THE JOB HUNTING TIPS EVERYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW

Sharp Consultancy's Salary Survey 2025/26: Resetting the Landscape: Strategic Shifts in Finance Recruitment

It would be remiss not to start by addressing the elephant in the room — 2024 was a challenging year.While there were many reasons for this and numerous industries were affected, recruitment likely bore the brunt of it, particularly in the 6 months post-election(s).Whilst key roles and critical hires remained unaffected, certain head counts and processes were scrutinised and investment paused with internal restructures and automation utilised to reduce costs, in some instances, at the expense of employees. We subsequently saw an increase in candidate activity, with the talent pool strengthening. As those pressures eased in Quarter 4, recruitment processes saw improvement and green shoots have emerged. Optimism is on the rise in key hiring processes, albeit with a caveat. The cloud of additional cost increases in April, which is still dissipating. The senior finance and C-Suite market remains relatively unaffected, both regarding opportunities and candidates, it is the levels below that we have seen more change. In the evolving landscape of working dynamics, the volume of hybrid working is gradually waning despite sustained interest from candidates, presenting fewer job opportunities. While the blend of office and remote work remains desirable, it is no longer the predominant factor, indicating a notable shift in priorities for clients and candidates’ acceptance alike. Conversations with candidates underscore a growing desire around the importance of having a supportive mentor or manager and many professionals are increasingly open to a full-time return to the office if it guarantees enhanced guidance and avenues for professional advancement. "The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region."Throughout the professional practice market, some similar trends have been observed but there have been noticeable differences in the past year. Salaries across the range of candidates in professional practice, from AAT to fully Qualified (ACA/ACCA) individuals are still rising and those firm’s able to offer competitive salaries alongside stronger training contracts are beating out the competition in a candidate market with a growing focus on study support packages and career advancement opportunities for Part-Qualified candidates, indicating an increase in demand from employers and the volume of available job seekers. The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region, in what feels like the longest period of stability seen since Q4 2020 and we expect transactional finance salaries to remain stable throughout 2025/26, with anticipated salary increments to be moderate compared to the significant increases observed throughout the last 2 years. AI & Systems (process automation) continues to impact accountancy and finance, in particular, across larger functions but this has increased the need for wider interim support to assist with the transition and implementation especially with large, automated processes. Whilst 2025-26 will not be the same marketplace for recruitment as seen in previous years, there is certainly a growing level of optimism and whilst a more settled market may be seen as a negative in some areas, for those that have weathered the peaks and troughs over a longer period of time, it will feel very normal and a strong setting for both employees and employers to take advantage and thrive, with an increasing emphasis on growth and development.Download the full Salary Survey here!

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Even when candidates are high demand, landing your ideal new job is still a daunting challenge. Thorough research and planning are fundamental to success, but it is often the small details and lesser-known hints and tips that will give you the edge over the competition.

Select your opportunities

Strike that tricky balance between applying for suitable opportunities that you are genuinely interested and going for several different (yet relevant) roles at the same time. Many vacancies will attract a high number of applications, but the more opportunities that you apply for, the more chance you are giving yourself to hone your job-hunting skills.

Tailor your CV

No two roles are exactly the same so it stands to reason that your CV should be different for each vacancy that you apply for. Making small changes and improvements to tailor your CV to each opportunity is one of the best things you can do to increase your chances of standing out from the crowd.

Make connections

Job websites are a key part of any candidate’s search, but a great option is to connect with specialist recruiters in your particular field and geographic area via LinkedIn – many post jobs and opportunities to their networks first which can give you a real head-start on the competition and allow you to reach out and make contact which can often pay dividends.

Give us a call

And speaking of which, sometimes a good old fashioned phone call really does the trick! It’s a great way to build a rapport with a recruiter and will give you the opportunity to sell yourself, your skills and experience and enable a good consultant to have you front of mind with a suitable opportunity comes up.

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.