Why career planning is less about having every step mapped out and more about knowing where you want to grow
A career in finance rarely follows a perfectly straight line.
Roles change, industries evolve and priorities shift over time. That’s why Emma Peacock from C3Talent believes career planning is less about having every move mapped out and more about understanding your strengths, setting some direction and staying open to where opportunities might lead.
For Emma, the best career conversations usually start with a simple question:
What do you actually enjoy doing?
Start with What You’re Good At
It can be easy to focus on the next job title, but Emma encourages finance professionals to first look at the parts of their current role they enjoy most.
That might be financial reporting, treasury, audit, commercial analysis, business partnering or something else entirely.
“Think about the areas of finance you really enjoy and identify what you do best. These are the skills you want to build on.”
Understanding your strengths gives you a much clearer starting point.
It can also help you identify the kinds of roles, environments and career paths that are likely to suit you, rather than simply moving into the next opportunity because it feels like the expected step.
Break the Bigger Goal Down
Long-term career goals can sometimes feel a little overwhelming.
If you know you eventually want to become a Finance Manager, Financial Controller or CFO, the gap between where you are now and where you want to be can seem significant.
Emma’s advice is to break it down.
“Break your long-term goals into smaller, actionable steps.”
Look at the experience you still need to gain. Are there areas of finance you haven’t been exposed to yet? Do you need stronger leadership experience? Would a professional qualification or particular technical skill help?
From there, you can start making more deliberate decisions about the roles and opportunities you pursue.
Not every move needs to be a promotion either. Sometimes a sideways move can give you the experience you need to take a much bigger step later.
Stay Connected to the Market
Career planning shouldn’t happen in isolation.
The finance market continues to evolve, and the skills employers are looking for can change along with it.
Staying connected to what’s happening in the market can help you understand where opportunities are emerging and where you may need to build your capability.
That could mean keeping up with industry news, speaking with people in your network, joining professional groups or simply having regular conversations with a recruiter who knows your market.
“The finance sector is constantly evolving. Staying connected helps you understand the opportunities that might align with where you want to go.”
Those conversations can also give you perspective on salaries, hiring trends, in-demand skills and what employers are looking for at the next level.
Your Career Plan Can Change
One of the most important things to remember is that a career plan doesn’t need to be fixed.
What you want at 25 may look very different at 35. A role you thought you wanted might turn out not to be right for you, while an opportunity you hadn’t considered could completely change your direction.
And that’s okay.
“Career planning isn’t a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process.”
The important thing is to check in with yourself from time to time.
Are you still learning?
Are you building experience that will help you get where you want to go?
Are your goals still the same?
If not, it might be time to adjust the plan.
Thinking About Your Next Step?
You don’t need to be actively looking for a new role to start thinking about what comes next.
Sometimes a conversation about your goals, the market and the experience you might need to build can be just as useful as discussing a specific opportunity.
If you’d like to talk through your career direction or get a better sense of what’s happening across Brisbane’s Accounting and Finance market, connect with Emma Peacock at emma@c3talent.com.au.
