It is without doubt a little more challenging in the job market right now. At the same time there are still plenty of opportunities for good accountants.
While there is a lot of advice out there, the reality is success in the job market comes down to being able to market and sell yourself effectively.
Now for professional people the idea of marketing and selling yourself can be terrifying. This might be be related to perceptions and even negative perceptions about the idea of marketing themselves.
At the same time the only way you are ever going to get on in your career is by willing to put yourself and what you have to offer out there.
Might you get rejected quite a few times? Of course you will. We all get rejected from time to time and at the same time we all know that we have to be in the race for the job to win it.
From my own and the experience of the clients I have worked with, there are 4 foundations to effectively marketing and selling yourself in the job market.
The first foundation is being clear what you want. The lazy answer is a new job or a promotion. That’s far too generic. The more specific you can be the more likely it is that you will achieve more success. It will not just inform your decision making process but also headhunters and recruiters.
The second foundation is all about doing your research. I hate it when I hear that someone has got an interview but falls at the first fence because they don’t even have the most basic insights into the organisation interviewing them. In the days before everything was easily accessible through the Internet you might have got away with this. Not any longer.
The third foundation is being able to package what you have to offer in a CV or resume. This is your personal sales brochure with just one aim. To get an invite to interview. If you cannot convey what you have to offer, then you are at a huge disadvantage.
The fourth and final foundation is being able to influence the decision makers. This could be the organisation who you have the interview with and could just as easy be the recruitment consultant whose trust and support you are trying to win
In reality success in the job market is always going to present some challenges and at the same time making sure you create the foundations for success can make a big difference.
Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants achieve more career success. He invites you to check out his career accelerator packages.
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.