What are my chances of bagging a journalism job this year? Is there still a huge demand for social media skills? What are the prospects for accountancy grads? Do I need to sell my soul to Lord Alan Sugar to get a job?
Our forum is filled with questions like this (well maybe not the last one) and posts from confused job seekers who want to know when it is right to move on from their current job or from those who are keen for a career change but are unsure whether it is a good idea.
Unfortunately, we aren't able to help you see into the future to judge whether you should take the plunge into a new career direction - but we can ask experts in your chosen sector what they would do.
So, we've lined up a panel of industry insiders to offer you their career and sector insights in a new series of sector-specific Q&As. We're covering sectors such as advertising and teaching in order to find out more about what the job market holds for professionals in that field.
First up we'll be looking at accountancy - and if a recent survey is anything to go by, it would seem this year is going to be all about widening their options for recently-qualified accountants. Research suggests accountants with less than three years experience believe opting to work for smaller firms will offer them wider experience and higher responsibility earlier in their career than working for a big firm.
So, whatever stage of your accountancy career you are at, we've assembled a panel of experts to give you advice about your next move within the sector and what 2011 holds. Join them on 7 January at 1pm - advance questions welcome below.
Our panel:
Tony White is HR and recruitment director at RSM Tenon, the seventh largest accountancy firm in the UK. Tony is responsible for the recruitment and retention of over 3,000 people - from graduate trainees through to directors.
Louisa London is a senior manager at Hays Accountancy & Finance. The recruitment company places accountancy staff including cost accountants, analysts and management accountants in roles across both the public and private sector.
Ceri Harper and James Price are joining us from the Association of Accounting Technicians, a qualification and membership body for accounting staff. Ceri is student recruitment manager and James is deputy business development manager.
Nicole Smart is a student recruitment manager at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the world's largest professional body of management accountants.
Dorothy Wood is head of education (UK) at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a global accountancy body which offers a range of qualifications.
Amanda Akien is a senior marketing executive at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) — the professional body and qualification provider for chartered accountants.
Georgina Farr and Ellie Holyoake are joining us from professional services provider KPMG. Georgina manages the recruitment nationally for KPMG's audit and tax business across all sectors. Ellie currently manages the financial services recruitment across Advisory - Risk & Compliance.
Neil Owen is the director of the London operations of Robert Half International, a recruitment firm for the finance and accounting industries.
Roz Lawrence, Natalie Watkiss and Fiona Grieve are joining us from the student recruitment team at PwC.
Richard Wilson has spent the past five years as the finance manager for Brookson, a provider of accountancy, tax advice and support services to freelance contractors.
Karen Wilkinson is a senior manager at Ernst & Young and is responsible for the firm's experienced hire recruitment activity across the audit, tax and support functions in the UK & Ireland.
