Climbing your career ladder’ can mean many different things. It can mean adding a new skill set or moving from working with financial services clients into industry or getting into a sector that you're really passionate about.
It's worth noting that not everyone aims for vertical career growth—priorities like homeownership, travel, and family can influence the pace of your professional journey.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side and the key is to do your research. Then you are much better equipped to build the Career pathway for yourself.
I have always been amazed by the fact that the people who have stellar careers are not necessarily the top 10 placed ACA’s but rather the ones who know how to read the market, are always discussing their career, looking for the next building block on their cv, and looking to get to know the right people.
What extra skills and responsibilities can you squeeze out of your current employer for example sometimes looking internally to your current employer can be a very strong option.
Additionally, if you have an internal sponsor in your current company who has your back and wants to see you succeed that can be very powerful.
When building a career most of the ACAs I speak to indicate that increased salary and extra money is not necessarily top of their list - it's usually about third on the list.
Why not look to get promoted in your current company? There was a great article in Accountancy Ireland last year on how to get promoted. It's a great thing to be able to say when going for interview that you have been earmarked for advancement to the next level based on your strong performance.
Are there internal training courses in your current Organisation to avail of ? for example if you're in BIG4.
Have you identified that you need more people leadership experience? If so, perhaps this is an extra responsibility that's your current employer can gift to you!
Can you move into another division?
Can you gain additional systems or ERP experience?
If you're innovative by nature perhaps you can suggest and formulate new procedures and efficiencies for your finance division for Department.
Remember all these opportunities will become feathers in your cap or small stories to sing your own praises about at interviews in the years ahead.
The key is to make sure that the experience you are gaining constitutes the right building blocks for your chosen path and your ultimate goal ie. Your 5 or 10 year plan.
Getting involved in PROJECTS can help you pivot off in a slightly different direction with your career and will give you visibility and profile in your organization. It will also give you the reputation as someone who wants to get involved and get things done it looks great as a value-add on your CV :
- You develop a whole new set of management skills
- You gain exposure to new colleagues and senior management
- It gives your personal brand a major boost
Lateral moves - Sometimes, a lateral move proves wiser than a hasty vertical leap, allowing for a more strategic career progression. Lateral moves can also involve less pressure and they reinforce your brand and consolidate your expertise in a sector.
I see many members who (in a buoyant market) take on new roles which have super salaries and seniority and prestige but can often work out to be a step too far too quickly.
In this context sometimes a lateral move can be the clever option and can be the way to scratch itchy feet so to speak …
- You can enhance your skill sets
- Gain exposure to new clients
- Get a broader understanding of your chosen area
So for example, moving from a Senior Accountant role in a technology multinational to a Senior Accountant in a Pharma PLC could give you a whole new toolkit for the role pertinent to that new sector rounding you out as a strong experienced finance manager.
It will also help you better understand the transferability of your skill sets.
As a recently qualified or young professional the wide variety of opportunities and different types of roles available to you post qualification are extensive.
Some of you may be in these roles already but for others it can be nice to see the diversity in different styles of opportunities available.
Branding
Personal Brand and Networking go hand in hand ! As a young professional you do have a personal brand whether you realize it or not - you now have to guard it and grow it. Your personal brand is how others perceive you, shaping your professional reputation and career prospects.
Be visible in work but also with recruiters via LinkedIn and through your personal network.
Raise your profile in your current job - this will become ammunition for interviews in the time ahead.
Make sure you are recording and calling out your key achievements.
Ask your boss at reviews what you are doing well.
Above all - Don't slip into a comfort zone and don't become invisible
Learn how to Showcase your outputs
- Be able to talk through your success stories comprehensively.
- Learn how to sing your own praises - many Chartered accountants need to learn and develop this skill!
- Always Try to be positive and passionate when discussing work
- Spend time deciding what you want your personal brand to be and what you want to be known for!
Your personal brand basically forms the foundation of your career. Over the last decade or so I've always been amazed by ACA members who have taken control of their personal brand and promoted it well. It really is the secret to advancement!
Essentially your PB is what your colleagues say about you when you are not in the room : eg. “he's a technical genius” or “she knows everyone in the whole company”
Or “he is a real people leader” or “she is a super communicator and presenter!”
These “auras” or “brandings” that people attached to you can give you a real edge might be your differentiator when it comes to career steps.
Networking
As a Chartered Accountant one of the most important and powerful things you can do at an early stage of your career is to build your personal network!
