Get the edge in the accountancy jobs market. It’s a tough jobs market at the moment but accountants can get the edge by focusing on three key areas:
- influencing
- facilitating growth
- core accountancy skills
If you present these examples strongly on your CV and work hard on these key areas it will mean companies want to hire you.
Influencing skills
Although the necessary technical skills are of course a mandatory requirement for any finance role, accountancy professionals can really standout with their ‘softer’ skills. Although culture fit of the organisation is considered important, what many companies really want at the moment is accountants with the ability to engage with other key people in the business, and all importantly, the knack of convincing others of your arguments.
Businesses want accountants who can build strong relationships and present the finance function in a credible manner – so rather than hide behind emails, get out from behind your desk and be the sort of person who would rather seek buy-in by speaking to people face-to-face.
Businesses want accountants who can build strong relationships and present the finance function in a credible manner – so rather than hide behind emails, get out from behind your desk and be the sort of person who would rather seek buy-in by speaking to people face-to-face.
If this doesn’t come naturally, just try it, keep practising and you’ll soon mark yourself out as the most credible finance person in your business. By forcing yourself out of your comfort zone little by little will make a big impact. Don’t forget, you can develop your influencing skills by asking your manager to send you on a relevant training course.
Facilitating growth
Given that the ability to identify growth opportunities is so valuable in the current market, businesses in all sectors have been focusing on hiring forward-thinking accountants at the mid to senior levels. If you can develop this skill in your current role, this is a big plus at the moment.
Accountants who can demonstrate specific examples of where and how they have helped facilitate growth in their own business areas are the most successful in securing jobs.
Core technical accounting skills
Employers still place a significant emphasis on core technical skills and finance professionals need to be strong in this area to secure a job at the moment. This has been evident with a lot of the jobs becoming available recently – in particular, core statutory accountants are being hired by plcs and SMEs, while management accountants are also being recruited at the newly-qualified to 2-3 years’ PQE level.
Looking for your next banking and financial services role? View the latest opportunities from Robert Walters.
Or if you have a friend looking for a new job, why not be rewarded for recommending Robert Walters? Learn more about our excellent referral scheme and refer your friend today.
Alternatively, find out your worth with the Robert Walters Salary Survey.
For more career advice please contact:
Lance Maree, Associate Director
lance.maree@robertwalters.com
+27 (0) 11 881 2407
