• Provide a covering letter highlighting why you feel you are particularly suitable for the position.
  
  
• Restrict your CV to 2 or 3 pages if you can but do not leave out any relevant information just to do this.
  
  
• Start your career history with your most recent employer.
  
  
• List your attributes and experience in 'Bullet Point' format, rather than long paragraphs listing every form you complete.
  
  
• Stress computer skills relevant to the position.
  
  
• Do not include controversial matter, whether it be work experience or personal i.e. hobbies.
  
  
  

Keep your CV as general as possible,
Keep it concise and factual.

Find out all you can about the organisation, in particular ensure you have found out about:

• Who owns the organisation. Is it part of a larger group, or does it have subsidiaries?
  
  
• Present turnover and profitability (or, for non-profit making organisations, budget structures and source and application of funds).
  
  
• Where the organisation stands in the market / place in relation to its competitors.
  
  
• Future plans for development, possibly from press cuttings.
  
  

It may well be worth telephoning the company in case to obtain a copy of the Report and Accounts if it has PLC status. Other information is usually quite easy to pickup from the business section of the local library.

• Arrive punctually.



• Good presentation is vital. Candidates should consider the dress code which may be applicable to the role and should dress accordingly.



• On greeting the interviewer use a firm handshake; look him/her straight in the eye and smile. A friendly greeting can go a long way to break the ice and dispel the nerves.
  
  
• Sit down when invited and take an upright but fairly relaxed posture. Avoid smoking even if you are invited.



• At this stage attitude is very important. 'SELL YOURSELF', even if you have reservations about attending the interview, go in with a positive attitude - who knows the post may turn out to be ideal when fully explained. You can always turn an offer down but you cannot retrieve an interview after suddenly discovering you want the job.



• Do not project a negative attitude or denigrate your current employer no matter how frustrated you may feel in your present position.
  

Here are a few points, which will help to improve your interview technique.


Use of Eyes Look, rather than stare at the interviewer. Do not gaze around the room whilst talking or listening.

Use of Voice Speak clearly and concisely. Do not mumble and do not attempt to disguise regional accents or dialects.

Panel Interviews Try not to direct all answers and questions to one person. Look at and speak to the whole panel.

Technical Questions These are often tricky, especially if you have no idea as to the correct answer. Listen carefully, think before replying and use common sense, imagination and initiative. An intelligent reply, even if not strictly correct will satisfy.

Salary & Benefits It is not advisable to discuss this topic until the second interview stage unless the interviewer raised the subject. Do not inquire about pensions, hours of work or canteen facilities - such matters can be dealt with later through personnel.

The End It is important to finish the interview on a satisfactory note. If you are asked whether or not you are interested in the job, answer yes - even if you have doubts. Thank the interviewer for his/her time and again firm handshakes all round. Leave yourself time to run the course of the interview.

The Small Firm Option

Definitions of the size of professional firms are often ambiguous. As a working definition we would suggest that a small professional firm is one which has no more that 10 partners and professional staff of approximately 60 with perhaps one or two offices.

If you have trained in a small firm

If your period of training has been undertaken in a small firm it is more than likely that your professional experience will have gravitated around a client portfolio consisting of both small private companies and unincorporated enterprises, with the possibility of some large company audit experience.


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The advantages of a small firm training are as follows

• Broad experience in a wide aspect of accountancy-related fields including incomplete records, tax, accountancy and audit etc.
  
  
• A greater degree of client contact at a more senior level of responsibility. Handling clients' financial problems and advice etc.
  
  
• More experience of reporting directly at partner level and control of assignments in all areas.
  
  
• Greater flexibility to work on a variety of assignments etc.
  
  
  

  Against which you have to balance the detrimental aspects which we would view as being the following

  
  
  
• Certain gaps in experience usually with regard to technical auditing.
  
