Having your nose in the books can only get you so far, according to Serge Corel, FD of support services group Mondial UK. If you want to step up and become a financial controller, or even an FD, you need to put your head up and take a look around.

'It's important that a financial controller dealing with a business be a generalist who understands the business from start to finish,' says Corel. 'He or she cannot be limited to IFRS and closing the books. Those things are important, but our finance team is very involved in pulling the levers that deliver results.

'Working in finance gives you access to the main decision makers and makes you a key part of any strategy decisions. Through the figures, you will learn how to understand a business quickly,' he says.

Serge Corel is FD of support services group Mondial UK

Having now taught more than 10,000 part-qualified accountants over the past ten years, I feel there are key traits that accountants need to demonstrate to progress in their chosen career.

Just being a great technical accountant is no longer enough in today's modern business environment. You must understand the financial objectives of your company. You must be able to analyse results and take action upon these. They form part of your 'core competencies'. What makes you stand out from the crowd is how you wrap these core competencies with other key, more intangible, traits.

> Loyalty - while you are with your company, give it 110%. This means being a flexible employee, talking positively about your company and supporting your colleagues.

> Performance - it's all about competence and motivation. If you lack either, your performance will suffer.

> Passion - There is nothing I like better than working with a passionate team, with people who enjoy what they do and do it well.

These traits will set you apart and help you move ahead of your peers. Know what you want out of your role and work towards it.

Martin Taylor is director of accountancy and tax at BPP Professional Education