Are you in a career cul-de-sac?

When speaking to finance and accountancy professionals about their career plan and asses their current position, we often hear about misconceptions about what firms are looking for in senior level professionals. 

A career cul-de-sac is a dangerous place to be - you may not realise you are in or approaching one if you don't know what to look out for. 

It is important to spot the signs of heading towards such as scenario and avoid arriving in a bit of a dead end. 

It isn't the end of the world if you do find yourself stuck in a cul-de-sac. It can happen to anyone regardless of age, experience or where they are in their career journey from junior roles through to the most senior of individuals. 

There is a serious lack of real knowledge of what accountancy firms find attractive, especially at a senior level. There is this perceived knowledge that ABC accountancy firm look for a particular attribute - where did you hear this from?

Knowledge is power - an overused phrase that we are all aware of but there is no better scenario to apply this to. 

Take the time to find out exactly what firms find attractive, what skills, knowledge or exposure are they looking for? 

You can then apply this first-hand information to your career and make the necessary adjustments. 

This is certainly better than drifting off down the road to nowhere thinking that you are doing the right thing - only to find yourself in a 'dead end' having wasted valuable time and effort. 

Be on the front foot and proactively push your current firm on what is required of you in order to position yourself with the best chance of promotion and progression. 

Gaining skills, knowledge and exposure at your current firm is a dual pronged approach - 

1.    Benefit your current situation and prospects of promotion 

2.    Enhance appeal to firms in the future 

We advise people to continually take the temperature of the market. This will allow you to identify where there is a risk of slipping up as well as providing the opportunities for you to make an informed decision on career progression. 

If you would like to discuss how a potential firm may view you and assess how to position yourself to be attractive to prospective firms, Charles Magill would be delighted to help you.