Job search tips for accounting and finance professionals

Are you ready for a busy hiring season this fall?

Whether you’re looking to land your first accounting job or ready to explore new opportunities, a job search can be stressful and challenging. But it doesn’t have to be! Start by developing a strategy that will keep you motivated and focused on landing your dream career.

A successful job search strategy includes several different techniques and approaches. Consider networking, contacting recruiters, searching job boards, updating your resume, and targeting organizations you want to work for. Another critical part of a job search strategy, and maybe one that is underutilized, is a self-assessment. A self-assessment helps you understand what position or organization is the best fit for your skills, personality, and future goals.

Here are four tips to include in your job search strategy

1. Determine your job search goal

Job seekers who focus on clear, specific, and achievable goals get better results faster. Think about what the intent is for the search. Are you looking for professional growth, entering a new industry stream, finding your dream job, or are you a graduate looking for your first accounting and finance role? As you assess the possibilities, come back to the question, “Does this position align with my career goals, AND would the company be excited about the value I can add?” This will help you determine if an opportunity aligns with your goals.

2. Assess your likes and dislikes

Every work environment has different pros and cons, depending on your values. By journaling your likes and dislikes, you can focus on the type of work culture you need to be successful. Figuring out what energizes you will help you remain driven and focused during the job search process. When writing, you can break the likes and dislikes into categories such as: team dynamics, physical environment, leadership qualities, tasks, and organizational culture.

3. List your accomplishments

Recognizing and writing down your accomplishments is often challenging, and one of the tasks where people get stuck. However, doing so is one of the most important steps that you can take because you are developing a sales campaign for an employer and the product is you! When listing out your accomplishments use the S.T.A.R. format (Situation, Task, Action, and Result). Employers want to see concrete examples of what you did, how you did it, and what the outcome was.

4. Develop a Weekly Planner

Tracking your activity helps you determine if you are investing your time in the right places. Utilize this tool and keep yourself motivated and accountable by detailing all your job search activities, including posting start and end dates and checking off completed tasks. 

Job searches don’t have to be stressful or overly time-consuming. Help yourself in the long run by developing a strategy that works for you. If you need further assistance on resume writing or developing a job search strategy, checkout these upcoming CPA Alberta events:

Are you ready to take the next step to find the best accounting jobs?