Finance & Accountancy Recruitment, Finance Jobs

UK’s Top LGBT-friendly Finance and Accountancy Firms to work for

Are you a Finance & Accountancy professional looking for your next career move? We know how important inclusivity and diversity policies offered by companies can be in helping you determine which job opportunities to go for. Whether you are looking for Account Assistant jobs, public sector finance jobs or Credit Controller jobs. In this blog, our Finance & Accountancy team wrap up the top LGBT-friendly Finance & Accountancy companies to work for in the UK. Companies that demonstrate a commitment to promoting and supporting diversity among their employees can be especially appealing to job seekers. Many Finance & Accountancy professionals will actively seek out those organisations that make LGBT+ an integral part of their ethos when considering their next career move. Earlier this year, campaign and advocacy charity Stonewall released its annual report detailing the top 100 most LGBT inclusive employers in the UK. To make it on to the list, organisations voluntarily submit their application with details of their LGBT policies, which are assessed across ten key areas using the Workplace Equality Index. This year’s report was the largest ever, receiving entries from 445 employers. Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall, said: “Changing things for the better needs us all to work together – across workplaces, across sectors, across communities – and using tools like the Workplace Equality Index helps systematically achieve sustainable change. Collectively, we can, and will, build a world where all LGBT people are accepted without exception.” Of the final 100, seven companies are from the Finance & Accountancy sector. Read on to discover more about these businesses and how they made the cut. 1. LLoyds Banking Group #7 on the Top 100 Formed in 2009, Lloyds Banking Group focuses on retail and commercial financial services and has over 2,000 branches across the UK. The company employs 75,000 people, of whom approximately 2,500 are LGBT. Karin Cook, Lloyds Executive Sponsor for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, said: “We are delighted to be recognised as the leading employer for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Stonewall Top 100 list. As part of our ongoing ambition to help Britain prosper, we are immensely proud to receive this accolade which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to diversity in our workforce by providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.” Find out more about the group’s LGBT policies. 2. Citi #9 on the Top 100 The global investment bank and financial services firm Citi operates in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. It provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with services such as safeguarding assets, lending money, making payments and accessing the capital markets. 2019 is the second consecutive year it has placed in Stonewall’s top ten. Denise Cole, Head of Inclusion and Diversity, said: “Our continued success in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, our additional awards and our market leading initiatives around LGBT+ inclusion are examples of how our commitment to diversity and inclusion is becoming further embedded in our culture.” Discover more about Citi’s commitment to diversity. 3. Barclays PLC #28 on the Top 100 The high street bank Barclays provides personal banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth and investment management around the world. As part of its commitment to inclusivity, Barclays runs an employee diversity network, Spectrum, which is open to all members of staff regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The focus of the network is on supporting LGBT people within Barclays, so that they can make a valuable contribution to the overall success of the organisation. Read more about Barclays’ diversity and inclusion policies. 4. Moody’s #44 on the Top 100 Moody's operates within the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Ray McDaniel, President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Moody’s and our leadership team are committed to making diversity and inclusion part of the fabric of our organisation. This helps create an environment that maximises every employee’s contribution, widens the leadership pipeline and ultimately increases the quality of our opinions, products and services.” If you’re interested in a career at Moody’s, find out about its diversity and inclusion policies. 5. Virgin Money #47 on the Top 100 Virgin Money offers customers services ranging from savings and investments to insurance and mortgages, pensions and credit cards. Jo Walker, Virgin Money’s Affinity Pride Network Chair, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have made another phenomenal jump in the Stonewall Top 100 employers list to 47 this year. This a recognition for all our colleagues who have helped organise and attended LGBT events, those who’ve written articles, guides and so much more. “Fostering an environment that is inclusive for everyone is at the heart of everything we do and we are phenomenally proud that everyone’s hard work has been recognised in the Stonewall listing.” Read up on Virgin Money’s commitment to inclusion. 6. Credit Suisse #64 on the Top 100 This is the third year in a row that the wealth management firm Credit Suisse has secured a spot on Stonewall’s top 100 employers list. Founded in 1856, the company operates in 50 countries and has nearly 49,000 employees. Not only did Credit Suisse place in the top 100, but David Mathers – the company’s Group Chief Financial Officer of Credit Suisse, and Chief Executive of Credit Suisse International – was also named as Ally of the Year 2019 by Stonewall. To earn this recognition, David champions LGBT issues within the firm and encourages employees to sign up the bank’s Ally programme. Find out more about Credit Suisse’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. 7. Financial Conduct Authority #69 on the Top 100 The final financial sector organisation to make the list, the Financial Conduct Authority is the conduct regulator for 58,000 financial services firms and financial markets in the UK, It is also the prudential regulator for over 24,000 of those firms. Andrew Bailey, Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, said: ‘We are proud to be part of Stonewall's top 100 LGBT friendly employers. This recognition sends a strong signal to industry, consumers and other external stakeholders about our commitment to diversity and inclusion.’ Discover more about the organisation’s diversity and inclusion policies. Get in touch Sellick Partnership has over 15 years’ experience in helping candidates find the right organisation for their next career move, and as an APSCo member Committed to Diversity we are well placed to help LGBT candidates find their next perfect job. If you are interested in discovering your next role, visit our dedicated Finance & Accountancy jobs page or contact us today.

