Are You Getting Noticed? How to Stand Out in Your Job Search

Landing a job interview requires more than just a top-notch cover letter and resume. Your skills, experience, and qualifications likely align with other in-demand candidates.

This is why you need to add something that makes you stand out to hiring managers. They want to see how your contributions and results differ from other candidates’ contributions and results. Showing the unique value, you can offer a company increases your odds of being contacted for an interview.

Implement these tips to help secure your next accounting and finance interview.

Include a Pain Point Letter with Your Resume

Rather than a cover letter, submit with your resume a letter discussing a company pain point you noticed. Include a challenge the organization is facing and how you would solve it if you were hired. This shows you understand the company and are able to add value to it. Hiring managers appreciate candidates who are proactive problem-solvers.

Share Your Professional Portfolio

Create an online portfolio of your professional qualifications and work examples to submit with your resume. This may include a copy of your resume, transcripts, reference letters, or copies of your licenses or certifications. You also may want to add financial statements, variance reports, or financial analyses you created. Make sure your work examples tie in with the highlighted items from previous job postings you applied to. Change the numbers to avoid sharing confidential information.

Consider using information specific to the company you’re interviewing with to create financial documents. For instance, if the business is publicly traded, analyze the online financial statements to create different financial ratios and analyses. Then, use the information to prepare recommendations for the company. This may include paying down debt, reducing inventory, or increasing collection efforts. This shows proactive investment in the company’s success.

Secure an Employee Referral

Find out whether you know an employee at the company you want to work for. If you do, talk with them about referring you to the hiring manager. Include how your skills, experience, and qualifications make you well-suited for the role. Provide your resume as well. You’re more likely to land an interview with a referral than without one.

Partner with a Recruiter

Listing your skills, experience, and qualifications in your cover letter and resume likely isn’t enough to land an interview. You need to show how you stand out from the other candidates and can provide unique value to the organization. Submitting a pain point letter with your resume, sharing your online portfolio, or securing an employee referral can help.

You also can partner with a recruiter from Casey Accounting & Finance Resources to increase your odds of landing an interview. Contact a recruiter or submit your resume today.

When’s the Right Time to Discuss Salary, Flexible Work Arrangements and Other Benefits During an Interview?

Career coaches typically say to put an employer’s needs ahead of your own during an interview. As important as that advice is, you also need to determine whether the employer can fit your personal needs and interests with salary, flexibility and other benefits. The trick is how to gain the information you need without coming across as overly demanding or not focused on the company’s needs. With a proper strategy, you can determine when the right time is to discuss salary, flexible work arrangements and other benefits during an interview. Here are some suggestions.

When the Interviewer Shows Interest in Hiring You

A good time to discuss salary, flexible work arrangements and other benefits is after the interviewer expresses interest in hiring you. For instance, they may ask when you can start or whether you can provide references. Doing so shows you have their attention and are a good fit for the role. Because you showed the value you can add to the business, you have the leverage to ask for information about salary, flexibility and benefits.

After Being Offered a Job

Discuss salary, flexible work arrangements and other benefits after you receive a job offer. Be sure you thoroughly researched everything you want well before your first interview. For instance, review the company website and job description for salary information. Use sites such as Glassdoor and Comparably to figure out the organization’s salary range and benefit structures. Connect with employees through LinkedIn to ask about company culture. You can state your case and provide evidence for why you should receive it. After negotiating your salary, bring up benefits. Be sure you clearly understand what the company is offering and whether it fits your needs. For instance, find out whether you’ll receive health insurance, a retirement plan and PTO. Depending on your lifestyle and interests, you want to ask about reimbursement for ongoing education, daycare, a gym membership or other benefits. After negotiating your benefits, bring up flexible work arrangements. For instance, ask how the teams are structured and which work arrangements best serve the company’s mission. Ask about the number of hours employees work each week. If there is flexibility, share whether you’re looking for a variable start and end time at the office, a four-day workweek, the ability to work remotely one or more days per week or some other option. Be ready to compromise on what you request.

Interview with a Leading Chicago Employment Agency

As a leading Chicago employment agency, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources offers complimentary use of our Career Tools Portal to help with your job search. You gain access to top job search tools, an article and video library, professional resume review, career assessment programs and more. When you’re done, you can set up an interview with one of our seasoned recruiters. Contact us today to get started!

Arlington/Casey Resources Named on Forbes 2017 Lists of America’s Best Recruitment Firms

Chicago-land staffing firm, Arlington Resources, ranked No. 120 on America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms

Rolling Meadows, Illinois (May 12, 2017) — Award-winning staffing firm Arlington Resources has been ranked No. 120 on Forbes 2017 list of America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms.

