1. You've just been promoted to manager. Your firm will:

• A. Ramp you up with a two-day overnighter covering soft skills, managing staff, mentoring, marketing and proposals, all taught by the firm's partners, marketing and human resources professionals.
• B. Give you a new cubicle, new cards and a pat on the back.
• C. Send you to several industry trade association meetings to gain a clearer understanding of the rules and regulations governing the industry you'll be serving.
• D.  All of the above.

Correct answer: D.

Great training develops your ability as a professional over time. That two-day overnighter is one of several ways WithumSmith+Brown, P.C., a CPA firm with 11 offices along with Mid-Atlantic corridor, trains its newly promoted managers.

"The partners not only focus on technical education, but on soft skills, client service excellence, building a staff, mentoring and firm practice management, internally and externally," explains Sheryl Martin, executive director of firm operations.

Passage to manager is a critical transition point, adds Tom Evans, chief learning officer for PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is ranked first on Training Magazine's 2008 list of companies that excel at employee training. "It is certainly a time to celebrate. However, there is also a great opportunity to reinforce culture and values, deepen industry specialization and enhance leadership capabilities," he says.

In addition to attending industry-wide events, accountants can seek out specialty training from their own trade groups, such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

2. The training my firm offers typically involves:

• A. Mostly on-line, self-paced modules.
• B. Outside experts delivering information via seminars.
• C. Case studies and simulations.
• D. The senior partner critiquing my performance on the ride back to the office after we call on clients.

Correct answer: C.

It's not enough to simply know the rules and regulations. You have to learn how they're applied, says Evelyn Rodstein, KPMG's chief talent and development officer. "You need to know how they relate to your client's industry and how to have productive discussions with your client that can get to the heart of where their greatest risks lie," she explains.

Along with theoretical training, KPMG uses in-class simulations and case studies so accountants can experience how an issue is likely to arise and play out.

"We've created robust virtual engagement simulations for our more junior professionals in Audit and Tax, and a client simulation for senior professionals in Advisory," Rodstein says. "Using these simulations, we can recreate some of the complexity of a real client engagement, and give participants a safe environment where they can see the effects of the judgments they make and the actions they take."

3. The soft skills training my firm offers includes:

• A. Business etiquette and dress for success.
• B. Working with different personality styles.
• C. Emotional intelligence.
• D. All of the above.

Correct answer: D

Soft skills training is a must-have in any firm, says Martin. And the best training covers a variety of soft skills. "We invite the whole firm to attend, from the senior group on down, and give them training on business etiquette, dressing for success and working with different personality styles," she says. At PwC, emotional intelligence is one of five broad domains in which training efforts are focused.

4. When I think about the accounting training I've gotten in the past, it has usually:

• A. Been something that I could apply right away to my job.
• B. Given me the continuing professional education (CPE) credits I needed.
• C. Taken a day from my life that I'm never going to get back.
• D. Always ended up being useful, but rarely changed my viewpoint.

Correct answer: A

For adults, good training is always relevant, immediately applicable and it leads to measurable improvements. "If I can leave that program and take it to my day-to-day work routine and it enables me to do something better, or in a different way, or it provides a different perspective, then it's truly valuable," says Evans.

5. The hottest training to have right now:

• A. Is an industry specialty.
• B. Focuses on communication skills.
• C. Teaches accountants to manage large and complex engagements.
• D. All of the above.

Correct answer: D

As the industry goes increasingly global, accountants also need skills in managing large and complex engagements, including assignments where team members are at different client sites and connected virtually. That makes C a good answer.

If you've ever done a pitch where some of the potential clients are in the room while others are on a video hook-up and you didn't know where to look when speaking, you'll know why the correct answer could also be B.

Evans believes the hottest training is anything dealing with where business is going, for example where are financial services, health care, or technology taking us? "Understanding forensics is a wonderful opportunity," he says. "Transaction services, globalization and looking at how you bring deals together … are all important."

However, he goes on: "In a nutshell, being a professional who can communicate with impact, build deep client relationships and add business perspective that is valued by the client is essential." So, in the end, the correct answer is D.

6. I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to training, so the best choices for me are:

• A. Executive education programs offered online by an academically competitive school.
• B. Programs offered by the AICPA or the state AICPA affiliate.
• C. Programs that earn National Association of State Boards of Accountancy approval.
• D. All of the above.

Correct answer: D

Evans recommends you look at executive education programs because many competitive schools are building distance learning programs. At the same time, the AICPA or state accounting societies offer extensive continuing education programs that are specific to the industry. They're great if you need to advance your understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or Financial Accounting Standards Board statements, or if you want to get started in a specialty, such as reorganization or litigation services.

To advance in a specialty, seek a second certification beyond the CPA, such as the Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Internal Auditor or Certified Fraud Examiner designations.

NASB screens continuing education programs. So, any program with the NASB stamp will meet the CPE rules set by AICPA, Evans adds.

7. When it comes to marketing accounting services, my firm:

• A. Offers no training in that area.
• B. Has a structured business-development training program.
• C. Takes lower-level staff on presentations.
• D. Constantly reminds me I'll never make partner if I don't bring in clients.

Correct answer: B

WithumSmith+Brown has a structured business-development program that combines on-the-job training with a point system that encourages its accountants to market the firm. "They get points for writing articles, attending networking meetings or attending prospect meetings," says Martin. It's hard to become a rainmaker when no one is teaching you how to seed the clouds.

If you got all the answers correct, you're clearly at the right firm.

Originally published March 18, 2008

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