Building Your Personal Brand

August 23, 2021

Emilee Shuler | Marketing Assistant | Published by Crow Shields Bailey PC

Personal branding is vital for professionals of every age and stage in their career to understand. Professionals should consider branding to be an outward representation to the world of the sum of their values, goals, interests, and skills.

While, in essence, building your personal brand is about selling yourself, it is very important to be genuine and organic in your efforts. The process of learning and developing your personal brand involves an element of self-analysis that will also lead to a great deal of personal growth along the way. Your personal brand is the combination of your own unique identity and your reputation. Intentional and thoughtful personal branding will help you to stand out in a sea of other highly qualified peers.

 

Looking Inward

The first step is to ask yourself, “Who am I?”

  • What are your skills?
    • These should include both technical and soft skills.
  • What are your interests?
    • This should include your professional interests and your personal interests.
  • What are your values?
    • These should also include both your personal values and your professional values. If these conflict with each other, then branding is not the biggest project you need to be tackling right now.

Next ask your friends, family, and peers, “Who am I?”

  • What do they think your skills are?
  • What do they most enjoy discussing with you on a personal or professional level?
  • What do they believe are some of your values?

Finally, ask yourself what it is you would like to achieve.

  • What are your personal and professional goals?
  • Do they align with your values, interests, and skills?

It may seem daunting to explore these ideas, but it is a critical step towards building your authentic brand. Personal and professional goals are constantly changing and values and skills evolve as people grow in their lives and careers. You will need to revisit this process often in order to make sure your brand is still an accurate reflection of all of these things.

Building Your Brand

Once you have answered these more introspective questions, it’s time to start building your brand. It is at this point that you will put to work what you gleaned in the beginning of the process. What knowledge, experiences, goals, skills, and passions can you use to promote yourself to employers and peers?

What will be your main avenues of promotion?

  • Which social media platforms should you utilize?
    • Typically, LinkedIn is the platform that has the most focus on professional achievements and accolades, sharing best practices, and networking and interacting with peers in your industry and others. LinkedIn should be a priority for all professionals.
      • Make a point to follow and interact with other leaders in your industry. Share, like, comment, and take part in their conversations. This will give you visibility and help you gain followers organically.
    • Even on more casual platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you should always consider whether the image you are conveying aligns with the values and goals presented by your brand.
  • Should you consider writing a blog?
    • If you feel that you have useful insights to share, a blog is a great way to promote and establish yourself as an industry leader while also sharing helpful knowledge with others.
  • What networking opportunities should you utilize?
    • Always be on the lookout for continuing education courses, networking events, and any opportunities to have conversations with people. Never underestimate the power of networking. Not only are you gaining and sharing valuable knowledge and making meaningful connections, but your network of peers is also part of your brand and should be a reflection of your values and interests.

How will you stand out from the crowd?

  • What makes you unique?
    • Use your unique personality, talents, passions, experiences, and abilities to connect with people to differentiate yourself.
  • Do you have any professional specializations or certifications that you should highlight?
  • How will you stay up-to-date on industry trends?
    • Subscribe to reputable sources of information for your particular industry. Use continuing education to bolster your knowledge and stay current with best practices, trends, innovations, etc. This will ensure that your content and conversations are always relevant.

The beginning stages of introspection will guide you in the process of building your brand while simultaneously helping you get to know yourself and your goals better. By defining your identity, developing a strategy for promotion, and letting your personality shine, you can build a very effective personal brand for your personal and professional life.

Crow Shields Bailey Promotes Andrew Bailey, CPA, ABV To Manager

We are very excited to announce that Andrew Bailey, CPA, ABV, has been promoted to Manager. His contributions to our firm have been invaluable. Andrew’s hard work, leadership skills, and his knack for innovation speak for themselves. A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, he has been with CSB since 2016 and has contributed to many different areas of growth for the firm. Andrew primarily works in tax return preparation and tax planning for businesses, individuals, estates, and trusts; and in business valuation for estate and gift tax, litigation, and merger and acquisition, among other areas.

