“Do accounting students need to learn “soft skills”?

Author: Iloka Benneth Chiemelie
Published: 31 January 2019

“Do accounting students need to learn “soft skills”?

In order to better address the question raised above, it is important to present the definition of hard and soft skills, as well as differentiate them to offer a comprehensive overview. By definition, hard skills are the technical knowledge and expertise necessary for undertaking a designated job. On a similar note, soft skills represent the interpersonal qualities (with the second name as people skills) and personal attributes that people have within their domain. Soft skills are also considered to be the level of commitment that an individual has set within himself towards executing a given task, which is higher than what is obtainable from people with similar skills.

Presently, the global economy is undergoing tremendous metamorphosis due to increased level of globalization and market liberalization. Globalization and innovation in the information technology does demand that institutions of learning be able to produce graduates that are competent in both technical (hard skills) and soft skills. In preparation for the future economy, having technical knowledge is no longer enough. This is because employers are now in search of employees that can offer a healthy blend of both hard and soft skills (Weber et al., 2008; De Villiers, 2010).  That is to say, employees need to be technically capable and also fortified with the right blend of soft skills, which include thinking and communication skills, as such will provide the company the benefit of being able to deliver better quality services (Bancino and Zevalkink, 2007). On the same note, it was claimed by Mara et al. (2007) that it is expected of accountants to be able to combine soft and hard skills as such will allow them function better in today’s multitasking business sphere. Thus, it is clear that soft skills is required of modern accounting graduates in order for them to better suit job demands.

In some countries such as Malaysia, this has been recognized by the government. Considering the relative importance of soft skills among graduates, it was emphasized by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) that it is vital for organizations of higher education to put students through varied soft skills in the course of their studies and also performed online survey amongst undergraduate students, with the aim of determining the extent of soft skills among tertiary students in Malaysia. This survey was known as the Malaysian Soft Skill Scale (My 3s) and it featured seven kinds of soft skills as: thinking, problem identification and problem-solving, entrepreneurship, communication, teamwork, ethics, morality, lifetime learning and management of information, and professionalism, and leadership skills (Aida et al., 2005; Ministry of Higher Education, 2012). In the survey, it was discovered that a significant volume of students are lagging behind, further calling on the need for their soft skills to be enhanced in order to meet the demands of the modern day labour market.

The importance of soft skills cannot be overemphasized as it has been featured in numerous professional discussion such as accounting (Howieson, 2003; Hassall et al., 2005 and 2010; Johnston and McGregor, 2005). In their argument, Weber et al. (2008) that companies might show no concern about the technical skills possessed by their entry-level managers because such managers will still be trained in line with the company’s standards; but majority of these companies demand that their future managers should possess soft skills in order for them to be successful in the company. Thus, besides offering students hard skills in their learning process, it is necessary that universities devote efforts to groom tem with soft skills that are necessary for success in their professions (Aida et al., 2005).

In order to increase their employability chance, the modern labour market requires that accountants should have solid accounting and analytical stills, coupled with soft skills that are demanded in their processions (Jackling and Lange, 2009; Hairuzila et al., 2009; De Villiers, 2010). Offering support to the above statement, it was claimed by Penafort and Bedah (1997) that most Malaysian employers consider certain skills to be important and they include: leadership, teamwork, effective communication, and analytical mind. It was also revealed by researchers from Universiti Sians Malaysia that graduates that do not have soft skills might experience difficulties in the course of seeking employment (Munir, 2005). The reasons why soft skills are considered vital for individual’s employment was highlighted by Dhobale (2009) to include that such skills represent personal traits that can determine the level or form of interaction that an individual can maintain with others, the person’s communication skills an d resulting job performance. In the management or supervisor position, it is required that applicants should have soft skills such as teamwork, effective communication and leadership skills (Bancino and Zevalkink, 2007). When it comes to promotion, impressive soft skills are also important (Guinn et al., 2004). Still on the effects that soft skills can have on employability and soft security, it was noted by Balaji and Somashekar (2009) that when companies face the decision of laying off employees in the course of downsizing, they normally retain those with impressive soft skills. Therefore, it can be stated that soft skills determine whether or not an applicant gets employed, and the extent of job security such employee should expect if the company is faced with issues of downsizing or deciding on promotion. Essentially, it can be stated that soft skills in the accounting sector does influence overall self-actualization and career success of individuals.

For over a decade, the accounting professionals and researchers have been advocating for amendments to be made in the educational system in order to place more emphasis on introduction and accommodation of soft skills in the curriculum designed for accounting students (Burnett, 2003; Hurt, 2007; Schulz, 2008). This recognition further suggests that soft skills are crucial for accounting students. Basically, soft skills help the employees to deliver better quality jobs, transfer skills easily, and represent the company effectively and efficiently in the course or undertaking designated tasks. While having accounting skills is still the basics and important for accounting students, there is also an increasing need for accountants to have a higher level of soft skills (French and Coppage, 2000). When an institution is able to prepare students for future by equipping them with both technical knowledge and soft skills, it does go to show that the institution has a good image as a provider of quality human capital for the industry (Hairuzila et al., 2009).

In conclusion, having soft skills is vital for accounting students because in line with the statement made by Rumble (1998), it allows them to offer high quality professional services to their clients in the future. De Villiers (2010) also supported this statement by stating that there is a positive relationship between soft skill and overall performance at all levels. Thus, it leads this essay to conclude that accounting students need to learn soft skills because it enhanced their overall employment, promotion and retention chances, while also allowing them to offer higher quality professional services to their clients.

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