Our Biggest Charity Easter Egg Drive yet!!

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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Easter time brings joy and happiness to many, and once again it has been a pleasure for us to play a small part in that with some of our charity partners across the region.

This year’s effort has certainly been our most successful yet, and in a time of giving it’s been great to see everyone across the business play their part by giving something back and working to gather donations as part of our Easter Egg drive.

Expertly coordinated and lead by Tom Davage in our South Yorkshire Office; throughout the month of March, members of the Team at Sharp Consultancy have been visiting clients to collect egg donations and to say we have been blown away by the generosity from those clients would be an understatement! As the days and weeks passed, the amount grew and grew and ultimately, we stopped counting some time ago.

With the amount well over previous totals, with an estimated 600 plus eggs collected we’ve spent the last few days delivering and sharing the donations and once again the impact has left us realising the difference that a simple donation can make.

With a range of charities, not for profits and under-privileged recipients, it once again highlights how hard our local partners work and the importance of community engagement and the impact that collective efforts can have on local organisations.

This effort not only brings joy during a period that most take for granted but also supports the commendable work of local charities, not for profits, schools and food banks and allows a chance to share some of those organisations with you.

Three of those in particular are below, to learn more about these charities' missions and consider supporting them please click on the links provided.

Paces Charity - Paces, a specialist centre for children with cerebral palsy and other motor disorders, provides a range of services to support their development.

St Luke's - known for its compassionate end-of-life care, offers comfort and dignity to those in their final stages of life.

Ashgate Hospice care - with its dedicated team, provides invaluable support to individuals with life-limiting conditions and their families.

And a big thank you to everyone else who has partnered with us as well for this year’s collection.

Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the donations, and we owe a huge huge thank you to all of our clients and candidates from across the region! Every single donation has made a difference, and we are so grateful for the levels of generosity you have shown.

Again, we would like to thank everyone involved and we look forward to doing it all over again next year, with a new target to beat! If you would like to be part of that drive, as a charity partner or recipient then please do not hesitate to get in touch. We would be delighted to add even more recipients next year.