Andrew is also a very active member in the community. He is the President of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals, Board Member/Treasurer of the Estate Planning Council of Mobile, AICPA NextGen Ambassador for Forensic and Valuation Services, a graduate of the ASCPA Leadership Academy Class VII, and a Junior Achievement Classroom Volunteer at Fairhope High School.

Andrew is a Huntsville native married to Jenny Speir of Fairhope. Andrew and Jenny reside in Fairhope with their son Win and their dog Jack. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys weekends at the hunting camp or on the water, cooking on his Big Green Egg, and spending time with family and friends. He and Jenny also enjoy trying new restaurants around Fairhope, now that they are residents there.

 

The Most Misunderstood Phrase In Accounting

November 19, 2019

Andrew Finnorn | Staff Accountant | Published by Crow Shields Bailey

Throughout the recruitment process, you will hear firms speak of their dedication to a work-life balance. They are referring to the ability to balance the demanding work load of public accounting and life outside the office. It is used as a way to overcome the common belief that public accountants work 24/7. The most important thing to understand is that this challenge must first be overcome at the employee level, then assisted by the firm. This can be accomplished by answering three easy questions.

What are you balancing? The things that you value evolve as you progress through life. When you first enter the workforce as a young adult, time with friends and participating in hobbies are often your main focus. As changes happen, such as marriage or having children, you will find that your priorities and interest will also change. Discovering what is important to you is the first step in creating your ideal work-life balance.

When is the deadline? You will learn very quickly in public accounting that everything revolves around deadlines. There is always another deadline waiting around the corner, and understanding the workload is a key to success. Once you understand the “work” ahead, it allows you to build a schedule that can tackle the sometimes overwhelming workload, and allows for “life.” The anxiety that is felt with approaching deadlines can be mitigated by attacking the work load early. The more work that can be completed on the front end allows you to maintain your desired work-life balance.

Does this firm understand me? With the diversity of the workforce, firms must have an understanding of what is important to each employee. As addressed with the first question, each individual will have different priorities in life. You should search for a firm that aligns with your values. This requires getting to know the firm beyond an interview, and not getting caught up in a recruiting pitch. Current employees and their experiences can often give you an insight into the firm’s values. Look for an opportunity during recruiting events to interview the employees.

As a result of the public’s perception of accountants working 80-hour weeks, the work-life balance has become a point of emphasis for recruitment platforms. Is a work-life balance truly accomplished at the firm level? Yes, they play an important role, but they are only part of the equation. Your understanding of the balancing act and the ability to schedule ahead will allow for the ideal work-life balance in your career.

 

 

Six Cliches That Are Still Relevant For Today’s Business Students

September 26, 2019

Abby Roveda, CPA | Senior Accountant | Published by Crow Shields Bailey

Has the statement clichés are clichés for a reason reached cliché status yet? Did that question hurt your brain just a little bit?

At some point in your life, clichés become perceived as the professional equivalent of dad jokes—they’re cheesy and you can hardly ever say them with a straight face. There is still more than an ounce of wisdom to them. In my time in public accounting and working the recruiting circuit, I’ve found that these clichés are still relevant for today’s students.

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

This is NOT about showing up early for interviews and work. This IS about starting to plan for your career now and setting yourself up for the best shot at success. If you don’t know what you want to do yet, you’re not alone. That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do now to prepare for the unknown. Take every opportunity you have to go and hear speakers, attend career fairs, and shadow in different industries until something piques your interest.

If you do know what you want to do, why would you wait for an invitation to start pursuing it? Maybe you’re not at a point academically where it makes sense to do an internship; however, there is no bad time during your college career to attend socials with potential employers, take advantage of job shadowing opportunities, get your resume out there, attend leadership events to add to your resume, or participate in on-campus recruiting. The more a potential employer gets to know you, the less of a hiring risk you become for them.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

I do some work on the board of a not-for-profit, and this is the director’s favorite phrase when we have an upcoming event. We spend a lot of time planning for potential mishaps, such as inclement weather or IT problems, and preparing backup plans should any of them actually occur on the day of the event.

