How To Make A Great Start and Thrive In Your New Accounting Job

Landing your next accounting job is tough.

There’s a lot of competition.

You will have had to put in a lot of personal effort to get the job.

The good news comes that you have got the job.

Of course you want to take a moment to enjoy the positive outcome.

You know however that this is just the start of a new phase.

Just as you proved your value in the job interview, you have a bunch of colleagues and stakeholders you have to prove your value to.

So how do you thrive in a new accounting job?

Do some research

Find out as much as you can about your new colleagues before you start.

This might have been tough in the past.

Now thanks to social media and platforms like LinkedIn you can check people out.

It’s a great way of understanding others experience and any areas where they have particular expertise.

Get the balance right

You are obviously going to be hugely excited when you start the role.

Chances are you will want to get off to a flying start.

There is however a fine balance between putting your own stamp on the role and building the all important relationships with colleagues.

Go into fact finding mode

You have two eyes, two ears and one mouth.

When starting a new role there is so much value in using eyes, ears and mouth in the right proportion.

Asking lots of questions, watching and listening is a great way to go into fact finding mode.

Meet early with your new boss

Hopefully this is something your new boss will arrange early on.

It may initially just be a welcome meeting.

While this is good, what you want to encourage is an early meeting with your boss to set objectives and understand expectations.

This will help you work on the things that matter most.

Spend time in the wider organisation

Few doubt accountants ability, knowledge or skills in their area of professional expertise.

Understanding of the business less so.

The early weeks in a new job is a great opportunity for you to get out there and meet people before the busy routine takes over.

While getting the job is a huge achievement, it really is just the start of a new challenge to the one of landing your new accounting job.  Prepare for that challenge in just the same way you did when looking for your new role.

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.

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