Accounting Jobs In Chicago Archives

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.

Want to Get a Phone Call? Promote your Financial IT Skills

Yоu’ve рrоbаblу heard thе cliché “thе person wіth thе rіght education gеtѕ thе job.” Wіth а degree іn уоur hand, уоu mау find уоurѕеlf tо bе thе perfect fit fоr thе job advertised. Thіѕ, hоwеvеr, іѕ nоt always true whеn іt соmеѕ tо finance and accounting jobs.

Financial jobs in Chicago can be tricky to land. Whіlе technical competency іѕ сеrtаіnlу thе fіrѕt criteria fоr selection, employers often lооk bеуоnd whаt textbooks hаvе taught. Thеу wаnt ѕоmеоnе whо саn communicate thе technical knowledge tо people whо саnnоt translate numbers аnd figures іntо information. Inѕtеаd оf perplexing thе client wіth complex industry jargon аnd technical terms, thеу wаnt ѕоmе оnе whо helps to effectively disseminate the information. Thеу аrе nоt rеаllу interested іn numbers. Thеу wаnt tо knоw whеrе thеу stand, whеrе thеу аrе heading, аnd whеthеr оr nоt thеrе іѕ аnуthіng thеу ѕhоuld bе worried about.

Fоr thіѕ matter, employers аrе lооkіng fоr ѕоmеоnе whо brings аlоng strong interpersonal skills, аnd knоwѕ hоw tо nurture relationships. Precisely, thеу wаnt а technical expert wіth thе mind оf а business consultant.

By highlighting these skills, you stand a better chance of getting a job offer in the financial sector.

Information Technology

Information technology іѕ thе fіrѕt skill оn thіѕ list. Nоt bесаuѕе it’s thе mоѕt important, but bесаuѕе it’s thе mоѕt obvious. Whаtеvеr оur function, nеw applications аrе automating whаt wе dо аnd helping uѕ bесоmе mоrе efficient аnd (hopefully) mоrе effective. Skills уоu wіll nееd tо master include social media, HTML, analytics, pivot tables, virtual communication and mobile development.

Thеrе аrе vеrу fеw professions thаt information technology dоеѕ nоt touch. In order tо stay оn top оf уоur field, уоu nееd tо stay оn top оf thе latest technological developments.

Managerial Skills

Whеthеr оr nоt уоu manage staff, managerial skills аrе extremely important. Whеthеr it’s managing projects, resources, finances оr simply уоur оwn time, уоu can’t live wіthоut solid managerial skills.

Communication

Untіl thе latest economic downturn, thе mоѕt important оf thеѕе nontechnical skills wаѕ communication. But it’s mоrе thаn simple communication: It’s information delivery. Mоrе accurately, it’s information analysis аnd delivery. It’s thе ability tо communicate уоur area оf expertise іntо layman’s terms – іn bоth oral аnd written form. Information sharing іѕ а key aspect оf аnу role today. Mоѕt professionals muѕt bе capable оf nоt оnlу delivering thеіr KPIs, but аlѕо interpreting thеm fоr external audiences tо ѕее thе business implications оf them. Thе complexity оf today’s business environment underscores thе nееd fоr good communication аnd оthеr soft skills ѕuсh аѕ diplomacy аnd persuasion.

Innovation / Strategic Thinking / Problem Solving

Thе mоѕt important оf thеѕе skills is thе ability tо solve problems. Sоmеtіmеѕ thе ability tо solve problems іѕ masked аѕ innovation оr strategic thinking, but thе purpose іѕ thе same. Thе conversation gоеѕ ѕоmеthіng lіkе this, “We haven’t ѕееn а problem lіkе thіѕ before. Wе hаvе nо idea whаt nееdѕ tо bе done, but wе nееd уоu tо figure іt оut аnd tо dо ѕоmеthіng аbоut it.”

We cаn аll agree thаt wе аrе facing mоrе problems, bоth business аnd otherwise, thаn wе hаvе bеfоrе іn оur lifetimes. And, еѕресіаllу ѕіnсе thе downturn, еvеrуоnе іѕ bеіng asked tо dо mоrе wіth lеѕѕ resources. Evеrуоnе іѕ bеіng asked tо solve increasingly complex problems аt increasingly lоwеr levels оf thе organization.

