Tips for professionals looking to change positions

19 Feb 2015

With professional sectors, such as accounting services, showing a 45% increase in job activity over the past year, the time may be right for professionals across all industries to take a leap of faith and consider a career move in 2015.

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Considering this, the Managing Director of Kelly Professional Assignments, Ryan Proksch, offers several key insights that will assist you in your quest to find the right position.

It always pays to keep a watchful eye on the professional sectors experiencing the most movement and activity in terms of jobs, prior to updating your CV for distribution. "When embarking on a job search, always be sure to research the current job market and pay special attention to the types of open positions being posted in your industry, as well as the specific position requirements or skills profiles that are required. Doing this will help you see which companies are hiring now and the criteria they are looking for in new candidates. A quick way to do this is by registering for an industry-specific magazine or following recruitment or other companies of interest on social networking sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn," said Proksch.

According to Proksch, professional job movement statistics from quarter two to quarter three of 2014, demonstrated the following increases:

Accounting and finance: 21%;

Banking and financial services: 19%;

Legal: 13%;

HR: 8%; and

Engineering: 4%

"These results indicate a significant upswing in the legal sector with HR declining in activity. With that said, specialist HR roles such as performance management specialists, organisational effectiveness consultants and talent management specialists have been in high demand. In terms of the legal sector upswing, activity seems to be strongest in South Africa-based firms looking to expand their operations into Africa.

"Due to an increase in controls and regulations the demand for compliance and regulatory professionals has been high at the mid- to senior-management level. Core legal professionals, such as legal advisors, legal counsel and heads of legal with banking and finance skills, continue to be highly sought after," explained Proksch.

Market dynamics

Proksch added that the increase in accounting and finance vacancies is accredited to an improvement in business confidence across the board. Demand for experienced individuals has been felt as companies look to hire professionals who don't require training and can make an impact on the business from their very first day on the job. Companies have been looking to hire individuals with analysis and planning skills as businesses continue to measure performance more closely. As a result, financial analysts and commercial or finance managers with experience appear to be sought after.

"In terms of the banking and financial services sector, an increase in acquisitions has motivated the rise in vacancies for sales and M&A (merger and acquisitions) professionals. Chartered accountants with additional out-of-the-box skills, such as CFA qualifications, are particularly required in this sector.

"The Engineering sector did not show much improvement, mostly due to companies experiencing difficulties in South Africa. However, plans to expand into Africa are often unaffected and the demand for technical skills in Africa (coupled with Europe and the Middle East) continues to grow," added Proksch.

While knowledge of the current market place is a top priority, make sure that you are also aware of your own market price, regardless of whether you're thinking about changing companies or planning on staying where you are indefinitely. As Proksch concluded: "You can't negotiate with a new employer about a starting salary (or your current employer regarding an increase) unless you know what the market is paying other professionals in your industry."