As you head towards qualification as a Chartered Accountant it is time to start to planning your new career as a professional and so here are some key actions you might consider for 2024. Start now and don’t leave it too late since it could be hard to predict what the jobs market will look like next year.
As a ‘newly qualified’ facing into the market in 2024 you will need to be proactive, agile, career focused and very attuned to what the market is doing so you don’t miss the boat. Hopefully the market remains strong for ACA’s in 2024 but to give you an edge we have put together this checklist that you can incorporate into your activities in the months ahead :
LINKEDIN :
- Tick the ‘open to new opportunities’ check box in my LinkedIn settings
- Get my LinkedIn profile up to 100% completion
- Follow companies of interest on LI
- Send a polite connection request with message to 10 targeted profiles in LinkedIn each day.
- Review the profiles of my peers and predecessors on LinkedIn to see what steps their career paths have taken.
- Join groups on LinkedIn like Chartered Accountants Ireland and sector/skillset relevant groups
MARKET MAPPING :
- Market map the sectors that appeal to you
- Set up job alerts messages on relevant job websites such as Irishjobs and LinkedIn
- Open a spreadsheet to track your applications and to facilitate following up on them
- Check the Irish times 1000 list of companies and examine each sector
- Research the companies and sectors that are of interest to you
- Make a list of sectors that interest you and are currently offering job opportunities
- Consider contract and interim roles
- Send 5 speculative applications per week to organisations of interest.
NETWORKING :
- Review back issues of Accountancy Ireland or other business publications as research and for networking suggestions
- Reconnect with the practice where you trained; partners may have clients with requirements now
- Brainstorm a personal network list of contacts to go through and reconnect with in the weeks ahead
- Create a spreadsheet of potential contacts to keep track of your progress
- Analyse closely the organisations and business parks your locality to see what organisations might be recruiting
- Check the websites of IDA and Enterprise Ireland, Chamber of commerce and others
- Are the Big 4 firms doing Breakfast networking meetings online now that you could attend?
- List out the top 10 Buoyant sectors in the current market and research employment opportunities
CV :
- Create a few different versions of my CV. Short / long, sector-specific etc
- Tweak my CV each week and save new version as I research specs.
- Seek feedback on my CV from a number of professional sources
RECRUITERS :
- Research 3 reputable recruiters to partner with and build relationships
- Seek recommendations of recruiters to approach and get a warm introduction where possible
- Check in with your recruiter regularly for an update either by mail or brief call
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:
- Use the Chartered Accountants Ireland Career Pathway tool to clarify your development needs
- Select a CPD or upskill course to start soon.
- Speak to my mentor and discuss plan / Get an independent experienced mentor.
- Review the Chartered Accountants Ireland website for articles and webinars
- Use the time to get devise a clear plan that reflects what is important to me in terms of a career roadmap and preferences in relation to: salary / location / work life balance / benefits / bonus / hours flexibility / WFH / promotion prospects.
INTERVIEW PREPARATION :
- Start practicing your interview technique F Build a one page bulleted ‘strengths and weaknesses’ skill-set list
- Develop a bank of examples that you can outline in interview that will showcase your skills and competencies (use the STAR format)
SELF -CARE AND WELLBEING :
- Allocate time to connect with family and friends F Build exercise and relaxation into your weekly schedule
- Try to make some time for your own hobbies and interests each week.
As always your Careers Team is here for you now that you are embarking on qualification so get in touch with me for CV advice, Interview prep, Career Consultation or any of the above info.
Dave Riordan (ACA) [ dave.riordan@charteredaccountants.ie ]
Recruitment Specialist & Career Coach | Careers Team – Chartered Accountants Ireland
Chartered Accountants House | 47 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
Phone: +353 1 637 7251 | Mobile: +353 87 9674285
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