How CPA Linda Raynier strategizes for success
Linda Raynier knows first-hand that life doesn’t always work out the way you expect it to—but that it can actually be a good thing. Sometimes, the riskier non-traditional route is better than the safer well-worn path. And sometimes, you have to fail before you can succeed.
Born to Vietnamese refugees who immigrated to Canada in the 1980s, Raynier grew up watching her parents work tirelessly to build a new life in their adopted home of Toronto. “My father took over a tire shop despite knowing nothing about the business, while my mother worked long shifts as a machine operator at a factory,” she recalls.
Raynier self-imposed a constant pressure to make good on her parents’ sacrifices. Despite excelling in class and being selected as her high school valedictorian, she was never satisfied with her achievements. “I dealt with a lot of self-doubt and insecurity when I was young, which carried into adulthood,” she says. When she enrolled as a business administration student at Wilfrid Laurier University, Raynier initially aspired to become a corporate lawyer. As she balanced her course load with a co-op position at EY and studying for her LSATs, the pressure to succeed eventually took its toll. She failed her CFE, a crushing blow to the then 23-year-old’s confidence. But with a job offer from EY in hand, she decided to shift her focus solely to a career in accounting.
Another unexpected life transition came in 2012, when she was let go from EY shortly before receiving her CPA designation. What could have been yet another devastating setback became an opportunity: she found a new job as a recruiter for finance and accounting professionals at a top staffing firm. In that position, she discovered she had a talent for matching people to roles that suited their ambitions and abilities. She was so good at it that in 2016, she struck out on her own and launched a YouTube channel, where she currently shares her career advice with nearly one million subscribers. Through her YouTube, she offered courses on building resumes and acing job interviews, which helped her become a career strategist.
Now, the Toronto-based mother of two plans to transition her fast-growing business into a holistic enterprise that teaches professionals to find fulfillment in all facets of life by trusting their instincts and being their most authentic selves.
You started off with a more conventional career path as a staff accountant at a Big Four firm. Why didn’t that job pan out?
Throughout my childhood, I wanted to pursue a prestigious career. That’s why I was drawn to the stability and status of getting hired by a big accounting firm. But the reality of doing audit engagements didn’t come naturally to me. I was constantly second-guessing myself and my decisions. Working past midnight every day for weeks on end was the norm during busy season, and I struggled to cope with that too.
To compound things, I hit multiple hurdles in getting my CPA designation—I’d failed both my SOA as well as my UFE exams on the first try. I was embarrassed by how far behind I was compared to my peers. When I was let go along with several co-workers for budgetary reasons, I knew it was also because my managers sensed the same thing I did: I just didn’t belong there.
How did you cope with that setback, especially considering that this type of career had been a lifelong aspiration?
Believe it or not, failing the CPA designation exams helped change my perspective on things. When I failed my exams, I cried and felt sorry for myself. My previous inability to pass the LSATs weighed heavily on me, too. My self-worth was at an all-time low. But when I finally passed the CFE and got my CPA designation, it instilled this newfound confidence in me that I was capable of doing far more than I thought was possible.
In a way, all my feelings of uncertainty at EY also proved to be a valuable lesson. Instead of seeing my uncertainty as a negative, I saw it as my inner voice calling out to me that something was off. I realized that a traditional career with a big firm was an excellent goal for many CPAs, but that didn’t mean it had to be my goal in life.
How did that job lead to your current gig as a career strategist?
After three years with Vaco Lannick, a staffing firm in Toronto, I decided to take a big risk and start my own business. I now had this wealth of knowledge about how to get the right job and I wanted to harness it to empower others to find fulfilling careers. I also wanted to schedule my own hours and work from home, which my company didn’t permit at the time.
Today, it’s very easy to get sidetracked by attempting to copy the approaches of all the successful entrepreneurs online instead of being your genuine self. But I knew that if I stayed true to myself and focused on adding value and helping people, I would get recognized and attain success. That authentic approach resonated with clients immediately. In the past seven years, I’ve helped thousands of professionals, many of them CPAs, who’ve taken my courses.
