By Richard Scott

Over the last couple of years, the part-qualified market has been very buoyant in terms of job volumes and it continues to be so in the current market. As a general rule, hiring has always been more buoyant at the PQ level, and we’ve seen key hires taking place across accounts payable and credit control right through to those candidates studying towards their exams, such as management accountants and financial accountants across both temporary and permanent roles.

The biggest challenge cross the PQ market right now though is quite simply the lack of people. During the Covid pandemic, there was a reasonable amount of talent in the market looking to move jobs – thanks in part to so many transactional finance professionals being put on furlough. But since the impact of Covid has reduced, those firms who were quick to market have snapped up many of those available candidates and talent is in short supply once again.

But there are still exciting roles on offer, and there are still good candidates out there looking for a new challenge. So whether you’re a part-qualified accountant looking to move jobs, or a firm seeking to hire part-qualified talent, here is our advice to succeed in the current market:

Our top tips for part-qualified candidates:

• Stand out from the crowd. Naturally, there are more candidates at the PQ level, and that means more competition for you when applying for jobs. So, it’s important to make yourself more noticeable. The first thing a potential employer will see on your CV after your name is the opening paragraph, so make this impactful and precise! A lot of PQ CVs can look very similar as job seekers tend to have a relatively small amount of experience. Your opening statement is what will make you stand out – it paints a picture and gives background to you and your personality, so make it count.


• Communicate well. Whilst overall there are still plenty of jobs out there, the number of REALLY GOOD jobs with GREAT employers is still very competitive. If you are approached by a recruiter, you need to be a good communicator and articulate clearly what you want out of your next role. Be ready to talk precisely through your experience. Work in partnership with your recruiter. They will be able to tell quickly if this is the right sort of role for you and your career goals.


• Be mindful, where possible, of shorter periods of time in roles. If you’re an entry level or trainee accountant, no-one expects you to have all the experience in the world, but employers do want to see a nice clean CV. Having a good academic background is useful, but it’s more important you’ve not become a job hopper – stability on your CV portrays you as a good investable employee.


• First impressions are always important, and always will be. Whilst this might seem like common sense to some, it’s important that you are as well prepared for a video interview as you would be for a face-to-face one. Also choose an appropriate location to conduct the interview – the back of an Uber or walking around the carpark outside your current office on your phone (yes, these actually happened) are not suitable locations and show a lack of respect to the process. The interview format does not change the importance of it for both you and the hiring company. We would also urge candidates to attend face-to-face interviews if requested – there simply is no substitute for meeting your potential future employer in real life. You’ll be able to get more bought into the business and it will also set you apart from the other interviewees.

Key takeaways for those looking to hire part-qualified accountants:

• Study support is key to attract and retain PQ staff. The biggest reason why PQs are looking to move right now is because employers are not offering them any study support. It’s important to understand that your part-qualified staff want to become fully-qualified and progress to those more senior roles. The two main things you can offer to PQs are time and money: think about paying for their exams or course materials (or both) or perhaps time off before their exams so they don’t have to study in the evenings. If you can’t afford to offer all of that, don’t worry – just be as creative as you can about how you can support your studying staff as they move through qualification.


• Salaries have inflated. If you haven’t hired in this market for a while, be aware that salaries have changed. This is especially true the closer someone gets to qualifying. What a qualified person now earns has increased by around 15% in the last few months alone. Candidates at finalist level are now attracting the same sort of basic salaries that clients would have historical expected to hire a qualified person at pre-Covid. You used to be able to find a good, qualified accountant at £50k, however they are now being paid closer to £55-60k. Finalists used to be paid c.£30k, but that is now easily £45k. Salary growth is at its highest the more experienced the PQ accountant. Benchmarking is key to ensure you’re offering competitive market rate salaries.


• Career stagnation for many PQs due to Covid. Many PQs were hit hard during the pandemic. From 2020-2022, part-qualified jobs weren’t normal in this time: many people might have been on furlough or working from home five days a work, and this may have affected their career progression. The part-qualified part of the workforce in particular was affected more than other levels because of furlough, so it’s important to bear this in mind when hiring and to be broad-minded as to people’s backgrounds.


• Importance of speedy recruitment processes. The reality is that candidates at the part-qualified level are getting contacted a lot more. So, speed is of the essence. Interview processes need to be slick and to move fast. The more you draw out the recruitment process, the greater the chance of good candidates being snapped up by your competitors.

Get in touch

If you need help to hire a part-qualified accountant, or are looking for your next role, we’d love to help. Get in touch with Richard Scott at richardscott@srmrecruitment.com