Newly qualified accountant’s career guide

Nothing has commanded your attention more completely these past few years than qualification. It has dominated most waking moments – the cause of sleepless nights and short temper. Now that qualification is secured, it is important that your focus switches to your next steps if you are keen to progress professionally. This attention is as demanding as any exam preparation, and just as important.

Where you want to be

Never start looking for a job until you know what you want in the first place. On average we are on the planet for 28,000 days and work for an incredible 10,000 of these, so it is as critical a decision as a person can make. You never know, you may even find that you are exactly where you want to be!

1. Establish the reasons for your move
Ensure you have exhausted all avenues of opportunity with your current employer before you move.
Be honest as to why you really want to leave your current role. Ask yourself:

• What are the chances of this reason being a problem in another/new role?
• Could the problem lie with you? Is what you want realistic or achievable?
• Are you leaving for positive reasons rather than negative ones? It is better for everyone that
  you are seeking a challenge rather than running from a problem.
• Are the ‘push’ factors greater than the ‘pull’ factors of a specific role or industry you have in mind?

2. Identify what you want
This can seem quite abstract at first, but with a little focus on each element of your role, you should be
able to establish what your preferences are and shape your future. Try answering the questions below
to help formulate your criteria for career development. Whilst not a comprehensive list of questions, it
should help kickstart your self-appraisal:

• What is your preferred culture?
• How comfortable are you working in a hierarchical structure?
• How corporate would you like the environment you work in to be?
• Would you prefer a private or public sector career?
• Do you envisage working in a global organisation?
• How much travel would you be prepared to do?
• How much customer contact do you want?
• How important is money to you?
• How important is status?
• How much freedom would you want to do your own thing?
• Do you want to make a difference?
• How much do you need to feel valued in your role?
• How much career development would you demand in your next role?
• Would you be happy taking more exams?
• Would you consider taking an MBA?
• Do you envisage managing people? If so, how soon?
• How much strategic control would you want, if any?
• Would you be happy in a purely operational role?
• Do you have an exit strategy for your accounting career or are you in it for the long haul?

No job is 100% perfect 100% of the time, and all your desires might not be achievable in one career. Try working out what is most important to you. Prioritise your wants and determine which factors you are prepared to compromise over.

Mind mapping is a great way of developing a concept, making sense out of the unknown and realising priorities. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive this can be compared with writing a list on a lined page! you can learn more about mind mapping with our example of developing a career plan.