How does this apply to students looking for jobs? Have you ever been interviewing for a job and the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them and you replied, “No, I don’t think so?” For many employers, that indicates to them a certain level of disinterest in their company, and even in your own career. Having questions ready for your potential employer is one of the most important steps you can take to prepare for an interview – besides popping a breath mint if you had extra garlic and onions on your pizza at lunch. When you are competing with multiple students for the same job or internship slot, who do you think will have the edge when all other things are considered equal – the one with zero questions for the interviewer or the one with a couple of well-prepared questions?

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

Did you just imagine Kelly Clarkson belting that line? Who knew that Kelly was actually singing to business students when she recorded that power ballad?

Being a professional requires you to get out of your comfort zone. There are many aspects of the recruiting process that are just plain unenjoyable. For instance, getting dressed in an uncomfortable suit in the sweltering heat of Alabama, making sweaty handshakes with strangers, repeating the same small talk over and over again…I feel you. I hated career fairs when I was in college. There was not a single aspect of them that I found enjoyable, except that during the height of recruiting season I could usually count on being provided free dinner for 3 of the 5 nights of the week, which was a big help with the old budget. However, by forcing myself to continue to attend these functions, I found that I had actually grown comfortable talking to potential employers. I had become more confident in a room full of strangers and I had actually semi-mastered small talk that didn’t solely revolve around the weather.

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have

Speaking of getting dressed in uncomfortable suits…

Lots of employers have more relaxed dress policies in this day and age. Gone are the days (at most places) of dressing in full suit and tie every day for the office. However, until you know what that dress policy is and until you are actually employed there, you should err on the side of being overdressed. Except for a few exceptions—like showing up for your shift at Habitat for Humanity in a three-piece suit—you will never regret being overdressed in a professional setting. And, even more importantly, your potential employer is not going to note you being overdressed as much as they will if you are underdressed.

You are what you do, not what you say you do

This is really important for when you start working at your first job. However, there is another important spin on this for business students applying for jobs.

My husband has been giving advice to fourth year medical students applying for residency this fall since he just finished the process last year. One of the things we have talked about is the temptation to stack your resume with things that you think make you look good, but don’t necessarily reflect how you actually spend your time or what you value. His advice to fourth year students was, “If you can’t talk about it for 5 minutes, it should not be on your resume.”

What does that mean? You should prepare a 5-minute speech based on everything on your resume? No. If you list a community service activity and it was something you did just to fulfill service hour requirements and not something you actually believed in, do you think you could talk intelligently and passionately about it for 5 minutes if asked about it in an interview? Unless you’re minoring in drama, you probably can’t, and that will lead the employer to question the authenticity of other things listed on your resume as well.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

If you haven’t experienced a setback at this point in your life, then you probably aren’t challenging yourself. Do you know why employers ask you in interviews to tell them about a time that you failed? Not because they are trying to expose you, but because if you failed, learned something from the experience, and bounced back from it, then you can guarantee that will stand out to them and give you an advantage.

Being a professional in any kind of industry is challenging and you will make mistakes and fail at things multiple times throughout your career. We are counting on it. Not because we like watching you squirm, but because it is absolutely the best way to learn. And if you can’t learn from failure, then there is a limit to what we can teach you.

If you have any questions about career development, recruiting, or any other topic, please feel free to reach out to us. We are always here to help!

 

Accounting Students – Should You Choose Tax or Audit?

June 19, 2019

Caitlyn Grimme, CPA | Supervisor | Published by Crow Shields Bailey PC

One of the biggest decisions an accountant will face is the choice to specialize in tax or audit.  While this decision may come easily to some, for others it can be the most difficult choice of their career.

Tax vs. Audit – What’s the Difference?

