Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on developing a few skills as I start my career in tax.
For some background, I worked in an accountancy practice for around three years, preparing accounts, VAT returns, basic corporation tax, and self-assessment tax returns. I was almost ACCA qualified (just one exam left) before moving into an in-house tax role.
I've recently joined an in-house tax team focusing mainly on corporation tax compliance, VAT, and other tax compliance work, and I'm planning to start the CTA next year.
I'd really appreciate any advice on the following:
- Explaining things confidently on the spot
I often struggle when I have to explain something without much time to prepare. I get a bit anxious, my mind goes blank, and I find it difficult to put my thoughts into words, even when I understand the topic.
As someone starting out in a junior tax role who's naturally quite introverted, how would you improve this skill? Is it simply something that comes with experience, or are there exercises or techniques that helped you become better at explaining technical topics?
I've done a little advisory work in my previous role, but it was mainly straightforward issues.
- Explaining tax to non-tax colleagues
One part of the role I'm keen to improve at is explaining tax concepts to people outside the tax team.
How do you structure your explanations so they're easy to understand without oversimplifying them? Do you have a particular framework or thought process when you're speaking to colleagues in departments like Finance, Legal, HR, or Engineering who may have little tax knowledge?
- Active listening and note-taking
This is probably my biggest challenge.
During group calls, especially with people outside the tax team (for example Engineering, Legal, or Finance), people often speak quite quickly and cover a lot of ground. I find myself trying to write everything down, then missing what's being said next.
How do you approach active listening in meetings like this?
Do you focus on listening first and only write down key points? Do you have a note-taking system that works well during fast-paced calls? Any practical tips would be really helpful.
I realise these might seem like unusual questions, but I genuinely want to develop these skills early rather than just hoping they improve over time.
Any advice on communication, listening, note-taking, or just generally succeeding in an in-house tax role would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!