What You Need To Keep In Mind When Applying For Your First Accountancy Job
Nothing feels better than a good graduation. After studying for almost half your life in various educational institutions, the time to face the world finally arrives, and it's about time your efforts bear some fruit. As a graduate in accounting, you will probably be very excited to put what you were taught into practice and may jump into the first job offer that comes your way. Not so fast. Before filling in that job application form, below are a few things you might want to know.
Prepare for the Corporate Ladder
According to Investopedia, this ladder is used as the view of employment hierarchy. If you plan on working for any corporate entity, you need to know how to climb it. Remember, you are not the only person graduating. Therefore, when you go out there, you need to be aggressive in your work. That calls for meeting daily requirements before time, being proactive, suggesting great ideas, among others. Despite that, don't overdo it to the extent that your colleagues and some of your seniors feel threatened, or else you may not make it to the first step. Take it slow. In summary, just be the good accountant. What you want from your first job is experience so that you can stand out from competition in the long run.
The away Trips
Well, as an accountant, you will probably be spending most of your time away from home, especially if you intend on working for a corporate giant. Sometimes, accounting in such firms requires you to move to clients' sites and work from there. Furthermore, if you get the chance of performing frequent external audits in companies located far from you, travelling would have to be your lifestyle. So, be prepared. Not to worry, though. Travelling could be quite fun, and you would also get the chance of meeting and making new connections along the way. Therefore, get ready to embrace it.
Your options
There are only a few accountancy career routes you could take after graduation. This means you need to choose what best suits you. First of all, you could be a trainee under an accountancy firm. This would give you good experience and help improve your career. Other than that, you may also offer your services to the Government by working for a public limited company or parastatal, where there is more job security and social benefits than small firms. However, if you want to feel like part of a team where your work impact is more likely to be felt, working for the small or an upcoming business would be an excellent option.