The importance of upskilling when looking for a job in accountancy

Shaun Barton has provided guidance on the importance of upskilling when looking for a role in accountancy. Shaun is a partner at Company Closure and boasts a wealth of experience in helping directors of distressed companies understand their options. A director-facing adviser, he is often the first point of contact for business owners in financial distress, consistently delivering expert advice when it is needed the most.

Here’s what he said.

The accountant’s role is moving away from giving advice based on historical information towards more proactive advisory work that provides real-time information on a business’s performance.

Fuelled by the rapid rise of digitisation in the sector, these changes offer you the opportunity to engage in an exciting and diverse career. Developing the knowledge and skills to keep up with technological advancements and other changes is key, however.

This type of professional and personal development is called upskilling and it benefits job candidates and employers alike.

What is upskilling?

Unsurprisingly, the need for in-depth knowledge and understanding of the finance function and accountancy practices remain, but proactively honing existing skills by upskilling can set you apart from competitors in the job market.

This differs from reskilling where you learn new skills for a new work role. Upskilling makes you more proficient in general and therefore potentially more productive and able to deliver higher standards of service to clients.

But what skills can you improve on during your search for an accountancy job, when you’re taken on by an employer, and even when you’re well-established in your career?

What does upskilling mean in practice?

Digital skills

With so many accountancy tasks that were previously executed manually now being carried out using technology, your digital skills and capabilities will be at the forefront of an employer’s mind during the recruitment process.

Demonstrating a ‘beyond the basics’ knowledge or an interest in learning about such topics as artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation, may be enough to persuade a prospective employer that you’re their best candidate.

Technical skills

The technical skills required to work in accountancy are also evolving, with a growing emphasis on cyber security and big data meaning that upskilling in this area can be of immediate benefit to employers.

Developing your knowledge and understanding of how big data helps your clients and, in particular, how to analyse the data to provide relevant and meaningful results could help you land that job and quickly make good progress in your career.

Soft skills

It’s not only digital and technical skills that you can develop, though. Soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and analytical thinking all help you fulfil your work role to the highest standards.

Adaptability is now a particularly important soft skill in accountancy given that the sector is likely to continue evolving in the coming years, so it’s never too early to prepare. Being adaptable may not previously have been a valuable soft skill for accountants, but it could lead to unexpected job opportunities as your career progresses.

How to convey that you understand the importance of upskilling

In an interview or via your CV, you can demonstrate your upskilling activities and achievements, or your plans to upskill, in various ways:

• In your spare time, volunteer for roles that demand teamwork and collaboration or where good communication and resilience are important
• Take online courses in your own time – for example, developing your digital skills or a better understanding of why cyber security is so important in the workplace
• During an interview, ask the employer about how they approach upskilling in the workplace and if there are any programmes in place.

Upskilling helps you to embrace the changes that are happening in your chosen sector and use them to differentiate yourself from your peers. You can become known at work for your proactive approach to continuous learning and development and set the tone for a lucrative and enjoyable career.

Interested in upskilling?

Have a look at our accounting courses, all available online so you can study at your own pace. You can try them all free for seven days to make sure they’re right for you.