Your guide to building a successful Finance & Accountancy career within the public sector

Are you interested in a Finance & Accountancy career within the public sector but not sure what opportunities are out there? Many Finance & Accountancy professionals like you are the same and are often surprised to hear that the sector has a wealth of opportunities. In this blog, Liam Cox, one of our expert Finance & Accountancy Recruitment Consultants talks through some of the questions he regularly gets asked by candidates, and offers his advice for achieving a successful career within the public sector. Careers within the Finance & Accountancy sector can vary considerably, with jobs both in the private and the public sector. At Sellick Partnership we have a wealth of experience placing Finance & Accountancy graduates and highly skilled finance professionals into public sector organisations and are regularly asked about the career opportunities within the sector. In this blog, I wanted to go through some of the questions I often get asked by candidates, and showcase the public sector as a rewarding career choice for Finance & Accountancy professionals of all levels of seniority and experience. What is the best way a junior candidate or recent graduate can get a Finance & Accountancy role within the public sector? There are various ways a candidate can begin their Finance & Accountancy career within the public sector, ranging from apprenticeships straight through to university degrees. Here is some advice on a few of the most common routes into the profession. Straight from school: as the Finance & Accountancy jobs market becomes increasingly more competitive, more-and-more public sector organisations are choosing to recruit candidates straight from school, offering school leavers an early career opportunity within the sector. This is beneficial for two reasons. Firstly, school leavers will generally demand a lower salary than an experienced candidate and secondly, businesses have the ability to train these candidates as they see fit. This is a great opportunity for any candidates currently in school that may not be interested in further education. Opportunities like this are coming around fairly often, particularly within local authorities who are very keen due to the financial pressures they have with regards to recruitment, but also because the apprenticeship levy dictates that a certain amount of apprentices must be employed in the finance function. The best way to find out about opportunities like this are to contact the Council directly (normally HR), or have a look on apprenticeship websites/job boards or the government website. From college: this is one of the more common routes for candidates that are looking to begin their career within Finance & Accountancy. Some colleges will offer candidates the opportunity to study for an entry level finance qualification (such as AAT, Association of Accounting Technicians). These courses generally require candidates to learn on the job within a workplace via an apprenticeship. Candidates that decide to go to college can also choose to study study A Levels or BTECs in Finance & Accountancy, giving them an in-depth and thorough knowledge before entry level roles. This is a relatively common occurrence on most entry level candidate CVs and candidates with qualifications like this are highly sought after. From university: there is no written rule to say candidates interested in a Finance & Accountancy career must attend college or university but it will definitely add some value to a CV. Public sector employers are looking for candidates that are academic and can do the role advertised, so a decent degree in maths (or a related subject) will help. If you are thinking about a career in finance and have recently graduated, you may be interested in reading this blog looking at whether a graduate scheme or a graduate job is right for you. How can a senior Finance & Accountancy candidate secure a role within the public sector? A senior candidate looking to secure a role in the public sector would need to put some real thought into a couple of things. First of all, the kind of organisation and individual sector they would like to go into (as each presents different challenges, be that financial pressures or the different kinds of stakeholders they would need to get involved with). Candidates also need to consider the size of the organisation they want to work for and the value they could add to ensure they choose the right workplace for them. A well-written CV highlighting duties and responsibilities as well as key achievements will really make candidates stand out from the crowd. A well-written cover letter that is to the point is also beneficial to compliment a candidate’s application. It is important that candidates explain why this role takes their interest, what value they could add and why previous achievements confirm this. It really shows commitment to the recruiter or hiring manager reading the CV and proves that the applicant has applied for relevant roles and has not just sent their CV out randomly. For more help on finessing your CV, check out our handy CV guide and downloadable CV template here. Senior candidates seeking a move into the public sector can find many opportunities to break in, more so now than ever. Plenty of organisations are seeing the benefit of bringing in a commercial mindset and approach to the finance function, particularly within housing associations and the not-for-profit sector, where the approach differs slightly from other public sector organisations. Do Finance & Accountancy candidates in the public sector have to be ACA, ACCA, CIPFA or CIMA qualified? As with all career paths within Finance & Accountancy, the more senior the candidate, the greater the need for them to be qualified, and the public sector is no exception. There is currently a lack of highly