The typical stereotype of accountants just doesn't add up, according to a new study which says the profession gets a bad press.
Research commissioned by tax and accountancy provider CCH found that while only a quarter of the public think of accountancy as a dynamic, tech-savvy profession, over half of accountants held the same opinion of their jobs.
Furthermore, it was found that 74 per cent of accountants like using iPods and 58 per cent are comfortable using social networking sites with Leeds accountants being the most popular Facebook users, with 78 per cent having more than 50 friends compared to a national average of 44 per cent.
The most positive views came from the 60 per cent accountants under the age of 25 who described their profession as "energetic and full of enthusiasm".
Martin Casimir, executive director at CCH, said: "Even in these hyper-PC times, it seems that accountants are still unfairly viewed as being behind the times.
"Despite embracing new ways of thinking and technologies in their professional and personal lives, they are still unable to ditch their stuffy label."
Meanwhile, head of student recruitment at PricewaterhouseCoopers Sonja Stockton told the Times this week the firm was "optimistic" about graduate recruitment and would be taking on 1,000 graduates this year.
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