Career Success For Accountants

How To Create A Career Plan

As someone already qualified in your professional field or working towards getting professionally qualified, you are more than likely to be pretty ambitious.  Yet I am sure like me there are plenty of people you have come across who had great aspirations but never achieved anything like their potential.

It is fair to say that at different times in our life our career aspirations are different.  This is perfectly normal and to be expected.  In the early years in our professional field money has more significance as you try to get established and build some security.

Yet do you have a career plan?  If not don’t be embarrassed.  You are definitely in the majority rather than the minority in my experience. career-planning-general-staff

So why don’t people have career plans?  In truth there are a whole host of reasons, including:

They don’t know how to tackle career planning.  Chances are no one has ever shown them how to get started and the steps that they need to follow.

They worry about having a career plan.  People in professions are in my experience very driven individuals.  They thrive on achievement.  With something like career planning there are a lot of factors outside of the individual’s control.  This creates a bigger risk of failure and achievers find failing tough.

They get stuck on doing the current job which they might enjoy a lot but find it hard to look longer term or even medium term.

It takes time, effort and energy.  Creating a career plan is not a 5 minute job.  It involves a lot of reflection, questioning, consideration and effort.  When you are busy in the current role it can be really tough to get into the right frame of mind.

They don’t want to come across as pushy.  If you think about a typical appraisal at work, chances are very little time is spent on your career aspirations and in some cases they might not even be on the agenda.  If you turn up and start talking about career plans others might make judgements, fairly or unfairly about you.

So what are the benefits of career plans anyway?

The biggest benefit in my view is that they help you get clarity.  It might be easy to say that you want to go to Director level in an organisation because you think that is what current and potential employers want to hear.  On the other hand it might not be what you want.

They help you to make choices.  Opportunities will present themselves at different points in your career.  Some will be right to pursue, while others won’t.  Your career plan helps you make an informed choice about what opportunities to pursue and what opportunities not to pursue.

They help you plan your professional development.  There is no shortage of development that you could be doing but there will be a shortage on the amount of time and money that can be invested.  You therefore want every investment of time and money to help you move forward to where you want to get to next.

They help you to break things down.  You might well have your big aspiration or goal.  In reality you will more than likely achieve that big aspiration or goal over the longer term.  You can take the end point, map back wards all the steps you will need to make and set these as mini milestones.

They keep you motivated.   This is vitally important because the big outcome will be some way in the future.  Achieving one of the mini steps fires you up and keeps you motivated.

So how do you create a career plan?

The first phase is all about getting to know you.  At this point you will be considering what you want from your career and what’s important to you.  You should also be finding out about your best skills, attributes and qualities.  You should get clear on what you will and won’t do to achieve your career goals.

Next you need to make some decisions and put a marker in the ground.  This will include deciding how far you are going in your career.

It is also vital to research.  Most professions, rightly or wrongly have some typical stages you will have to go through to get to more senior levels.  At each stage there will be specific skill, qualities, experience and knowledge required.  You need to know what’s required at each stage so that you can get ready ahead of time.

The next step is to create your plan.  In the plan you need to be specific about what you are going to do and when you are going to do it by.  What I have noticed is that when you set specific actions with specific time scales things get down.

And of course keep track of progress and adjust as necessary.  You might set out with the best of intentions and things don’t always go quite as you expect.  See your career plan as a live document rather than task and finish.  Keep updating as new information and insights are gained.

Duncan Brodie helps accountants achieve more career success.  He invites you to sign up for his free report, The 7 Biggest Barriers To A Successful Career In Accountancy

About the Author Duncan Brodie

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.

Previous Post What You Want To Have Clarity On When Making a Career Move Next Post The Six Aims Of Finance Presentations

Leave a Comment:

90 comments
kmd bioscience says 12 September 2023

A round of applause for your article. Great.

Reply
Walter Perez says 13 September 2023

script pharmacy legitimate canadian internet pharmacies

Reply
Roy Cooper says 14 September 2023

I am genuinely pleased to read this blogposts which contains lots of helpful data, thanks for providing these kinds of information.

