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I sat down to write this blog just before my six-month probationary meeting, I was just a tad nervous, stressed and apprehensive, but before you read about my emotional rollercoaster, I just wanted to say, it ends well! (I passed it – I’ll be sticking around!)

Taking a big step in your career can be stressful and keep you up at night but as someone who has just been on that challenging journey, it can be exactly what you need. So, If you need someone to discuss your potential career change, and help you balance the pros & the cons, give me a shout. I now know what I’m doing!

Six months in…What have I learnt? 

This is a hard one to put into words – when you’ve been a numbers person for 10 years it doesn’t feel as natural to put pen to paper (so to speak!), but here goes..! 

Firstly, it has been a bigger, scarier sidestep than I had imagined, but to my pleasant surprise, I’ve made it!

Three weeks into this role, I cried in my car on the way home. Not because anything bad had happened, all of my colleagues at Harvey John have been supportive, kind and understanding of the process, they’ve all at one time in their careers, been in my shoes. 

No, I cried because I’m terrified of failure. 

I had left a career where I was on the up, I had got to a point where I was comfortable and confident in my abilities –  each move, email, phone call and set of accounts was a known quantity. As someone terrified of failure, this would have been the safe track to stay on!

However, I also knew staying in Accountancy wasn’t for me. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m bubbly, loud and full of energy! I enjoy meeting new people and consider myself to be an empathetic person. Being swamped in spreadsheets for the next 30 years just didn’t appeal.

Another trait that worked in my favour is that I’m also stubborn. So, when I cried at three weeks in and considered turning around and running away with my tail between my legs, that stubborn attitude kicked my butt.

I put my head down and spent the time working on building relationships that will benefit everyone involved in time. I took in as much advice and guidance as my colleagues could pass on (and trust me, there is a wealth of knowledge here!). But above all else, I truly benefited from the excellent introduction and training program that Harvey John has put together. This meant that whilst the learning curve was steep, I never felt lost or uncertain or on my own.   

Getting to the good stuff

The best moment to date has been hearing a candidate ‘Woop’ for joy when I told them they had got an offer for their dream job! I’ve loved speaking with candidates to understand exactly what their pain points are and what’s next for them, then got to work on helping them find that exact role. Even if this wasn’t the opportunity for them, it still feels like a win.

So, looking back on Day 1, (Hindsight, oh what a wonderful thing!) I can now see that it would be a gradual progression of learning and not necessarily something I could grasp in the moment. And thankfully I’m not crying in my car anymore!  I now feel much better at speaking with clients and candidates and learning and succeeding in asking the right questions.

I think it’s fair to say, I’m really glad I took that leap of faith! I’ll be honest, These first six months haven’t been smooth sailing by anyone’s account, but it what it has been is rewarding, eye-opening and genuinely enjoyable! 

If you’re considering taking that next step in your career (and it feels a little terrifying like my decision did at first), I would recommend you reach out to me or one of the other consultants in the Harvey John Team for advice. They are bloody brilliant at what they do!

Meg Glencross is a Consultant in the Accountancy division at Harvey John.

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