This article was first published by the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA) in CPA2b magazine and is used with WICPA permission.
Landing your first professional job is exciting. After years of classes, exams, internships and part-time work, you’re finally stepping into your career. While technical skills and education helped you get the interview, there are two areas that often separate candidates from the competition: how they approach compensation discussions and the intangible skills they bring to the table.
Salary negotiation: Be strategic, not demanding
For many new graduates, salary negotiations can feel uncomfortable. Some candidates worry they’ll lose the opportunity if they ask for more, while others feel they should negotiate simply because they’ve been told they should.
The strongest negotiations are based on logic, not emotion. Hiring managers are generally more receptive when candidates can explain why they’re asking for additional compensation.
As a new graduate, you may not have years of experience or a current salary to use as a benchmark, but you can still have a thoughtful conversation:
- “I recently completed an internship where I earned $X per hour, and based on my research and experience, I was hoping to be closer to $Y.”
- “I’m fortunate to be considering another opportunity in a similar salary range and wanted to discuss whether there is flexibility in the compensation package.”
- “After reviewing the benefits and overall package, I was hoping to be closer to $X based on comparable entry-level opportunities.”
The key is having a reason behind the request rather than simply asking for more money. A good rule of thumb: Confidence is attractive; arrogance is not.
If you decide to negotiate, make your best request once and be prepared to accept if the employer meets it. Most importantly, remember that your first job is often as much about building skills, relationships and experience as it is about maximizing salary.
Look beyond the salary
One of the biggest mistakes new graduates make is focusing exclusively on base salary. Compensation matters because of the world we live in, but it is only one part of the package. I’d urge new grads to consider questions such as these:
- What opportunities exist for growth and promotion?
- Is there a strong mentor or manager who will help develop your career?
- What is the team culture like?
- How much flexibility does the role offer?
- How much vacation time is offered?
- Perhaps most importantly, will you gain experience that increases your marketability in the future?
The highest-paying opportunity today may not necessarily be the best long-term career move.
What hiring managers are really looking for
Many graduates assume employers are primarily evaluating their GPA or technical knowledge. While those things matter, most hiring managers are equally focused on how you’ll fit within the team. Simply put, people want to work with people they enjoy working with. They are looking for candidates who:
- Communicate clearly and professionally.
- Ask thoughtful questions.
- Stay engaged and present during conversations.
- Show curiosity and a willingness to learn.
- Demonstrate a team-first mentality.
No one wants to hire the smartest person in the room if that person is difficult to work with. During interviews, don’t just say you’re a strong communicator or a team player; share examples. Whether the story comes from a group project, internship, part-time job, volunteer activity or previous work experience, hiring managers want evidence that you’ve demonstrated these skills in real situations.
Curiosity is a career accelerator
One of the most underrated qualities employers look for is curiosity.
The best candidates are rarely the ones who know everything. Instead, they’re the people who ask questions, seek feedback and make a genuine effort to learn. Curiosity shows initiative and demonstrates that you’re engaged and interested in understanding the “why” behind the work, not just completing a task.
This doesn’t stop after you’re hired. The professionals who advance the fastest are often the ones who continuously learn, ask thoughtful questions and look for opportunities to grow beyond their job description.
Technical skills get interviews; interpersonal skills get offers
Many new accounting graduates will have similar technical qualifications through their coursework. What People want to work with people they enjoy working with. often differentiates candidates is their ability to build relationships, communicate effectively and contribute positively to a team environment.
Don’t underestimate the value of any work experience you may have, even if it’s unrelated to accounting or finance. Whether you worked as a server, retail associate, camp counselor or intern, those experiences often provide some of the best examples of teamwork, communication, problem-solving and professionalism. Maybe you worked with co-workers to manage a busy shift, resolved a difficult customer situation, trained a new employee or balanced multiple priorities under tight deadlines. Those are all real-world examples that demonstrate skills employers value.
As automation and artificial intelligence continue to change the workplace, employers are increasingly valuing analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, adaptability and the capacity to think beyond process-driven tasks. In many cases, those qualities matter more than whether your GPA was 3.6 or 3.8.
Three common interview mistakes new graduates make
- Not researching the company
Hiring managers don’t expect you to know everything about their organization, but they do expect you to have done some homework. Understanding the company’s products, services, culture and recent news demonstrates initiative and genuine interest. - Showing up without questions
At the end of almost every interview, you’ll be asked if you have any questions. Don’t waste the opportunity by saying “No, I think you covered everything.” You can always ask more about team culture, training opportunities, career progression, leadership style or what success looks like in the role during the first year. - Focusing only on compensation
Salary is important, but early in your career, the right mentor, training, culture and growth opportunities can have a significantly greater impact later on rather than an extra few thousand dollars in those first couple of years.
My final thoughts
Your first job won’t define your entire career, and no one said your first job has to be your last. What matters most is building the habits, relationships and reputation that will follow you throughout your career.
As you evaluate opportunities, remember that salary is only one piece of the equation. The right mentor, a strong team, meaningful learning opportunities and a culture that supports your growth can have a lasting impact long after you’ve forgotten what your starting salary was.
Your reputation starts earlier than you think. Networking events, internships, professors, classmates, part-time jobs and even the people you interview with today may become future colleagues, managers, clients or referral sources tomorrow.
The candidates who experience the most long-term success are rarely the ones focused solely on the next promotion, title or paycheck. More often, they’re the ones who stay curious, continue learning, build strong relationships and consistently make the people around them better.