Are you too young to worry about work-life balance?

If you’re new to the workplace, there’s perhaps an expectation that you should be clocking in early, enduring late nights and taking lunches at your desk.

Why?

To prove your worth, with the expectation that the ‘reward’ of downtime will duly come as you move up the ranks.

While many young guns (and even seasoned veterans) are happy to jump at the opportunity to prove themselves with additional work, it begs the question: Do you need to sacrifice your personal life for the sake of your career, or is that an antiquated notion?

‘Personal hours’ and ‘work hours’ can become increasingly blurred in a new role, especially when you’re trying to make headway in your career. According to a report by Randstad, over 51 per cent of workers are now expected to answer work calls outside traditional work hours. This expectation also extends to annual leave, where 41 per cent of workers believe they should be available despite being on holiday.

Why mentoring is important for young professionals

 

Most people who are successful end up that way because they’ve sought out mentors to show them how to reach the top. In this blog, we will provide you with the valuable resources and information about why a mentor is so valuable to your career progression.

1. Mentor advantages
A mentor can be viewed as a kind of workplace parent – someone who can warn you against making short-sighted moves that could damage your career and instead encourage you to do those things that may be uncomfortable at first but will reap great rewards in the future.

Experience is a valuable thing. And while there’s no substitute for earning it the hard way, there’s also no rule against leveraging the wisdom of others.

A true mentor will provide honest feedback on how you’re performing and offer suggestions on how to improve your performance. They may also introduce you to people in their own network who can further your career.

2. When to search for an mentor
There is an old saying that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. The 21st century version is that when you feel you have something to learn – be it technical skills, management skills or even life skills – you’re ready to seek out a mentor.

3. How to find a mentor
People often agonise over where to find an appropriate mentor, but it’s really not that hard. In fact, if you think about it, you’ve almost certainly been mentored throughout your life by relatives, former teachers and sports coaches.

The best way to find a mentor is to simply contact someone you admire – even if you don’t know them – and ask them if they would be interested in mentoring you. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

There are no hard and fast rules about what makes a good mentor. If the individual in question is someone you respect, can teach you what you want to know and help you get where you want to be, they’re almost certainly good enough for your purposes, regardless of their location in the org chart, industry reputation or educational qualifications.

4. The mentor–mentee relationship
Like any other relationship, mentor–mentee relationships go through phases. In the early days, there may be a lot of enthusiasm on both sides, with the mentor flattered that someone is so interested in what they have to say and the mentee eager to learn all they can.

Over time, that initial enthusiasm will fade and interactions might become less frequent. And, if the mentor has done his or her job properly, at some point the mentee will have learnt all they can. At this stage, the parties involved may decide to stay in touch or go their separate ways.

However the relationship unfolds, the mentee should always show the appropriate gratitude and respect towards the person who has chosen to help them out.

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The Tax Institute offers a Young Practitioners Mentoring Program for its member. Speak to a membership adviser on 1300 829 338 now for more information, or contact an adviser here.

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Soft versus hard skills

If you dream of a career in tax or accounting, you’ll need to be a master at identifying fiscal inconsistencies, understanding government legislation and balancing your clients’ books. But although these technical (or hard) skills are intrinsic to succeeding in your future profession, soft skills, such as your ability to form good relationships with customers and your willingness to work as a team, will make you more attractive to prospective bosses.

Cultivating both your hard and soft skills while you study isn’t as challenging as it might seem. Here are four top ways to supercharge your employment potential by proving you’re a candidate with the total package.

Get a customer-facing part-time job

The idea that accountants and taxation professionals crunch numbers without customer interaction is a thing of the past. These days, working in the accounting industry means communicating with clients, resolving their problems and learning to respond to their social cues. Getting a part-time job in hospitality, retail or customer service while you study can help you understand the art of anticipating and responding to customer needs. Once it’s time to put those soft skills into practice, it’ll be second nature.

