Sales tax professionals are in a fortunate position with lots of career paths and options. Those with sales tax expertise are in high demand, especially post-Wayfair. There is no time like the present if you are seeking a change in your career path. Let’s explore how you can advance your sales tax career.
No sales tax career will grow without continued education. MENTORING, networking and mentoring can be powerful tools to help you level up in your career. What do you enjoy most about your job? Take the time to pinpoint what stands out and pursue extra education about that topic.
If you’re passionate about environmental sustainability, you could look for sales tax positions in companies that work to reduce plastic waste or build solar panels as well as nonprofit work.
Sales tax managers and directors play critical roles in the company as a whole. Larger companies may have separate roles for each sales tax function. In smaller companies, one to a small handful of individuals might be responsible for them all. Specialty roles like Tax Technologist and Exemption Certificate Specialist exist.
A government role will help you gain a wide breadth of knowledge in sales and use tax. Time management, problem solving, and being familiar with lots of different industries are all things you will learn. Government roles don’t generally work the weekends, so it can provide some nice balance.
If you want to work in the sales tax field, there are options for you. Some firms have SALT attorneys or tax groups that advise companies on complex multistate tax issues. Tax technology firms also frequently have positions for attorneys with sales tax expertise.
Sales tax can be a fruitful, fulfilling, and interesting career path. To advance your career, you simply need to be curious and have a mindset of continual learning. Sales tax pros reevaluate their career goals at least 2-4 times a year in order to stay on top of their game.
Source: Sales Tax Institute