A strong personal network is the spine of a successful career and without one your career climb will be far more challenging! Actively nurturing your network, both online and offline, lays the foundation for future career opportunities.
When you reach FCA status the likelihood that you make a career move by leveraging your network is over 80% so start building it now!
So how do I build and grow my network?
- Stay in touch with ex colleagues
- Find an excuse to touch base or pick their brains on something
- Like / connect / share / discuss- particularly in specific groups in LinkedIn
(LinkedIn has a whole sub section of visibility and networking unto itself)
- Stay in contact with people who attend the same conferences and events as you.
LinkedIn
Platforms like LinkedIn offer powerful networking opportunities. Regular interaction, participation in industry groups, and endorsing others' skills can enhance your visibility and credibility. Embracing virtual networking events, especially in the current digital era, facilitates connections with peers and industry professionals.
Some brief points I would say about LinkedIn and networking :
- It's essential nowadays
- Make it a habitual weekly practice eg. connect with 10 people per week
- Be polite - use a polite connection message
- Get into key groups of interest to you and interact, pick brains, say hi, post messages
- Write recommendations for people
- Endorse peoples skill-sets
- Introduce other people to each other – They may refer you to a key contact by return some day.
Ultimately the key is to embrace LinkedIn and harness its usefulness :
- it is your business card nowadays
- it's the appendix to your CV
- and it's a powerful online networking tool
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VIRTUAL NETWORKING in general is the new way of interacting of course and so look for online events through the Institute or other organisations where you can interact with your peer groups. Eg IIA conference or Chamber of Commerce events. The ACA Professionals Group always has upcoming events and as a Newly Qual you should definitely get involved with the group.
CV
Your CV is your marketing tool, highlighting your achievements and value proposition to prospective employers. Tailoring your CV to showcase your strengths and accomplishments effectively is crucial. It's advisable to seek feedback and refine your CV to ensure it resonates with potential employers.
- Know it inside out and be able to talk your way through it clearly
- Why not have a few versions of your CV with differing flavors also even a one page punchy resumé that you can forward to someone informally along with your LinkedIn profile.
- It should shout out the ‘Value Add’ that you are bringing to the new employer.
One of the things we are always asked is whether you should name clients on your CV.
- I always say that if they are PLC clients there's no harm at all and can often look good in terms of branding on your CV.Alternatively, just describe the sector and size of the organization you worked on.
- Make sure to detail your key achievements and sell your skillsets.
- Review your own CV critically as if you are the employer asking yourself ‘So What?’ after each line !
If you need any guidance or review of your cv just send it in to the Careers Team and we can talk it through with you.
2 small points : Your Profile Summary can be customized for applications but should be short, punchy and speak to what you are seeking eg “aiming to develop my career in Internal Audit”.
Also, use the Other Interests section to help with ice breaking discussions and to indicate your personality.
The Interview :
So some basic key points about the interview :
- Its my firm belief every single interview needs a customized interview prep
- Every Interview is different no two are the same ;
some are formal some informal, some competency based some CV based.
It's usually best to be prepared for a competency based interview even if that means deciphering the competencies for yourself from the spec and then building your specific story-form answers.
Star shaped answering is always ideal giving good structure to your examples..
The advantage of doing virtual interviews nowadays is that you can have your slippers on and your notes beside you and the fire on in the corner and even have your hand on a mug of coffee if that helps relax you! Face to face interviews are coming back more and more in the market now however.
One thing I always find is a common thread in interviews particularly in a buoyant market is that an employer will hire a person for their attitude, energy, communication style, commercial acumen and or leadership style above all other things.
So it's not always about having the right technical answer to an interview question sometimes it's simply how you carry yourself in the interview and what your body language is like in the meeting - Your smile / your eye contact etc essentially the rapport that you build during the interview can be hugely influential and worth focusing on.
Another thing to remember is that most interviews are a subtle two way interaction with you also judging the interviewer. Some interviewers are not very good and not very experienced at interviewing and you may need to allow for that. Equally you may be judging subtly whether you want to work for this person and do you like them.
If the role is one you are really keen on why not let them know towards the end of the interview that you are being really selective in what you are interviewing for at the moment but this is one of your favourites!
Employers hire humans they ‘like’ as opposed to robots and that’s why I always tell members in Interview Prep to go and enjoy the interview and enjoy singing their own praises for once as you rarely get the opportunity.
Upon qualification make sure you connect with your ICAI Careers Team to map out the rest of the plan and review the wide variety of ACA paths and market opportunities.
Dave Riordan (ACA)
Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach
https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Career-Pathway
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