FIVE MINUTES WITH…. RUSSELL TURNER

Why a Strong CV is Non-Negotiable for Finance Professionals in 2025

As a Senior Resourcer at Sharp Consultancy, I’ve reviewed thousands of CVs...From those just starting out to seasoned professionals with decades of experience. One thing remains consistent: in today’s competitive market, a strong CV isn’t optional—it’s essential. Today, South Yorkshire’s finance landscape is more dynamic than ever. With growing demand across sectors like manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and tech, accountancy and finance professionals are expected to bring more than just technical skills to the table. Your CV is your first opportunity to prove you’re up to the challenge. This blog marks the start of a three-part series focused on helping you craft a standout CV tailored to your career stage and goals. In this first post, we’ll cover general CV tips relevant to all finance professionals. In the next two instalments, we’ll dive deeper into: Transactional Finance CVs – how to highlight your experience in roles such as purchase ledger, sales ledger, and credit control. Part-Qualified Finance CVs – how to position yourself for progression while studying towards your qualifications. Stay tuned for practical advice and real-world insights to help your CV rise to the top of the pile. 🕒 First Impressions MatterRecruiters and hiring managers typically spend less than 30 seconds scanning a CV. That means your CV needs to immediately communicate relevance, professionalism, and potential. A clean layout, clear structure, and tailored content can make the difference between landing an interview or being passed over. 🔍 Specialist Skillsets Are in DemandFinance roles today go far beyond number-crunching. Employers want professionals who understand how finance supports wider business goals. Whether it’s streamlining reporting, implementing new systems, or driving cost efficiencies, your CV should highlight the tangible impact you’ve made. This is your chance to showcase your value-add—what makes you different from the next candidate. Use metrics where possible to quantify your achievements and make them memorable. 📍 Standing Out in YorkshireYorkshire is home to a diverse range of industries, from advanced manufacturing and engineering to professional services and digital tech. This diversity creates exciting opportunities—but also fierce competition. To stand out, your CV should reflect sector-specific experience and transferable skills. Whether you’ve worked in a fast-paced SME or a large corporate environment, highlight how your background aligns with the needs of the region’s employers. 📊 Business Acumen is a MustFinance professionals are increasingly expected to contribute to strategic decision-making. Roles in FP&A, commercial finance, and business partnering are on the rise, and employers want candidates who can offer insight—not just information. Your CV should reflect your ability to influence outcomes. Have you helped drive revenue growth? Supported investment decisions? Improved forecasting accuracy? These are the stories that resonate with hiring managers. 📈 Show a Clear Story of ProgressionRecruiters look for signs of growth and development. A strong CV doesn’t just list job titles—it explains the “why” behind each move. Did you step into a leadership role? Take on a new challenge? Gain exposure to a different sector? Even lateral moves can be powerful if they show a deliberate effort to build your skillset. Make sure your CV tells a cohesive story of your career journey. 🔑 Final ThoughtsIn Yorkshire’s fast-moving industries, a sharp, well-crafted CV is your key to unlocking new opportunities. It’s not just about listing experience—it’s about showing impact, adaptability, and commercial value from the very first glance. Whether you’re actively job hunting or just exploring your options, now is the time to invest in your CV. Visit Our Candidate Advice Pages HereLooking 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 TODAY and let's chart your career path together.

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The importance of a strong organisational culture should never be underestimated; with benefits such as enhanced trust and co-operation and better decision making, having the right set of cultural values running through the organisation will be the glue that brings employees together and will ensure that they, and the business, will grow and develop over time.

As one of Yorkshire’s largest independent firms of chartered accountants, auditors and advisors with a heritage that goes back 125 years, Garbutt + Elliott’s success and continued growth is attributable to the quality of the people that make up its team of over 200 staff based in the firm’s Leeds and York offices.

Having placed several key senior appointments with Garbutt + Elliott in recent years, Executive Director Lee Sweeney caught up with Managing Partner Russell Turner to discuss how the importance of ensuring the right cultural fit for the organisation is a significant factor in the decision-making process when it comes to recruitment.

Lee Sweeney:The word ‘culture’ is something which we hear and discuss a lot, but what does it mean to you as an organisation?

Russell Turner: It’s everything to us. We’ve worked extremely hard on identifying and developing our culture and values whilst ensuring they are not just words but very much brought to life. They are integral to everything we believe in and it was important to define our values so they are real and meaningful to us - we want them to represent everything we stand for. For those reasons, our values are straightforward – treat people how you would like to be treated.

