Editor’s Note: We like to publish articles written by others in the accounting industry. You don’t need to hear our tired voices all the time, and new perspectives are good for you. Today we welcome guest writer Connor Murphy, a senior associate at a mid-tier firm. He discusses what associates can expect as they promote to senior associate, and the mindset that it takes to be successful at that level. Spoiler alert: It’s always about communication.
This one goes out to all the associates. Whether you are at a small, mid-tier, or Big 4 accounting firm, this article is intended to serve as a bildungsroman for what to expect when graduating from the associate, or analyst, position to the senior role. [Final Editor’s Note: Connor made us bust out the dictionary in the intro paragraph. This guy is definitely smarter than we are.]
As an associate, the seniors seem a lot like the “cool kids” at school (obviously, as accountants, we cannot actually be considered cool). They appear to have everything together, manage work seamlessly between managers and associates, and know their way around an Excel workbook. But all it takes is about a month in the senior role to understand that none of these things are based in reality.
The transition from associate to senior does not happen overnight—although fortunately, the compensation increase does. As a new senior, not much really changes: you have just as much knowledge as when you were an associate, and initially, there is really no increase in responsibility either. In fact, most of the work that you do is the same as it was as an associate. It may feel like life is going to continue to be late nights and boring, menial tasks until the gods of public accounting suddenly call you to the pearly gates of project management.
And then, on some random Tuesday, that change happens. Suddenly, in addition to performing many of the daily tasks of an associate, you become responsible for maintaining regular dialogue with your managers. You are expected to communicate directly with clients, over emails and on the phone, even if you are not sure what they (or you yourself) are talking about. You realize that you do not always have the technical knowledge that managers and clients expect you to have at the senior level, and you scramble to learn as much as you can in as little time as possible.
This sounds daunting, but it’s not actually that bad. While your mangers’ and partners’ expectations for you are raised, you just continue learning from your experiences. (Note, I did not say mistakes. Seniors are forbidden from making mistakes.) Over time, you build the confidence that it takes to operate independently as a senior. Many of the opportunities that come after a short time in the role begin to make all the frustrating tasks from your associate years seem worth it. You feel the intrinsic reward of clearly and correctly communicating with a client; you are thanked by your managers for maintaining effective lines of communication, keeping them apprised of the various happenings on all arms of their projects; and some day, you actually navigate and edit an Excel spreadsheet on the fly while screen sharing with the client. You will feel like a Gandalf the White-level wizard. Remember my earlier note about accountants not being the “cool kids” in school? At least you’ll feel cool to yourself.
The metamorphosis from effective associate to effective senior occurs in fits and starts, and it takes time to build the skills that are required to succeed as a senior. Despite my earlier comment, seniors do indeed make mistakes. Most of the positive changes are a result of simply having more responsibility to manage the workflow, which allows you to put new lessons into practice. Fortunately, you have time to hone the skills that you’ll need to become a high-performing senior. You are not expected to have it all together the day you become senior; you are just held responsible for trying and showing improvement.
Once a senior is able to spread their wings, it is certainly a more rewarding position than the associate role. Associates reading this, it does get better! Being a senior does not mean that you never do associate work again, but you will truly begin to feel a stronger sense of achievement in your career and professional life. You will still probably feel like the seniors that you observed as an associate were better than you, but you’ll begin to feel the development in communication, technical, and management skills that are paramount at the senior level. And hey, on top of all that, you get paid more too!