Patricia Casey, Arlington Resources President and CEO, stated, “We are honored and proud to be recognized on Forbes 2017 list of Best Professional Recruitment Firms.  We are inspired to do our part in making the world a better place, and we continue to make a difference in the lives of our candidates and clients every day.  This recognition is very uplifting to our team as we continue to be dedicated to maximizing the potential of our greatest asset:  our employees.  By doing so, we are focused on delivering quality customer service and committed to recruiting an outstanding workforce for our clients.”

Methodology

For the top lists of “America’s Best Recruiting Firms” Statista and Forbes divided the broad field of recruitment firms into two main categories:

Executive Search (specialized on permanent placement of executive positions with at least USD 100,000 income per year)

  • Professional Search (specialized on permanent placement of professional and specialist positions up to USD 100,000 income per year).

The top lists in these two categories are based on three online surveys among:

  • 18,000 external recruiters (peer review)
  • 3,000 candidates/employees (with experience with recruitment firms within the last three years)
  • 500 HR-managers (as clients of recruitment firms within the last three years)

The surveys took place between 6th December 2016 and the 7th February 2017 with invitations sent by e-mail including a personalized link. Each interviewee could name up to ten recruitment firms per category, either with the help of a long list with more than 4,000 recruitment firms (auto-fill option) or as a free nomination.

To learn more about the Forbes Lists of America’s Best Recruiting Firms 2017, click here.

To learn more about Arlington Resources, click here.

About Arlington Resources:

Arlington Resources specializes in the placement of Human Resources Professionals for direct placement, temporary services and human resources consulting.  Since 1997, Arlington Resources, Inc. has successfully partnered with companies of all sizes from start-up to Fortune 100.   With our specialization of filling Human Resources Jobs in Chicago IL, the Arlington Resources team has established relationships with the highest caliber of professionals in the field.

Arlington Resources will recruit and provide the HR staff you need today. As a trusted staffing firm, we reduce your time spent on recruiting, evaluating, screening and interviewing employees. Our staffing consultants provide innovative and creative solutions, so we can exceed our clients’ expectations to help achieve their talent management goals and objectives. All of our consultants abide by high ethical standards, and our goal is to provide exceptional value while easing your workload, saving you time and increasing profitability.

Media Contact:

Jake Joyce, Arlington Resources, Inc.

224-232-5883

jacobjoyce@arlingtonresources.com

Why You Should Treat the Interviewer Like a Client in Your Next Job Search

During your next job search, you’ll want to do all you can to increase your chances of being hired. Part of your plan should include personally and professionally impressing the interviewer. For this reason, it’s important you find ways to treat the interviewer like you would a client.

The Interviewer Will Admire Your Knowledge

Researching the company before your interview will help you discuss why you want to work there. Peruse the website to determine the company’s history, location, size, mission and values. Read the annual report and listen to the most recent quarterly earnings conference call to find out about new products, company risks and current revenue status. Check out blog posts to see what topics the company is interested in. Also, visit LinkedIn to determine what type of news the company finds important. Check out Facebook and Twitter to find out the tone of the company, how engaged it is with its customers and how it responds to complaints. In addition, Google the organization and read what news comes up. You’ll be able to speak factually about the company and show you’re the best candidate for the position.

The Interviewer Will Be Engaged in Your Conversation

The more you engage the interviewer in conversation, the greater the potential they’ll want to work with you. If you go on LinkedIn and check out each interviewer’s profile, you can determine their background, position within the company and what personal and professional interests you have in common. Ensure each interviewer can see you viewed their profile so they know you’re proactively doing research. During your interview, use the interviewer’s name whenever possible. Maintain eye contact. Be alert and smile when appropriate. Let the interviewer lead. Ensure you listen more than you speak. Provide well-thought-out answers. Subtly mirror the interviewer’s posture, speech pattern or tone of voice to show you’re engaged in what they’re saying.

Your Follow Up Will Be Appreciated

Following up with the interviewer shows you appreciate their time and are interested in the position. Before leaving your interview, ask when you should expect to hear back about the role. Within 24 hours, send an email or handwritten card thanking each interviewer for meeting with you. Bring up a few topics that were discussed. Show your excitement about the position and how the company may benefit from hiring you. Be sure you check your spelling, grammar and punctuation to show you communicate clearly and pay attention to detail.

If you haven’t heard anything within the stated timeline, follow up with the interviewer by phone or email. If you don’t hear back within a few days, follow up again. If you still don’t hear anything, move to your next opportunity.

Work With a Top Financial Recruiter in Chicago

Treating the interviewer like a client builds rapport and shows you’re genuinely interested in working for their company. For help securing your next accounting or finance role, reach out to Casey Accounting & Finance Resources to work with an award-winning financial recruiter in Chicago!

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