Today morning 7AM when I was getting ready for a jog, it started raining heavily. Unfortunately, I couldn't go out and decided to open my laptop and edit my book. I am finalizing my first book that I have written for CA students that I have been writing since the last 6 months.
This book is all about how you should spend the three years of your life while you are doing chartered accountancy. I will keep sharing some insights of my book in my blog articles.
While I was editing the book, there was a Facebook reminder that popped onto my screen where someone mentioned about the IPCC results declaration. Though, generally I don't get distracted by FB posts, this one caught my attention and it immediately struck me to write this article for you.
I wish each one of the examinees the very best for their results. Those of you who pass the CA IPCC exams will start their journey to identify CA firms for doing articleship. I will cover few aspects of doing articleship in my subsequent articles, but through this article I want to sensitize you of the basics that should be kept in mind.
Are You Ready
Ideally, one shouldn't wait for the results to get ready for articleship. Ofcourse, only if the result is positive you will move forward, but there are few aspects that one can consider even before the results are out.
Generally, all good firms including the BIG4s and BIG10s of the country prefer to hire article trainees only when the candidate has passed both the groups. This also makes more sense because these big firms spend a lot of time and resources on training article trainees and want to be sure that they will stay with them for three years. If the trainee has not passed the IPCC exams, he/she will continue to take examination leaves and that will hamper not only the growth of the trainee but also of the firm.
It is therefore, critical that you identify the firm basis their selection criteria. If you have passed both the groups, your chances of being called for interview in bigger firms is better as compared to some of those who have passed only one group. I know, there are some firms that as a policy don't hire article trainees unless both groups of IPCC are passed.
That said now let us discuss few points that you should consider even when the results are not out. Planning them in advance will help you perform better because as the saying goes:
“Failing to plan is a recipe of planning to fail”
Ask yourself these questions to ascertain your readiness for articleship:
Is your CV ready?
You should be ready with your CV that is well drafted, neat and covers all the achievement, both academic and extra curricular. Your contact details including mobile no and address should be clearly visible on the CV.
Since it’s a CV for articleship, don't make it too lengthy, ideally should not be more than a single page.
Have You Identified The Firms?
Everyone wants to do articleship in a good firm and it is important that your list of favorite firms is ready. Be ready with the contact details in these firms including the telephone nos. and email IDs of the relevant HR persons.
Make a list of firms in an MS Excel spreadsheet and keep writing all the relevant information against each identified firm. Gather all the information that is available for the target firms including the information that you get from your friends or acquaintances working there.
Are You Planning To Leave Home Town For Articleship
Many of you hailing from smaller towns might want to consider articleship opportunities in larger cities including the metros. It is important that before the results are out you have done your home work relating to articleship such as where to go, which firms to target, where to live, how much money will you need to spend during articleship etc. It is critical to have all these items listed and their answers ticked before you start your journey.
Create a LinkedIn Page
Now-a-days, HR is quite proactive in identifying candidates from LinkedIn, though the trend for hiring articles trainees from LinkedIn may not be too prevalent.
However, there is no harm in creating a professional looking profile on LinkedIn and start sending invites to relevant people you want to target. The popularity of LinkedIn is increasing tremendously and it's a good way to connect with professionals.
In my subsequent articles, I will discuss on ways to prepare yourself for articleship interviews and how to conduct in the firms.
Authored by Nimish Goel - an entrepreneur, blogger and GST tax expert. He runs his blog www.nimishgoel.com only for CA students and young Chartered Accountants covering varied topics on career, entrepreneurship and how to lead an inspired life. He is also the co-founder, Partner & Head of GST at International Business Advisors (www.ibadvisors.co)
The author can also be reached at nimishgoel.blog@gmail.com
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