Mastering Thеѕе Skills

Mоѕt оf thе time іt іѕ quіtе easy tо develop аnd kеер оn top оf уоur technical skills: Thоѕе essential skills уоu nееd tо dо уоur job. Mоrе оftеn thаn nоt though, thеѕе nontechnical skills аrе mоrе оf а dо-іt-уоurѕеlf project. Yоu mау оr mау nоt bе gіvеn thе opportunity tо learn thеѕе skills frоm уоur employer.

Hоw dо уоu gо аbоut developing them, then? Actually, it’s easy enough, but іt takes life-long education. Tаkіng courses thrоugh уоur local universities оr functional trade organizations іѕ а great start.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources focuses directly on your area of expertise. We are a dedicated team of professionals providing superior value. Contact Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today – a leader in financial recruitment!

Job Interview Blues? What to Do When the Interviews Don’t Go Well

You’ve brushed up your resume, practiced your interview answering skills, and put on your best power suit. The big day of your job interview is finally here and you are pumped up and ready to impress. But then, something doesn’t feel right, you start to falter, and gradually the interview starts to go very wrong. You walk out almost in tears, wondering what just happened and how you can redeem yourself in the eyes of the hiring manager.

It’s happened to just about everyone who’s ever interviewed for a job. Interviews don’t always go as planned because they are about people. And people are prone to making mistakes, saying the wrong things, and yes, sometimes looking ridiculous. Before you beat yourself up too much, turn things around.

Think about what happened from both sides.

Were you late to the interview or got lost trying to find the office? Did you stumble to come up with an answer to a tough interview question? Try to see things from both sides. It may not be as bad as you think. The hiring manager may have mentioned that the office is hard to find, and they may know that the interview question always stumps people. In other words, the whole scenario may not be as bad as you think.

Be prepared.

Are you ready to give examples demonstrating your accomplishments? Can you give examples of various situations in your previous work experience, show examples of how you responded to these situations with the actions involved and what the results were that you were able to accomplish? Remember SAR: Situation, Action and Results when talking about your accomplishments.

Take the pressure off trying to be perfect.

You are a human being and this means you are not perfect, not even close. You can do your best to look perfect, behave perfect, and show off your perfect resume, but it’s not going to land you that dream job right away. Instead, you need to be a genuine person and let your personality shine so that others can see your value. The next time around, just be yourself.

The recruiter may have been challenging you on purpose.

You may not have had a stellar interview, but then not many people do. In fact, a trick that recruiters will use to make you think you are not a good fit for the organization is to act like they aren’t interested in you at all. They may appear emotionless in an interview. They may even cut you off while you speak. They may challenge you. This is an attempt to see if you will fight for the opportunity or walk out.

Find a support and job networking group.

If you are having the blues after a poor interview, be kind to yourself and reach out to others for support. Don’t go it alone. A job search is a long and frustrating process, so find a support network as you go through this experience. Share your story and listen to others talk about their bad interviews. Learn from it and move on to the next one!

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources is a dedicated team of professionals that provides superior value. Contact our great team of recruiters today to help you in your career search for finance careers in Chicago.

Learn About Financial Technology to Make Yourself an Attractive Job Candidate

Keeping up with technology should be the top priority of all those in the workforce today, especially those who work in the financial industry. By keeping up with the times and learning technology as it continues to change, you will turn yourself into a desirable candidate for plenty of financial companies looking to hire the right person. Here’s how to boost your ability to land a great finance job in Chicago by using financial technology.

Understand that Technology Relies on People

Believe it or not, technology relies on the people who use it. For this reason, it is important for companies to find candidates who excel in financial technology if they want to succeed within the industry. If employees are hired, but they are not efficient in the technology being used by the company, then the company will suffer in the end. Develop your “people skills” and your financial technology skills in tandem.

Companies Need Employees Efficient in ERP Systems

When financial companies look to hire new employees, they want candidates who are efficient in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. They automate a lot of the financial processes these days, but the employees working on them must be proficient in order to help the company succeed. Employees must be able to mine business data and turn that data into guidance. Even though data is incredibly powerful today, companies need to have employees on their payroll who know how to harness that data.

