Accounts jobs in Dublin

annaP79

Hi,

I was wondering if you could help me with something, maybe i am missing something here so please let me know whatever you think

what it takes in Dublin to move from AP AR role to GL and better money ?????

i registered with the agencies, was answering jobs.ie /irishjobs.ie ads but nothing, I dnt know what's wrong, I was told CV looks ok so what is going on?


is it possible still to get sth good in Dublin without connections as i think that seems to be issue , in fact i was told that no connections = no good job in accounts in Dublin?


would you agree?
bit depressing and scary if that's the case


I changed to accounts 3 years ago from humanities, did master's and then started ACCAs, just after finishing F1-9 level now and going to do P level

I have been working in AP/AR and trying over the last year find a job that would be more in line with what I have learnt over the last few years


unfortunately no luck so far, I was thinking ACCA will give me some advantage but not really

smcgiff

annaP79 wrote: »

Hi,

I was wondering if you could help me with something, maybe i am missing something here so please let me know whatever you think

what it takes in Dublin to move from AP AR role to GL and better money ?????

i registered with the agencies, was answering jobs.ie /irishjobs.ie ads but nothing, I dnt know what's wrong, I was told CV looks ok so what is going on?


is it possible still to get sth good in Dublin without connections as i think that seems to be issue , in fact i was told that no connections = no good job in accounts in Dublin?


would you agree?
bit depressing and scary if that's the case


I changed to accounts 3 years ago from humanities, did master's and then started ACCAs, just after finishing F1-9 level now and going to do P level

I have been working in AP/AR and trying over the last year find a job that would be more in line with what I have learnt over the last few years


unfortunately no luck so far, I was thinking ACCA will give me some advantage but not really

Contacts help, but no one in the private sector is going to give a job to a less able person just because of contacts. If it happens, I would say it is rare.

Being part qualified is only part of the equation. As you say yourself, you're looking for an advancement. That is usually LOTS easier while working with an existing employer.

Chances are you're competing with some people that are already at that level, or maybe even qualified already.

While the jobs market has improved it is still an employers' market.

Good luck

annaP79

true what you said about getting experience with current employer, the only thing is that I wont be able to get any more experience there . . . . but anyway, will keep trying and looking

thank you

mr_edge_to_you

It's a big step careerwise (responsibility and money), moving from AP/AR to a GL role. There's a lot of PQ accountants working in industry so you are probably up against a lot better experienced candidates.

Are you actually getting interviews? If you are not getting called forward for interviews, perhaps you need to go back and look at your CV again. Your CV should be constantly changing.
I spent most of this year looking for a new role. I thought my CV was okay, agencies were telling me my CV was strong, but for some reason when they submitted my CV to employers I wasn't being called for interview.

I got some friends who are also accountants to look at it. I ended up with a completely revamped CV. When I look back at it, my old CV was junk. Had an immediate impact and the interviews became more common.

With this came the opportunity to improve my interview skills. I then realised that because I was looking for more senior roles that my interview technique wasn't right. In my first few interviews the feedback was generally that I was a good lad, good CV, coming across as a little nervous. Not great when you are trying to convince someone that you can be a leader in their company.

But I adapted my approach and changed my CV regularly and eventually a job offer came through.

Have you considered applying for a 6/12 month contract to try and break into that GL accountant level?

mr_edge_to_you

annaP79 wrote: »

I was thinking ACCA will give me some advantage but not really

You also need to look at this mindset. ACCA is a great qualification but in industry I don't think it gives you any advantage over ACA or CIMA.

They're all hard earned qualifications and some companies/managers may have a personal preference for their own requirements but be under no illusion that one has an advantage over the other.

I'm CIMA qualified and I'd say the option/mix that affords the best opportunities in Dublin is Big4/ACA. I think its a very narrow approach to recruiting but in reality a lot of employers look for that mix.

dbran

Good advise from the above.

I think your attitude is wrong. Nobody actually owes you a "move" to a job with more money etc.

From the point of view of the employer, the question that they need answered from the interview is "Is this person going to be able to do the job" and "How is employing this person going to make my life easier". If your CV and your interview does not show that then you are not going to get the job.

Having some sort of qualification is a good thing because it shows that you have a certain level of knowledge and skills that set you apart from other people. In fact it may even be a prerequisite to getting the interview. But if everyone being interviewed has the same qualification then it comes down to what you can do for the employer and how the experience you have gained to date will enable you to do the job.

I think you should take a look at your CV from the view point of an employer and see if it actually conveys this impression. Or does it just highlight skills that are not required or not necessary, whilst not highlighting skills in areas that are.

Best of luck with it

dbran

annaP79

hey

thank you for sound advice, what was said about CV and interview technique makes 100% sense, actually similar thing happened to me when I was called for the interview by the agencies but not the employers, and agencies said also that CV was ok,

I think that what would suit me best is some trainee position as you are right that there is lots of PQs who trained for the job I am thinking of and there is no way i could move into areas I know nothing about, I was trying to avoid 6mths contracts but i will start considering these

I was looking into some trainee jobs but no reply either so maybe potential employers think I am too qualified for that?

but really, what I do is entry position in accounts

I agree also that training with Big4 would be the best but chances of getting that are very low for me, I graduated good few years ago and also when they say non business graduates are welcome I somehow dnt believe it is true, could work for few exemptions but as they say exemption only confirms the rule which here is - business degree, and the fact that having ACCA exams F1-9 done is equivalent to business degree doesn't seem to make any difference


I know that nobody owes me anything, and yes I do agree that if employers doesn't see how I can make their life easier I wont move on, but the problem for me is gaining more diverse experience and when I asked the question originally I probably didn't spell it out properly

anyway, thank you for your thorough replies, made me think a lot

ThatFatGal

If it's any help, I come from arts background and I only started ACCA for a better job prospect at a mature age (and I always got good points in maths and science).

I only worked in finance related roles but not strictly accounting related until I finished P1. I only got into an assistant accountant role when I was nearly finished with P2 and P3. So I understand your frustration cuz I was applying for every single job posted for nearly 2 years!!!

I'm now finished with all exams and interviewing for a GL accounting role - this wasn't easy either - applied for all sorts of jobs for around 5 months and only started getting calls and interviews this week which I'm very grateful for.

Seeing that you're in AP/AR roles means that it will be challenging to get into the GL side of accounting however it is NOT impossible. My advice is to go for a junior role (you might have to sacrifice salary) and start from there. Also, do review your CV and really make your strengths stand out and relevant to the jobs you are applying for.

Best of luck!

annaP79

thank you!

hopefully P level will help

I know I am in a pretty difficult situation but as you said, progress is not impossible and it takes time

thank you for sound advice and good luck with your interviews!