There’s no doubt that landing a dream job is tough. But with the right mindset, skills and strategies, it can be done. And when you succeed at finding your dream career, the rewards are endless:
You’ll earn more money, get to do work that fulfills you and helps others at the same time, and most importantly, feel happy every day.
In this article we’re going to show you how to land your dream job as an accountant by following our tips and tricks on how to grow your career as a junior accountant.
Adopt A Growth Mindset
In order to adopt a growth mindset, you’ll need to think of yourself as a work in progress. You’re not going to be perfect at first, but with practice and perseverance, you’ll improve. When you take this approach, mistakes aren’t seen as setbacks; they’re opportunities for growth.
If you keep working on your skills and strive for continuous improvement, eventually opportunities will open up that weren’t there before and the next time around will be easier than before!
This is especially important during job searches because it helps keep your spirits up when things don’t go according to plan or when feedback isn’t what you hoped for (or even if it is).
After all: if we have room for improvement in anything we do especially something as difficult as finding a job then why not try again? And again…and again…until finally something clicks into place!
Focus On The Small But Important Tasks
As you are working, focus on the small but important tasks. Doing so will help build your credibility and prove that you can be trusted to take care of things that may not seem as exciting or glamorous.
If a new client comes in, don’t worry about making cold calls; instead, offer to make copies of their financial statements or printing off their tax returns from last year.
Don’t get me wrong when it comes to work-related tasks like these, there’s nothing better than having someone else do them for you so that you don’t have to!
But if no one is going out of their way to ask for these kinds of favors from you at first (which they probably won’t).
Then it’s up to us accountants-in-training who want more responsibility and higher paychecks down the line just like anyone else does with any other job out there: We have got ourselves some self-discipline!
Set SMART Goals
You should set SMART goals for yourself. SMART is an acronym that stands for:
Specific – your goal should be clear and specific enough that you can write a sentence describing it. For example, “I want to earn $100k per year” or “I want to get promoted by 2020”.
Measurable – your goal needs to be measurable so that you can tell if you are making progress towards the achievement of this goal.
For example, if your dream job is as an accountant at Google and your current position is as an assistant accountant at a small company.
Then it’s unlikely that you will be able to measure how close you are getting to becoming an accountant at Google (unless perhaps the owner of the small company has already told everyone else he plans on retiring soon).
Attainable – does this seem like something within reach? If not then re-evaluate!
Do some research into salaries needed and duties required by similar positions so you have a better idea of what skillsets/experience etc are needed before considering whether they match up with yours.”
Be Accountable For Your Actions
You have to be accountable for your actions. If you don’t take responsibility for what happens, no one will trust you.
Be honest in everything that you do with yourself, with others, and in your work product. Honesty is important both on an ethical level and as a matter of practicality: it’s impossible to succeed working with people if they don’t believe what you’re saying or doing is sincere.
Be reliable and trustworthy; if something goes wrong because of your actions (and it could go wrong).
Take responsibility immediately instead of blaming someone else or making excuses for yourself later down the line when things have calmed down from whatever mess has been created by said action(s).
Be open-minded enough to accept feedback from others without getting defensive about it; even if someone gives feedback that seems harsh at first glance (e.g., “You make too many mistakes”).
Try looking for ways where this might be true before dismissing their opinion out of hand just because it doesn’t seem nice at first glance! It’s better than being stubbornly blind to an issue that needs fixing; after all: nobody likes working with people who won’t listen!
Be Proactive In Searching For Opportunities
You may not know it, but your friends and family probably come into contact with people who could end up being your next boss. Ask them if they know of any opportunities for junior accountants in their network.
If you want to be proactive about landing your dream job as a junior accountant, then you need to make sure that you are aware of all the available opportunities out there. There are plenty of online job boards that can help with this task.
You should also use LinkedIn to research companies and find out more about their current needs; social media is another great resource for finding information on what types of roles are being offered by various organizations right now.
Your network is another valuable resource so don’t forget to make use of it!
