Your must-read guide to finding a job in tax

With the end of the academic year approaching, it’s time to plan your future in tax! To help kick-start your career, here’s a rundown of where jobs are advertised, as well as how to uncover hidden opportunities through networking and keeping up with industry job trends.

Job-listing sites

A great place to start looking for a job in tax is with the general job sites and career portals:

• SEEK
• MyCareer
• Australian Public Service

Search the “Accounting” industry category and use key terms like “tax” and “graduate” to find entry-level positions. You can set up regular email feeds for jobs that are custom fit to your preferences for location, experience level, salary and sector.

Recruitment agencies

Agencies such as Hays, Talent2 and Randstad post advertisements on their websites. In addition to searching the advertised jobs, you can create an account, submit your résumé and register for employment. The agencies have teams of recruiters to help tailor your approach and recommend you for placements.

Industry-specific recruitment agencies and portals

There are a number of industry-specific recruitment agencies and job portals to service the local and global taxation industry. These vary in the degree to which they can offer individually tailored placement assistance, but all allow you to search the listings and submit your résumé. Some of these include:

• Accountancy Options
• Brewer Morris
• Tax Jobs

Industry Organisations

Industry associations support their members’ careers by providing job listings. The Tax Institute’s Job Seeker Section offers a direct link to opportunities within the tax profession Australia-wide. Submit your résumé for the attention of prospective employers, search the listings and register as a jobseeker to receive alerts.

Professional social networking sites

Social platforms are another great source for finding jobs. With a raft of positions posted to social media giant LinkedIn, it’s the preferred medium for recruiters and employers.

LinkedIn enables you to search for jobs and offers an additional valuable dimension – an opportunity to establish a professional network through which to grow your personal industry presence and attract the attention of your dream employers. This requires setting up a well-considered student profile to help you shine in a competitive job market. For more on setting up your profile, check out how to build a great student profile on LinkedIn.

Networking – tap into the world of unadvertised opportunities

Many jobs are not advertised. To access this ‘hidden’ market, become an active online and offline networker.

• Networking online: Networking sites and industry associations are excellent platforms for connecting with other professionals in your industry, prospective employers and agents. They are also essential to keeping up with industry developments and job market trends, best done through ‘following’ companies, joining online groups, participating in industry forums and learning about industry events.
• Networking offline: Follow up your online connections and continue to build your networks in the real world by attending industry events. Keep up to date with these through the Tax Institute’s Professional Development page.

Networking is an important part of sharing tax knowledge and understanding your industry. For more on how to secure a graduate job, see our tips to help you land a graduate job in tax.

Graduate programs

Many advertised positions require a minimum of one to two years’ experience. Graduate programs, offered by both the government and private sectors, provide an excellent base on which to build your experience. Find out who offers programs by checking the careers sections on the websites of the major accounting firms, banks and government departments.

Whether you are ready to enter the job market or simply planning your career path, the sources here will help you stay one step ahead in the job hunt.

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If you are a tertiary education student, The Tax Institute can help you progress in your career journey.

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[Sources]
http://socialmediatoday.com/leaderswest/1440796/infographic-77-all-jobs-are-posted-linkedin
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/08/133474431/a-successful-job-search-its-all-about-networking