While both are accounting professions, the tax and audit paths can vary greatly.   In the tax division, your day will focus on trying to reduce the client’s tax liability.  Meanwhile, the purpose of an audit is to express an opinion as to whether the financial statements of a company are free from material misstatement. As such, auditors devise testing measures and scopes to evaluate the information provided by the client in order to express an opinion.  Additionally, auditors may also work on other forms of attestation engagements such as reviews and compilations, which provide limited to no assurance regarding the financial statements.

Both tax and audit are rules and research based. Tax professionals must comply with rules set by the Internal Revenue Service and The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Auditors must also follow generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS), additional SEC and PCAOB guidelines if required, as well as certain industry-specific guidance.  However, while auditors rely on research and rules, they also rely heavily on auditor judgment.

Audit professionals must have strong interpersonal communication skills, as you are onsite communicating with clients on a daily basis.  Tax professionals typically work in the firm office and might not communicate directly with a client for several months.

Both career paths are now heavily dependent on computer and software applications, so regardless of your choice, proficiency in technology is important.

There is conflicting information from online sources regarding differences in pay for auditors vs. tax professionals.  Some sites state that lower level audit staff jobs are more plentiful than tax staff positions starting out and might offer higher initial pay.  However, other sites argue that tax professionals have higher initial earning power. At the end of day, I would recommend choosing the path that you are more passionate about, as the earning potential doesn’t appear drastically different for either course (note this may vary by firm, industry specialization, etc.).

Are There Pros and Cons to Each Path?

Although not every firm is the same, here are a few standard pros and cons:

Audit:

Pros:

  • Travel – audit professionals typically spend less time in the firm office than tax professionals. Whether the travel is local, regional, or national can depend on the specific accounting firm.  For instance, audit professionals at large regional or national firms might spend a significant amount of time traveling while professionals at local firms might travel primarily to clients in their area.  Independent of firm size, boutique firms specializing in a specific industry might travel more than others.  If you like a varied day/routine with occasional to frequent travel, audit might be a good fit for you.
  • Steady work flow – while the tax profession is driven by statutory deadlines, audit work is more consistent and constant throughout the year. There are still deadlines in the audit world, but these deadlines (which are usually set by governing bodies such as a board of directors or third parties such as bankers or bonding agencies) are usually spread more evenly throughout the year.
  • Teamwork – audit engagements typically consist of an “audit team” with a partner, manager/in-charge, and staff member, at the least. This environment yields itself to mentorship and in-the-field hands-on learning for those new to the profession.
  • Client interaction – with audit, a large portion of the engagement is performed “in the field” (i.e. at the client’s office). As a result, staff will be interacting with client personnel ranging from accounting clerks to the CEO on a daily basis.

Cons:

  • Travel – while travel might appeal to some, it might be a significant deterrent to others. It is important when interviewing for an audit internship or staff position to question the firm’s expectation regarding amount of time spent traveling, as it can range by firm size or specialization as noted above.
  • Professional skepticism – attestation engagements require independence from the client. This can be a problem for professionals who get too involved in order to “help” the client, as it can lead the auditor to making management decisions for the client and impairing independence and objectivity.

Tax:

Pros:

  • Deadline-driven – while the time surrounding tax deadlines can typically be very busy for CPAs in the tax department, there is usually a lull between these storms that provides plenty of time for vacation, continuing education, professional development, etc.
  • Independent work – while the audit department works on a team, tax professionals have more opportunity for independent work. While there is always someone available for questions if needed, if you prefer to work on projects on your own, then tax might be a better fit.
  • Fast turn-around – while audits may drag out for weeks or months, tax returns are usually much smaller individual engagements which lead to quicker turnaround. If you are someone who likes to quickly cross projects off your list, this might be the path for you.
  • Exposure – although you are not in the field with the client on a daily basis as in auditing, tax professionals receive more exposure to different clients throughout the year. For example, an auditor might work directly with 10-15 clients a year, while a tax professional might deal with 100.

Cons:

  • Deadlines – while the lull provided after a deadline is nice, the weeks and months leading up to a deadline require overtime work by tax professionals, which dissuades many from joining the profession.
  • Client exposure – since tax professionals work primarily in the office, they do not interact face-to-face with clients daily. This could be preferred if you tend to be more introverted, but extroverts might find this arrangement challenging.