Obtain a further qualification

An undergraduate qualification in taxation or accounting is not enough to make you stand out. Whether it’s learning a piece of up-and-coming financial software or brushing up on your knowledge of new legislation by enrolling in The Tax Institute’s Graduate Diploma of Applied Tax Law program, investing in your hard skills can be a shortcut to competitive advantage.

Education: Our programs and single subjects help you achieve your full potential in your career, your workplace, and in the profession. Enrol before 25 June and save $100.

Take up a team sport

From collaborating with IT vendors to working with senior management, taxation professionals must be increasingly equipped to meet individual deadlines while working as part of a larger team. Taking up an after-hours sport such as soccer, football or tennis can help you learn how to work with colleagues, anticipate co-workers’ strengths and weaknesses and thrive in a team environment – an all-important soft skill that’s bound to put you ahead of the pack.

Study a second language

A career in accounting can set the stage for international opportunities, but a working knowledge of audit procedures isn’t enough. Signing up for an after-hours class to learn a second language can seriously boost your set of hard skills while broadening your professional horizons.

Although hard skills are critical if you want to establish a career in taxation or accounting, teamwork, communication and customer service play an indispensable role as well. What moves have you recently taken to boost your hard and soft skills?

Find out more about our education program and professional development subjects.

Career options for tax professionals

The assumption often made about students pursuing a degree in tax is that they’re on the fast track to a certain career in accountancy. Considering, however, that there’s only a finite number of graduate positions available in accountancy firms each year, it’s clear that not every tax graduate will follow suit. So what are some other career options?

Tax-based education grants you a unique skill set: the ability to be a team player, the ability to not be a team player, communication skills and commercial awareness. The junction of these skills means you’re equally well versed in a numerical, analytical or communication-heavy role. In reality, after completing your postgraduate tax training, you are spoilt with a unique spread of career options. Here are five paths you may consider conquering.

Accountancy

There is no denying that the most well-trodden career avenue for recent tax graduates is a role in an accountancy firm. The most attractive roles being those in the ‘Big Four’ firms: Deloitte, PwC, KPMG and Ernst & Young. Large and mid-tier accountancy firms offer roles that cover a large range of tax areas and an opportunity to specialise from an early point in your career. Your tax specialty could lie in financial services, corporate tax, employment tax or tax for private clients, so it’s within reason that this is by and large one of the most alluring prospects for a tax graduate.

Law

Law and tax are often considered to be complementary degrees; many tax lawyers pursue tax qualifications, and tax accountants a law degree. Obviously, this career path is only available to experienced tax professionals, however an additional education resource for the law-inclined is the CTA2A Advanced subject. This postgraduate qualification can be undertaken while working full-time, and works to explain the rationale behind tax laws.

Government financial advising

With a qualification in tax, it’s safe to say that you’re proficient in numbers. Government financial advising merges your analytical and communicative skills to ensure you can best mentor people through financial decisions. For success in this field, work experience as a registered tax agent or tax financial advisory are looked upon favourably.

Teaching

Moving between industries doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your hard-earned skills, clocked hours and valuable industry connections. In fact, you could strengthen your industry ties and reputation by returning to academia. For experienced tax accountants, there are often opportunities for positions from educational bodies, as well as in corporate training companies or specially designed educational roles in large-tier companies.

Entrepreneurial

For the tax graduates who dream of running their own business, the opportunities are endless. Beyond running your own firm, there is also an opportunity to marry two unique specialties into one business venture: environmental accounting, international accounting and entertainment accounting are all niche self-employment routes that offer you a market difference.

Taxation knowledge can be your golden ticket to any number of roles that cross traditional industry barriers. Browse our range of programs and subjects to get qualified for a career in tax.

Five resume red flags to avoid

According to a recruitment study, your resume has mere seconds in front of a senior associate, hiring manager or recruiter before they make a decision about your application.

HR staff are trained to look for disqualifying factors. With just seconds to impress, here are five glaring red flags that vex recruiters and see them weed out candidates at a glance.

