As the job market continues to lean in favour of employees, there’s never been a better time to switch positions.
Whether you’re looking for greater job flexibility, want more remote opportunities, or believe your transferable skills and job experience would make you the ideal candidate for a new role, the time for change is now.
To help you prepare for your next big career move, we’ve put together a list of some tried and true tips on switching positions.
1. Be transparent
The best approach when attempting to make any professional change is by being honest with yourself and the hiring manager. Whether you feel qualified for the new position you’re applying to, or your resume lacks some crucial experience, any potential employer will notice. Your goal should be to get ahead of any discrepancies early on.
It’s better to acknowledge any gaps between your experience and the type of qualifications they’re looking for, rather than exhausting a lot of time convincing them how your previous skills are applicable. That’s not to say that any previous experience you have can’t be leveraged later on. Still, when making a good first impression, you want to be transparent first before adding any extra flair.
At AHK Accounting Recruiters, our team of accounting recruiters in Toronto understand that an interview is more than just discussing your experience; it’s all about fitting in with the team. We can help you harness your skills, attributes, and experiences in order to effectively demonstrate what makes you different from the other candidates.
2. Demonstrate passion
Regardless of the position you’re looking to switch into, it’s crucial to show potential employers why you want to make a change in the first place. Consider what it is about this new role that excites or interests you. Think about the different ways this position would be better suited for you than the previous one you held.
In addition, demonstrating connections between your personal interests and work background can help explain to a future employee where your interests intersect.
Showing genuine enthusiasm for both the new position and industry as a whole will help put you ahead of the competition. Even if you don’t possess all the qualifications necessary to fill the role, an employer may be willing to overlook those gaps if you can prove a strong passion and dedication to the work they do.
Offering years of expertise, our accounting recruiters in Toronto apply each of our candidates’ qualifications, soft skills, personality, and fit towards not just common interview questions, but also the introduction and follow up, as well as unique interview tasks and assignments. This preparation helps ensure you’re fully equipped to demonstrate your underlying interest in both the company and role.
3. Know your stuff
While you might not have the work experience needed to fulfill the role (or maybe you do), it’s still important you possess a working knowledge of the job expectations. As soon as you decide to switch positions, start studying. Learn everything you can about the financial statements of the different companies you hope to work for. Knowing the role and potential employers inside-out will ensure you stand out during interviews.
Consider reading textbooks, newsletters, company blogs, journals, white papers, and any other professional documents you can find that will keep you informed about the current industry trends, as well as potential role expectations. When going into any job interview, you should be familiar with the major trends, opportunities, and issues facing your potential employers today.
Being able to demonstrate you’ve done the research not only shows initiative, but also helps prove you are passionate. The more knowledge you can show upfront, the more likely they are to overlook any potential learning curves that come with hiring someone new.
Our team of accounting recruiters in Toronto at AHK Accounting Recruiters takes the time to study not just our candidates, but the roles we recommend for them, the opportunity for development and success, as well as the career path of the candidate even beyond that specific role. This helps us ensure you are aligned with the best job opportunities possible.
4. Ability to pivot
Like any industry, accounting is ever-evolving, and this includes everything from hiring processes to job expectations. While interviews previously tended to focus on a candidate’s hard skills, such as audit experience, employers today want to know what else you can offer beyond the necessary technical experience.
They are interested in how active you are in the current market. What steps are you taking right now to advance your education and develop new skills? How well do you understand and can adapt to new technology or emerging trends?
When working in any role, knowing how and when to make changes is essential. This then becomes even more crucial when you’re attempting to switch positions. In order to be successful, as well as effectively demonstrate your abilities (whether you’re qualified or not), you must be comfortable working within the job’s parameters while having the ability to pivot.
Our accounting recruiters in Toronto focus on the ability of our candidates to showcase their unique qualifications, so that they can move vertically, not laterally. At AHK Accounting Recruiters, professional growth is something that’s paramount to our recommended connections between candidates, companies, and positions.
5. Showcase a personal trademark
Mastering the art of a pitch can mean the difference between making a great impression and remaining stuck in a dead-end position. Although it’s important to build a great resume, you also want to consider how you’ll present yourself during the interview process. Beforehand, think about what you want to say about yourself and how you want the employer to perceive you.
When you are looking to switch positions, having a personal brand can help showcase your potential while simultaneously closing any gaps in experience. You not only want to demonstrate tangible, actual experience, but also a strong interest in personal career development.
As accounting recruiters in Toronto, we recognize how difficult it can be to find a position in a field where you have invested so much of your time and money. That is why we offer personalized advice, collaboration, and interview preparation to ensure you’re ready to ace every interview.
6. Interview the company
Remember, when completing an interview, you’re not only trying to demonstrate your own personal skills, but also determine whether the company is a right fit. A job interview should be mutually beneficial, ensuring that you align with basic things such as work location (fully remote, hybrid, in-office, etc.), but also act as a chance to gauge each other’s corporate philosophies and values.
Conducting research online ahead of time will allow you to gain some basic insight into a company. As a potential employee, this gives you the ability to understand if you are a good fit for the company and if the company is a good fit for you.
Let our team of accounting recruiters in Toronto help you expand your employment search through our network of connections to diverse employers across a range of different industries.
Stand Out From the Competition
To learn how our team of accounting recruiters in Toronto can help you switch positions as a CPA, call AHK Accounting Recruiters at 855-630-0383.