I’m Still Undecided – What Can I Do?

If you are still unsure which path is a better fit, try out some of the following:

Apply for an internship – internships are a fantastic way to learn the basics of both disciplines.  Most large firms will offer internship experience on a tax or audit basis which allows full immersion in either path.  Smaller local firms may offer internship opportunities with exposure to both tax and audit in the same internship round (typically a “busy season” internship from January through April 15th).

Online forums – in the age of technology we live in, information is at the tips of our fingers, literally.  There are several sites with forum posts or resources surrounding this subject.  Check out the CPA exam forum on www.another71.com or the AICPA career guidance section, just to name a few.

Ultimately, the career you choose must be the best fit for you.  What are pros for one person might be cons for another (ex. frequency of travel engagements).  However, as long as you know yourself and what is most important to you, you will make the right decision.  Feel free to contact us to set up a job shadowing appointment if you would like to get a glimpse at a normal day for tax and audit professionals.

 

CROW SHIELDS BAILEY NAMES GINA MCKELLAR NEW MANAGING SHAREHOLDER

February 8, 2019 – Crow Shields Bailey PC (CSB) is pleased to announce Gina McKellar, CPA, CVA has been elected to serve as the firm’s new Managing Shareholder effective January 2019.

Gina assumes this role from long-time Managing Shareholder, Kenny Crow, who has served in this position since 1986 and will now lead CSB’s business consulting. Gina looks forward to guiding CSB’s growth, strategy and vision by continuing in Kenny’s footsteps to build the Gulf Coast’s premier full-service accounting and consulting firm.

“Gina’s leadership experience makes her an ideal fit to continue guiding our firm’s strategic growth plan,” said CSB former Managing Shareholder Kenny Crow. “She is well-respected by her peers and exudes resilient problem-solving skills, even in the face of adversity. Our firm has been preparing for this successful transition, and we can’t wait to witness the positive impact she will bring to CSB’s future success.”

With more than 30 years of experience in public accounting, Gina has been part of the CSB team since 1997, and was admitted as the firm’s first female shareholder in 2002. Gina has exemplified leadership as the firm shareholder responsible for overseeing the success of its human resources department. Among her many accomplishments, Gina was recently awarded The Lagniappe 2018 Nappie Award for Best CPA. She specializes in accounting and auditing, tax, business valuations, tax planning, business consulting and litigation support.

“Crow Shields Bailey PC is proud to serve our clients as their trusted advisor, and we look forward to growing with them and our Gulf Coast community,” said Gina McKellar.

CSB’s team and management congratulate Gina, and remain dedicated to ensuring a seamless transition for the firm.

Gina is married to Charles McKellar and mother to three grown children Brian (Ellie) Russell, Bradley Russell and Thomas Russell. In her free time, Gina enjoys running and gardening. She currently serves as President of the McGill-Toolen Catholic Foundation and on the Finance Council for Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.

For more than 33 years, Crow Shields Bailey PC has served as the Gulf Coast’s premier full-service accounting and consulting firm by reaching beyond the numbers. Headquartered in Mobile, with locations in Daphne and Gulf Shores, CSB’s dedicated team of financial experts is committed to helping its clients maximize their wealth and reach their financial goals. Through its affiliation with the RSM US Alliance, CSB has the resources of a national accounting firm matched with proven local leadership the community has come to know and trust.

The Big Question: Should You Work At A Large Firm Or A Small Firm?

January 17, 2019

Kenny Crow, III, CPA | Supervisor | Published by Crow Shields Bailey

Exploring the Benefits and Challenges of Large vs Small Firms

Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of working for two successful accounting firms. Both of these have provided me with valuable experiences where I have gained a diverse perspective for the unique benefits of working for different sized public accounting firms.

