會計師和財務人員之所以進入這個行業，是因為他們擅長數學，并且愿意與數字打交道，但他們往往沒有出色的‘與人打交道的能力’。你需要知道如何進行困難的談話，尤其是如何明確表達為了完成自己的工作，你需要別人為你提供什么——越早掌握這種能力越好。”雖然你還在上學，但她建議你盡可能學一學談判課程。她補充說：“以品牌建設為重點的營銷課程也會有幫助。現在就考慮如何建立‘個人品牌’并不算早。” 找一位擔保人。導師當然好，但在遇到更大的困難時，擔保人會更有幫助。找到第一份“正式”工作之后，拉姆皮建議：“找一位讓你敬佩并且你愿意為其工作的人。做好他們安排的工作，讓他們知道你將他們視為榜樣。”這個人可以是男性，也可以是女性，或者是你的某位大學校友，前提是你們在一家事務所工作。 她建議說：“詢問你的擔保人，怎樣做才能取得長遠的成功。事務所的目標是什么，你可以提供哪些幫助？”她補充說，打動擔保人，讓他或她成為你的粉絲，“甚至愿意出面幫你，這將是你職業成敗的關鍵。” 在工作中建立一個親密團體。拉姆皮說道，尤其是在沒有女性高層的事務所，“你可以發起一個討論組，比如‘向前一步’小圈子，幫助將多元化問題提到顯著位置。邀請男性參與。”這很重要，因為“我真的認為，在許多事務所，男性，尤其是年輕男性，對女性沒有偏見。他們愿意根據工作成績來判斷每個人。然而，即使在當下，一旦女性在高層獲得一席之地，難免還是有人會覺得她就是來打醬油的，并不會帶來實質影響。” 偶爾與同事們一起喝兩杯。拉姆皮認為，認真對待自己的職業并不意味著使自己過于嚴肅。她建議：“利用任何機會，與同事們進行非正式的聚會，不談工作，只為開心。與同事們一起談論的與工作無關的話題越多，你與同事們的私人關系便越密切，就會有更多人認為你‘可愛’。”研究顯示，在任何公司，“親和力”都是一個人能否升職的關鍵要素（但自信的女強人往往被認為缺乏這種品質）。 還有一點：特別是在第一份（或者前兩份）工作中，要對獲得升職的機會進行實際評估。如果在幾個月或一年之后，你發現你所在的公司不愿意提拔有才能的女性，你應該馬上離開。 拉姆皮說道：“會計行業的好處在于，會計事務所多如牛毛，你的能力總會有用武之地。如果你發現自身的處境不佳，不必因為跳槽而感到羞愧。你需要尊重你的同事們，反之亦然。”祝你好運。（財富中文網） 譯者：劉進龍/汪皓 審校：任文科 |
Dear Annie: I’ve been following Fortune’s coverage of women in traditionally male-dominated jobs likeengineering, and I wonder if you can shed some light on what’s going on in my field. I’m starting my senior year of college as an accounting major, minoring in finance. I’ll be looking for my first “real” job soon, so I’ve been taking my campus career center’s advice and contacting alumni who are high up in Big Four firms. Without a single exception, they are all men. So I’m wondering, does that just happen to be true of people who went to school here, or are women generally scarce at, or near, the top of this profession? If the latter, do you have any suggestions on how to improve my chances of eventually getting to the top? — Just Joanie Dear J.J.: Good question. On the one hand, you’ve picked a field that’s showing strong demand, with job openings in accounting and auditing up 19%, and in finance up 21%, in the first six months of this year, according to workforce-data firm Wanted Analytics. Pay is climbing, too. Staffing company Robert Half International’s latest salary survey reports that employers will boost starting salaries for new hires in accounting and finance by 4.7% in 2016, well above the average 3.3% raise companies have budgeted for employees overall next year. On the other hand, though, the lack of female senior executives in accounting is not unique to your school’s alumni association — far from it. Women make up almost half (44%) of employees at CPA firms, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) found in its most recent survey on diversity, but they’re just 19% of partners and principals. That’s a big improvement over the scant 1% of people at that level who were women in 1989. But it’s slightly fewer than the 21% of female partners and principals in 2011. What’s keeping more women from rising to senior jobs? “Accounting isn’t really any different from many other historically male-dominated businesses,” notes Kristen Rampe. She now heads up her own consulting firm, providing training and development to accounting firms, but Rampe’s earlier experience provides a clue as to why so many women quit before making partner. While working at a Big Four firm, she recalls, “I looked at the people above me and saw no one who had the life I wanted. It wasn’t unusual for people to put in endless hours, especially during audit season, and brag about it. One senior man slept on the couch in his office every night and didn’t see his family for a week.” Employees who wanted a life outside the office, including some of Rampe’s male peers, clearly weren’t going to make partner. That kind of 24-7, up-or-out culture may be changing. “The next generation of CPA firm leaders is demanding that firms create a family-friendly environment conducive to a healthy work-life balance,” the AICPA report observes. “Firms have to adapt to changing worker concerns.” In the meantime, getting ahead is going to depend on you. Rampe offers these four suggestions: Work on your communication skills. “Most accountants and finance people go into it because they’re good at math and they like working with numbers, but they often haven’t got great ‘people skills’,” says Rampe. “You need to know how to have difficult conversations, especially how to articulate what you need from others in order to do your job — and the earlier the better.” While you’re still in school, she recommends taking a class in negotiating if you can. “A marketing class that focuses on branding would be good, too,” she adds. “It’s not too soon to think about building your ‘personal brand.’” Find a sponsor. Mentors are great, but sponsors are even better, if somewhat harder to come by. Once you’re in your first “real” job, Rampe says, “Keep an eye out for someone higher up whom you admire and like working for. Do great work for them, and let them know you consider them a role model.” This person could be male or female — maybe even someone from your college alumni association, if you find yourself working at the same firm. “Ask about the requirements for success long-term. What is the firm trying to achieve, and how can you help?,” she suggests. Impressing a sponsor, so that he or she becomes a fan and “may even be willing to stick his or her neck out for you,” Rampe adds, “is often what makes or breaks careers.” Start an affinity group at work. Especially at a firm with no senior women, “you could initiate a discussion group, like a ‘Lean In circle,’ to help bring diversity issues to the fore,” says Rampe. “Invite men to participate.” That’s important because “I really think men, particularly younger men, at many firms aren’t biased against women. They’re willing to judge everyone’s work on the merits. But, once women get a seat at the table, there is often a sense that just having women there kind of checks that box.” Grab a beer with coworkers once in a while. You can be serious about your career without taking yourself too seriously, Rampe notes. “Take advantage of any chances that come along to get together with your peers informally, just for fun,” she advises. “The more you talk about topics unrelated to work, and connect with colleagues as people, the more you’re perceived as ‘likable.’” Research has shown that “likeability” is essential to moving up in any business (and that competent, assertive women are often perceived as lacking in it). One more thought: Especially while you’re in your first job (or two), do a realistic assessment of your chances of reaching a corner office. If you find after a few months or a year that you’ve landed at a firm that’s dragging its feet about promoting talented women, you can always leave. “One great thing about accounting is that there are so many firms, and demand for your skills is everywhere,” says Rampe. “There is no shame in moving on if you find yourself in a bad situation. You have to respect the people you work with — and vice versa.” Good luck. |
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