  
• Lack of a 'name' on your curriculum vitae could jeopardise your chances if your potential employer hasn't heard of the firm you are with. However many smaller practitioners tend to know each other by name.
  
  
  

• The appeal of a smaller firm environment coupled with greater client contact and job involvement.
  
  
• The possibility of becoming involved in general practice thereby encompassing a number of disciplines (i.e. audit, accounts, tax and general financial advice).
  
  
• The opportunity to utilise large firm training on large audit clients within the practice.

The modern day small practice is one which is thinking seriously in terms of (if it does not already have one) a specialist tax partner or an in-house mini/micro computer for preparing clients' accounts etc.

Quite a number of firms have one or a number of large audits and it is therefore possible to maintain audit involvement if desired.

Many of the comments in this fact sheet will also apply to most of the large medium firms in the UK.

To join a large firm in an audit capacity will generally mean that you will have qualified in a smaller firm, although this is not always the case.

The large firms all differ in a number of ways in terms of job content, staff gradings, client mix etc. For insurance, one large City Firm has a structure that allow audit staff to do all corporate tax compliance work for audit clients. Another example is one firm which directs all its special investigation work to its audit teams.

Ultimately the decision as to which firm you join is a personal one based upon impressions gained at the interview stage. Long term, it is unlikely to matter which of the firms you join.

A number of our Consultants trained with international and medium-sized firms and therefore we can pass on our impressions.

Our clients are generally looking for candidates with good academic records, although personality, drive and communicative ability are just as important. As indicated earlier candidates are often from smaller firms.

The typical job structure will include working within a group of say 20 people (including a partner and students). Clients will range from subsidiaries of US and international companies to groups of UK public and private concerns. It will involve performing systems reviews, transaction testing, drafting, management letters as well as reviewing, Companies Acts and the Stock Exchange requirements.

Increased responsibilities are given as soon as the recipient demonstrates the ability to cope. Similarly, once the initial training is completed new entrants compete on equal terms for promotion with those seniors who have trained within the firm.

After the initial induction course, the training is a mixture of pre-arranged and regular course and on the job training from supervisors and managers. Many firms produce brochures outlining their training programmes. We can supply these on request.

• The opportunity to learn sophisticated audit techniques disciplined working methods etc.
  
  
• Exposure to international companies and 'big business'.
  
  
• The chance to transfer within the firm at a later stage either overseas or to a specialist department such as investigations.
  
  
• Clearly defined career path.
  


• The value of a large firm's name on your CV.
  

This function is often termed 'small business department' or 'special services'. Many firms, particularly the smaller and medium firms, operate these departments to service their very small clients which involve a lot of accounting work. However the real growth in this sector is being generated by the audit firms whose smaller clients do not fit within the context of a mainstream audit group. The business service department concept is the large firms' drive at attracting smaller clients.

It is quite common that the typical sort of client will be a small but fast developing company, perhaps in high technology, which requires a number of specialist services I addition to audit. It is the function of the business service department to be a business advisor rather than purely an external auditor / accountant. The types of services provided could include advice on raising finance, budgetary control, installing a mini of micro computer, recruiting staff, acquisitions and diversification in addition to the mandatory audit duties.

The types of people recruited into these departments vary from those within small firms who have solid general practice training to those in the 'Big 6' firms whose experience is limited to audit. Competition for places is such that a good exam record is important, but without doubt the most important factors are the ability to communicate well and to get on with clients.

Advantages of specialising in this field are:

• It is a growth sector
  
  
• It broadens business exposure and client involvement
  
  
• It keeps career options open by not becoming over-specialised

In the long term a career in this field can open options such as progressing to partner level in literally any size of firm. The business service concept, because of the nature of the clients, as we have implied, is very flexible. Secondly this sort of experience can lead to any number of financial management roles in industry and commerce, or as an advisor within a finance house.

Our consultants will be able to advise you on the different s.tyles of the firms who offer this specialist option and will be pleased to provide any additional details.