USING YOUR JUDGEMENT

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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We are taught from a very early age that it is wrong to judge people – and, it goes, without saying, rightly so. It is universally agreed that it is unacceptable to draw conclusions – or make a judgement – about a person based on factors such as, amongst other things, their age, their gender, their religion.

However there is a very fine line between being judgemental and using your judgement and – in my humble opinion - as a recruitment specialist, when it comes to assessing a candidate’s suitability for a particular role, using one’s judgement is absolutely fundamental to getting it right.

During the recruitment process, the ability to weigh up an individual based upon their skills and experience is, without doubt, essential and a very necessary part of the process. But to exercise good judgement and see beyond what is written there in black and white – to understand the difference between intelligence and common sense – is far more complex, and it’s not always as easy to get right as you might think.

Why is that? It’s probably fair to say that people often have an unrealistic view of their own capabilities; whether that is a tendency to over inflate their ability or, through a lack of self confidence and belief, they are unable to accurately assess their worth and are unable to see themselves in the same way that someone else sees them.

Their judgement is impaired. And if they are unable to ‘judge’ themselves – or rather they judge themselves incorrectly – then it’s up to the skill of the recruiter – and their ability to exercise good judgement - to determine the right conclusions from the information that they present about themselves.

In recruitment, making the right judgement about a person is critical. The impact upon a business – the amount of time spent and money invested in the on boarding process to bring a new person into an organisation – can be quite frightening, making it imperative that you get it right.

I’m asked many questions when speaking with clients or potential clients about their recruitment needs. ‘How many candidates do you have registered?’, ‘Can you find good candidates?’, ‘Do you know how to headhunt the best candidates?’. These are all very relevant questions; and ones that I would expect every recruitment consultant worth his or her salt to be able to answer and demonstrate without too much trouble at all. However, these are only valid lines of enquiry if the recruiter in the spotlight has the capability to judge what is or isn’t good and the one question that I am never asked – and the one which I think would tell far more - is ‘When it comes to people, have you got good judgement?’.

Let’s expand upon that thought. When asked if I can find good candidates, the short answer is yes. And not just good candidates, but very good candidates. But just because they are a ‘good’ candidate – that is to say they tick all the right boxes and can fulfil the requirements outlined in the job description – does that mean that they are a good candidate for this particular role? That is where judgement – my judgement – comes into play.

Say for example a candidate’s CV indicates that they have a degree from a well respected university – tick, they trained at a leading accountancy practice – tick, they qualified with flying colours – tick, and to date, have changed jobs on a number of occasions with each move seemingly resulting in a step up the career ladder. This could indicate someone who is bright, ambitious, and talented; someone who is sought after by employers. A good candidate you might say and someone who is very likely to make the interview shortlist on more occasions than not.

But, upon closer investigation, you identify that they have in fact held a number of jobs in a relatively short period of time. And they have only secured a promotion when they have changed employers. So rather than being someone that is really going places career wise, this could indicate that this is someone that their current employer is not prepared to invest in any further. Could it be that they don’t live up to expectations, that they don’t fulfil the promises that their CV or their performance in an interview might suggest? Or it could be an indication that they themselves have poor judgement if, after a relatively short time, the role isn’t what they thought it would be? Or perhaps the culture of the organisation doesn’t suit. Or they have a poor relationship with their boss. And whilst on the surface these are very legitimate and valid reasons for seeking a new position, one could – and should – be asking questions to ascertain if they did indeed display bad judgement or was it a case of bad luck?

We are all familiar with that well known phrase – ‘never trust a book by its cover’ – and its sentiment certainly rings true when it comes to hiring people; if your recruitment specialist has that rare ability to exercise good judgement, to look beyond the surface of what is presented to them and can weigh up the reasoning behind particular decisions, then your chances of making a successful appointment will undoubtedly be increased.

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.