What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?
It’s National Apprenticeship Week 2026 (NAW2026)! This year the theme of the week is “Skills for life”. In an accountancy or professional services career many skills can be learnt through studying and exams but others come with time and can be harder to identify, navigate and understand. So many of the skills people develop through their working lives come from experience and observing the conversations and people around them. Whether this means sitting in on a client call, chatting to a colleague during a tea break or seeking out mentors and coaches throughout your career, skills advice can be found in many places!
To support the skills for life topic of NAW2026 Accountancy Hub asked some of its community to share the best pieces of professional advice they’ve received throughout their careers.
Nerves are Normal
There are so many occasions when nerves can arise. This might be presenting in a team meeting, attending a client call, being part of a pitch or doing some public speaking. It’s important to remember that many people get nervous, even if they don’t appear to show it.
“A senior Partner once told me he was nervous about going into a pitch and told me it was normal to feel this way. From the outside, this was advice coming from a man who had presence, influence and power, but the fact he shared this with me not only helped me to see him as more approachable but also reframed some of my own thoughts and anxieties.” Lucie (Manager, Professional Services)
Not everything requires 100%
Balancing competing priorities can be a really difficult lesson to learn and a skill to master but it’s worth remembering that in some instances getting something done is better than ensuring it’s perfect and it’s also a key tool to ensure you don’t experience burnout.
“Learning the difference between when you need to put in 100% and when 75% will do the job. This is essential to preventing burnout and focussing your energy in the right places.”
Harriet (Associate Director, Business Consulting)
Don’t over promise
In a pressurised scenario, such as a client call, where projects are being scoped and fees agreed, there can be a temptation to make promises that might be hard to deliver. It’s important to stay focused on the initial piece of work, and associated scope, to ensure that any work promised is achievable. This may require being upfront and honest with the client and to make sure that ‘scope-creep’ (the uncontrolled or unauthorised expansion of a project after it’s started) doesn’t start to happen. It’s always better to stay focused and delight a client with how much you’ve done, rather than have to have a discussion about why you couldn’t achieve what you agreed to.
“Someone once told me you should always under promise and over deliver. I always remember this when scoping projects as there can be a temptation to make promises that might be difficult to deliver in reality.”
Hannah, Accountancy Hub Founder
Keep perspective
Working in accountancy and professional services can be stressful; competing deadlines, high workloads and, if you’re in the early stages of your career, balancing studying and exams can be hugely challenging. However, it’s worth being able to keep perspective. Often deadlines can be moved, work can be shared or delegated and scopes can be changed. You might also hear colleagues say things like “we’re accountants, we’re not heart surgeons” - whilst this isn’t a game of stress-related career competition, it does highlight that the outcome of not meeting a deadline or having to have a conversation with a client or colleague about managing workload is comparatively low-risk.
“My Uncle, who was a Church of England clergyman said to me as a young boy: ‘Don’t let the bastards get you down’ - I was surprised to hear an adult swear like this but the shock value meant I have always remembered this when I have been stressed at work.”
Tom - Expert ACCA Tutor
Don’t make idle threats
Work might occasionally feel frustrating and not everything is going to be straight-forward or enjoyable. You might feel like you have earned, or deserve a promotion, or that you’ve handled an incredibly high or difficult workload and you don’t feel like it’s been recognised. At times like these you might start to consider leaving the firm or looking for a new job and it can be tempting to be open about this with your manager in order to try and get what you want (e.g. a promotion or pay rise). Whilst being open and honest about how you’re feeling and where you want your career to go is positive, be careful of making empty threats around leaving.
“I endured a torrid time with one of my former employers but never threatened to leave, until one day I did. And, as a result of not having ever made idle threats before, I was taken seriously and got what I wanted.”
Tom - Expert ACCA Tutor
Keep going!
Given all of the advice above one of the most important things is to just keep going. There is so much to learn and so many people around who can support you (including Accountancy Hub!). It’s normal to experience nerves, stress and feeling inadequate but often these feelings are temporary and can be overcome with time, perspective and help.
“Even if you’re not naturally good at something, if you work hard you can still get by”
James – Associate Director, Professional Services
Did you know?
Did you know that alongside exam coaching, Accountancy Hub provides career coaching for people at any stage of their accountancy career? To find out more about these services, please get in touch via our Contact Us page
