Great people are our business

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1 ACA Guide Great people are our business ACA/CA Career Guide Get the advice you need

2 2 ACA / CA Career Guide

3 ACA newly qualified? Get the advice you need Whether or not you already know the area in which you want to work, the ACA is an ideal starting point for a successful career in business. As a newly qualified ACA, or if you are going to qualify this year, you have an exciting and incredibly diverse range of jobs available to you. With more than 20 years of specific experience in ACA recruitment, Sharp Consultancy is ideally placed to navigate you through this complex market. We can help you with every stage of the process whether that be mapping out your options both with your current company and within a new organisation, help with preparing your CV, interview guidance or simply providing advice on current market trends. If you decide to explore your options, we strive to ensure that the quality of service you receive is unparalleled in the marketplace. Furthermore we pride ourselves on an ability to open up avenues in the marketplace perhaps not fully reached by our competitors or initially considered by a candidate. ACA / CA Career Guide 3

4 What are your options? As a newly qualified ACA, it can be a daunting prospect understanding and assessing the vast range of career routes available to you. At Sharp Consultancy, our ACA Specialists are here to guide you through this thought process. Initially we critically assess your skills and experience, discuss your career goals, map out the routes available to you and demonstrate how these can match the market and your aspirations. With more than 20 years of expertise in the the Yorkshire and North West markets, our ACA Specialists understand the nuances of the different options available at newly qualified level. We have an extensive knowledge of the qualities and personality traits needed to excel in each one the benefits each offer and where they can lead to in the longer term. On the opposite page is an illustration of the diverse range of career options available at this junction. Whether you want to explore traditional industry routes, are captivated by the range of options in the profession or perhaps enthused by niche offerings such as banking and private equity, we are ideally placed to provide this complete view. Sharp Consultancy had a very refreshing unbiased and impartial approach. Seeing my options fully mapped out really opened up my eyes to new avenues in the market. I was delighted with the service I received. A diverse range of career routes were presented to me and talked through in detail and the end result was one I couldn t be happier with - securing a role in private equity in the North of England. 4 ACA / CA Career Guide

5 Industry & Commerce Management Accountant Financial Accountant Internal Audit / Risk Management Commercial Finance Treasury In-house Tax Public Sector Business Analyst Financial Accountant Financial Controller Management Accountant Internal Audit Banking Relationship Management Acquisition / Leveraged Finance Business Support Financial Services Financial Analyst Financial Accountant Decision Support Production Controller Credit Analyst Fund Manager Professional Services Audit & Assurance Lead Advisory Transactions Services Corporate Recovery: - Formal Insolvency - IBR / Advisory Forensics Tax: - Corporate - Personal Private Equity Investment Executive Finally a finance and accountancy recruiter that listened to what my career goals were and came up with a plan to achieve them. ACA / CA Career Guide 5

6 > > > Next steps Having digested this Career Guide, if you feel you are now ready to make the next step, we would advise the following: Consider options internally with your own firm. In our experience this is very often over looked. Are there opportunities to diversify your skills and experience? Compile a CV. This can be very subjective (everyone will have a different view), however we would advise from a professional perspective a number of key points are conveyed: Information about clients you ve worked on sector, turnover range, size etc; Any experience outside audit (to differentiate you from peers?); Achievements have you saved time / money / improved processes / contributed commercially? Quantifying these makes them far more convincing and illustrates a commercial acumen and provides genuine topics for conversation. Book a careers chat with an ACA Specialist. Successful progression in accountancy is dependent on making the right choices and we know that taking this step requires careful consideration, support and planning at each stage of the process. 6 ACA / CA Career Guide

7 We pride ourselves on offering a holistic approach. Navigating you through your next move, whether internally or externally, forms only one part of the process. The Sharp Young Consultancy Accountant of the Year As evidence of our strong profile in the ACA Yorkshire marketplace and in recognition of the value of our market knowledge, Sharp Consultancy pioneered the Young Accountant of the Year competition back in The awards are designed to showcase the most talented Chartered Accountants in the region that possess a variety of qualities including leadership and initiative, technical competence and star quality. All chosen finalists are then invited to attend the LCASS dinner where the eventual winner is presented with their award and the prize of a luxury weekend away for two. ACA / CA Career Guide 7

8 Student Society networking and events Our credibility in this marketplace is further reinforced by our long standing and successful relationships with the Student Societies. It is still a fact that we are the only recruitment firm in West Yorkshire invited to attend the prestigious Annual Dinner. We also have forthcoming events planned with MCASS and SDCASS. We regularly sponsor events throughout the year, such as the Pool Night and the Advanced Stage Drinks. This provides students with an opportunity to let their hair down after what can often be a gruelling day in the profession, socialise in a non corporate environment, catch up with colleagues and network amongst peers from different accountancy firms in the region. Sharp Consultancy also hosts a now legendary Casino Night. As with many of our events, it is well attended by over 40 Chartered Accountants from across the region who enjoy a sparkling champagne reception followed by food, complimentary drinks and gaming chips to attack the Casino floor! 8 ACA / CA Career Guide

9 Guiding you every step of the way Making the right impression and selling yourself at an interview is essential to landing that dream role. Interviews can take many different forms; you may be interviewed by just one person or you could find yourself facing an assessment panel with a number of different people asking you questions. This is your opportunity to show why you are the best person for the role and the key to success lies with plenty of preparation beforehand and knowing what to expect on the day. Lee Sweeney Regional Director lee@sharpconsultancy.com At Sharp Consultancy, our specialist consultants are well placed to guide you through every step of the interview process. They will offer you the very best advice to prepare you for the big day including preparation tips, what questions you should expect to be asked and the opportunity to put yourself in practice interview situations to hone your skills. With our help, you will have the confidence and knowledge to deliver an outstanding interview and be well on the way to securing the job that you have always wanted. ACA / CA Career Guide 9

10 Referral scheme We work hard to provide a valuable service to our candidates and clients. A significant number of our new candidates come from referrals. This gives us access to a section of the market that our competitors fail to reach. As such, we are keen to say thank you if you can recommend us to others. Sharp Consultancy offers a unique reward scheme to individuals who recommend candidates. You may be eligible for a reward of up to 100 whenever we manage to successfully place a friend or colleague that you have recommended to us. 10 ACA / CA Career Guide

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