If you completed a Masters Degree and as a result only need to do a 3 year training contract (as opposed to the 3.5 years) you may be looking to interview in the market before the end of this year! As such, you will need do start considering your career path and the direction you want to take. There are a number of actions that will help you when making important decisions. Below is a list you can tick off as complete over the weeks ahead :
Action list and Key considerations as a newly qualified ACA :
- Build a top class CV – Template and guide here
- Start a Career Plan file – Webinar here
- Watch some career webinars here and articles here
- Start market mapping and select your top ten preferred/potential employers – If you need advice on market mapping your Careers Team in the Institute. Follow these companies on LinkedIn and you could even reach out to other Chartered Accountants working there via LinkedIn.
- Get your LinkedIn profile up to speed – Document guide available from dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie Treat this as the appendix to your CV – Professional Photo and good bulleted detail.
- Set up alerts on jobs boards for a variety of different roles and titles and filter into a folder for review.
- Connect with a few trusted recruiters to understand the career curve of an ACA – The Career Pathway Hub here will also be a useful resource.
- Explore the full spectrum of career paths that you can take post qualification
- Consider whether a contract might be a good option at this particular crossroads
- Connect with a few mentors and get their advice formally.
- Explore the option of a stint abroad to add real-world experience to my CV
- Initiate a networking mentality and start speaking to your peer group about what they are doing with their careers in the years ahead.
- Examine the LinkedIn profiles of peers several years ahead of you to see what paths they have taken as they moved out of their training contract.
- Establish an elevator pitch about where you want your career to go.
- Based on your recent annual reviews in work write an honest SWOT analysis of your personal brand and current profile.
- Start building an Interview narrative – What are your key selling points / key stories and value-add examples? Have you asked the Institute Careers Team or a recruiter for a prep session? Interview Do’s and Don’t’s document here :
- Consider who your referees going to be and will they sing my praises. Give them advance notice.
If October or November 2024 is when you will be leaving your training contract then start the key actions now per the above list and don’t put off contacting your Careers Team. Get ahead of the curve.
Dave Riordan (FCA)
Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach | Careers Team Chartered Accountants Ireland.
Dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie
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