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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 Responsibility​As 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-Development​As 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. ​Networking​Networking 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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​SUCCESSION PLANNING – HOW EQUIPPED ARE YOU FOR DEALING WITH CHANGE?

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I am often asked, “what is the one thing that companies can do to improve their recruitment process?” And whilst my answer may sometimes vary depending on an organisation’s particular circumstances, there is one thing which stands out that every company no matter of their size, position within the marketplace or industry sector should give real focus to if they want to ensure greater success from their recruitment and retention efforts: succession planning.

When it comes to succession planning, it is often assumed that this primarily relates to the top job – the passing of the crown so to speak. But effective succession planning should run right throughout an organisation embracing leadership roles, management positions and ensuring that business critical skills are not lost from any area of the operation should an individual move on from the company.

There are numerous scenarios which can occur where it is vital that organisations have one eye on the future; retirement being one of the most obvious and in many ways most straightforward to plan for. However, the majority of situations that can arise will potentially do so with very little notice – a period of absence due to maternity or paternity leave, caring responsibilities, illness or staff moving onto new roles – and companies all too often find themselves in a position where they need to react.

There may be some operations, such as family-run businesses, where the succession routes may appear to be a little easier to navigate; however, these businesses are not without their challenges, should the natural successor harbour career ambitions of a different kind or the skills which are required for the next phase of development need to be sourced externally.

A key factor is recognising that the ‘job for life’ culture is not something which either employers or employees can rely upon. Unless, for example, you are talking about a shareholder in a business, there is very little by way of guarantees that a business owner can give an employee in relation to their long-term job security. Similarly, employers will need to wrestle with their own lack of certainty surrounding talented individuals potentially looking elsewhere for new opportunities to further their careers.

Planning an effective succession strategy can be a balancing act when it comes to weighing up the more immediate needs for the business with potential requirements for the future. However, by affording the matter more care and attention over a longer period of time - with the benefit of considering and reconsidering possible paths in light of changes to business operations - will result in a much more considered outcome than one where necessity and urgency have taken precedence.

Starting sensible conversations early will provide businesses with the opportunity to plan for a smooth transition well enough in advance of even the most out-of-the-blue departures. And it must be stressed that succession planning is not about ‘preventing’ people from leaving – it is about establishing and developing a culture which enables effective processes to deal with people leaving to put in place.

It is important to open channels for constructive conversations where both sides can feel they can be honest about what their career ambitions are and how and when they want to achieve these and what the goals and aspirations are of the business which could provide the opportunities for those to be realised. Nothing should be assumed – and whilst the lack of a completely clear path may cause unease for ambitious employees, it is vital not to over-promise and under-deliver in an attempt to secure their commitment to the organisation.

Taking a flexible approach is key; it may not be about finding that one individual that will step into another’s shoes – for example establishing a new divisional structure may provide opportunities to support talented employees’ career ambitions whilst strengthening the team at a senior level to take the business forward.And by ensuring that the right training and development programmes are in place, this will enable likely successors to harness skills and expertise and to foster their leadership skills in readiness for the future.

A succession plan should be flexible and ever-evolving, subject to ongoing discussions, revisits and adaptions as situations and circumstances change. And change is inevitable as factors from both within and outside a business influence its trajectory, however that change will be far easier to manage with a more successful outcome where there is a clear strategy firmly in place.

 

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment and executive search 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 recruitment needs or next career move.