Are you looking to accelerate your career in accounting and finance?
I have joked with the team over the past 18 months: We should have a recording to play to clients as we are constantly repeating ourselves. “The market is crazy, too many jobs and too few people…” By now, I am bored of hearing myself say it, but the truth is even the dinosaurs of recruitment haven’t seen a market like we have over the past couple of years, since the end of the first wave of COVID.
Of course, much like the dinosaurs, this market won’t last forever, as 2023 kicks off there is some uncertainty as to what this year will look like. Having said that, there are already some great opportunities for candidates to accelerate their career when looking at new roles.
Is that big salary today the best thing for your career over the mid-long term?
I met a candidate late last year who said to me “I am not taking my next role for the money, but I am long term greedy!” I didn’t exactly know what they meant by the statement but the explanation that followed really resonated with me. “I want to acquire broader skills across other parts of finance so that I am more suitable for the senior and executive leadership roles in 5 years”.
It was quite a refreshing viewpoint; rather than focus on chasing a pay bump now, they had taken a long-term career view that would lead to better prospects in the future.
So how does this fit in to the current market? I am speaking to a lot of candidates who are keen to chase that big pay rise for a broadly similar role and I totally understand it; after all we all are facing a rising cost of living. However, a long-term view could be much more beneficial to your career over the next decade.
Consider your long term career opportunities
Clients are open to exploring “outside the box” solutions to roles, so now is a great chance to make that move to broaden your skillset and transition into a role that you could have been overlooked for in previous markets. Perhaps you’re in financial control and keen to get more business facing, perhaps you’re in financial planning and analysis and want to get into a more longer term strategic role. There really has never been a better chance to explore that style of move than right now. This is not to say it won’t come without a decent pay rise right now, but it would definitely help build your career over the next 10 years too! So yes, be greedy… but think about it long term!
If you would like a confidential accounting and finance career conversation, please reach out to our team today.