My first job out of college allowed me to work at one of the largest firms in the southeast that was located in Central Alabama. After working in Birmingham for six and a half years, I decided to move to Mobile, AL in early 2018 and began working at Crow Shields Bailey PC (CSB), a mid-size public accounting firm.

Experience level. One of the main differentiators of working in a large vs. small firm is the pace matched with the level of experience you gain. At the start of your career, joining a smaller firm always helps in rapidly gaining a larger breadth of experience. At a firm like CSB, you get to see jobs from start to finish and truly understand the scope of what you are working on in its entirety. In the larger firms, the work is distributed into smaller chunks between more employees, so the experience you gain is narrowed to one focused area or industry.

Big name clients. Working at the larger-sized accounting firm, I was able to partner with some of the largest private companies in the southeast. Partnering with large clients provided the opportunity to support complex financial statements and face issues that could take CPAs at smaller firms many years to obtain a similar level of experience.

Industry expertise. At larger firms, you tend to get concentrated experience in certain industries and work strictly in either audit or tax. This creates an avenue to become a proficient expert in the areas that you specialize in, but prevents you from being able to comprehensively consult with your clients on all accounting-related matters. At CSB and other similar sized firms, you have the opportunity to gain experience in all types of industries and every line of business. This allows you to be your client’s preferred advisor in tax, audit, financial consulting, forensic accounting, and many other matters.

Path to Partner. With the bifurcation of audit and taxes or industry specializations occurring so frequently in large firms, younger CPAs at major firms may find it more challenging to serve their client in every financial consulting facet as they move towards the path of partner. As younger CPAs at larger accounting firms trend towards industry specialization, they have to invest a significant amount of time to staying updated on industry and accounting literature for areas they lack experience in. CPAs in small firms naturally gain this experience and knowledge more quickly as they progress in their “multiple hat” career paths. Many Baby Boomers and Generation X CPAs that are currently serving in a partner-level position began their careers in an environment where they were involved with all levels of business and worked in several types of industries, similar to CSB.

Leadership opportunities. I have also found that as you progress throughout your career path, you have more opportunities in smaller firms to positively influence the firm’s culture and take on leadership roles, but one can still bring invaluable leadership impact to larger firms if you find the right mentors and support teams.

Regardless of the path of public accounting you choose, you can’t go wrong with a career in this industry. Working at both large and small accounting firms has its benefits and the key to choosing the right one is truly understanding the differences between the two and prioritizing what is important to you. If you have any questions or want any additional information about working at a large accounting firm versus a smaller accounting firm, please contact Kenny Crow, III at [email protected].

 

Why CSB?

December 5, 2018

Kenny Crow, CPA | Managing Shareholder | Published by Crow Shields Bailey

Why CSB?

At Crow Shields Bailey PC (CSB), the culture is focused on putting our team first. As a result of that, we experience tremendous success in recruiting the best and the brightest—professionals that bring fun and passion into our work environment every day.

We work hard for the opportunity to play hard. Our creativity is fostered through open dialogue and being receptive to new ideas and better ways to combine our diverse talents to achieve a desired result.

CSB takes great pride in our community involvement. Individually, we encourage our team to explore passions, utilize their talents, and openly give time and resources to worthy causes that positively impact our region. Each year, CSB selects an annual charity focus, and our team donates 20 or more hours a month to other philanthropic efforts.

When you join CSB, we invest in your future. We help you identify a meaningful career path and train you to optimize your potential. We discovered a long time ago that the success of our team members in climbing the ladder to the top only fuels our practice growth. Everyone wants to help each other expand their skill set, and work together to support our firm’s mission.

Our RSM alliance partnership provides consistent training and leadership development opportunities. So, if you were a bit shy about making presentations to professionals, speaking to a group of bankers, or having a high-level conversation with an important client or prospect, your confidence will soar after attending peer training programs across the country. CSB has evolved into a well-respected firm known for its consultative approach to helping clients achieve their financial goals.

So my question is, why not join a firm like CSB, where peers respect you, where you are challenged to become the best version of yourself, and where you have a high probability to succeed personally and professionally?