Examples of ERP Systems

There are a number of options for companies using ERP systems. Some of the examples include:

Each of those systems features different benefits and characteristics. Taking time to evaluate the ERP systems and see how they match the goals of your company will lead to selecting the best fit for your organization.

Become an Attractive Financial Candidate

To become an attractive financial candidate in today’s highly competitive job market, you must not only learn technology being used, but also do each of the following things:

Determine what areas of your career need to be developed better. Talk with your manager about any training programs available to you from external providers.
Show curiosity for the technology that affects the financial industry and the company for which you work.
Jump aboard projects at work where new technology is being implemented, even if you have never used the technology. By volunteering yourself and your time, you show the company how dedicated you are to learning new things.

Turning yourself into an attractive job candidate in the financial world these days can be difficult, but it can be done if you learn the technology being used by companies today. Casey Accounting & Finance Resources can support your goals of landing a job in the finance sector. Contact our great team of financial recruiters today!

Diversity and Inclusion Will Help Curb Employee Turnover

Employee turnover is a problem that all companies face, some more than others, but it is also something that can be corrected. Depending on the turnover issues at your company, the fix can range from easy to incredibly difficult. Companies looking to curb employee turnover should fix the diversity and inclusion issues that plague their organizations.

Read on as we discuss how these two items, once improved, will help reduce employee turnover at your company.

Lack of Attention Causing Turnover

According to the results of a 2015 survey conducted by Korn Ferry, companies blame employee turnover on the lack of attention to inclusion and diversity within the workplace. Of the close to 700 companies that responded to the online survey from January 27 to February 2, 84 percent of them said that, “lack of attention to these two items are causing employee turnover issues at their organizations.” Some 70 percent of the survey’s respondents noted that they, “have inclusion and diversity programs in place and active for employees.” Close to 72 percent of respondents said that there is, “a conscious effort in place at their companies to create a diverse culture of inclusion.”

Do Programs Enhance Employee Retention?

The same survey found something very interesting when it asked participants if their programs actually enhance employee retention. Of the close to 700 respondents, only 56 percent of them believe that the programs they have in place actually enhance employee retention. To go even further into the responses of the participants, the survey found that 42 percent of companies feel that there is an unconscious bias present within their employee ranks when it comes to diverse backgrounds regarding sexual orientation, religion, gender and race.

Does Your Company Have Diversity and Inclusion Issues?

It is a good idea to find out what diversity and inclusion issues might be present. Ask yourself the question “Does Your Company Have Diversity and Inclusion Issues?” to to begin a very important discussion among leadership. Even though the survey period is complete, you could still take the survey to determine what your company’s answers would be as this would help you evaluate the situation at hand.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line here is that diversity and inclusion both play a major factor in the employee turnover rate at your company, no matter the industry in which it operates. High employee turnover means that your company is spending extra resources to find, interview, hire and onboard new employees only for them to leave after a short period. The more your company promotes a diverse workplace and is inclusive to all employees, the better your employee turnover rate will be, with it bordering on very low.
To improve your recruitment for diversity and inclusion, partner with a great finance staffing agency in Chicago like Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. We have candidates from all types of backgrounds ready to go to work for you, and improve your retention rates.

Rethink Your Recruitment and Retention Strategies

According to The ASA Workforce Monitor^TM , six out of 10 employed adults will not be looking for a new job opportunity this year. So what do you do to keep your employees and find new employees?

The survey showed that work-life balance and schedule flexibility were more important than pay for many employees. As far as recruiting new employees, pay and benefits are the most important considerations when a person is deciding to change jobs.

“The ASA Workforce Monitor results underscore the fact that employers need to rethink their recruitment and retention strategies,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA President and Chief Executive Oofficer. “Quality of life matters in retaining current employees. Compensation matters most in recruiting employees to change jobs.”

For the complete article: https://americanstaffing.net/posts/2015/06/30/few-adults-on-the-job-hunt/

How to Get Your Accounting and Finance Credentials Noticed on LinkedIn

It’s true that working in the financial industry takes a lot of hard work, a strong education, and outstanding finance credentials. But all of this doesn’t matter if your LinkedIn profile is not getting noticed by the right recruiters. Why? Because 90 percent of all hiring companies are checking out finance and accounting candidates on LinkedIn and other social media platforms before calling them in for interviews.