Messy formatting

Little to no white space on the page, decorative or small type and the complete absence of page margins signal to HR that you may not be their ideal candidate. Beyond your apparent lack of organisation and overgenerous data selection, this may suggest that you don’t have a clear vision or, worse, that you’re imprudent.

Your resume needs to be reader-friendly, but it also needs to be deliberate. This isn’t the time to get experimental with font types or test your Microsoft Office artistry – and your resume certainly shouldn’t act as your memoir. Professionally prepared resumes are considered and highlight only the most esteemed aspects in a career history.

Steer clear of graphics, too many colours and too much information to create a resume that will speak clearly to your prospective employer.

Gaps in your employment history

While HR may anticipate that most resumes will show at least one substantial gap (i.e. over six months) in their employment history, unexplained periods of career inactivity are cause for concern. This is one of the times where things should not be left unsaid. It’s perfectly acceptable to include a short sentence that will explain any gaps of multiple years, such as “Left position to further my education by undertaking a course” or “Left position to travel for a set amount of time”.

In the same vein, too many short-term jobs to a scrutinising eye can suggest you lack the commitment or stamina to persevere in a position. In this instance, it’s worth explaining that your career movements instead reflect a desire for continued professional development.

Using time-worn phrases

It seems tired and clichéd that this particular red flag will always make the ‘do not’ list, however it’s still something job recruiters find in resumes. Such terms include “hard worker”, “forward-thinking”, “dedicated”, “detail orientated” and “driven”.

Hiding behind time-worn phrases can appear evasive and will encourage HR to question your talents, work ethic and your own viewpoint on what you can offer the company. Get creative with your resume and use language to frame your strengths.

Lacking results

One step towards making your resume easier to read for time-poor hiring managers is to convert your data from qualitative to quantitative. Numbers, metrics and percentages can often be more impactful than words. Without such data, your resume can appear haphazard or altogether too vague. Would you hire a candidate without seeing hard facts on their successes?

Unprofessional details

A resume is a package deal. While the content is critical, so too are the finer details such as the file name, your email address or your Skype handle. With hundreds of applications for any one job, make sure you include your name on the file to ensure you don’t get lost in the masses. Emails are free, so don’t let your sentimental attachment to an older email address hold you back in your career. Lead with your best professional foot forward.

For a fruitful career in tax, mastering the art of writing a professional resume is the first step to success.

A forum for emerging leaders in tax

On Friday 25 May, the technical program of The Tax Institute’s 11th annual NSW Tax Forum will feature a new, dedicated ‘Emerging leaders’ stream.

It’s a four-hour program designed to help nurture the future of the tax profession.

Practitioners will benefit from attending if they:

• have less than 5 years’ experience in tax
• need to build their tax-related technical skills
• have not attended the NSW Tax Forum previously
• would like to interact with like-minded professionals.

The stream encompasses four sessions that cover issues relevant to emerging tax advisers.

The rise of a tax star – Elissa Romanin

Elissa Romanin didn’t originally choose a career in tax. Instead, she says, “tax found me.”

Imagining her future in a commercial role, Elissa completed a law degree, “because it was a good thing to have,” she says.

The value of career mentors

Many successful people have sought out mentors to show them how to reach the top.

A mentor can be viewed as a kind of workplace parent-figure – someone who can warn you against making short-sighted moves that could damage your career. They will, instead, encourage you to do those things that may be uncomfortable at first but will reap great rewards in the long term.

Experience is a valuable thing. And while there’s no substitute for learning the hard way, there’s also no rule against leveraging the wisdom of others.

A true mentor will provide honest feedback on how you’re performing and offer suggestions on how to improve your performance. They may also introduce you to people in their own network who can help you further your career.

When an interviewer asks about your weaknesses ...

For some graduates, it's the toughest question in a job interview:

Tell me, what is your biggest weakness?

How should you answer? And what do potential employers really want to hear?

