Using your skills to make a difference

Jerry Cole in Sri Lanka

How to find a career in accounting that’s meaningful for you. By Tim Cooper, editor, email newsletters, CIMA.

For Jerry Cole, ACMA the decision was simple. He wanted to make a change from corporate life and realised that his skills were useful in a variety of alternative careers.

So for the past three years he has worked with GOAL as its internal auditor.

GOAL is an international nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that responds to worldwide disasters and emergencies. Cole’s role takes him to different countries - mainly in East Africa - where he assesses both operational and finance risk.

‘The experience has been very rewarding,’ he said. ‘Not only do I meet very interesting and different people, but everyone has a similar objective in helping transform lives of the poorest of the poor in our world. I believe that in their work people need both adventure and something to live for, and this work gives me both with a bit of risk thrown in.’

Build on your CIMA qualification

Many of us long to do work that we feel makes a difference. There are many ways we could do this - for example, by looking at career choices such as charity, social enterprise, NGO work - like Cole - or even starting our own business.

All these options are available to professional accountants in business. Indeed, many such organisations are in desperate need of people with accounting skills.

Jacqui Mitchell

Define work that is meaningful for you

Jacqui Mitchell, founder of Jigsaw Career Coaching, helps accountants find their ideal jobs. 'The first thing you have to determine is your own definition of meaningful work,’ she said.

This will be unique to each individual. For some, it may be working for a charity, but for others, it could just be working for an organisation that produces a product that you particularly value.

It may be that you enjoy teaching or training, so you may wish to find out more about teaching others about finance, said Mitchell. You may have good supervisory skills and prefer to be in a management role. In all these cases, your CIMA qualification can be used as leverage to help you secure a new position.

It is also useful to think about your preferred work environment. For example, do you prefer to work alone, or with one or two others, or within a large company setting? Do you prefer to work with people or data?

Another useful exercise in successful career planning is to consider your key values and see how these compare with those of your current employer.

Mitchell said: 'If few of these values are being met in your current role, then you are unlikely to be happy at work. Think of roles or organisations that you could work for that are more likely to be aligned with your values.

'Research is vital once you’ve decided what you want to do next. Find out as much as you can about your proposed move through books, magazines and the internet. Talk to people who are already working in the field you are interested in.'

Next steps

Be clear about the skills and experience required for this change.

You may have the technical knowledge, but transferable skills are also very important when contemplating a career change. Think of the skills you have which may apply in many different work settings – for example, presentation skills, project management skills, and decision making and leadership skills.

The next step is to prepare a list of gaps in your skills and experience. Then, set yourself an action plan to achieve them. It may be that you need to attend some additional training courses. Do you have the time and financial means to do this?

Gaps in your experience may be filled by voluntary work. There are always lots of opportunities to get involved with different organisations and learn new skills which can be a great addition to your CV. This can be a particularly good step to take if you wish to work for a charitable organisation.

Mitchell concluded: 'Think creatively about steps you can take to achieve your career goals. Be focused and you’ll get there. And don’t forget to enjoy the journey!'

Using your skills to make a difference

Build on your CIMA qualification

Define work that is meaningful for you

Next steps

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