Using podcasting to attract accounting talent

Two Boise State University accounting professors created a podcast series to attract new talent by taking students on professional journeys.

Contrary to persistent stereotypes, the accounting profession is full of people with interesting careers. Boise State University features some of them in podcasts deployed in introductory accounting courses to whet students’ appetite for the profession.

The series is called Journeys of Accountancy and features accountants who, for example, work for a CPA firm specializing in the legalized cannabis industry in California, an accounting software company that serves the funeral industry, and a company that provides compliance services to the gaming industry. Then there is the accountant who used to be an Air Force fighter pilot, and another guest who played in the National Football League before starting a career in accounting.

The personal and professional details of the interviewees are attention grabbers for a larger purpose: The podcasts are a creative way to attract more talent to the profession.

Podcasting has become ubiquitous, so much so that it has almost become a cliché to say you have one. But there is substance behind the ubiquity. Podcasts are popular. They are convenient ways for people to learn. They are often memorable. They resonate. And the students enjoy them. (See the sidebar, “What Students Said About the Podcasts” at the bottom of this article.)

The first of the weekly podcast episodes was recorded in August 2023. Students in Boise State’s introduction to managerial accounting course (a required course for all business majors) were first assigned to listen to the podcast during the 2023 fall semester, and time will tell whether the series, by getting students more excited about accounting careers, will increase the number of accounting majors at Boise State. But after listening to episodes of the podcast, students in the class, regardless of major, better appreciate the importance of what they are learning, and enrollment in subsequent courses has increased.

GETTING THE JOURNEYS GOING

The idea for the podcasts was born in 2023, from three seemingly unrelated developments.

First, several students in the introduction to managerial accounting course told us that they liked to learn by listening to podcasts and they lamented that there were no opportunities to do so in the course.

Second, many students in the course reported that they didn’t want to major in accounting because they thought entering the profession would relegate them behind a desk in a room by themselves doing boring work. These student attitudes were concerning because a decline in accounting majors was exacerbating the profession’s pipeline problem. We knew that we had to combat these stereotypes, but the typical way of doing so — using guest speakers or panel discussions in class — was not sufficient. Such approaches are helpful, but they are difficult to schedule, take up valuable class time, tend to be limited in reach, can be captured by more outspoken panelists, and don’t have a long shelf life.

Third, Boise State’s library announced that it had just opened a podcast recording studio, available for free use by faculty and students.

The three developments spawned the idea of doing a podcast to interview accountants in a variety of fields, using a format that students enjoy and that allows for deeper, more durable learning materials. Fortunately, we knew many Boise State accounting alumni who had interesting stories to tell.

Four months later, we recorded our first podcast — in one of our offices, because it was cozier than the library sound studio, more convenient, and less exposed to distracting foot traffic.

ATTRACTING TALENT BY BROADENING HORIZONS

The goals of the podcast are to dispel stubborn stereotypes about what accountants do, attract more students to major in accounting, and give nonaccounting business majors an appreciation for the importance of studying accounting as part of their coursework.

While the causes of the accounting profession’s pipeline problem are varied, stereotypes play a role, and they are hard to change.

The AICPA has produced videos, like “Accounting: It’s Not What You Think,” to try to dispel the negative narratives, but more work at the grassroots level is needed.

We have found the podcasts to be an innovative and engaging way of exposing our introductory accounting students to the importance of accounting in business and the various paths that would be open to them if they majored in accounting. Although our podcast guests are telling their professional and personal stories, in doing so they are really showing our students, via example, the many benefits of an accounting career.

KEY ENCOUNTERS FROM THE PODCASTS

Many students feel their initial choice of career and employer will set their destiny, but accounting does not pigeonhole you into a particular career. Our guests show accountants can move into different fields within or outside of the profession and can be any of the following:

Trusted business and personal advisers

Every business needs an accountant to know how much it is earning, or it will not stay in business for long. Accountants also help clients make major financial and life decisions and help alleviate the burden during difficult times. A sole practitioner guest drove this point home by explaining how he takes care of a lot of the filings and paperwork when clients’ loved ones pass away.

Master communicators

Establishing and maintaining relationships is paramount to success. Accountants need to build relationships with their employers, colleagues, clients, professors, and peers.

Accountants are not always deskbound. They go out in the field to meet with clients, observe inventory, and understand the operations of a business firsthand.

That means they must learn to translate accounting concepts into terms that their business colleagues can understand and appreciate.

