It is no secret that accountancy and finance professionals are in-demand in Ireland. It is a candidate’s market and there is strong competition between companies, big and small, to hire the best talent.
The variety of firms hiring is varied, and the types of accountants they are hiring is also quite broad. This means the best talent could mean something very different depending on where you are looking to work.
In this article I give a breakdown of the main accountancy roles in demand for 2019, the types of companies that are hiring, advice for interviewing and the benefits and salary packages that are on offer.
Who are companies actively looking for?
First things first, what roles are there in Ireland at the moment and what kind of experience should you have if you would like to apply.
Within our specialist accountancy recruitment team, we have noticed a big demand for:
- Chartered Trained Accountants with Big 4/Top 10 experience
- Accountants with 1-3 years PQE (Post Qualified Experience)
- Senior Accountants with Industry experience
- Experienced Finance/Business Partner
- Senior Finance Analysts
- Project Accountants
- Finance Managers/Controllers
The market for mid-level accountants is particularly active. Companies are favouring those with mid-level experience as clients like to hire and then upskill internally. It’s then common for these hires to work their way up and get promoted within the company to a more senior position.
Needless to say, this is a positive trend for those entering the industry and offers great career progression opportunities for anyone willing to commit themselves to a role. Depending on your level of experience you can expect to earn anywhere from 55/58K for recently qualified Accountants to 62/75K for more mid-level titles.
The importance of good soft skills
The cliché of the staid accountant couldn’t be less relevant in 2019. While qualifications are needed good soft skills are equally important.
As an accountant or finance professional, you will be dealing with people all the time – your clients, customers and colleagues. If you don’t have the right attitude and a good personality your technical skills won’t shine through.
What companies are hiring?
It is a candidate’s market now and the choice and variety of roles for accountants are excellent. At the moment we have a broad range of clients hiring, including:
- Industry – specifically technology companies
- MNC’s
- IDA clients
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Public Sector
- Financial Services
- Professional Services
- Small to medium size firms
- FMCG companies – particularly for more analytical finance roles
With such a range of companies hiring there really is a role to suit almost all personalities and skill sets.
As many of our roles are contract this gives you the ability to gain great exposure to different firms and companies before committing to a permanent contract. If you need advice on this contact me directly or anyone on my team.
Often companies don’t advertise roles directly, so we help you get into companies that you won’t be aware of otherwise.
The benefits accountants can expect
After a good wage and well-matched company culture, benefits are now top of candidate’s priorities. The good news is that in the current candidate strong climate, businesses genuinely want to develop their employees’ skills and care about creating benefits packages employees respond to.
For perm roles, common benefits include:
- Flexible work options/ability to work from home
- Wellness initiatives
- Attractive annual leave packages
- On-site dental
- On-site food
- Mentorship programs and internal upskilling
Although benefits are great I would always recommend thinking about the role first, benefits second. If the work is interesting and suited to your skills your career will be much more rewarding in the long-term.
The hiring process for accountants in 2019
Overall the hiring process is becoming quicker. Once you have applied it would be common to have:
- An initial phone interview or face to face interview
- A Zoom conference call or another form of a video call
- Then lastly, a face to face job interview
As the market is good clients are keen to hire quickly. Typically, once you have interviews you could be offered the role in 1- 2 weeks or in many cases less.
If it has been a while since you have updated your CV I would recommend doing so and trying to tailor applications to each company you apply for. These are some general accountancy CV tips to help you along:
- Keep your CV to max 2 pages
- Include a short mission statement/bio
- List your education first, then your work history – which should mention key achievements
- If you have impressive exam results or first-time exam passes include this on your CV
- Always save your CV as a Word document, not a PDF
The accountancy sector in Ireland is developing fast. Companies are embracing AI and new technologies; larger firms are putting an increased emphasis on making their company a great place to work and upskilling is the norm. It truly is an excellent time to be entering or progressing within the profession.
Looking for a new accountancy job opportunity in Ireland?
If you need advice on your accountancy career and are looking for a new opportunity, or to hire, get in touch – I would be delighted to help.