Cheyney, a trainee accountant then based in South Africa, first came into contact with Robert Walters back in 2021 whilst attending the popular Johannesburg Article Clerks Association (JACASS) event known as 'Game of Firms'.
She was in her first year of articles and just beginning her journey towards becoming a qualified accountant, having recently joined the audit firm BDO Johannesburg as their representative of the year.
She’d watched Robert Walters’ series of Roadshow webinars – hosted by Helen and her team – aimed at informing trainee article clerks on their next steps whether moving internationally or staying local in SA. “I watched the webinars to gain a better understanding of the world of finance outside of practice both in SA and abroad – as I already knew then that I wanted to move to the UK after qualifying.”
She’d actually known for a much longer time that she wanted to make the move to the UK – more precisely, London. As a young girl she’d had visited the capital and was fascinated by the dashing businesswomen in elegant suits and briefcases getting on the tube. “It seemed like they were living their best lives, and I really wanted that for myself – Robert Walters helped my childhood dreams become a reality.”
Cheyney’s aim was to move away from Audit as soon as possible and get a role within a company that could help her develop her acquired technical skills into more practical commercial skills within a finance function.
This was Cheyney’s first time looking for a role, and with the support of Robert Walters it felt almost easy. She first sat down with Helen, Robert Walters' International Candidate Director based in the London office, to give her an outline of the role she was looking for and what industry she wanted to work in.
Robert Walters’ Commerce and Financial Services teams, understanding the nuances of the London jobs market, assisted in reformatting her CV from a South African to a UK format – as well as offering guidance on what she could add to optimise her CV.
Cheyney was not only looking for a new role but was hoping to relocate from South Africa to London – Helen and Robert Walters' support in both offering career expertise and finding her the ideal new position helped a seemingly daunting undertaking to feel more manageable.
The Robert Walters team then reached out with job descriptions that aligned with her desires – answering any of her queries, organising the interviews, ensuring Cheyney felt prepared and offering post-interview feedback to help her put her best foot forward.
“It was clear they wanted the best for me, even if it meant accepting a different role, outside of the one I initially collaborated with them on.”
The support and guidance was consistent throughout: “In situations where I didn’t get the role, Robert Walters were really good at sharing constructive feedback to help me improve my chances next time. However, when the good news came, everyone was as excited as me!”
The teams’ combined efforts paid off when Cheyney was offered a position of Financial Accountant at The Restaurant Group – allowing her to relocate and start living her London dream.“When the good news came in, everyone was as excited as me!”
“I truly felt like the team were interested in me as a person and what I wanted rather than just wanting to place me in a random role that didn’t suit."
"They have not only helped me make the move from practice to industry but have aided me in establishing a well-connected network of people along the way – all within my dream city no less!”
At its heart, Cheyney’s story illustrates that dreams can become much more than just wishful thinking – with the appropriate approach, determination and dedicated team supporting you – you can transform them into a reality.
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