skilled qualified candidates in the public sector, which offers candidates that are committed and willing to take this route a great opportunity. At the junior end however there are plenty of roles that candidates that are not qualified can thrive in, including Assistant Accountants, Finance Officer, Assistant Management/Financial Accountants, or general clerical roles. Good organisations also know it is crucial to ‘grow from within’, so we are finding a lot of development roles where organisations are offering candidates funding or study time towards exams. How can Finance & Accountancy candidates get qualified? Candidates can qualify by studying with a relevant exam body (ACCA, ACA, CIMA for example) and then sitting a series of exams. It is a fairly lengthy and rigorous process to become a fully qualified accountant with a number of different levels which will have different exams throughout the process, each of which can be expensive. More-and-more public sector businesses are offering study packages as they know it is crucial to ‘grow from within’. This is beneficial for obvious reasons (it allows businesses to mould employees to their way of working), but by investing in the candidate it often means they have a greater degree of commitment. This way also allows candidates to learn from highly experienced professionals, whilst studying, a win-win situation. The best way to find opportunities like this is to keep an eye out on job boards for ‘assistant’ or ‘trainee’ roles. Candidates should also let recruiters work on their behalf which can often speed up the process. The most common qualifications within the sector are CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), ACA (Association of Chartered Accountants) and ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants). A CIMA qualification will likely lead to a Management Accountant/Business Partner/Finance Manager role, ACA is likely to lead to an Auditing role while ACCA has a couple of opportunities including roles such as Management Accountant, Finance Manager, Financial or Business Analyst, Financial Consultant etc. Typical Finance & Accountancy roles within the public sector Careers in finance are varied, and the job roles and titles within the public sector are largely the same as in other sectors across the profession. Generally junior candidates will start out as an Accounts Assistant, Finance Assistant, Assistant Accountant or Junior Accountant, similar to the private sector. Within the public sector however, candidates may be exposed to a wider remit and of course face different challenges and obstacles that may not present themselves in the private sector. Within the public sector, candidates can aspire to levels such as a Management/Financial Accountant, Finance Business Partner, Finance Team Leader, etc. These roles are definitely achievable with hard work and determination, but candidates need to have the drive to learn and soak information from more experienced colleagues. There are always growing organisations or restructures that will present opportunities, so it is about making the most of them if and when possible. What career progression is there in public sector finance? Is it suitable for an ambitious candidate looking to get to the top? As in any industry, some organisations will be better than others in regards to career progression, however most organisations I work with offer great opportunities for candidates. For example, larger public sector organisations will generally have a set path for progression, and this will usually be discussed at interview and candidates will be given all the resources they need to progress. This route may be a better choice for ambitious candidates looking to progress quickly. For candidates working within smaller organisations progression may not be as quick. However, a huge benefit to this is that candidates will be exposed to a wider remit, feel more valued, and perhaps most importantly, experience a more hands-on approach. This could involve having a greater focus on training, or simply working closely with an experienced colleague. It is rare to get this type of exposure with a senior professional within a large organisation, and this can often give candidates with SME experience the edge later in their career. I have however experienced situations with some of my SME candidates where the top role in their organisation is occupied, causing them to seek employment elsewhere. For that reason, SME businesses may be better suited to candidates that are happy working at a slightly slower pace. It is therefore essential that candidates hoping to secure a Finance & Accountancy career within the public sector assess their progression options thoroughly. Whatever the business size, most Finance & Accountancy professionals I recruit generally work their way up from junior levels within the same organisation and only choose to leave when they have reached the highest level available to them. I hope this blog has alleviated some concerns candidates may have around working within the public sector. As with any job, there are positives and negatives, and it is for each individual candidate to decide whether the public sector is right for them, and what route to take. If you would like help securing your first Finance & Accountancy job within the public sector, or are an experienced professional looking to move I would be more than happy to help. You can contact me, or a member of our Finance & Accountancy recruitment team in your area today. Alternatively, for more career advice or tips on securing your next role, check out our candidate resources section.

Finance & Accountancy recruitment

UK’s Top LGBT-friendly Finance and Accountancy Firms to work for

We need more diverse candidates within Wealth & Investment Management

Your guide to building a successful Finance & Accountancy career within the public sector