There was a time when saying you were a perfectionist or a workaholic were the only acceptable answers to the question about professional weaknesses. However, unless you really are a perfectionist or a workaholic (and have supporting evidence), those answers are now considered insincere.

We asked employers in the tax profession to explain what they really want to learn when they ask this question.

How to make better decisions

The ability to make decisions – often, quickly and well – is an attribute that can boost your career in the tax profession.

When the going gets tough, people look to the best decision-makers for solutions to problems. It’s no coincidence that the people who make the best decisions are those most likely to end up in senior leadership positions.

It’s useful to remember, however, that effective decision-makers are made, not born. Decision-making is a skill that can be developed like any other.

Here are a few techniques.

Tips for networking - at the office

Professional networking advice often follows the same script: hit the pavement, connect with industry peers on social media, attend events, get yourself known, and cast your net as far and wide as possible.

But what can you do to advance your career without leaving your current workplace.

Here are five tips for getting the benefits of networking at your office.

How long should you stay with one employer?

A few months, or perhaps years, after you begin an entry-level position in tax, you’re likely to ask yourself: ‘What’s the optimum amount of time I should I stay with this organisation?’

The simple answer to this question is: ‘Stay for as long as you need to?’

According to research from McCrindle in 2014, the average Australian employee's tenure is just over three years, and those in the 25-35-year age group remain in their roles for little more than two and a half years.

While the days of starting your career and retiring at the one company may be at an end, it doesn't mean you should always scratch the two-year itch.

Consider the following factors before jumping ship:

Your new career in tax - what to expect

If you’re an accounting or law student considering a career in tax, you no doubt anticipate a big difference between life on campus and work in the ‘real world’.

You know there’ll be a change from focusing on theory to applying your expertise pragmatically in the context of diverse client challenges.

So how can you ensure the transition from life as a full-time student to that of a full-time tax professional is as easy and pain-free as possible?

Here are a few suggestions.

Seeking help

Your first job is a key step in shaping your career. Each new experience will offer an opportunity to learn, build practical skills, establish rapport with team members and expand your taxation knowledge.

So try to pick up as much information as you can by asking questions and seeking assistance as you need it. You’ll find that most of your new colleagues will be happy to help. They’ll prefer you learn the right way at the beginning, rather than fix problems later.

Your activities

In many graduate or entry-level roles, you’re likely to be given a variety of tasks.

These might range from research and administration through to practical activities like preparing tax returns and business statements. At the same time, you may receive formal training, workplace mentoring or coaching by senior staff, as well as opportunities to attend client meetings and industry events.

These all represent a chance to establish a firm grounding in best practices for preparing work, building communication skills and understanding business etiquette and due diligence.

Learning to work and working to learn

In the early stages of a new job, you’ll be proving your worth to your new organisation. So prepare carefully, adhere to processes and ask questions if you’re not sure about something.

You’ll be learning to function as part of a team. It helps to be flexible and to see your colleagues and your manager as your partners in achieving a common goal.

Don’t despair if the work doesn't initially meet your expectations – for example, it may not be as challenging as you’d like. The sooner you learn all about the company’s clients and business, the faster you’ll be considered for advancement.

In particular, when you have the chance to attend meetings, use these experiences to learn from your colleagues. Observe how they explain issues to clients, manage expectations, set clients at ease and solve problems.

Updating your knowledge

To distinguish yourself from others in your field and ensure your career progression, it’s important to maintain a solid technical base and knowledge of tax law.

On-the-job training – and formal development programs offered by The Tax Institute and other professional bodies – are invaluable. Tax is a specialist area that’s subject to continual changes in law and practice, so continuous reading is also required to stay up to date.

Transitioning successfully from university life to the workplace is all about being prepared, taking time to understand the experiences of others in the profession, getting to know more about your organisation and your clients, and approaching every task as a learning opportunity.

Give yourself the edge with free Student Membership

If you're a tertiary education student, The Tax Institute can help you in your career journey. Find out about Student Membership.

