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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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​NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS MONTH – STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE

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April is National Stress Awareness Month. According to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), there were 822,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2020/21*.

It is important to recognise the signs of workplace stress; if left unaddressed, workplace stress can have a huge impact on both employees and employers and it is vital that steps are taken. Understanding the cause – which may stem from work or possibly something occurring outside the workplace – is essential.

Identifying the cause of what triggers the feelings of being overwhelmed is the first step; has your workload dramatically increased? Have you taken on a lot of additional responsibilities? Are you dealing with resourcing issues within your team? Do you have a poor relationship with another colleague or your line manager? Once you understand what is at the root of problem, you can look to adopt tactics and strategies to try and manage the situation.

Here are our tips and suggestions to dealing with stress in the workplace:

Communicate: It is important to speak with your line manager if you are finding that your workload is unmanageable. Consider whether this is caused by a potentially temporary situation – such as a particularly busy period at work – or if this is something which has been building over a longer time period due to an allocation of additional tasks or resourcing issues within the team. Highlight key areas which may have become more challenging and have suggestions to put forward on how these can be better resourced or solutions to address the issues that have arisen.

Be realistic: You may be keen to show that you are a willing and capable employee and a good team member, but that doesn’t mean that you should always say yes to every request that is asked of you. If it is not feasible for you to take on additional tasks or meet the deadlines put forward, be honest and outline the reasons why and offer a feasible timeframe as an alternative.

Talk to others: As well as speaking to your line manager, a frank and honest conversation with friends, family or a trusted colleague to talk through the way that you are feeling bring clarity to a situation which may have initially felt overwhelming by enabling you to filter out which parts are the most important and focus your attention more clearly.

Take regular breaks: During the working day, make sure you are taking regular breaks away from your desk to refresh your mind. It is important to take a proper break at lunchtime to eat a healthy, nutritious meal that will set you up for the afternoon and make time to get outside and take in some fresh air. On a weekend, ensure that you use your time outside of work to relax and look after yourself.

Use your holiday allowance: Not taking your full holiday allocation – or feeling like you are unable to take time off – can be an indication that you are feeling overwhelmed at work so it is important that you schedule in regular holidays and days off to recharge your batteries.

Time for a new role?: If the things that are making you stressed cannot be addressed, then it might be time to think about whether a different role or organisation may be a better fit for you. Stress can be damaging to a person’s confidence so it is vital that any move is considered very carefully to ensure the opportunities available and culture of your potential new company is right.

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 or recruitment needs.

*HSE Work-related stress, anxiety or depression statistics in Great Britain, 2021. Published 16 December 2021