‘WHY ARE YOU LOOKING TO MOVE?’

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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It’s one of the most common interview questions but from experience, it can be one of the most difficult – or at least uncomfortable – for candidates to answer confidently.

The temptation to seize upon the opportunity to be dismissive of your current employer – particularly if they are a close competitor of your potential new firm – can be great. However, delivering a well structured and thoughtful response as to why you are looking to make the next move in your new career will be more likely to pay dividends.

Let’s be honest. In more cases than not, someone will be looking for a new role because they believe they will be better served by moving to a new company – whether that is to achieve a better salary package, additional opportunities, better work life balance. With this in mind, you can be fairly sure that your interviewer understands that your desire to move will have, in some way, been prompted by a degree of dissatisfaction in your role; however, there is very little to be gained by talking about your current employer in a negative manner.

How you convey your feelings about your current role can give a potential boss an insight into your character and integrity – if they are prepared to speak about their employer like this, what would they say about this organisation in the future?

In addition, if you start to reel off a list of grievances – lack of opportunity, an unmanageable workload, promises of promotions that never materialised – you could, however valid those reasons may be, present yourself as someone who could be potentially difficult to work with. And if you work within a fairly close knit industry, there’s every chance that what you say could make its way back to your existing manager and colleagues.

When an interviewer is asking you to detail why you want to move roles, they are ideally looking for an answer which focuses upon what you see as the positive aspects of the position and the company you hope to join rather than what you feel isn’t right about your present role.

As part of your interview preparation, you should carefully consider your reasons and look at how you can expand upon your answers to demonstrate how you are well suited to the role on offer and your enthusiasm to become a member of the team. Some good starting points are:

I would like to take on additional responsibilities.....
I am ready to embark upon a new challenge....
The role available offers me the opportunity to challenge myself.....
I am keen to learn new skills.....
I am particularly interested to expand my knowledge.....

Ensure that you relate your answerback to the job description by selecting key elements which would illustrate how your career ambitions dovetail with the essential requirements of the role.

For more help and advice on how to deliver an impressive interview, take a look at our comprehensive Interview Guide

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for temporary, interim and permanent roles across the full spectrum of positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today and speak to a member of our team about your next career move.