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A number of new roles have opened up in accounting as the industry is growing rapidly in Hong Kong and the mainland
The days of stereotyping accountants as boring mathematicians are over. Professionals in the rapidly evolving industry are now being offered a variety of roles in accounting firms in Asia - some of which have never been thought of as necessary in the  region  until now.
These days new hires need  strong communication,  interpersonal  and team-player skills,  with a determination to go the extra mile in what has become a challenging profession.
Leading human resources (HR) partners at Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers  and Grant Thornton  said there was  growth  in all sectors of the accounting industry in Hong Kong and the mainland, and there were various career options for accountants to choose from.
Dave McCann, PricewaterhouseCoopers' HR partner for China, Hong Kong and Singapore, said the highest priority for his firm was   advisory.
'This can include areas of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions [transaction services], performance improvement in the regulatory and financial stream, and crisis management [forensic investigation, fraud investigation and business turnaround].'
He said advisory positions were the newest and the most difficult to fill because 'these skills are quite sophisticated' and there were not many professionals with  'that kind of experience'.
As a result, his firm is looking  overseas to fill these specific needs.
The post-Enron economic and regulatory climate has also created a need for more  auditing and consulting specialists. Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers  and Grant Thornton had seen  growth in the need for forensic accounting specialists  to 'look closely at the internal controls of organisations all geared around managing risk', Mr McCann said.
'We need people with skills in assessing risk and helping companies manage risks that they face.' To cater for the new demands placed on accounting professionals,  PricewaterhouseCoopers has opened  a  training centre in  Kowloon  for 11,000  staff  and  fresh hires, most of whom have  a minimum of five years of  accounting experience.
Andrew Lam,  Hong Kong assurance partner at Grant Thornton who has extensive experience in initial public offerings (IPO)  in Hong Kong and overseas, said many opportunities in the financial services sector  had been created on the mainland 'for both inbound and outbound investment traffic'.
His firm  provides international tax advice for overseas companies seeking to invest in China and also for  mainland  companies investing abroad.
Optimism is high despite the global economic downturn, with the upshot for the industry being a rise in  the number of China's IPOs requiring due diligence and regulations by qualified accountants.
Loletta Chow,  Greater China people leader at Ernst & Young,   said, 'There are actually many IPOs already in the pipeline [waiting for the economy to pick up]'.
She added that with more complicated rules and regulations and higher public expectations, accountants were expected to have top-notch qualifications.
For now, though, new recruits at all levels  are needed. A university degree in any discipline is a minimum requirement, but accounting or business qualifications are preferred.
An additional qualification, such as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)   or a relevant master's degree or PhD, will be helpful.
'A good MBA at the right time in the career can enrich [a professional's] capability,'  Mr McCann said.  'People on the consulting side tend to have a broader education rather than specific qualifications.
He added that 'accounting provides fantastic initial training for graduates of any academic background. It gives them a great basis for determining where they want to go with their career.
'They build their team skills, communication skills. They also develop their interpersonal skills, problem solving and diagnostic skills'.
For tax service specialists, who routinely come across legal issues, a law degree would be useful, Ms Chow said.
Although firms such as Grant Thornton and Ernst & Young recruit from all levels, including fresh graduates, Mr McCann  said his firm preferred  upper-level experienced hires with  at least five years of experience communicating with  senior executives and top clients.
Candidates who had taken the steps to cultivate the 'boardroom presence' necessary for presentations to  board-level clients were in high demand,  Mr McCann said.
For that reason, an outgoing personality, an ability to understand clients and keen problem-solving skills, in addition to language proficiency in  Putonghua and English, are advantageous.



Variety spices up profession