Hi everyone!! First of all thank you for your (indirect) support, you cannot imagine how much you have helped me during my studies.
I have completed a BSc Hons in Financial Management six months ago (2:1) and I am still without a job. I have also a Foundation degree in Applied Finance. I have applied to any open position in UK and Ireland but without success. I have more than 6 years of experience abroad as a management accountant and I am actually working as a volunteer in a Charity (during the day... while I work in hospitality at night to pay the rent and the bills).
In my free time I study CPD courses, which are cheap and give me a deeper insight about accounting. I want to find a job as soon as possible, any kind of job. I was also considering to qualify with ICB and freelance as a bookkeeper, but the accountant where I volunteer, discouraged me, telling me that this is an old fashioned job which is disappearing with automation. I am arrived at a point where I am so confused that I don't even have a clue about a possible next step... I proposed myself to work for free in the practices here around, but nothing.
In your opinion, what should I do? What is the fastest qualification/certification toward a job?
ICB and freelance? IAB to leverage my international experience and rolling the dice abroad? Will a certification in Financial Modelling (FMVA) be of any use here in UK, without a senior qualification like ACCA or CIMA? Better to build upon my competencies in programming and database developing and trying with Business Intelligence? Any proprietary software solution, maybe SAP or cloud accounting? Or should I change field, studying FRM? I want to be operative in less than one year, so for the moment I have discarded ACCA and CIMA. They are also too much expensive for me at the moment, I cannot afford them.
Thank you so much for your help
Be
Replies (25)
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You haven't said what sort of jobs you are applying for, but have you considered a training post in practice which will give you an income and a qualification?
https://www.icaewtrainingvacancies.com/job-search?job_types=full-time
Are you finding that you are get interviewed but not apppointed or not getting interviewed?
What area of accountancy do you want to go into? I would stop with any further qualifications for the time being and concentrate on finding a role first as the qualifications may not be related to the role. Starting at the bottom or close to is often the best way but you are already "over qualified" for those positions even if you are willing to do them.
Speak to some recruitement agents too, they should be able to get you something even if its temp roles to gain some experience.
I wouldn't worry about more qualifications at this stage, sounds like you need experience. See if you can offer yourself to a local firm (for free) to try out different aspects of accountancy / tax. They get to see if you are any good and you get some valuable experience. I've recruited from work experience people several times in the past
Most employers with any sense favour people with dirt under their fingernails over those with half a ton of pieces of paper.
As others have basically said.
You come across as indecisive and that probably puts off potential employers. I think you need to stop trying to do anything and everything and decide on a specific direction to take and only go in that direction.
Use your financial management skills to treat your abilities as assets and work out the best way to invest those assets to give the greatest returns.
You have the abilities but, no managed direction.
Recruiters hope to earn commision.
By applying for lots of jobs you might just "get lucky"
But generally you will get an interview through correctly targeting what you do and your CV to the role you want to do. It you do better doing 2 or 3 targeted applications a week, vs 50 random ones. Successful job hunters tailor their CV and cover letter each and every time, this take considerable effort to research what they want, and edit your application to meet their demands.
I get regular approaches where people cant even be bothered to address me by name who claim they want to work for me, but haven't even read the website. Its not worth looking at.
Generally an employer will interview a fair number of applicants who meet the criteria. if you never get an interview, then you done meet the criteria, or your applications are poor and binned outright.
But ultimately, yes a degree isn't worth much to an employer, especially if its from a middling or poor uni, your previous work experience would be far more relevant to me, and A-levels if you did those in the UK
I think the ICB (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers I assume) is not such a bad idea. You should be able to qualify quickly with your experience, and will then be in a better position to take on bookkeeping assignments. It's not high level, and would not enhance your CV (just leave it off), but may increase your confidence, and sharpen your basic skills, and may help when pitching for assignments.
You may then be able to pick up bookkeeping work, which would be a better way, for you, of making ends meet than hospitality, and might lead to useful contacts with accountancy firms, as well as providing hands-on experience, which employers always want.
I suggested omitting ICB from your CV in the event it seems to be out of kilter with other qualifications. I think it is a good qualification, but it may not impress a recruiter at a higher level. Bookkeeping is stage 1 in finance, and an understanding of the fundamentals is important.
Something isn't right. I suspect it's your approach and the fact that you'll be overqualified on paper for a lot of the lower level you need start at. What about temporary bookkeeping work? Or any temporary admin job to get inside a company in case they can move you across to something more suitable.?
I think that's a really good idea. Just get inside a company doing any work, then look to transfer.
Is English your second language?
I ask as you have certain turns of phrase re your sentence construction- whilst your grammar and punctuation looks fine- signs of a non native speaker- there is the odd phrase that jars, does not sound like that of a native speaker.
If my surmise is the case some expert input re your CV might not go amiss, they might slightly tidy up the idiom of your expression in both the CV and in a standard covering letter that might assist landing more interviews,
No idea if my guess is correct but be assured it is intended as a constructive comment.
I doubt you need English classes. Your written English is superior to that of many native speakers.
What you are presumably encountering is the standard barrier that gets put up against all non nationals, particularly those who don't have much UK work experience.
In that case seek out ex pats from your own country in the UK. Join their social clubs. People when abroad look after their own kind because they know how isolating it can be in your sort of situation. One of them may have a need for your skills. It's all about networking and befriending people who could help you.
Get someone who has strong written English, current CV writing skills etc to go over your CV and your usual covering letter.
English classes are all well and good but your English looks 99 percent fine, what I am talking about is edge tweaking, and some of it likely just comes with time, so I am not sure classes will help that much . (I am a very poor learner of foreign languages so it is hard for me to really comment on whether classes will really help, I suspect not)
My daughter ,who is a native English speaker and writes reasonably well (I read her dissertation) got input on her postgraduate course applications (Msc)from my son's girlfriend who had herself twice been successful re postgraduate course applications, sometimes silly little thinks make a difference.
I would get some input on your standard CV or CVs (my son had different ones when he was applying in final year university depending upon the type of position he was after).
There is no stigma taking professional input re a CV, all our clients pay us to help in an area we are strong and they are weak, hopefully friends etc can assist but if not maybe someone can suggest a hired gun.
Anyway good luck.
I would change tack and look for jobs using both your finance and IT skills.
I know people who didn’t complete their accountancy exams but became very successful in IT areas for finance (in the City in London and Sky).
Look at graduate jobs, you may need some luck but your enthusiasm will help. Sell your languages too.
Put a positive post on LinkedIn and try and get it shared.
My daughter took some time to find work after graduation (she was looking for the creative industries). She trawled Indeed and other job websites, volunteered locally (as you have), had her CV of all skills and qualifications proof read and was advised to tweak it for each job role so it looked directed and clear to read, joined LinkedIn to start making connections and followed up failed applications politely.
Just some ideas. Good luck.