We’re firmly into the silly season of festive fun and hopefully there’s a touch of tinsel in your office now and the odd mince pie in the staff room (be it in an actual office or your home office!)
You’d be forgiven for wanting to park your mission to further your career in practice in the run up to Christmas. But in this article we’d like to highlight why we think that’s the wrong approach entirely.
Here’s 5 reasons why the festive period is a brilliant time of year to boost your career prospects as an accountant.
1. Christmas is the time for connection.
And it’s much harder to rebuff someone’s attempts to connect in the season of goodwill! So, this means that sending the odd Christmas greeting on LinkedIn to people who you know could open doors to your career, is a brilliant way to remind them that you exist and might just be the perfect solution to that workforce problem they have recently encountered.
2. The office Christmas party might offer you a more relaxed opportunity to let your ambitions be known to those who matter!
Hopefully everyone manages to relax a little at your firm’s Christmas party. And though you won’t want to corner your boss and start a full scale mission to tell them about your plans for scaling the firm’s professional ladder, it’s a good time to drop into conversations that you’re excited about your future at the firm and keen to play a bigger role in the coming weeks, months and years.
If you manage to have a useful conversation with someone of influence be sure to follow it up with an email or chat after the party is over (and everyone is feeling fresh as a daisy!)
3. In public practice December isn’t a time to rest on your laurels. And that means, that unlike other industries where you might see a slowing of business development in the run up to Christmas, in public practice it’s full speed ahead as firms race to stay ahead of essential deadlines. And this means that workforce problems need to be solved and solved quickly. Position yourself firmly at the front of the queue to be that solution and you’ll likely find that hiring managers are more decisive than they will be at other times of the year.
4. If your firm is run by a Scrooge that fact will never be more apparent than at Christmas time!
Use the month of December to think about whether this firm is one you want to stick with and whether their core values align with your own. If you don’t like the culture of your workplace and/or its leadership, you’ll really be feeling that in December so use that increased strength of feeling to spur you into making some decisions.
If you decide that it’s time to find a more enjoyable place to work, know that we’re perfectly poised to help you, every month of the year!
5. Finally when you decide it’s time to search elsewhere, take advantage of lower numbers of job hunters applying for higher numbers of jobs in December.
It’s a fact that a lot of talented accountants do decide to put off their new job search until the New Year but there’s certainly no let up in the numbers of vacancies we’re filling on our clients’ behalf. And the basic logic of probability (you’ll know this better than anyone) suggests less competition means more chances to land the job of your dreams.
So there we have it! 5 reasons why December is the perfect time to be furthering your career as an accountant in practice.
‘My team and I work hard to match motivated candidates like you with first-class firms every month of the year. There’s no let up for us just because Christmas is coming! But with fewer job hunters actively engaged in their search we get laser focused for those who are in the zone and ready to succeed! And if that sounds like you, you’ll want to reach out without delay to benefit from our significant experience, huge database of clients and dedication to offering a great level of service. ‘
Garry Howling, MD
Here’s just a few of the roles we’re looking to fill today:
Audit & Accounts Semi Senior Job in Milton Keynes