Essentially, our culture is about genuinely caring, empowering and encouraging people to be the best they can be – whether this is through our relationships with our clients, our colleagues, business development or our stakeholders. Our values enable us to build consistency and have been hugely influential in the way that we approach our recruitment strategy. It’s so important that we get the right people on board who want to grow, develop, reach their full potential and help our business to prosper.

LS: The interview is such a critical part of the process and almost entirely about weighing up if the candidate is right for you and vice versa?

RT: Absolutely, and in many ways the interview process is primarily about finding the candidate that is the right fit for our business. By the time you have shortlisted a handful of suitable applicants to interview, you’ve invariably ticked most of the boxes relating to their technical expertise and knowledge necessary for the role. Information such as what qualifications do they have, where have they gained experience, what type of clients have they worked with can all be gleaned from the CV and application process – so when you sit down in front of someone, it should be a given that they have the ability and experience to deliver the requirements of the role. What the interview gives you is the opportunity to gain an insight into the type of person they are, if we share the same values and behaviours and do they show they genuinely care?

LS:What are you essentially looking for?

RT: It’s important that not only do we identify those people that share our values, but we create an environment where decisions are made both from the top-down and bottom-up; we want our employees to be confident to express independent thoughts and feel empowered to make decisions with a freedom and flexibility in the way they approach their work. We encourage people to bring our values to life and actively participate in shaping them for the future - our values should continually evolve as our business moves forward. To do this our people must be engaged and believe they can make a difference.

LS: When it comes to recruitment, have you seen a shift in what the role requirements are for working in accountancy and finance?

RT: In a highly competitive market it is essential that our people enjoy where they work and the work they do. Our clients expect the services we offer to be of the highest quality, and rightly so – we pride ourselves on the quality of our work, from a technical perspective, but equally it’s the quality of our people, their attitude and behaviours, that really differentiates us in a crowded market. It has to be about our people; we want our clients to see that we are vibrant, energetic, forward-thinking - passionate professionals who are engaging and can clearly demonstrate that they care about what they do.

LS:You mentioned that others in the organisation need to feel empowered, why this is so important?

RT: As a business grows, it’s so important that there’s a real understanding of the values and that people champion those values, it has to be joined up. At senior level, it is essential that we bring on board key individuals who share our core values and can very quickly get a strong grasp of their role; but we also want people to bring new ideas and alternative approaches as these will enhance our values and benefit our business in the long run. As I mentioned earlier, our values are embedded in the very fabric of everything we do and we continue to work hard to strike the right balance between consistency and empowering our leadership team to implement their own style.

LS: What would you do if faced with a candidate who is a strong match for the requirements of the role but you are not certain that they would be a good fit for the organisation?

RT: There’s a certain amount of bravery involved; a lot of people talk about the importance of finding the right fit in terms of culture and values but this often takes second place if a candidate can demonstrate right technical skill set. Fundamentally, if we have a feeling, that someone doesn’t share our values, we know that they will not be right for us, and vice versa, regardless of their technical skillset.

Staying true to our values has enabled us to celebrate and focus on people’s strengths and what they enjoy doing – in reality, very few people are exceptional at everything and that’s acknowledged at Garbutt + Elliott. For example, someone that performs strongly at business development may not necessarily be the best at process and similarly someone whose strengths can be clearly seen in their understanding of process might not be suited to line management. This provides us with the opportunity to develop and recognise individuals for what they bring our business, tailor their development and progression route accordingly and ensure their contribution is recognised and they achieve their own career goals.

LS:How important is it for candidates to consider the culture of an organisation when looking for a new role?

RT: Employers must work hard to stand out from the crowd if they want to recruit the top talent, and even harder to retain their staff. And much of that comes down to how you make your employees feel every day. The salary, benefits package and career progression must be attractive and competitive, but how you treat people on a day-to-day basis, how you make them feel valued, how you make them part of the decision-making process and how you create an environment in which they feel that they can grow is just as important.

The last 18 months has shown us how working practices can be successfully adapted; the benefits of remote working have been embraced by both employers and employees. With employers being more flexible this opens up a wealth of opportunities for the top talent to seek new career opportunities much further afield, putting greater competitive pressure on employers.

LS: What would be the one piece of advice you would give to a company when they are looking at how they approach shaping and developing their organisational culture?

RT: It never stops! Developing the right culture for a business is more about how you plan the journey rather than focusing on the destination. A strong organisational culture flexes and develops as your business grows, it needs to be energised, supported and continually invested in. In reality, an organisations culture is the culmination of everyone’s individual behaviours – hence why it is so important to get the right people onboard.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment and executive search of finance and accountancy professionals within national and regional accountancy practices, owner managed businesses, national and global plcs and leading venture capital and private equity firms. 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.