Four steps to prep yourself for the job market

Brian O’Connor, Team Lead of Recently Qualified Accounting Careers at Barden, explains some of the key areas to consider as you near the end of your training contract and prepare yourself for the job market in 2025

Get curious!

The first thing we recommend is to get curious about what options are available to you upon qualifying. It’s hard to know what the market is like at the moment, the difference between all the roles, the market rate for salaries, etc. It is important to start speaking to peers, ex-colleagues, recruiters and people who have been through it before. 

For a lot of people, this will be their first time going through a serious job search, so it is good to equip yourself with as much information as possible before diving headfirst into it. 

Have a look at different job boards (primarily LinkedIn), and you will start to get a feel for what is out there. 

There’s no need to apply until you’re ready, but by reading different posts, you will familiarise yourself with the different types of roles that are available at this level. 

CV

As you’re likely already aware, the CV is the document that can take you from aspiring applicants to sitting in front of the hiring manager. But a weak CV can really act as a blocker to opportunities, so it is of the utmost importance to get it right.

Your CV should be unique, detailed and specific to you. Avoid anything too generic. If you have trained in practice, we recommend breaking your experience up by engagement. 

Pick three to five of your most prominent clients/projects and have four or five bullet points specific to that engagement. This gives your experience a good structure and will also make it unique to you. 

If you have trained in industry, consider breaking your experience up by the various rotations or areas to which you have been exposed.

LinkedIn

There’s no getting away from it. If you haven’t already, it’s time to update, build and promote your presence on LinkedIn. 

As a newly qualified accountant, your LinkedIn profile is your online personal brand and should be thought of as a tool to catch the eye of in-house recruiters, agency recruiters and hiring managers alike. 

Make sure to have all academic and career information up to date to reflect your current qualifications and stage in practice. If you don’t point out that you’ve passed your FAEs, a hiring manager might think you’re not qualified yet. 

Ensure employment dates are correct and match your CV, to avoid any discrepancies. Your LinkedIn profile should mirror your CV as much as possible.

Once you are happy your profile is up to date, don’t be afraid to use it! Connect with colleagues and clients, and join groups such as professional accounting organisations, your university alumni, etc. 

Finally, don’t forget to include a (professional) picture!  No selfies or pictures from nights out with your friends. (Yes, we’ve seen it all.)

Your network

Your network is very important and shouldn’t be underestimated. A lot of people secure roles through ex-colleagues, clients and word of mouth rather than agencies or LinkedIn. So, it is important to utilise and maintain these connections over time. 

Even though some connections might not be as close, they can be extremely valuable, often offering information or links that can broaden your reach and learning opportunities. 

Anyone that you have built up a rapport with, make sure to be proactive and add them on LinkedIn – whether that person is the office intern or the finance director of your main audit client. 

As you approach the end of your training contract, make a conscious effort to build genuine connections in every interaction you have with colleagues and clients, so that you can lean into this network in the future.