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Trainee Accountant to Senior: How to Progress in Practice (Quickly!)

Throughout my career as a specialist recruiter in professional practice, I’ve had the privilege of working with many talented, ambitious accountants, and some have progressed faster than others. While every journey is unique, there are clear patterns in what helps people move from trainee roles into more senior finance jobs within professional practice. Drawing from this experience, I’ve put together a set of strategies any accountant can adopt to accelerate their career up the professional practice ladder. These tactics have proven to be highly effective for those aiming to achieve their professional goals efficiently and successfully. Embrace Increasing ResponsibilityAs you begin your career in accountancy, the scope of your duties often starts with basic tasks such as data entry, reconciling accounts, and preparing reports. While these tasks are important for building a foundation, taking on more responsibility is key to developing the skills and experience needed for progression in practice.Start by volunteering for more complex tasks that stretch your skillset, such as handling larger client accounts, managing financial forecasting, or (if possible) participating in audits. These challenges will expose you to new aspects of accountancy and allow you to learn beyond the day-to-day duties. Another way to progress quickly is by taking on leadership roles within a team or department. Taking on the responsibility of overseeing junior staff, delegating tasks, and ensuring deadlines are met can significantly enhance your development and provide you with the invaluable ‘management experience’ which is essential for trainee accountants looking to advance to the next step in their professional practice careers. Continuous Learning and Self-DevelopmentAs you challenge yourself with new responsibilities, actively pursuing knowledge and development goes hand in hand with completing further qualifications. Traditionally, most accountants I work with are newly or nearly AAT qualified which is a fantastic accomplishment in itself but for those with aspirations of climbing the ladder the next step should be further studies. Qualifications such as the ACA, ACCA or CTA (depending on your chosen specialism) will allow you to strengthen your technical expertise. It’s worth mentioning here that a good training contract and mentor are invaluable for the next step in your journey and should be a big factor when deciding to look for a new role after completing your AAT. Finding a Mentor Another important aspect of progressing quickly in accountancy is developing relationships with more experienced colleagues, supervisors, and managers. By seeking mentorship from more experienced professionals, you can gain insights into how they managed their career progression. Also, they can guide you in taking on appropriate challenges and responsibilities and help you navigate the complexities of the profession. Many of the most successful finance professionals credit their career growth to strong mentorship relationships established early in their journey. NetworkingNetworking is one of the most underutilised tools for career progression in finance. While it might feel intimidating at first, networking allows you to connect with and learn from likeminded individuals, stay informed about trends in professional practice, and discover new opportunities. One of the primary reasons networking is important is that it helps build valuable relationships that can last your career. By connecting with colleagues, senior professionals, and other stakeholders, you gain access to a wealth of knowledge, insights, and opportunities that can propel your career forward. Ultimately, networking is not just about what you can gain but also about what you can offer to others. By fostering meaningful relationships, you contribute to a collaborative and supportive community that benefits everyone involved. Here at Sharp Consultancy, we host events across the year and have a long-standing relationship with various institutions and training groups including S&DCASS (Sheffield and District Chartered Accountants Student Society), LCASS (Leeds Chartered Accountants Students Society) and First Intuition to host events that bring studiers together from various firms throughout Yorkshire. It really is a brilliant first step in your networking journey. Whether you're just starting out or already on your way up, accelerating your career in professional practice comes down to a mix of mindset, opportunity, and action. By embracing responsibility, committing to continuous learning, building genuine relationships, and tapping into the right support networks, you’ll put yourself in the best possible position to thrive. If you’d like to explore how to take that next step—or just want to chat through your options—I’d love to hear from you. Let’s connect and start shaping your future together. Charlie Marper, Business Manager, charliemarper@sharpconsultancy.com – 0114 261 1700 Looking for your next career move in finance or accountancy? At Sharp Consultancy, our expertise lies in matching your potential with the perfect temporary, interim, or permanent position. With a well-established presence in Leeds and Sheffield, our seasoned team of consultants extends their services across Yorkshire and beyond. Don't wait for opportunity to knock, reach out to us TODAYand let's chart your career path together.

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Starting a new job can be daunting, and taking up your first position at the helm of a team, department or company can present its own set of challenges. Whether you are the new person coming into an established group of employees or have been promoted within your existing organisation, what can you do to ensure that your step up into management is a success?

Making the move into management can be a tricky one; by this stage in your career, your ability to perform at a technical level has been proven but a leadership role is as much about motivating and inspiring others which means drawing more upon your communication skills, ability to build relationships and understanding emotional intelligence.

The performance of those you are responsible for will have a huge influence upon how you are viewed by your peers, senior managers and others within your team. Understanding how to get the best out of each individual, whilst meeting the objectives of the business and maintaining a motivated and happy workforce can be a tricky balance to achieve.

You may have to adapt your own style to suit those around you; what works for one may not have the same affect on another. And getting the required response and performance out of your team can be particularly challenging if you are stepping up and managing colleagues you previously worked with at the same level.

Here are our top suggestions to ensuring that your first few weeks in your new management role get off to a great start.

Get to know your team:

If you are joining a new company, it’s important that you get up to speed on who’s who as soon as possible. Learn as much as you can about each individual – their name, how long they have been with the company, what role they undertake, what they enjoy, what motivates them. Aim to spend some one-on-one time with each person early on so you can build up a great rapport from the outset. Invite people to share their views on what changes they would be keen to see but don’t introduce something just to win popularity points.

Find out about the company:

Arrange to spend some time with other managers at your level and key personnel in any departments you will be working closely alongside. Take on board any comments they make about the performance of your team or individuals within in, but be sure to form your own opinions before suggesting any changes. Similarly be careful in sharing your opinions about the direction you think the business should be heading; as a manager you will be expected to offer your view but being too opinionated without fully understanding the culture, vision and values of the business could see you making a poor first impression.

Be clear about what is expected:

Ensure that you understand what your boss expects from you in your new role and communicate to your team what you need from them to achieve success. Avoid any temptation to criticise your predecessor but instead explain why you would like to make any changes you plan to introduce and bring everyone on board. Make sure you establish clear lines of communication – especially in the early days – so you can be kept up to speed on how projects are progressing and can engage alternative strategies to address any issues which may arise along the way.

Work on your communication skills:

Everyone is different so be sure to take time to establish clear channels of communication with each person in your team – and remember, not everyone will respond in the same way so you will need to adjust your approach to get the best out of every individual. Also look to develop a good relationship with your own boss or company board and find out how they would like you to report into them. Are there regular management meetings? What will you need to produce by way of reports? What level of detail they wish to know? Establish how much they wish to know about what is happening on a day-to-day level and if they prefer to be kept up to speed by email, a phone call or a face-to-face meeting.

Take an empathic approach:

Being a good manager is also about recognising when your team members need support. If someone is underperforming, it is important to look to understand what issues may be having an effect and what solutions can be put in place to address the situation. Learning how to also recognise how your emotions affect your work will also play a significant part in addressing potential tricky situations and improve your communication and conflict resolution skills.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to find out more.