cpa@yahoo.com
California CPA magazine: May 2008
Amy Ainsworth is a rising young and emerging professional. For her, Yahoo! is more than a free e-mail account, it’s where she works on mergers and acquisitions for the high-profile company.
After five years of public accounting, Ainsworth realized making partner wasn’t her goal, so she decided to move to a company with a great reputation: Yahoo!.
Why Yahoo!?
The real clincher for taking the job was the immediate groups I would be working with. They really sold me on the job. Everybody who I work with is focused on either external reporting or M&A accounting. Like me, many have Big Four backgrounds.
Describe the culture at Yahoo!?
On a broad scale, it’s fun, diverse and accepting. But, just like any large organization, I work within a tight-knit group. We like each other and even hang out when we’re not working. That makes it a fun work environment. There’s a work hard, play hard mentality, and after filing or project deadlines we know how to celebrate.
What keeps you coming back every day?
The reasons aren’t really tangible. It’s the team effort and mentality. You don’t want to leave your teammates hanging. And I love my boss. He makes or breaks my day.
Does being a CPA give you an advantage in corporate finance?
I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes, but I really don’t know specifics as to why. I do know that we, as CPAs, are really sought after and that it makes a difference when being considered for a position or promotion.
What advice do you have for aspiring CPAs?
Be the best at what you do and be prepared so when the right place and the right time come up, you’re all over it. The successful individuals I’ve talked to usually say they didn’t plan on achieving a certain title. It was more that they were at the right place at the right time to get that early promotion or great assignment.
So, don’t have a passive attitude in your career. As long as you like what you’re doing, have an ear to the ground for what may come up. But don’t get too anxious! I know a lot of people in their first and second years of public accounting who look to quit, but it’s just one of those things that takes a little time.
What advice would you give to those who supervise and mentor young and emerging professionals?
Aside from being smart and having a great personality, flexibility makes the biggest difference. And it’s not even necessarily about working from home days, because we all need to earn that privilege. A great manager understands that life happens: doctor and dentist appointments, dentists, kids, cars, and a 9-to-5 job doesn’t always work well for us. Instead of focusing on clocking in and clocking out, it may be helpful if the mentality is focused on getting work done and, more important, done well.
