‘Only 2 Prime Ministers Until Christmas!’
‘What will last longer, a lettuce or Liz Truss?’
These are just some of the jokes and memes circulating on the internet in the run up to Liz Truss’ resignation as Prime Minister last week. Whether you liked her or not, with just a month and a half in post, this is undoubtedly an example of one of the biggest career disasters in history.
And this got us to thinking about situations that many of us might experience in our careers when, due to our own faults or just terrible bad luck, a job turns into a really negative experience.
How can we recover from car crash career moments and ensure that these blips in our professional lives as accountants don’t live on to define us?
As your trusted career counsellors we’re here to help and to assure you that you won’t be the first accountant to open up to us about a job situation that didn’t turn out as you had hoped and you most certainly won’t be the last. So the first piece of advice that we’ll give you is to reach out in confidence and share the dilemma.
We’re always on hand to support you to achieve great things as an accountant and this includes crisis PR – it’s all part of the recruitment partnership so never hesitate to book a call.
Last week we wrote about how accountants should best approach gaps in their CV and much of our advice in that article applies in this one. Honesty is usually your best policy and reaching out to potential employers as fellow humans who also make mistakes or may have had tricky moments in their career doesn’t always mean you won’t land the job.
Next up is for us to ask you the difficult question, have you put this situation behind you? Because if you haven’t moved on from your difficult experience, it’s unlikely to be something that a potential new employer will be able to overlook.
Our advice to you is to have a private scream, take a deep breath and then move away from whatever it was that caused the problem. A true professional learns from their mistakes and won’t be defined by them.
Now it’s time to remember why you’re a great accountant. Switch your mindset into one of success and positivity and list all the reasons why someone would be lucky to have you working in their firm. Hold that list dear and once you’ve showcased an honest explanation of the experience to potential employers, move on to your skillset and examples of times when you’ve smashed it out of the park.
Once you’ve secured a foot in the door it’s time to rewrite your destiny– this is your opportunity to create the legacy you know you deserve and the moment someone gives you the chance to recover from your negative experience, grab it with both hands and make sure it’ s a huge success.
It’s a tried and tested method and when you think about your favourite films or books it’s often the story arch of the typical hero or heroine. They have a dream, they are well on their way to achieving it, they suffer a setback – calamite! Then they work through it to discover a better version of success. If you follow our advice you’ll write your own story as an accountant achieving the upper echelons of your potential with the best and most brilliant firms.
‘We speak to dozens of accountants each week and of course not all of them have had a streamlined journey up and up in their career. It’s normal to have setbacks, but it’s how you respond to them that matters and it’s always my pleasure to offer bespoke advice to talented but traumatised accountants who need support getting their careers back on track. It’s all part of the service.’
Garry Howling, MD
To work with the accountancy recruiters that take the time to get to know more than just your CV, reach out to us today. We offer all candidates a registration call with time to discuss any bumps in the road you’ve experienced and to understand fully the kind of role you’d love to find.
Our team are ready and waiting to help so call us today to find out more.
