Brightwater’s Temporary & Contracts Accountancy Division

Annita McGettigan, Manager within Brightwater discusses Brightwater’s Temporary & Contracts Accountancy Division

What does Brightwater’s Temporary & Contracts Division do?

Brightwater’s Temporary & Contract Division works on a range of assignments for our clients on a temporary & contract basis. Employers want to recruit for temporary or contract roles for a variety of reasons including:
• Maternity Leave cover
• Project completion
• Cover for sick leave
• Cover for annual leave
• Interim Management

Occasionally, our clients wish to see how the employee and/or the role works out before they make the decision to recruit on a permanent role or indeed make that employee permanent.

Introducing Annita McGettigan

Annita has been with Brightwater since 2013 and is the Manager of Brightwater’s Temporary & Contracts division. She personally specialises in recruitment of temporary & contract roles across accountancy and oversees the financial services division as well. She recruits at all levels from accounts assistant up to financial controller level on a temporary, contract and interim management level.

Where are the growth areas within accountancy?

The main growth areas within accountancy are;
• Strategic planning
• Financial Planning & Analysis – FP & A
• Mergers & Acquisitions

Companies are very conscious of being commercial and they need their finance department to play a much bigger part in the organisation as opposed to other departments. Accountants therefore need to be aware of commercial strategies and the reason for them as well as knowing where and how to contribute to the overall growth of the company. Accountants form an integral part of any organisation and are expected to be commercially aware.

What are the soft skills needed for accountants working intemporary and/or contract roles?

Soft skills are needed in every role but it is in temporary / contract roles that they are needed the most by the very nature of the role. Employers are looking for:
• Agility
• Adaptability
• Flexibility
• Ability to be a quick learner
• Fast-thinking
• Communications

Of all of these, while quick learning and flexibility are important, communications skills are key. Employers need accountants to be a little more collaborative in the way they work with other departments within the company. They also need them to be able to explain the bottom line in ways that all staff will grasp. They are also needed to explain the value of reports and analysis to other departments.

What are employers looking for in temporary and contract staff?

Employers are always looking for the softer skills but in terms of technical skills for accountancy and finance staff, a strong accounts background and good systems exposure are key. As they will be going into a role where they need to hit the ground running, the ability to pick up a system quite quickly is paramount.

Why is temporary/contract work a great option for accountants?

Working on a temporary or contract basis is a great option for many reasons;
• Exposure to different sectors
• Opportunity to upskill
• Experience of different systems
• Flexibility for lifestyle choice

For many accountants, it offers the opportunity to move into another sector that perhaps they haven’t had exposure to in a previous role. It also offers flexibility to accept a six or nine month contract to suit the individual’s needs whether it be only working certain times of the year eg term time to suit childcare needs or fund lifestyle choices. It also provides a great opportunity to “Try before you buy” in that you would get to understand the role/sector/company before you decide to make it a permanent career option. It’s a brilliant opportunity to learn new systems and gain experience, thereby increasing your market value as an accountant. Working in temporary/contract roles has many advantages for both part-qualified and qualified accountants.

If you would like more information about working in temporary / contract roles within accountancy, contact Annita McGettigan on [email protected] or 01 662 1000.