One of our guests, an accountant and chief information security officer, noted that an important part of recovering from a cyberattack is ensuring the mental recovery of the people who either unknowingly allowed it or had to clean up after it.

Critical thinkers

Many accountants working with emerging industries find themselves at the “frontier.” For example, a guest who works in fintech noted that many of the accounting issues that arise are so new that they can’t be found in textbooks. Accountants thus must be critical thinkers and extrapolate from their base knowledge.

Risk takers

Accountants are always learning — sometimes unconsciously — because of the dynamic work they do every day. That means accounting provides a solid foundation to enable risk taking. Some of our guests noted how they took risks in their career by taking on a new role or opening their own business, knowing that if they failed, they could always return to accounting and have a steady income. Many of our students desire to be entrepreneurs — and this fallback option should be appealing to them.

Teachers and coaches

Accountants teach clients and less experienced staff. This point was emphasized by a guest who was a former English professor. She was attracted to accounting because she could continue to teach and mentor others, but without the drudgery of grading.

LESSONS LEARNED ON THE WAY

Doing the podcast has been eyeopening and fun. We have interviewed guests we have known for years — only to learn something new about their background or experience. There is something about the intimacy of the podcast format that prompts disclosure of insights that would never surface in a class guest speaker presentation or panel discussion. And, unlike guest speaker appearances, the podcasts are not ephemeral. They are enduring, can be used in both in-person and online courses, and will continue to enrich our courses in future semesters.

We have also learned that the podcast is a great way to foster our relationships with alums and other professionals, who are eager to stay connected and get involved on campus. The podcast has been a convenient way for them to do that in an impactful way.

Also, the podcasts can make for great icebreakers to advance conversations during networking events, because many of the interviewees are involved in recruiting. One of our students on the job market said she recognized a recruiter who had been on the podcast. When she introduced herself, she told her, “Oh, I just listened to you being interviewed by JoAnn and Mark” — Instantly creating a connection.

And the podcast has been a great way for us to keep current about what is going on in practice and thus helps us better advise our students. In sharing their journeys of accountancy, our guests have helped launch many of our students on their own successful journeys and have informed and enriched our own.

What students said about the podcasts

Listening to five podcasts of their choosing was a homework assignment for students who took the introduction to managerial accounting course during the 2023–2024 academic year at Boise State University. Here is what some of the students said after completing the assignment:

“Like Nick, I took engineering classes out of curiosity, and I concluded that finance is the degree for me. […] I have a story similar to Nick’s, and it was insightful as well as validating to hear why someone made the decision not to study engineering.”

“Something I enjoyed about the podcast was hearing how accounting is a people business and not just a numbers business. Yes, I understand you will be dealing with numbers, but that isn’t your entire job and career. It was nice to hear this from someone directly in accounting.”

“I got to learn that accountants can come from all backgrounds. Specifically, in this podcast, Richie discussed that before he became an accountant he was in the NFL. This stood out to me because you can go all the way through college thinking you’re going to end up doing one thing and completely change your career path.”

“I thought that firms wanted younger employees or recent graduates. I learned that Mike successfully went into the accounting workforce at 38. This showed that as long as you have the education, you can get [into the profession] at any age.”

“I learned that my major is very diverse and doesn’t lead to only one job in the field.”

“I learned that I can go into accounting not liking all of the balancing and preparing records and instead stay more on auditing. I think that this can help me decide my major with more certainty of what I want to do.”

About the authors

Mark J. Cowan, CPA, J.D., is a professor of tax law, and JoAnn B. Wood, MSA, is a lecturer of accountancy, both at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. To learn how to get started with podcasting and use it in a classroom setting, please read the professors’ tips in the following article, “Building and Running an Accounting Podcast.” To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Jeff Drew at Jeff.Drew@aicpa-cima.com.

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AICPA & CIMA MEMBER RESOURCES

Articles

“New AICPA Apprenticeship Program Expands Accounting Talent Opportunities,” JofA, Sept. 27, 2024

“Rewriting Accounting’s Employment Narrative,” JofA, Sept. 1, 2024

“Expand the Accounting Pipeline With a Mentorship Circle,” JofA, Dec. 6, 2023 

Podcast episode

“The Importance of Targeting Talent Early, Enthusiastically,” JofA, Jan. 18, 2024 

Websites

The National Pipeline Advisory Group’s Accounting Talent Strategy Report: Analyzing the Root Causes of the Accounting Talent Shortage, Potential Solutions, and Next Steps Forward. Go to the download page.

AICPA Firm Practice Management resources homepage

ThisWaytoCPA.com