Top Job Searching Tips For 2024 - For Finance Professionals | Spencer Clarke Group

Finance recruitment specialist, Shannon McGarry, shares her top four tips for discovering, applying and securing the best finance jobs in 2024.
00:08 Intro
My tips for finding a role within finance in 2024; there’s lots of bits of advice that I could give but I’m going to try and keep it short and sweet and with some really key bits of information that I think are going to be the trends coming up this year.
00:23 Maintain Strong System Experience
Tip one, I would say, would be to make sure that you have got really really strong system experience.
What we’re seeing at the moment in the market place is a huge trend in system updates, I don’t know whether that’s because everyone gets new systems at the same time, I’m not sure, but make sure that you’re getting involved in any system changes, whether that be updates, whether that be keeping abreast of things like Excel.
I know XLookups are a big trend this year, so just keeping on top of those skills and specifically on the system side of things and AI and just keeping in touch with the system experts within your business and that’s going to help your CV become more attractive.
01:05 Think About Company Culture
Tip two would be to think about what it is you're wanting in terms of culture within an organisation, so whether that be hybrid working, whether it’s flexible working, whether you’re wanting somewhere that has a you know a really good social calendar and think about what it is that really matters to you.
Is it just you know the salary and the benefits? Or do you want to go into work and feel like you’ve got a really big community? Look into that, research the business, look on their socials, look on their LinkedIn pages and see what it is that they’re like, even Glassdoor - that’s a huge thing I would recommend anyone looking for a new job to have a look at into because you will get negative and you will get positive posts but it will give you a true reflection of that business.
01:49 Have a Clear Career Plan
Tip number three is having a really clear and concise plan. So, say for instance you’re in an Assistant Accountant role and you want to step up into a Management Account role, you need to realistically know what you need to step into those positions.
Quite often, most people will go down a Qualified or Chartered Accountant route, whether it be CIMA, ACCA or ACA and what I would always do is ask you current employer is that something they can support you with because it may be that they’ve got a plan to develop you - if not, make sure that’s something you discuss when you’re going out into that job search.
If you’re in a more leadership position, you need to be thinking about what that next step looks like. Do you think you can step up into a senior role without the support of an FD for example? Or do you feel that you need to have an FD there that can help you develop and learn as you go?
It’s all about exposing yourself to as many things as you possibly can, so really good candidates that I work with aren’t just going in and doing the basics, they’re not just doing the month end, they’re not just doing the bare minimum.
They’re getting involved in projects, they’re putting their hand up, they’re thinking outside the box, they’re trying to learn as much as they can about their chosen career path and that’s what’s setting them apart from other people.
03:07 Get in Touch with Shannon
Tip number four would be work with myself (obviously) as an expert in the market. I’ve got loads of clients that I work with that are open to looking at people that might be outside the box a little bit or golden nuggets as I call them.
Get in touch with me - I can offer you loads of advice on your job search, I can advise you whether it might be worth waiting 6 months, whether it’s a good time to move, whatever your situation is, I’m there to help you and I know what I’m talking about so, drop me a message!
Contact Shannon McGarry
01772 954200 | [e-mail]
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