How to network as a graduate student

As a recent graduate, armed with a catalogue of up-to-date theoretical knowledge in your back pocket, you have the unique ability to solve problems that even veterans of the game might have trouble with. However, your first networking event can be a bit daunting.

Networking is a vehicle that can potentially accelerate your career faster than anything else. However, you need to take the correct approach from the outset. Here are the dos and don'ts of networking as a graduate student.

Socialise

While your main aim for the evening might be to speak with the top dog at a networking event, that doesn’t mean you need to go in all guns blazing. Remember, this is a cocktail event and you are here to socialise first and foremost. Solidifying working relationships should be natural, not forced.

Be genuine and approachable

To ensure you have the right approach to the night, try to connect with people on a personal level. People respond to passion, so approach your colleagues on a common ground. The more compelling and believable the information you share, the more likely they will be to respond with the same enthusiasm. They may even remember you by the association you create: “Joe is passionate about charity in Brazil and studies tax accountancy.”

Be specific

When you do manage to lock down your ideal target – such as an executive of a top-tier firm – it’s important to be genuine as well as specific. The typical day-to-day role of an executive often means they are thinking about any number of things at one time, ranging from the present state of their business to forecasting several years in advance. It’s safe to say that their thought processes are in a big-picture capacity.

Create a memorable impression by providing them with something tangible to consider. Are you looking for an internship over the summer break or a graduate position? What is it you can offer them, and how might they benefit from accepting your proposal? Whatever it may be, ensure you arrive prepared and capitalise on your moment.

Circulate

You might have a few industry heavyweights in your sights at the start of the night, but that doesn’t mean you should exclude any connections that aren't the top dogs. A diverse network of connections – consisting of a range of job titles, industries and locations – could offer opportunities for your career that you never quite envisioned. Remember the old adage: “It’s not what you know but who you know.” You just never know how or how well people at a networking event are connected.

Follow through

Once you have made a lasting impression, it’s important to enforce your credibility with the follow-up. If you have locked in a proposal or a catch-up over coffee, delivering on that commitment acts as a guarantor for your reputation. A strong reputation in the industry can do wonders in building the confidence others have in your abilities. Reputation is lasting and can offer you rewards well beyond one night’s interaction.

A successful evening of networking can have immediate as well as long-term benefits for your tax career. As long as you enter the night with enthusiasm and a firm approach in mind, it could be what sets your career in motion.

Give yourself the edge with free Student Membership
If you are a tertiary education student, The Tax Institute can help you progress in your career journey.
Find out about Student Membership.

5 early career milestones you should aim to hit

It’s never too early to start identifying or striving to reach career milestones. Here are five classic career goals you should aim to achieve during your first few years as a graduate.

1. Get really good at what you do

It doesn’t matter which tax courses you’ve completed at university or how much you think you know, as a new employee you’ll quickly become aware of just how much you need to learn. Seize every opportunity you can to broaden your knowledge, including gaining insight from bosses and colleagues, as well as sharpening your skills from the taxation education your employer offers. One day you’ll wake up and think to yourself, “You know, I’m now actually pretty good at my job.”

2. Get that first promotion (and the second and third)

No matter how minor it is, that first title bump creates the momentum that will hopefully push you all the way to the top of the tax industry. Don’t waste a minute starting your ascent up the ladder.

3. Work overseas

Take advantage of being young – and relatively commitment-free if you’re working for a firm that offers overseas postings. Aside from the excitement of living somewhere such as New York or London, you’ll develop a new maturity and a broader, well-rounded outlook on life and work.

4. Manage others

Once you’ve learnt how to manage yourself, you’ll face the much more complicated task of managing others, which, depending on how good you are at it, can be either incredibly frustrating or wildly rewarding. Remember that if you’re good at managing yourself and your workload, you can always rely on having a job. But if you have the far rarer skill of also being good at managing others, you can rely on having a highly paid and high-powered executive position.

