In 2014 – to eliminate chaos, confusion, and long lines in the cafeterias – CPA firms across the US standardized employee advancement levels. At any time during their careers, certified public accountants will find themselves positioned in one of these five places:
- The Rank and File: All CPAs start at this level. About 68 percent move up within a year. Some stay two or more years, eventually getting the hint and moving on. Only two percent are still there after one year, at which point their swivel chairs are lowered by a foot.
- On Someone’s Radar: 47.6 percent of CPAs will advance to being on someone’s radar within the first two months. Staying longer than six months means one is unlikely to go farther. Those who stay for nine months are usually assigned to empty wastebaskets.
- Someone Who Has What It Takes: 23 percent advance to this level. 68 percent of them have two or more things that it takes.
- The Pecking Order: Only 7 percent get here – signifying that the CPA has not only made it, but that he or she is in line to someday do the actual pecking.
- The Powers that Be: Reached by a mere 1.3 percent, these are the people who make the decisions, have first pick of the complimentary muffins, and don’t have to look at anyone else in the elevator.
