Below, we’ve put together a short guide covering the key considerations you should think about before deciding to make a career move.
Assessing Your Tax Career to Date
Before becoming active in the market, it’s crucial to fully understand your career to date and take time to reflect on what you have achieved.
For professionals who have been off the job market for several years, interviewing and presenting your experience in a compelling way can take some preparation. The first step in career development is identifying what you’ve accomplished and how you would like your career to progress.
Start by reviewing:
Your key achievements
The responsibilities you have held
How your career trajectory has developed
You can do this independently or with the support of a recruiter, who should be able to help you articulate each role, achievement, and accolade in the strongest possible way.
This is also a useful opportunity to identify any potential gaps in your experience, where you may want additional exposure or training. Understanding your development areas is just as important as understanding your strengths, as this will help you communicate clearly with potential employers.
If you are looking to specialise in a particular area of Tax, you may also want to consider adjustments to your CV that better highlight this expertise. In some cases, this process may also highlight whether additional qualifications or experience in a particular area are needed to reach your long-term career goals.
Finally, assessing your career can extend beyond technical achievements. Many organisations now incorporate personality or behavioural assessments into their recruitment process, such as Myers-Briggs. Free tools are widely available online and can provide additional insight into your behavioural traits and the types of environments where you perform best.
Understanding What Is Important to You in Your Tax Career
Your priorities will almost certainly have evolved since your last career move, so identifying what matters most to you now is essential.
Defining these priorities can help create a process of elimination when evaluating opportunities. One helpful approach is to divide your criteria into:
Needs (non-negotiables)
Wants (desirable but flexible factors)
This ensures you remain open to opportunities while still maintaining clarity about what you value.
These considerations may include both professional and personal factors, such as:
Flexible working arrangements
Training and development opportunities
Clear pathways to leadership roles
Company culture and work-life balance
While having a list of non-negotiables is important, ensure it isn’t too restrictive, as this may prevent you from exploring opportunities that could be an excellent fit.
Defining Your Short and Long-Term Career Objectives
Understanding your short, medium, and long-term career goals is key when considering a new opportunity.
Having clearly defined objectives allows you to communicate your ambitions more effectively and identify organisations that can support your development.
A useful exercise is to map out:
Your career objective
The steps required to achieve it
Potential challenges or obstacles along the way
By doing this for several key objectives, you can develop a much clearer understanding of what you need from your next employer.
Identifying potential obstacles can also highlight where training, mentorship, or new experiences may be required to support your progression.
Understanding the Options Available to You
Finally, before committing to interviews or making a career move, it is important to assess the current market landscape.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by partnering with a specialist recruiter, who can provide insight into:
Current market conditions
Available opportunities
How your profile is likely to be received by employers
A recruiter will have real-time visibility of hiring trends and can offer valuable consultative advice about how the market is evolving.
Final Thoughts
If you are considering a career move, taking the time to evaluate your career so far, define your priorities, and understand the market landscape can make the process significantly more effective.
If you would like to explore the opportunities currently available in the Tax market, we would be happy to have a conversation and discuss how your experience aligns with the organisations we work with.
