Career coach | What employers want
“Reliability and communication go a long way”
Rachael Chadwick-Harrison FMAAT, founder and director of Chadwick Accountants & Bookkeepers, explains what employers are looking for and how to impress your new boss
Words Jessica Bown
AT A GLANCE
1
Open doors
First impressions count – dress professionally and research the company before you go to interview
2
Flexibility
When you start work, find out about the culture and the way everyone communicates
3
Be curious
It is important to ask questions, but make sure you know how and when to ask
Rachael Chadwick-Harrison FMAAT left school at the age of 16 and began working in banking, construction and telecom companies before leaving to set up her own business at 29. She now runs a 16-strong team of accountants offering a broad range of accountancy services to both businesses and individuals. Here, she describes what she is looking for in an AAT candidate, how to shine in an interview, and how to integrate into office culture when you start your first job.
Q
How do I find a job and what do employers want?
“There is a common misconception that there are no jobs. We have taken on a lot of our apprentices from having done work experience with us – for example, when they are still at school. We interview them before we take them on for work experience to find out if they have got a genuine interest in doing accountancy. To me, this is pre-vetting to find out if they might fit with our team if they want a job come September or after college.
“I would say to students that if you know there is somewhere you want to work, just because they have not got something advertised doesn’t mean that they won’t hire you. Go in and work voluntarily – small businesses love it. We love an underdog. Come in and do some shredding and make some tea. If you do a really good job, you’ll learn something and they might consider you as their next hire and sponsor you to do an apprenticeship.
“Although you can send out a load of emails, it’s easy to be ignored. Letters are always a really good way to make contact and they are more likely to be read than an email. Be persistent, turn up in person and ask if you can volunteer there. Engage with the social media of the company you want to work for. My latest apprentice direct-messaged me on LinkedIn. She came in and did some work experience and, although we didn’t have a vacancy immediately, I was able to take her on some months later.”
Q
How do you impress employers at interviews and at work?
“There are some important skills you can familiarise yourself with before you start work that will impress your new employer and mean you have some standout skills at interview, too:
- Learn how to write a professional email
- Teach yourself Excel skills and how to write basic formulas
- Learn how to answer the telephone in a professional way
- Do a free course on QuickBooks or Xero
- Shadow someone at work – properly ask what they do and ask questions
- Meet your deadlines and keep up with your AAT studies.”
Q
How do I develop soft skills?
“There are so many soft skills built into your AAT studies that people don’t necessarily recognise. Pointing them out to employers is really good. Talk about communication and collaboration: how did you collaborate on a team project together? How did you work together if you were the leader of that project? You will be working as part of a team, so an employer wants to know that you will fit in.
“Making eye contact and having communication skills are really important. As an employer, you can teach technical skills but it is harder to teach soft skills. Learn how to build rapport with people. This matters whether you are client-facing or not. If you can get on with your team, it will be good for your career. People who are liked will be promoted.”
“My latest apprentice direct-messaged me on LinkedIn. She came in and did some work experience and, although we didn’t have a vacancy immediately, I was able to take her on some months later.”
Q
Learn something useful
“When you are going for a really junior role or an apprenticeship role, you are going to be up against loads of people who don’t have any experience, either. So in order to stand out, you need to have done some extra courses. LinkedIn has loads of free tutorials, as does YouTube. For example, you could watch a YouTube video on how to write professional emails, or learn how to use QuickBooks in a couple of days.”
Q
Presenting yourself
“Whether it is an interview for a job, or your first day at work, learn how to conduct yourself. For example, if you are having a Teams interview, arrive at your desk early and check that your technology works. Dress professionally and make sure the camera is somewhere where you are looking. I don’t like having meetings with people looking the wrong way all the time. Make sure you have an appropriate background. If you don’t, showcase your technical skills by blurring out your background.”
Q
Get your CV right
“When I am looking at applicants, I will spend a few minutes reading a CV before I decide whether the candidate is suitable. I am interested if you have customer experience. For example, one of our recent hires had experience in a customer-facing role and on using the phone, so he had great people skills, even though his actual experience was not in accountancy.”
Q
Be reliable and punctual
“Reliability is really important. If you can’t turn up to work on time, you will not last your probation period. I don’t want to micromanage, I want independent people who work on their own and whom I can trust. Put your phone away and don’t look at it during work time. You are not being paid to scroll on social media.”
Q
Understand work culture
“In every organisation, there is a preferred way to communicate. That might be via Teams, email, in person. Learn the culture of the office and ask your line manager, ‘how do we communicate as a team? If I have questions, when and how is best to do that?’”
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