Whether you have a bottle of wine (or two!) that has been taunting you for the past month, or a delicious treat lined up, or perhaps a weekend away to wind down and massage away those stress-induced wrinkles caused by March-Madness – I know I can speak for every accountant right now that the end of March can’t come soon enough! I bet your job search has been placed firmly on the back burner.
Reflect:
Take a moment to think about how you have been supported during March-Madness’s end-of-the-financial year period by the people around you and the people above you. Has it been an ‘everyone for themselves’ situation? Have you been snowed under, carrying everyone else’s weight? Did your colleagues and management team play to their strengths? Have they pulled together for support, and prepared you with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to help you navigate the workload? Or have you been left to blunder through completing jobs? Are you out of your skillset, compensating for staff shortages, and being weighed down and left to tread water through overwhelming pressure and deadlines?
Job search at the bottom of your list during March?
Although it may seem like you have a thousand other things to worry about, and continuing or picking up your job search is at the end of that list, it is important to remember what is driving you to search for your next role whilst in the midst of it. For a lot of people, March-Madness can be their make-or-break moment. The long hours, the deadlines, and the constant ‘go go go’ is part of every accountant’s nightmare, but what is important to remember is March will always be March, but the pre-planning, support and preparation, and comradery of a good team and firm leaders can make all the difference.
Raise:
One common thing you can ‘take your money to the bank’ on, is a good recruiter advising you to talk to your boss first before you begin your job search. Whether you decide to do this whilst in the midst of March-Madness, or after, it is important to remember that in a nationwide accountancy shortage, counter-offers are the one predictable outcome when a candidate goes to leave their current role. Therefore it is crucial for you, your recruiter, and your potential employers to have this conversation. Raise the issues, and ask those questions before joining the recruitment process. Not only will it waste all parties involved time and efforts if your current employer can accommodate or fix your needs, but it will cause a ripple effect, and in such a small market, a bad name can stick around like a bad smell!
Reach:
At the end of it all, reflect on what you have achieved. Each March-Madness brings along new challenges. New mistakes will be made, and new lessons learned. But take a moment to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. To help prepare you for the following year. Don’t fall into the habit of dismissing new knowledge and skills learned. No dwelling on the ‘what ifs’, and putting up with the frustrations that have haunted your dreams this past month.
Kick start your job search, you’re worth it
Use this time to evaluate, prioritise and reach for your goals. Can these frustrations be fixed for next year? Or are you going around in an endless cycle? Are you being listened to, actually heard? Will changes occur from your actions and words spoken? Should you be compensated better for the work that you do and the people that you support? Is there something better out there that can relieve some of these annual anxieties on top of an already stressful period?
Well, you won’t know unless you ask – what do you have to lose?
Get in touch for a confidential chat to help you better understand and be able to utilise the current market. Reach out to discuss how we can help you today or in the future!
Jaz Locke | 03 260 5103 | jlocke@tylerwren.co.nz