Demonstrating a firm grasp of the markets in which a potential employer operates can haul you over the finishing line, says CALUM ROBSON.
So there you are at lunch with the finance director and key members of his team. Introductions have been made, food and wine ordered. These are the people you could be spending eight or nine hours a day with - if you play your cards right. It feels like you've already been over your cv a million times at the first and second interviews, not to menton the psychometric assessment - so what can you talk about that's new to impress them?
With more graduates than ever emerging from universities and record numbers of them wanting to train as accountants (or switch jobs midway through their studies), it's critical that you're remembered over and above all the other candidates. But for the right reasons - not because you dropped spaghetti down your shirt or spilled an expensive Châteauneuf du Pape over your neighbour's Chanel suit.
Anyone can memorise key data from a company's annual report or identify with its policy on corporate social responsibility. But it takes enthusiasm, insight and, most importantly, genuine interest to grasp the industry lowdown that finance professionals should know about. And if you can't be bothered to research the market, why should they go to the trouble of making you an offer?
Here are some essential suggestions to help you keep the table conversation going smoothly:
| • | Trade Press Find out the main titles of newspapers or magazines that industry insiders read - get hold of them yourself or find the online versions. Know and understand that week's main headlines - and especially take note of where the company interviewing you is mentioned or its executives quoted |
| • | Web-compatible |
| • | Think Ahead |
| • | Finance Angle Always look for how the issues of the day might impact on finance teams - and vice-versa. Industry regulations, emerging markets, tax regime changes and new technologies can all pose challenges for accountants |
| • | Statistics caution It's ok to memorise key industry data, such as company standings in national or global markets - but keep it mostly as background knowledge: regurgitation of facts and figures smacks of nerdiness |
| • | Practice drilldown It's not enough to know an accountancy firm's ranking - research the vertical market for the team you're being sized up for, and know which organisations are clients of the firm (and of its competitors) |
Whenever there are a number of evenly matched candidates - and as a trainee, the chances are you'll be up against people with similar academics and experience - it's the personal characteristics of each that will determine who's got the X factor. And with succession planning becoming a much-chanted mantra in boardrooms throughout UK plc, candidates who have invested time in researching the market will stand head-and-shoulders above their peers.
And armed with inside information, you'll be able to relax (and even enjoy) that final interview lunch or drinks evening - confident that an offer letter may be winging its way to you shortly afterwards.
