Job Moves- Think Before You Jump

I came across a post on LinkedIn from Robin Kiziak a while back.

In the post Robin spoke about something called “Helsinki Bus Station Theory

It related to continually chopping and change to be creative.

The post made me think about job moves.

There are plenty of roles out there for accountants and professionals.

The temptation can be to chop and change jobs without giving it much thought.

Perhaps that lure of a bit extra money (which is a big motivator in early stages of career) or a grander sounding job title.

There is however a danger.  You become too much of a generalist.

Someone who is okay at lots of things but lacking depth in anything.

Now don’t get me wrong, in my accounting career I liked variety and new challenges as much as anyone.

At the same time it didn’t mean I had a huge number of roles.  In actual fact I only had 6 in my 25 years in accounting.

People move jobs for a whole host of reasons.

Some of them positive, some of them to get away from a less than ideal situation.

Here’s the thing, if you are looking to build a career in accounting or your professional field, there are several things you have to consider.

Where are you now?

Now this might seem like a daft or abstract question.

I like to see it as a personal stocktake of your skills, knowledge, experience and attributes.

Where are you heading?

Everyone has different career aspirations.

There’s no right or wrong path.

Just a right path for you.

What do you need to develop?

Rather than focusing on weaknesses, think instead about your strengths that you want to build on.

What do you really enjoy?

You spend so much time in work that you really want to be spending it doing things you really enjoy.

When I think about my time in accounting I was less interested in the technical elements and much more interested in helping those in the organisation deliver great results.

What would you like to build a reputation for?

The area or areas where you would really love to be the ‘go to’ person.

In truth moving jobs is big decision.  Rather than just doing it in a haphazard way, think about your career more broadly.

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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