A Content Analysis of Accounting Job Advertisements: Skill Requirements for Graduates
IntroductionAccounting graduates face the challenge of addressing the selection criteria of prospective employers typically highlighted in job advertisements. The recruitment process can be a lengthy and arduous one and it is vital for graduates to get through the first stage if they are to have any chance of gaining employment. Thus success at this early stage requires that a candidate addresses the selection criteria. This has received limited attention in the literature, with concerns having been focused on the differences between employer expectations and actual accounting graduate skills (France, 2010; Jackling De Lange, 2009; Wells, Gerbic, Kraneburg Bygrave, 2009; Kavanagh Drennan, 2008).The attributes that accounting graduates posess are influenced by three key stakeholder groups: academics, accounting professional bodies and employers. Academics have an influence in the way in which attributes are presented and covered in the curricula, whilst the professional accounting bodies have a greater influence in determining precisely what is covered (Laing Perrin, 2011) The contribution of employers is likely to be relatively small, particularly from organisations that are too small to participate in activities such as student sponsorship and collaborative curriculum development. This is reflected in the emphasis that has been placed on graduate attributes (Wilcoxson, Wynder Laing, 2010) the requirement for soft skills (Low, Samkin Liu, 2013; Andrews Higson, 2008) and the employability of accounting graduates (Prokou, 2008; Lindberg, 2008).This study therefore aims to address this gap by analysing a large sample of accounting job advertisements to determine the required applicant attributes and then compare these with the existing curricula produced by academia, and professional accounting bodies. A number of key accounting curricula are also analysed using text mining, to determine how their key themes differ from those required by prospective employers.BackgroundWhilst universities have traditionally sought to provide a higher education enshrined in knowledge advancement, the vocational nature of professional education has led to the inclusion of the notion of competencies. The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) education committee sought to instigate the production of competent accounting graduates that would have "the ability to perform tasks and roles expected of a professional accountant, both newly qualified and experienced, to the standard expected by employers and the general public" (1998, 1) The framework identified three areas of competency, specifically, functional, personal and a broad business perspective. This has been further developed by the IFAC (2003) to encapsulate two competency based approaches to accounting education; a functional approach with emphasis on performance outcomes, and a process approach with emphasis on knowledge skills and professional values.In Australia, the professional bodies have been actively involved in shaping accounting education through the accreditation process. The Certified Professional Accountants of Australian (CPA Australia) and the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) have established standards for curricula and delivery. Accreditation is regularly reviewed and critically important to any university offering an accounting course. The primary focus is on requisite accounting knowledge, communication skills and technological competence (CPA Australia, 2016; Birkett, 1993) The ability to communicate and work with people are elements of what have become known as soft skills and these are distinct from technical skills required to perform accounting tasks (Low, Samkin Liu, 2013; Dixon, Belnap, Albrecht Lee, 2010) The role of professional bodies in vocational training has a legitimate role in the higher education sector, such as a university, has a long standing tradition in many professions such as medicine, and law to name but a few.