5. Add to your qualifications and expand your skill set

After spending almost a couple of decades in full-time education, it can be tempting to take a long sabbatical from studying and focusing on gaining real-world experience. However, you’re unlikely to reach many of the future milestones if you don’t expand your skill set, either by undertaking further tax training in the form of a CTA1, CTA2A, CTA2B, CTA3, Graduate Diploma of Applied Tax Law or Master of Taxation, or by pursuing qualifications in complementary fields, such as people management.

In today’s crowded workforce, you need to demonstrate you’re a go-getter from the get-go. While you don’t need to adopt all the milestones suggested above, you should have a clear set of goals you’re actively working towards if you want to reach your full potential.

Take the next step in your tax career with the Graduate Diploma of Applied Tax Law

Find out more by visiting the website or calling 1300 TAX EDU (1300 829 338)

Achievements from an international student, Fei Han, in 7 years

I came to Australia in 2005, from China, as an international student. After initially basing myself in Perth, I moved to Melbourne in 2007 and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2009 with a Master’s degree in Accounting.  

Having started my career in Audit at Ernst & Young China, I moved in to a Business Advisory role at Crowe Horwath Melbourne. As a graduate, I was really inspired by a couple of partners. They taught me how to satisfy your clients’ needs and build long term relationships with your clients. They also showed me how to balance their work and personal life. After a number of Crowe Horwath partners left to commence their own practice, Boss Private Clients, I choose to join them and became an integral part of their boutique accounting firm. 

Whilst working here I specialised in business advisory and providing accounting and taxation services to private clients. 

In 2015, I choose to become a member of The Tax institute. Among other things, I found that by become a member of a leading tax association it assisted me with services my clients better and I felt that by increasing my knowledge around tax, I would better position myself to give advice and guide our clients. I became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand in 2014.

In 2015, I joined Grant Thornton’s Private Advisory division as an Assistant Manager. As an Assistant Manager I manage a portfolio of clients, delegate and review compliance work of junior staff, consult clients on tax matters and manage accounting and business aspects along with other duties. 

Throughout my career, I have continued to work closely with a diverse base of clients, ranging from family groups, high net worth individuals and SME’s. The advice that I want to give to graduates is that to be a good accountant or tax adviser requires many skills besides accounting and tax knowledge. Soft skills are critical in your career development.

If you also with to join a membership focused organisation to assist you with developing your client skills and tax technical knowledge, visit taxinstitute.com.au/members for further information. 

Learning beyond university: Taking your degree to the next level

You’ve spent years taking undergraduate tax courses and finally scored yourself a graduate position. You’re ready to hit the ground running, right?

Well, no actually. Most firms want their new recruits to complete further studies within their first year, such as the Tax Institute’s CTA1Foundations, to bridge the significant gap between academic principles and workplace practice.

We asked four senior staff members from leading accounting and financial services firms, such as Barringtons, DKM Group, Moore Stephens and Westcourt, to explain why they expect their early-career staff members to undertake a tax course with a vocational focus.

Plugging the gaps

The taxation education provided at Australia’s tertiary institutions is of a high standard, but no matter how prestigious the university you went to or what grades you achieved, there is still plenty you need to learn.

“Universities touch on many aspects of tax in their degree courses,” says Anne Goode, associate director at Moore Stephens. “Within a six-month study period the level of detail that can be taught is limited. That’s why we enroll all our tax and business service graduates in CTA1 Foundations. It’s a way to refresh the university course material and complement the in-house training.”

More training equals faster advancement

If the thought of hitting the books five minutes after graduating has you rolling your eyes, consider the fact that undertaking a tax training course will allow you to take on challenging projects sooner than might otherwise be possible.

“Getting graduates to do the Tax Institute’s CTA1 Foundations gives them a general overview – or refresher – in Australian tax law and reduces their write-offs and the consumption of existing staff resources [in supervision] during their first six months on the job,” says Ross Forrester, director at Westcourt. “Once they they’ve completed the course they can move on from just the fundamental professional work to doing simple research tasks.”

