​NATIONAL WORK LIFE WEEK

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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National Work Life Week (11 – 15 October) is Working Families’ annual campaign to get both employers and employees talking about wellbeing at work and work-life balance.

There are many reasons why employees may feel that their work life balance has gone or is going slightly out of kilter; from feeling overworked or overwhelmed to putting in additional hours at home after work or one weekends to wanting to carve out more or a better quality of family time.

As well as more formal arrangements around flexible working, there are a number of tips and suggestions that, with a few small adjustments, can help to make your working life and life outside work a more harmonious balance.

Reset your focus:

It can be tempting to try and get another task off your desk before the end of the day, however it is important to effectively manage your workload so you are clear on the most important deadlines each day and for the weeks ahead. If, after carefully considering your priorities, there are too many tasks to juggle or tight deadlines are looming, speak up and see where there may be some flexibility or team members with less pressing workloads available to assist.

Plan downtime into your working day:

Think about ways in which you can build in something for you during your working day whether that is using your daily commute to read or listen to an audio book or taking a proper break at lunchtime and getting outside for a brisk walk or attending an exercise class. If you are primarily working from home, its easy to fall into the temptation of a more relaxed start to the day but perhaps use some of the time saved on your commute to get some fresh air whether that’s an early morning walk or leaving the car behind to do the school run so you feel more energised for the day ahead.

Set some clear boundaries:

It is important to have a clear distinction between your work life and home life; avoid bringing work home as much as possible. There may be occasions when work is particularly busy and it becomes unavoidable – if so, make sure you schedule some time off at the earliest opportunity to recharge. If needing to work outside of your regular hours is becoming the norm you need to look at whether your workload, time management and expectations are realistic – make sure you speak to your manager so you can work together to find an amicable solution. If you work from home, as much as possible, try and put in place a ‘working day’ so you have a clear time frame for starting work and a recognised end of the day and ideally have a dedicated work area that you can leave behind.

For more information on National Work Life Week visit https://workingfamilies.org.uk/nationalworklifeweek/.

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.