Why is your personal brand shaping your career long before you start looking for your next move?

If you ask people what drives career progression, the answers tend to be predictable. Qualifications, experience, and performance are all important, but they’re not the full picture.

Opportunities often come down to something far less conventional, like who knows you? What do they know about you? And what do they say when you’re not in the room?

That’s your personal brand. And whether you’re actively looking for a job or not, it’s shaping your career.

I have been examining LinkedIn’s latest labour market data and the shifting recruitment landscape in the North East with interest. If you read the headlines about recruitment, you could easily assume AI is quietly replacing half the workforce and driving an industry-wide restructure.

With rising operational costs for businesses, there is no doubt that the job market is experiencing a period of lower hiring, but with a reduced number of vacancies, the reality is far more nuanced.

LinkedIn’s latest ‘Global Labour Market’ report suggests hiring sits around 20% below pre-pandemic levels, with job moves at a 10-year low.

Alongside the launch of our 2026 Salary Survey, Bryony Gibson, shares reflections from the North East public practice market.

Recruitment in public practice rarely moves in straight lines, and the past year has been no exception.

Right now, across the North East, I would describe the market as active but very considered. Firms need good people, often urgently, but recruitment decisions are being taken with greater care, more internal deliberation, and a sharper focus on long-term fit.

Bryony Gibson reflects on how the recruitment market is quietly recalibrating with more clarity, care, and purpose.

January often brings a natural pause for reflection. It’s still early, of course, but the first month of the year is usually enough to start spotting patterns and picking up signals about how the market is shaping up.

In the world of accountancy practice recruitment, the tone feels cautiously positive. Not loud. Not frantic. But thoughtful.

Bryony Gibson looks at why the North East has thousands of jobs going spare and thousands of people looking for work, but the two can’t seem to find each other.

In recruitment, we often hear people, including myself, talking about the impact the cost-of-living has on the job market. It’s that, or people’s desire to work remotely, or the pace of change AI drives.

They are important issues, but there’s also another problem quietly sitting behind them. One that might be the biggest challenge we face in the North East. We have a major skills mismatch.

Bryony Gibson looks at why the North East has thousands of jobs going spare and thousands of people looking for work, but the two can’t seem to find each other.

In recruitment, we often hear people, including myself, talking about the impact the cost-of-living has on the job market. It’s that, or people’s desire to work remotely, or the pace of change AI drives.

They are important issues, but there’s also another problem quietly sitting behind them. One that might be the biggest challenge we face in the North East. We have a major skills mismatch.

With practised accountants increasingly hard to find, could it be time to rethink your recruitment strategy and hire for potential as well as perfection.

Accountancy firms are facing a recruitment challenge. With experienced and qualified candidates in short supply, the competition for top talent is intense. And it seems that relying solely on traditional criteria - ACA or ACCA qualification, years of post-qualified experience, and a polished CV - is no longer enough. Perhaps the answer lies in a rethink of your approach. Could it be time to consider hiring for attitude, then investing in training for skills?

The counteroffer is a tool many firms hoped they’d put behind them, but, with competition fierce and the cost of losing talent so high, they seem to have resurfaced as a regular feature in recruitment.

Serious talent shortages have led to firms pulling out all the stops to hold on to good people, even though this is rarely a long-term solution that either party ends up happy with.

So, if you're an employer weighing up whether to make a counter proposal, or an employee facing the decision on whether to accept, how should you respond?

Over the years, I’ve lost count of the number of conversations I’ve had with accounting professionals who tell me they’re thinking about moving jobs, but they’re waiting until they feel ready

Finding it harder than ever to convince great people to join your team? You’re not alone. The talent shortage is real. But while competition is fierce, some of the biggest hiring barriers are the ones employers unknowingly create themselves.

In today's dynamic workplace, the value of diverse perspectives is unquestionable. Yet, many employers overlook a vital and plentiful talent pool: mothers.

Everyone gets nervous when it’s time for a job interview, especially in the current landscape. Once a straightforward in-person meeting, now the process often starts online, adding a new layer of complexity.