Leigh Dyson, senior manager at Barringtons, echoes Forrester’s remarks. “Staff who have completed CTA1 Foundations have a much better understanding of the tax framework and key provisions and don’t require as much supervision or to have basic concepts explained to them. Once staff are enrolled in the course we can get them to start doing compliance-based work, such as tax returns and BAS, which require an understanding of key concepts.”

Boost your soft skills

“I can remember the days when a textbook had so much value – now you can Google everything,” says Daleen Van der Merwe, HR manager at DKM Group. “How do you differentiate yourself in that environment? It’s about having skills.”

Van Der Merwe believes a tax training course such as CTA1 Foundations can teach those skills, creating savvy, sure-footed operators rather than uncertain newbies who are going to cause “other team members’ time to be wasted fixing errors”.   

Read about the importance of soft and hard skills.

Still need convincing about the wisdom of signing up for a post-university Australian tax course? We’ll give the final word to Ross Forrester: “CTA1 Foundations is not an intimidating course for younger staff, but it is an effective one, allowing them to better operate in a professional firm. And it sets them on a pathway to the CTA2A and CTA2B Advanced, which gives them the knowledge needed for a professional advice firm.”

Looking for that competitive edge? Look into completing The Tax Institute’s Programs, Single Subjects or Short-Courses.

Find out more.

How to select a tax speciality

One of the benefits of having a career in the tax sector is being able to specialise in your area of interest. Here’s an overview of some things you need to know before choosing your focus.

A career in tax is versatile, but to optimise its versatility you first need to figure out what you want. Do you want to earn more or travel more? Are there particular lifestyle benefits you're keen on? What about political influence and meeting people? The industry you choose will determine the benefits and challenges you'll have.

Property and investment

Specialising in the ins and outs of property and investment tax issues will lead you to people who are interested in making money, including high-net-worth individuals and wealth-creation organisations.

Great for: Earning potential.

Superannuation

An ageing population, the increase in self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) and the complex tax issues around super all mean tax specialists in this area are in high demand. Expect to handle everything from super tax returns to SMSF structures and estate planning.

Great for: Job stability.

Corporate

There is a wide range of roles in the corporate tax sector – from audit and compliance to consultancy and advisory – and most will involve meeting with clients and working in teams on specific jobs. This environment is very supportive of graduates and you'll find that plenty of opportunities will present themselves, especially as all corporate firms and many of their clients are multinational.

Great for: Travel and international exposure.

Business

The beauty of understanding business tax is that your skills can be applied to almost any organisation, from not-for-profits to sole traders. Each industry has its own particular challenges, for example special exemptions and deductions for artists paired with the instability and breadth of their income streams. Many tax specialists find this work rewarding as it both helps businesses and provides interesting challenges.

Great for: Job satisfaction.

Policy and analysis

Interested in the mechanism of tax? Perhaps policy and analysis is the specialisation for you. A role as an economist or analyst drives everything from political platforms to tax-system reform. If you want to spearhead change as a thought leader on tax, this is your area.

Great for: Prestige and influence.

The tax industry provides steady work and a variety of roles, which is a big draw for students and graduates looking to test their skills in different areas of interest. Choosing a specialisation does require a little research so you can match its benefits and challenges to your skills, needs and interests for a satisfying career.

If you are looking to specialise, consider The Tax Institute’s speciality single subjects, including AdvancedSuperannuation, Corporate Tax, and Tax for Trusts in Estate Planning and WealthManagement.

Find out more

2016 training trends

In order to remain competitive in today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving tax and accounting landscape, it’s critical for professionals to keep both their knowledge and skills timely and relevant. From a firm’s perspective, an ongoing commitment to implementing the right learning and development strategy is essential to nurture and manage the internal talent pool.

We have identified three key trends in 2016:

Leverage the training mix

Experts agree when it comes to training, there is no one size-fits-all approach. Getting the training mix right is about ensuring teams remain updated on both soft and hard skill sets. National director at Grant Thornton Stacey Smith says its program includes a mix of soft skills and non-technical training, regular tax updates concentrating on specialised topics, as well as programs nurturing commercial skills.

