Create mini-goals that are very specific.
Job stress and burnout arise when people feel they have little control over their work and/or few options.

But goals like “be more visible” or “work more efficiently” are hard to measure — and impossible to meet. (No matter how much you improve, theoretically there will be more you can do.)

Instead, try a very specific micro-goal. Instead of the examples above, you might try, “Offer at least one suggestion per meeting” or “Finish my check run before 2 p.m. each week.”

You’ll see tangible results right away, which boosts morale — not to mention that as you meet your goals and swap in new ones, you’re bound to be constantly improving.

Refocus your time

It’s all too easy to get caught up in putting out the most recent fire: There are missing invoices to track down, angry vendors on the phone and employees with questions about their paychecks constantly angling for your attention.

But spending all your time on those tasks leaves precious little time for other activities that can help you work better, save money, etc.

Take a few minutes to jot down your top goals (no more than three) for you and/or your department. Next, think about ways you could be working toward those goals but aren’t — these are the tasks most of us say we’ll get around to “once I have the time.”

Once you’ve established a few concrete steps, make it a goal to work on them at regular intervals. Key step: This should be time you have blocked out on your calendar — and stick to it. For example: Maybe you’ll need to spend 15 minutes a day to attack the pent-up filing pile. Or set aside one afternoon a month to analyze monthly spending in more detail than you can afford to now.

The simple act of putting it on your to-do list, can turn those “someday” tasks into finished projects.

What are some of your tricks for fighting burnout? Let us hear your ideas in the comments.

Reason: President Obama and many other leaders are promising to reform financial regulations as well as increase oversight of banks. That type of work is going to require the skills you and your peers possess.

Even in the private sector, companies are likely to put a renewed emphasis on keeping their own financial houses in good order, which could lead to another swell in help-wanted signs for Accounting pros — just like after Sarbanes-Oxley.

Who stands to benefit the most? Folks who have compliance-specific experience.

If you’re in the job market, it’s not the best time to be looking — but Accounting pros are better off than workers in many other fields.

The latest research from Robert Half International indicates that 9% of CFOs are actually planning to add staffers in ‘09. And only 8% are planning cuts.

That leaves fully 82% of departments that will likely be intact.

Where the opportunities are

Most of the hiring is being done by larger firms that are looking for help in these areas: credit and collections, credit risk management, public accountants, senior accountants and tax and audit specialists.

All of us have verbal tics that we subconsciously rely on when we’re searching for a word or trying to buy time to think. But some filler phrases are more acceptable than others.

Researchers at Oxford University recently put together this list of the top ten most irritating phrases. Banish these babies from your vocabulary, and you’ll instantly sharpen your professional image. Not to mention what you do say is likely to be taken more seriously:

1. At the end of the day
2. Fairly unique
3. I personally
4. At this moment in time
5. With all due respect
6. Absolutely
7. It’s a nightmare
8. Shouldn’t of
9. 24/7
10. It’s not rocket science

What are your verbal pet peeves? Sound off in the comments.

No wonder why some may be feeling down in the dumps: With year-end’s crunch coming on, increased tax enforcement and most companies taking an even closer look at finances across the board, Accounting is under a lot of pressure. 

We want to know: Do you still look forward to work most days? What about your co-workers– are they dragging more often than not?

Even if you still love your job, we all have “those days” now and then. How do you keep your outlook positive when it happens? Share your ideas in the comments.

Between current economic conditions, increased regulation, and technological changes, Accounting has gone way beyond inputting credits and debits. No wonder it often feels like you have to sprint just to stay even with the rest of the field.

To keep yourself up-to-date and make the most out of challenging times, focus on these three goals:

1. Be strategic. Upper management is growing more reliant on your expertise in decision-making — which makes you all the more valuable. Look for ways to leverage your know-how into larger company initiatives. If you have ideas to get better vendor discounts, or trim payroll costs, now’s the time to share ‘em.
2. Keep up your standards. It’s tempting to cut certain corners when time is tight. But seemingly innocent steps like self-auditing less frequently can come back to haunt you. Today’s more complex field makes mistakes all the more likely — and harder to solve.
3. Build up your “soft skills.” They’re more important than ever as you deal with people in other departments and communicate strategy.

In fact, 16% of them think they’ll need less than one year to “pay their professional dues.” That’s according to a survey done by CFO magazine. 

Another 51% think the process to become a seasoned pro will take one to two years; 24% think it will take two or more years of solid experience. 

What do you think: In a fast-changing industry, does it take longer to climb the ladder? Or are flexibility and adaptability more important traits than experience?

Share your experiences in the comments. 

Salaries for finance and accounting professionals were up an average of 4.5% in ‘07 — that’s more than 36% higher than the rest of the workforce.

That data comes to us from the Association of Financial Professionals.

What’s driving the increase? As the financial world gets more complicated and moves faster, management is realizing that accounting and finance pros who have the skills and temperament to keep up are worth their weight in gold to the company’s bottom line.

If your income hasn’t kept up with the average boost your peers saw, make sure that you’ve keeping up in these key areas — and that you’ve made your boss aware of your value by:

• Increasing your responsibilities at work
• Earning professional certifications, and
• Making measurable contributions to profits.

Those are the factors that are driving most of the growth in salaries.

It was the choice of 50% of CFOs in a recent survey by Accountemps. The distant runners-up? Speaking/presentation skills (17%) and negotiation (16%).

The emphasis on “soft” skills makes sense when you think like upper management. They need people who can not only reliably report the monthly numbers — but can also explain what those numbers actually mean to managers in other departments. The benefit of getting more vendor discounts or finding a cheaper way to run the weekly payroll may be obvious to you, but a manager in inventory, customer service or similarly “non-finance focused” department may not see it as easily.

The better able you are to relate the company’s financial goals in a way that makes sense to your peers, the more likely they are to go along with any changes that have to be made. 

And that benefits not just you, but the entire company.

And while it may be bad news for upper management, it’s good news for your career advancement. 

According to the study, in the U.S. 73% of respondents said they are concerned they could lose top performers to other companies — that’s despite a weak economy that makes it harder to jump ship. (Only 58% of their international counterparts were concerned.)  

One thing is changing though: The types of skills those managers are putting the highest value on. In past years, the most pressing need was Accounting pros with regulatory and compliance expertise. Now, managers are most interested in industry experience and knowledge.