As we welcome International Women’s Day this week (8th March), here at Public Practice Recruitment Ltd we’re exploring how candidates can secure roles with accountancy practices that truly embrace gender equity.
An annual event that celebrates the achievements of women and raises awareness of gender short fallings within society, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a fantastic opportunity to consider equity within the workplace and to understand what to look for when interviewing with an accountancy firm.
The interview process is just as much about finding out if the employer is the right fit for you, as it is about the employer finding the right candidate. With accountancy practices competing to secure high calibre accountants, many are offering market beating salaries and attractive benefits packages, but there’s more to consider.
During the job hunting process you’ll likely know what salary you’re looking to secure, and perhaps you’ll have an idea of what benefits you’d be interested in, such as generous holiday allowance or hybrid working, but a company’s culture and working environment is about much more than just pay and perks.
Before going to an interview, make a list of what your ideal employer would be like.
- Do they embrace equity with inclusive benefits?
- Are they transparent about their policies?
- Do they have a gender pay gap?
- Are they offering a clear path to progression?
- Are there currently any female leaders at the organisation?
This simple task could help you to better identify whether a potential employer provides the kind of culture you’re looking for. The current outlook across accountancy practice shows that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to embrace equity. In 2022, the UK’s Top 20 accountancy firms reported to have an average gender pay gap of 15-20%, and despite ACCA reporting a fairly balanced split of male and female junior accountants entering the profession over the last decade, three out of four senior leadership positions are held by men.
Is there hope for true equity within accountancy practice? According to research carried out for the IWD campaign, 87% of companies are highly committed to fixing gender disparities within the workplace. As specialist recruiters into accountancy practice, here at Public Practice Recruitment Ltd we’re working with many standout female candidates who are eager to progress to senior roles and be trailblazers for the female junior accountants entering their practice careers.
This year’s International Women’s Day campaign runs at the same time as National Careers Week (6th-11th March), which is fantastic annual event that raises awareness of careers guidance and free educational resources. Highlighting barriers faced by females when building a career, it’s reported that a lack of confidence is one of the greatest challenges – 1 in 8 women don’t feel confident enough to achieve their career aspirations.
This can be especially so for females entering traditionally male-dominated industries, where stereotypes and gender bias are present and often unchallenged. When it comes to accountancy practice, it’s promising that a 50:50 split of male and female ACCA students are entering the profession, and we know first-hand from working closely with some of the UK’s leading accountancy practices that a lot of work is being done to ensure all employees are understood and supported.
We work with hiring managers to create job offers that consider what candidates are really looking for. By championing gender equity within accountancy practice, we’re hopeful that the sector will make huge strides towards full parity in the very near future.
We’re placing talented female candidates within accountancy firms that truly embrace equity, offering leading salaries, inclusive benefits and policies, and clear routes to progression. If you’re looking for a new job in practice, we can help you find the right role with the right firm. Contact us today or search our job vacancies.
