In 10 years’ time, 60% of the jobs as we know them today will not exist in finance, according to Oliver Deacon, an executive coach and presenter of ICAEW’s six-part webinar series on finance careers. A lot of traditional finance processes are being automated, and some of the biggest growth areas Deacon sees are in data analytics, finance business partnering and finance transformation.

The roles and skills required in the future will evolve, says Deacon, making training and development essential in the workplace and at the individual level. This does not mean that everyone must retrain to be data scientists or AI and machine learning specialists. But you would, for example, be able to have a conversation with the data science team about the problem the business has and the outcomes you would like them to help you achieve.

Non-technical or soft skills will remain important, including in relation to presenting and influencing, communication, relationship building, and leadership and management. “These are all very learnable skills,” Deacon explains in the careers series, which can all be watched on jobs.icaew.com. “As technology evolves, even if we don’t have people reporting to us, our ability to be a leader of change and transformation will be critical.”

Upskilling and building your ‘brand’

To create a personalised development plan, consider what your preferred future role looks like, your current strengths and interests, and what you would need to focus on to bridge the gap between the two. For example, what resources and support will you need? Other tips from Deacon include identifying opportunities to leverage new technology, learning about something new and sharing it with your team, and looking at job descriptions to see what skills are in demand.

Creating a development plan and identifying your professional purpose will also help you to build your brand when looking for your next role. Your brand involves identifying your unique selling points and enabling others to clearly see how you can support them. “How do you want people to think about you creating value? What is it that you will do? What is the problem that you will solve?” explains Deacon.

Quantify your impact

Look at your CV and LinkedIn profile, do they highlight your strengths and the value you can bring to a role clearly and concisely? If you included training that you have undertaken, does it show how you have used it in practice?

It is key to include not only a list of responsibilities, but achievements as well, says ICAEW Head of Jobs Claire Brandon. For example, instead of saying I do the monthly management accounts, or the financial planning, show what you have done that’s made a real difference, such as saving money or time at month end.

Deacon adds: “Impact is what sets you apart from everybody else.” It’s also important to quantify that impact by considering how you know you did the job well. “Let’s take quantifying your impact as a junior auditor,” says Deacon. “How much time did you spend on the process? How many recommendations did you give to a client that they acted on? How many pieces of feedback did you get?”

The answer may be an estimate, he explains, but discussing the logic you used to reach that conclusion also shows what a good finance person you are and that you can put a number to things.

What’s in a job title?

Some job titles may be unique or tailored to the specific demands within a company. Deacon suggests thinking about what a reasonable job title would be for what you are doing that everyone would agree with.

You want to be clear about what your current role is and show that you have what’s needed to do the job you’re applying for. This also ties in with your personal summary. Deacon explains: “For example, saying ‘I managed a team of three, on a £300m turnover business supporting the managing director’ makes it clear what the size and scope of the role was.”

Brandon says: “Try to tailor your CV to the job you want to get. If you're a finance manager looking at a financial controller role, research what a financial controller does and then consider what you have done as a finance manager that would be transferrable in that role.” Even if you’re going for a similar position, but in a different sector, look at the job description and the buzz words that recruiters will be looking for, she adds.

Search algorithms and ChatGPT

Being aware of role specific buzz words will help to make your CV or LinkedIn profile findable by search algorithms, recruiters and future employers.

Deacon emphasises: “The number one thing that hits the search algorithm is what you have written underneath your name. You need to think about the job you want, not the job that you have.”

“Let’s say you work in audit but you want to work in business transformation, which is a huge area of change in the future. What you could write is audit associate with a focus on finance transformation.”

The rise of ChatGPT means many will likely also be using it to help write their CVs and personal summaries, as well as for their interview preparations. Deacon says: “I’m not saying everyone should use it, but the best interview preparation I’ve seen in the last six months has been from people using it.”

Deacon adds: “A CV in itself does not get you a job. The purpose of your CV is to get you a conversation. It should appear as a series of clear, coherent decisions so that the obvious next step would be for the recruiter or employer to think, ‘of course you would come and do this job’.”