Why I’m Making the Move to Management and How MindSpring Is Helping Me Get There
by MindSpring Makayla on May 13, 2021 in MindSpring Makayla
Hello!
How’s your week going? My name is Makayla and I’m an accountant based in Chicago. I’m originally from the Atlanta area, but I moved up here for a job opportunity seven years ago and quickly fell in love with the city, so I’ve stuck around. Nothing beats Chi-town during the summer months. And the weather here… let’s just say I don’t miss the heat and humidity of the south.
Anyway, I’ve been working for the same large accounting firm for a while now, but ever since the pandemic started, I’ve been feeling a bit stuck. And it isn’t just that I’ve been stuck at home for all these months. Don’t get me wrong, I like my job as a Senior Staff Accountant, but lately I’ve been feeling like something is missing, especially now that the job market has started to pick up again. It wasn’t until I got connected with MindSpring, however, that I realized what it was.
Let me take a step back for a moment… A few weeks ago, I got an email from Lauren Chodak. She introduced herself as a Senior Recruiter with MindSpring with a background in the financial services industry. Lauren had an open accounting position she was looking to fill for one of her clients and she had come across my profile on LinkedIn. She thought I’d be a great fit and was hoping to talk to me about the role.
I figured it couldn’t hurt to see what else was out there, so we scheduled a video call and connected the next day. It became apparent through our discussion that the role Lauren was recruiting for wasn’t a great fit for me after all. It was an awesome opportunity, but the client used a pretty niche technology system and it unfortunately wasn’t one I had worked with in the past. I was a bit disappointed, but instead of leaving our conversation there, Lauren started asking me about my current job and where I was looking to go with my career. We got to chatting about what parts of my job I enjoy most, and I told her about training junior accountants at my firm, leading a big project pre-pandemic, and my role on the firm’s Black Women’s Council.
The more I talked with Lauren the more I realized how much I enjoy leading and managing groups of people, but this isn’t something I get to do in my current role. My firm is pretty siloed and opportunities to shift into a management position don’t come up often. With hiring increasing as the pandemic eases, I started to think that now might be the perfect time to push my career forward, so I reached back out to Lauren last week to discuss my next steps.
Here’s what Lauren suggested I do to prepare for my job search and position myself to move into a managerial role…
Lauren’s Job Search Tips for Moving Your Career Forward
1. Summarize Your Experience
During my initial conversation with Lauren, we discussed my background, previous work experience, and what I liked and disliked about my current role. Once we identified that management would align better with what I enjoy, Lauren encouraged me to make a list summarizing all my previous leadership experience. In my case, the list included my experience training several groups of junior accountants, my role as a volunteer mentor with the firm’s summer interns, and the times I’ve taken the lead on projects as the senior accountant on my team.
When I met with Lauren again, we went through my list and talked about other skills that could also help me make the leap to a supervisor role. Lauren explained that, even though I don’t have much experience leading a team directly, I can still use my leadership examples and previous work to demonstrate that I have the skills required.
2. Update Your Resume
I know this may seem like an obvious point. After all, who doesn’t update their resume before a job search? But Lauren reminded me that, if I want to make the move to management, my resume needs to reflect that. Simply filling in my current job details and editing my summary statement wouldn’t cut it.
Instead, Lauren suggested I review all my previous experiences and update each job description to showcase the fact that I’ve progressively taken on more responsibilities and leadership with each role. Revising my resume in this way would help me better market myself to a new company and make clear what kind of opportunities I’m seeking.
3. Take Initiative
Meeting with Lauren to discuss my job search and career aspirations got me excited for the future. However, Lauren reminded me not to overlook my current job and the potential experience it could still offer. She pointed out that taking some initiative and actively looking for leadership or skill building opportunities could help me gain valuable management experience while I’m still on the job.
After talking with Lauren, I decided to reach out to my current boss to see if I could be put on a big upcoming project for the firm. There’s a chance I could help lead a small team from my department and I’ll get to see one of the senior managers in action. I’m also taking a more active role with my firm’s Black Women’s Council. While I’ve always enjoyed being part of the group, I decided I could do more to support the Council’s work. I’m now on the planning committee for an important speaker series we host every year and I’m excited to put my management skills to the test in a tangible way.
My job search has just begun, but I’m looking forward to working with Lauren and the rest of the MindSpring team as I make the move to management. I hope you’ll follow along with my journey.
Check back for updates soon! And in the meantime, get in touch with MindSpring to learn how they help you get unstuck and make big career moves.
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Are you currently searching for a great opportunity? MindSpring is accepting applications for a number of open positions! Their team will become your career consultants providing you with individualized support at every turn. Submit your resume today!