Reply
mens zip vest says 15 September 2023

Looking forward to reading more. Great blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.

Reply
la-plastic says 16 September 2023

Very neat article.Much thanks again. Fantastic.

Reply
Super p force says 16 September 2023

This is one awesome blog article.Thanks Again. Cool.

Reply
Seasoning Supplier says 16 September 2023

I truly appreciate this post.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…

Reply
足球比分即时比分比分直播 says 18 September 2023

Thanks a lot for the blog post.Much thanks again. Keep writing.

Reply
irontech dolls says 18 September 2023

I appreciate you sharing this article.Much thanks again. Awesome.

Reply
human braiding hair says 19 September 2023

Very neat article.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.

Reply
https://www.investingapps.org/reviews/personal-capital-review says 19 September 2023

Thanks again for the blog article.Really thank you! Really Cool.

Reply
Tracy Thompson says 20 September 2023

Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!

Reply
perkasa jitu 4d says 20 September 2023

Im grateful for the article post. Really Great.

Reply
la plastics says 20 September 2023

Great article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.

Reply
Sharon Whitehouse says 21 September 2023

I have read so many posts regarding the blogger loversbut this post is actually a good article, keep it up.

Reply
Gregory Obrien says 21 September 2023

Aw, this was a very good post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to create a great article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.

Reply
Barry Perkins says 21 September 2023

Hi there just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly.I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show thesame outcome.

Reply
Howard Byrne says 22 September 2023

I’m gone to convey my little brother, that he should alsogo to see this blog on regular basis to obtain updated from mostrecent news.

Reply
Delhi to Agra tour package one day says 23 September 2023

A round of applause for your blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.

Reply
refrigerator repair okc says 23 September 2023

Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic blog post. Much obliged.

Reply
Wavlink Wifi Repeater says 24 September 2023

Major thanks for the article post. Keep writing.

Reply
minoo-cn says 24 September 2023

I cannot thank you enough for the blog article. Fantastic.

Reply
SIMPALL DOORS says 24 September 2023

This is one awesome article post. Fantastic.

Reply
what is interaction designer says 24 September 2023

Really informative article. Really Great.

Reply
government jobs in karnataka says 25 September 2023

Thanks-a-mundo for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.

Reply
taylor swift apartment interior says 25 September 2023

I really enjoy the blog.Thanks Again.

Reply
read says 26 September 2023

A round of applause for your article post.Thanks Again. Cool.

Reply
best franchise says 26 September 2023

I think this is a real great blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.

Reply
cab service in coimbatore says 26 September 2023

This is one awesome blog article.Thanks Again. Want more.

Reply
online coaching in assam says 27 September 2023

I value the article.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…

Reply
winter trek in india says 27 September 2023

I appreciate you sharing this blog.Really thank you! Want more.

Reply
tattoo says 28 September 2023

Thank you ever so for you post.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.

Reply
Agra local sightseeing tour package says 28 September 2023

Major thankies for the blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.

Reply
zhejiangshengben says 29 September 2023

Hey, thanks for the blog.Thanks Again. Really Great.

Reply
CRO biotech company says 29 September 2023

Thanks so much for the post.Thanks Again. Great.

Reply
floor lamp manufacturers says 29 September 2023

This is one awesome article.

Reply
Silicone Defoamer says 30 September 2023

Hey, thanks for the article.Much thanks again. Will read on…

Reply
Wire Harness says 30 September 2023

Im thankful for the blog post.Thanks Again. Want more.

Reply
rope assembly| Wire Rope Sling| laptop lock| brake cable| Tool Lanyard} says 1 October 2023

Thank you for your blog article.Really thank you! Awesome.

Reply
Rubber Pad says 1 October 2023

I really enjoy the blog post.Really thank you! Really Cool.

Reply
Add Your Reply

Popular posts

It Takes More Than Being Good At The Numbers
 Career
Oct 07, 2014
Career Success: I Am At My Best When
 Career
Nov 29, 2013
How To Overcome That Fear When Presenting At Work
 Presentation Skills
Jun 22, 2022
Team Success: How To Create A Clear Purpose
 Teams
Jan 07, 2010