Accountancy professionals take career breaks for a range of different reasons. You may need time away from work for an illness, raising a new child, or looking after ageing or unwell parents. You may even put your career on hold as you pursue other interests or expand your education.
While a break from the workplace can be beneficial in some cases, you must figure out how to successfully return to your career. Re-entering the workplace after some time off can be daunting, particularly in a fast-paced environment like the accountancy space.
Having a clear plan in mind for finding your next finance role and easing yourself back into the industry can save you from a lot of stress. Here’s how you can jump back into the sector after a career break.
Step 1: Get Back Up to Speed
As mentioned above, the accountancy and finance world are fast-moving landscapes. In the last couple of years, various new regulations, technologies, and concepts have been introduced which may impact your job role and what it entails. If you’ve taken some time out of the industry, it’s important to ensure that your credentials are still up-to-date.
Before applying for any new positions or attempting to re-enter your old one, look into the latest trends and changes in the accountancy space. The ICAEW has some excellent advice and resources for accountants looking to brush up their skills. You can also consider speaking to your employer about any training they can offer when bringing you back on board.
If you’re planning on moving into a new area of accounting following your break, you may need to look into additional certifications to demonstrate your skills in this space. Investing in your education before you apply for a role will give you the best chances of success.
Step 2: Leverage your Network
Whether you’re actively working in an accounting role or not, it’s often a good idea to keep working on your professional network. The people you connect with in the accounting space will help you to define your career path and what might have changed since you’ve been away. They can also help to keep you up-to-date on how various parts of the profession have evolved.
Map out your contacts from your financial career, including the people you’ve met at events, networking opportunities, and previous jobs. If you’re feeling anxious, you can contact them for advice and insights into the evolutions that might have taken place in their roles.
Maintaining strong relationships should also make it easier to find a new accounting role relevant to your needs and expectations when you’re ready to re-enter the workforce.
Step 3: Find the Right Role With The Help of an Expert
The good news for people re-entering the financial sector after a break today is that there are a lot of opportunities out there. Low unemployment rates, the great resignation, and the effects of the pandemic have led to a massive skill shortage for accountancy teams. Many employers go above and beyond to offer potential candidates the best possible experience.
Before applying for roles, consider what things you want to prioritise in your search for a new team. You may want to work with a company with a strong focus on innovation and a commitment to training their team members.
The good news is when you work with a specialist financial recruitment company based in the northwest, you can outline exactly what you are looking for in your role.
Step 4: Be Forthcoming About Your Career Break
In the past, many employers regarded breaks in a CV with some concern. However, this is becoming less common as today’s leaders struggle to fill their talent pipelines. Employers are becoming more empathetic and understanding, which means they’re less likely to respond negatively to the knowledge you’ve been on a break.
Be forthcoming about why you chose to take that break in the first place. Include the break on your CV where necessary, and use the space to talk about what you might have accomplished when you weren’t employed. For instance, you may have done some volunteering which helped to develop transferrable skills like communication and leadership.
If you’re clear about the benefits of your break and how it helped you to grow as a person and a professional, this will help to ensure you don’t scare away potential employers.
Step 5: Plan for the Interview
Whether you’re returning to a previous employer or starting work somewhere new, there will be an interview to prepare for. Making sure you’re ready for this experience is crucial to getting your desired job. Start by checking how the interview is going to be conducted. You may need to complete certain tasks or tests or connect with a team over a video conferencing app.
It’s also worth practising how you will respond to questions about your career break during the interview. A good option is to frame the narrative for your break as a positive experience. Talk about what you achieved before you left the industry and what you accomplished during your time away from work.
Make sure you’re ready to showcase that your skills are still current and up-to-date by highlighting how you’ve kept up with the industry during unemployment.
Step 6: Consider a Returnship
Since the pandemic, employers have become more understanding about people taking breaks from work and have begun implementing strategies to ease them back into the workplace. A returnship is essentially an “internship” for an experienced employee who may need some extra time to get back up-to-date with the accountancy industry.
If the company you’re thinking of working for doesn’t offer this option, you could consider discussing your strategy for returning to work with the employer. Ask whether you can start on a part-time basis so you can dedicate the rest of your time to learning and updating your credentials. Look into opportunities for on-the-job training and mentorship.
Setting a plan for how you will become a valuable staff member with your boss shows them you’re committed to thriving in your role.
Thanks
Rachel
About Rebus Financial Recruitment
Rebus Financial Recruitment provides a specialist and focused recruitment service to its customers, ranging from various organisations, including SMEs, 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. Contact one of our team today to find out more, or you can call us on 01282 930930.
