Are you looking for a new challenge in your finance career?
You may be stuck in a rut, unmotivated or believe that your skills aren’t being fully utilised in your current role. Perhaps you crave a new challenge, an advancement or are thinking of rerouting your career path?….
Last month we looked at why December is the ideal time of year to start looking for your new finance role. If you’ve made a start with your prep, even if you haven’t yet secured a new role, you still have a significant advantage as we head into 2020, as recruiters and businesses are about to enter a busy hiring period.
Quarter one is a great time to look for a new role to move your finance career forward. It’s a new year – and a new decade – and as such is an excellent time to think about whether you want a new challenge or to accelerate your finance career.
So, with a new finance role in mind, I’d like to take a look at the steps you need to take to get you into that dream role.
But first, a quick resume of why January is such a good time to start your job hunt.
Employers Are Loking for New Employees
It’s a new year, and employers have a new budget. Without the ties of projects and year-end tasks to contend with, employers can now focus on expanding and building their finance teams.
Additionally, new year motivation kicks in, and employers are eager to get new talent into their business.
Consequently, January and February is a great month for job hunting. But as there is a lot more competition, it’s critical to make sure you are one step ahead of other finance professionals looking for a career move, to ensure you impress.
With that in mind, here’s how to stand out from the crowd:
Think About Your Goals
Before you start planning how to succeed in finding a new finance role, it’s important to know what you want to achieve.
What are your ultimate goals? Where do you see yourself in five years, and how do you plan on getting there?
Knowing what your aspirations are is crucial to developing your plan of action.
Do Your Research
Once you have a final goal in mind, if you haven’t already, it’s time to do your research and preparation.
Check out the job boards and talk to your specialist finance recruiter for advice and guidance. Your recruiter is a great source of information; not only on what jobs are available or coming up soon, but on what you can do to improve your chances of a successful interview.
Starting with your CV…
Upgrade Your CV
Is it time to update your CV?
As a specialist finance recruiter, I’ve been receiving candidates’ CVs for over 15 years, and it remains the pivotal document in profiling your achievements and expertise to would-be employers.
If you haven’t updated your CV for a while, now is the time for a re-write.
Remember the 3 R’s: keep it relevant, readable and recent.
In other words, it should clearly illustrate your accomplishments, qualifications and achievements (such as special projects).
Additionally, be sure to include specific critical skills for the posts you want to apply for such as leadership, innovation, delegation, specialist practice knowledge and professionalism.
It should also be entirely up to date, with no gaps, and should be laid out in an easy to read format.
With the growing use of AI, referencing critical keywords words should be observed, but keep your document legible, as at some point a real person is going to have to read it too!
Increase Your Skillset
If you have the opportunity, take advantage of any additional learning you are offered. This could be developing a new skill or adding finesse to one you already possess.
Arming yourself with additional soft skills and qualifications will not only give you a knowledge advantage over other candidates but will show you are invested in lifelong learning and therefore eager to continuously grow your knowledge base: criteria that are high up on the agenda for many finance employers.
Write Your Cover Letter
It’s a good idea to spend some time crafting killer paragraphs for cover letters. Having a template eases the pressure once those job vacancies start to come in, and you can easily tailor each one to the job in hand.
Getting the basics done now, such as projects, awards, qualifications and accomplishments that reflect your abilities, will give you a head start.
Update Your Online Profile
LinkedIn has over 20 million users registered in the UK alone – and more employers than ever are turning to online platforms to check out potential candidates, with one in three rejecting individuals on the basis of something they have discovered about them online.
What does your profile say about you?
Make sure that, like your CV, your online profile has all your achievements to date clearly illustrated. Post regularly and comment on other relevant financial posts. Ensure your image is professional and your headline information concise but compelling.
Use keyword effectively to describe your strength and skillset. There is some good advice on how to do this here.
Finally, if you are still employed and do not want your current workplace to know you are seeking alternative roles, make sure not to mention this fact online.
You will be surprised at how many people will view your profile, and you don’t want your current manager to see you are job hunting before you have a new role secured.
Find a Specialist Finance Recruiter
Working with a specialist finance recruiter will give you a head start in your job search. As well as offering you valuable information on how to make yourself a more desirable candidate, they have the industry insider knowledge to match you with ideal job roles.
What Next?
If you are looking for a new finance role for the new decade, Rebus Financial Recruitment can help. Call us on 01282 930930 and let’s have a conversation to explore your options. With our industry knowledge and experience, we can help you achieve great things.
Thanks,
Rachel
About Rebus Financial Recruitment
Rebus Financial Recruitment provides a specialist and focused recruitment service to its customers, which historically range from a wide variety of organisations including SME’s to large PLCs.
We strive to offer both the client and candidate a seamless recruitment experience. Using our expertise, we get to the heart of employer and employee needs; and, in doing so, we match the two perfectly. To find out more, get in contact with one of our team today, or you can call us on 01282 930930.
