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Hi everyone, I know this is not a careers advice forum, but I was just wondering if anyone could offer me a little advice.
I am self studying ACCA and have so far passed F1,2,3,4,6,7 and 8. I am sitting F5 in June. I do not have a background in finance and although my current position involves some involvement with financial aspects and management experience, I don’t seem to be having any luck with my job seeking endeavours. I have applied for in excess of 50 positions ranging from Finance/Accounts Assistant to Junior/Assistant Management Accountant, but have only received one contact from the recruitment agent with one referral which did not produce an interview.
I have volunteer experience using Xero for payment processing and account reconciliation. I have also produced spreadsheets to aid with forecasting for the company and assisted with their R&D tax relief claim.
Am I applying too soon for someone with such limited accounts experience, applying for the wrong positions, or am I doing something else wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Chris
Just keep applying.
Though the more papers you have passed the more chances you have.Hi Aleem,
I was just worried about having too much academic qualification without any practical experience. I was told this might be the case ie I would be overlooked for entry level positions but not have enough experience to justify a higher pay grade. Is that the case? I was going the leave applying for jobs until I had completed the fundamental stage until I was told it might work against me.
Hi Chris
Yes you are right. These entry jobs will be more F3 F2 level and you will have much more knowledge than that. On the other hand you will need some experience. So your aim should be to get some relevant experience and you should not worry about being overlooked.Most students do look for jobs right after Fundamental level. But if you get an opportunity go for it.
Good Luck !
It is hard to break the no experience no job cycle. But it can be done.
My advice would be to avoid applying through recruitment agencies. It is VERY rare for a recruitment agency to refer you to a role that will upgrade your experience. They only tend to move candidates to a role with the same level of experience (sometimes less!). Apply to the employers directly. The job search options on Indeed.co.uk and reed.co.uk gives you the options to do employer only job searches.In my opinion, your ACCA progress is not an issue for entry level positions. The finance job market is just more obsessed about experience.
Hi Trebleo,
OK thanks I’ll give that a try. I might speak to the company I volunteer for to see if there is anything else I can get involved with, like VAT returns and maybe setting a budget try and broaden my experience that way, to be honest it was hard enough to find someone to volunteer for.
@debaj said:
Hi Trebleo,OK thanks I’ll give that a try. I might speak to the company I volunteer for to see if there is anything else I can get involved with, like VAT returns and maybe setting a budget try and broaden my experience that way, to be honest it was hard enough to find someone to volunteer for.
Yes, that’s the best response to your obstacle. Get as much experience as you can where you are. I tried this approach in my last job, but my manager was a control freak and would not delegate, so I moved on. Hopefully your senior colleagues will give you the freedom to expand your work profile.
I believe you when you say it was hard to even get a volunteer post. I started off on an unpaid internship. Keep applying and be patient. Easier said than done I know. Good luck!
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