For Those About To Write, We Salute You

Passing the UFE is something of a milestone in one’s career. It’s the gateway to the rest of your professional life.

We all, at some point in our lives, have to decide what we want to be when we grow up, so to speak, and this is often a turning point for many.

Some enter public accounting because, until now, it has been the only way to become a Chartered Accountant, with the sole intention of getting the hell out of public accounting as soon as they have their 30 months experience and have gotten through the CKE, SOA and UFE.

Others will use the opportunity to grow within the public accounting profession, staying a while until an opportunity in industry presents itself that seems to be the right fit, maybe with the opportunity to move into operations, or something else non-finance related.

And then there are those who stay for the long haul in public accounting. Sure, many will switch firm in order to move up, but they stay in public accounting because they love the mix of work, the variety of businesses they can be involved with, and the client contact – which grows exponentially after qualifying.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you nothing but the very best. But now, more than ever, is time for a quick heads-up.

When the results are released later this year, you can expect a deluge of calls from recruiters eager to make your acquaintance, and that’s perfectly normal. Indeed, you’ll probably get a call from myself or one of my team.

If you’re one of the names on the list who have passed the UFE, congratulations, now is the time to do some really deep questioning of yourself.

Questions to ask include:

· “Am I happy in my present role?”
· “Am I ready for more responsibility?”
· “Do I see myself in public accounting for the long-term?”
· “What do I want to achieve during my career?”
· “Can I achieve those things with my present employer?”

If you’re at a big firm, would you be happier at a smaller firm? If you’re at a small firm, would you be happier in a bigger environment? Do you want to get to partner level in an established firm, or do you want to hang a shingle and go it alone?

These are all important questions, the answers to which will play a large part in determining your next course of action.
For some, the right action will be to take no action at all!

For others, they will be keen to move on in order to move up.

There’s no right or wrong answer here, whatever you feel is right for you is the thing to do.

However, many young professionals have never moved job before and are still uncertain where their career as a CA can take them.

This is where the counsel and advice of an experienced recruiter can pay big dividends.

Extreme caution is the order of the day when selecting a recruiter to work with. You need to get to know their firm and the company’s reputation in the marketplace. You need to know that the person at the recruiting firm is honest and trustworthy and professional and will not try to get you to move based on their agenda, but will talk your situation, goals and objectives through with you and based on a thorough understanding of your needs, advise you sincerely on the next step, even if that step is to stay where you are for a while.

Yes, a recruiter advising NOT to move? Does this happen? Well, yes, but not often enough in my book.

Some recruiters will only view you as ‘fresh inventory’ – to be moved as quickly as possible in order for them to feed their family next month on the commission cheque they’ll make when they place you.

Others will take a more long-term, professional view.

The recruiting business is all about two things;

1. Knowledge of the marketplace – in other words knowing who is hiring, and who would be the right type of person to be successful there, and
2. Building strong relationships with great candidates who will add value to their clients’ firms.

So, choose a ‘career counsellor’ wisely!

As around and find out who the most trusted people in the business are, and whether they specialize in public accounting or industry. Once you’ve chosen the right recruiter, good things will happen for you.

For those about to write, we salute you, and we’ll be calling you soon!

© MFA Group Inc, 2007