Network And Foster Relationships With Colleagues
To land your dream job, you need to become a networking machine. This can be a challenge if you’re new to the workforce and don’t know anyone.
You may also feel uncomfortable approaching strangers or asking for help from people who are much older than you. But even if this is your first experience with networking, it’s important that you start practicing now!
It doesn’t matter if someone is old enough to be your parent; they could have connections that will help you land your dream job.
Find out what industry-related events are happening in your area and attend those events you’ll meet new people who can connect with others in similar roles as well as those in different ones (for example: accounting professionals or other accounting professionals). If there aren’t any events nearby, consider starting one yourself!
Take A Hands-On Approach To Solving Problems
A proactive approach to solving problems is a must. As the saying goes, “to err is human,” but it’s how you handle your mistakes that shows your true potential.
It’s easy to get discouraged when something goes wrong especially if you’re new at a job and feel like no one will ever take you seriously but learning from your errors can be incredibly valuable in the long run.
When faced with a difficult situation or task, ask for help from colleagues or other departments as soon as possible; don’t try and tackle everything on your own! Your manager should also be an excellent resource for advice on how best to approach various scenarios.
Never hesitate to ask for guidance; even if their suggestions don’t work out exactly as planned (which they probably won’t), this experience will help you become more comfortable speaking up in meetings later down the road.
Be Open To Feedback, Then Learn From It
As you start to network, it’s important to be open to feedback. When someone offers you advice or a piece of advice, don’t take it personally. This is just one person’s perspective on things and may not be right for your situation.
Instead, use the information as an opportunity to learn something new that can help improve your work performance or land more opportunities at work in the future.
When people give you feedback on how they like their job experience with your company, ask them what they enjoyed most about their time there. If possible, follow up with questions like “What did you like least?” and “How would this company benefit from improving its X?”
Do Research On The Company You Want To Work With
Another important thing to do is research the company you want to work for. You can learn a lot about a company by reading its website and other online resources, but it’s also worth making an effort to talk directly with people who work there.
Ask them questions about their experience at the company, what they like about working there, and what sort of opportunities might be available for someone like you.
You should also try to find out as much as possible about its mission, vision, values (MVV) and culture from external sources such as news articles or blog posts written by people who have worked there in the past.
This is essential because these things will affect how you approach your job search later on down the line–and depending on where these things fall short compared with where they succeed might determine.
Whether or not this particular organization is right for anyone looking for an entry-level accountant position today!
Always Stay Updated With Industry Developments
To impress your future employer and land your dream job, you must be able to stay on top of developments in the accounting field. Here are some ways you can do this:
Read industry publications like CPA Practice Advisor and Journal of Accountancy regularly. You can also follow organizations such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Attend seminars about new practices related to accounting such as tax laws for small businesses and engage with speakers after their presentations by asking questions about their work experience or offering advice about how they got into the industry in the first place.
If you take these steps now and continue following along with what’s happening in accounting news throughout college and beyond, then there’s no doubt that you’ll have what it takes to succeed after graduation!
Don’t Forget To Negotiate Your Salary And Benefits Package
Negotiating your salary and benefits package can be a tricky thing to do. It’s not as simple as saying, “I want $20k more.” You have to have a game plan, or else you could wind up looking like you don’t know what you’re doing.
Negotiate salary and benefits package with a recruiter: Make sure that all of your questions are answered before agreeing on anything in writing.
Also make sure that the recruiter who is helping you with this process has enough knowledge about the company and its hiring practices so that he/she can help guide you through any twists and turns along the way.
Negotiate salary and benefits package with a hiring manager: If your gut tells you something isn’t right, trust it!
You don’t want to sign away years worth of hard work just because someone says he/she has authority over what happens next in your career path even if it sounds like they might be telling the truth!
Conclusion
So, to recap: you should have a growth mindset, set SMART objectives, be accountable for your actions and proactive in solving problems.
You should also be open to feedback and learn from it, do research on the company you want to work for and always stay updated with industry developments. Finally, don’t forget about negotiating salary and benefits packages during interviews!