Putting knowledge into practice

Meanwhile, with the rapid changes in digital capabilities, cloud-based accounting software and rapidly evolving client expectations, experts highlight the importance of ensuring tax and accounting professionals have regular technological updates. At Perks for instance, Oakes says training includes technology-driven value-add skills, particularly from junior level upwards.

The test-and-learn method

When it comes to tailoring the training within a firm, experts agree a customised approach can be achieved through measuring testing and learning. At Perks, Oakes says the firm runs an annual skills gap analysis, which involves getting feedback from staff to be able to tailor the training program accordingly.

Engaging the team in training helps to maintain currency of both technical and non-technical skill sets. At the same time, consistency in delivery, testing and learning, and being open to adapt and customise a program are critical in ensuring all individual learning needs are addressed across any organisation.

To read more about these key trends, download our white paper.

To find out more about how to achieve your chosen path, please visit taxinstitute.com.au/education or call 1300 TAX EDU (1300 829 338).

Key skills for tax professionals of tomorrow

Recent Tax Institute graduate Justin Quay shares four skills that tomorrow’s tax professionals – both specialists and generalists – require to stay relevant in this ever-evolving industry.

Do what the technology can’t

According to Quay, in the constantly shifting tax landscape, standard business reporting and the outsourcing of more mundane compliance activities are likely to significantly reduce the need for people to fill more administrative-type roles. Add to that the disruptive businesses that are seeking to automate simple tax problems for the broader population.

“To remain relevant, professionals will need to ensure that they possess skills that are less likely to be automated,” says Quay. “Complex strategic advice appears to be a sweet spot and is perhaps a safer area for tax professionals’ future endeavours.”

Indeed, it’s a strong argument for becoming a tax specialist. By specialising, you position yourself as an expert in your niche. You will be in demand, valued and indispensable for your in-depth knowledge. Plus, you can communicate complex tax concepts and answer questions in a way that impersonal, high-tech automated systems can’t.

However, that doesn’t mean there’s no longer a need for tax generalists. It is still crucial to have tax professionals who know the intricacies of the overall tax system because the industry is changing so rapidly. This way, you can help introduce and ease these transitions for clients and companies, as well as meet their many and varying needs.

Keep abreast of news and change

Whether you go the generalist or the specialist route, it’s important that tax professionals stay on top of industry occurrences and trends, especially those elements of tax that are relevant to your role. In Australia, Quay says this also means keeping up to date with the increased focus on superannuation, due to the loss of government revenue brought about by the end of the mining boom and base erosion profit shifting (BEPS). Quay also recommends keeping an eye on potential changes to both income tax and company tax.

Connect with clients

Going beyond what technology can offer, Quay emphasises the importance of client contact for both generalists and specialists.

“Delivery of knowledge isn’t everything. You’ve got to know how to engage clients, because if you can’t do that, you’ll never even get the chance to deliver. There’s no doubt that tax is a very technical profession, but the ability to work with people and gain their attention and respect can weigh heavily on a tax professional’s success.”

Understand tax concepts – both separately and together

There’s no question that tax is complicated. There’s a lot of information, which can be incredibly daunting, especially when you’re new to the profession. The challenge when advising people on tax, according to Quay, lies in the need to understand how concepts work in isolation before you’re in a suitable position to understand how they interact.

“You need to walk before you can crawl, but running is what you’ve got to look forward to, and that’s the enjoyable bit.”

Tax professionals of tomorrow seemingly have two paths to choose from: either become more of a generalist, with the ability to advise on a broader range of both tax and non-tax issues, or become a specialist in a particularly complex area. Fostering such skills can help on both of these diverging tracks.

To find out more about how to achieve your chosen path, please visit taxinstitute.com.au/education or call 1300 TAX EDU (1300 829 338).