What are the most common challenges that CPAs face in their careers?
I personally experienced all the most common challenges. Once I got a job at a Big Four firm, I believed that all I had to do now was put my head down and work hard. Many CPAs assume that if you do those things, you’ll move up the ladder and get more rewarding opportunities. But hard work simply isn’t enough to get you noticed, which is incredibly frustrating for those who are stuck in their career trajectory despite putting in long hours at the office.
Additionally, many CPAs—like me once upon a time—believe that a traditional career path in audit, for example, is what they should be pursuing. For many CPAs, that is the ideal path. But for other CPAs, they end up in jobs that don’t utilize their natural talents and skills. That can lead to a lot of inner frustration, despair and lack of motivation. But the most recurring issue I’ve seen in my CPA clients is stress. Every CPA gets overwhelmed with stress at some point in their career, which can lead to health issues and seep into your personal relationships.
How do you help your clientele tackle these challenges?
I teach my clients a few key skills and approaches. Hard work is important, but you also need to learn soft skills to get ahead. Emotional intelligence and fostering quality relationships with your peers, clients and managers are critical in building a successful career. I also coach CPAs on how to positively and assertively carry themselves and interact with people in the workplace. It all comes down to authenticity in your daily interactions. Learning how to best sell yourself and be comfortable in your own skin can make a massive difference when it comes to getting promotions and job offers.
For clients frustrated with their career choice, I urge them to be willing to honestly engage themselves on how to best leverage their CPA designation. Turning inward and asking yourself the right questions about what you truly want sounds straightforward, but it amazes me sometimes how rarely people employ that practice.
Regarding tackling stress, I encourage clients to follow that same inward approach. Instead of blaming your boss or your workload, you should search within yourself to identify the root cause of your stress. Many are also overwhelmed by the unrealistic expectations they put on themselves. However, if we re-evaluate our expectations and seek a better understanding of ourselves, we can take the next step in attaining fulfillment, which will often eliminate that stressful root cause. I tell clients to formulate what their most desirable life looks like, and how they can harness their skills and experiences into a plan of action to get there.
Of all the thousands of professionals you’ve helped, is there a success story that really stands out?
I often think about this particular student who took my online resume-building course. She was a working mother from Tajikistan—a country I’d never even heard of at the time. Despite being highly educated, she was working a low-paying menial job and struggling to get any offers for better opportunities elsewhere. One day, she contacted me out of the blue to thank me. After taking my course, she got a job that offered her double her previous salary. The career change completely transformed her circumstances: she had financial security and self-confidence for the first time in her life. As a mother of two myself, the fact that I helped another mother in a country nearly 10,000 kilometres away leaves me in awe of the unlimited impact my work can have.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to any CPA?
Learn to tap into your intuition. As CPAs, we tend to rely on our logic and place trust in the numbers. But there’s always room to include intuition in that, too. If you read the interviews of some of the greatest business leaders, a lot of their major decisions come from trusting their gut. If something feels off to you, listen to that feeling. And if something feels like the right path for you, follow that path.
What’s next on the horizon for you?
Beyond my career strategist work, I want to guide people to align their careers with their life purpose. We’re often guilty of treating our careers as a separate and detached part of our existence, but human beings don’t work that way. Our sense of meaning and personal growth is connected to all aspects of our lives. I don’t want people to compromise who they are for the sake of their careers. Instead, I want their careers to channel the most authentic version of themselves.
That’s why I no longer want to only teach professionals the right things to say or do to get that job offer or promotion. I want to move beyond that to ask them the key questions: are you expressing your full self? Have you overcome your innermost fears and emotional baggage? Are you comfortable in your own skin? And if the answer to any of those questions is “no,” I want to help them figure out how to change that.
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Learn about other CPAs who created their own calling, such as Alicia Fowler, who created a women-led tax firm that thrives on intuition and open communication.
Photo caption: Linda Raynier overcame many bumps on the road to her success (Photograph by Wade Hudson)