As a serious contender, you might have an excellent LinkedIn profile that may be updated all the time, but it could still be hard to get it noticed. Here, we will discuss how to get your finance credentials noticed on LinkedIn so you can secure a solid job within the industry.

Tell Recruiters Who You Are

Right off the bat, make sure you tell recruiters who you are so they do not have to guess what you do for a living. Use keywords related to your financial profession in your headline so it is picked up by search engines. The headline is the first part of your LinkedIn profile that recruiters notice, so make sure it counts. Make sure you include your e-maill address, so it is easy for recruiters to reach out to you.

Validate All Claims Made on LinkedIn

If you make any claims about your financial background on your LinkedIn profile, be sure to validate all of them with strong recommendations. The recommendations should come from trusted sources, such as former employers, mentors, professors and co-workers who know you well and know your body of work. If you work independently in finance, you can acquire recommendations from clients.

Use LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform

LinkedIn offers a publishing platform that you should take advantage of if you want recruiters to notice your financial credentials. By writing articles and publishing them through LinkedIn’s publishing platform, you will be able to develop thought leadership within your industry. Make sure you write articles about your profession so recruiters who are looking for financial candidates can find your expertise on LinkedIn and then browse your profile.

Write a Top-Notch Summary

As with your headline, your summary on LinkedIn must include keywords related to the financial industry. If possible, write the summary in first person because it comes across better to recruiters. The summary should be no shorter, and no longer, than two sentences. After the two sentences, make sure the summary has a “proficient in” list that talks about your strongest skills.

Provide Examples

When writing a financial LinkedIn profile, make sure you provide examples of all claims made on your profile. For example, if you said you helped an employer save money, make sure the amount is mentioned in your profile. This helps recruiters understand what it is you accomplished at your job and how it helped the company. Also, write down how you saved the money in as descriptive a way as possible.

It is imperative that your LinkedIn profile is as strong as possible when searching for a financial job because it will help in the long run. Recruiters use LinkedIn more and more these days to find the best candidates, so be sure you follow the tips above to get noticed and invited to an interview.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, a winner of Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client Award for the second consecutive year, can help your company meet all of its financial staffing needs. Contact our award-winning team today to get started!

Where Did All the Candidates Go? What to do In a Candidate-Driven Marketplace

Finding the right candidates for your company’s available positions can be difficult enough in a normal marketplace. But, when the marketplace is driven by candidates, the search can be downright challenging. In a candidate driven marketplace, you will find that the pool of qualified employees shrinks very quickly. When this happens, you need to have a plan in place to find an employee for your open job.

Here’s how to find and recruit the best employees in a candidate-driven job market.

Appeal to the Candidate’s Lifestyle

An excellent way to compete in a candidate-driven marketplace is to appeal to the lifestyle of the candidate. Aside from offering an excellent compensation package, offer an employee incentive program that rewards employees for their hard work and dedication to help them achieve their dreams. Also consider offering flexible scheduling so your employees are better able to balance their life outside of the office.

Become a Desired Employer

In order to compete in a candidate-driven marketplace, you will need to become a desired employer. This can be done by promising your employees a place that allows them the chance to build a long-term career. Do not become a company that is just a stop-over for employees as they move up the corporate ladder. Instead, become a company that encourages employees to stay the length of their careers, finishing up in top leadership positions. Provide mentorship and training opportunities to develop your employees.

Focus on an Attractive Culture

The culture at your company needs to be as positive as possible if you want to compete for the best candidates in a candidate driven marketplace. Candidates from Generation Y want to work in an office setting that has a positive culture. They thrive off the atmosphere and want to have co-workers with whom they can get along with and have great interactions with while working together. When you develop an attractive culture, you will be able to bring in some of the most talented candidates in the marketplace.

Look Outside the Box

When you are really struggling to find candidates in a candidate-driven marketplace, consider looking outside the box. Think about hiring entrepreneurs who might be looking to come back to a corporate setting, parents who took time off to raise children, or people who took time off to earn a second or third degree. They will be just as eager to succeed and will bring a wealth of knowledge to your company.

Find Out What Candidates REALLY Want

When interviewing candidates for open jobs, you need to find out what it is they are looking for in their career. Place emphasis on the career goals of the candidates and what their individual ambitions are. When you find this out, you can do your best to make their career dreams attainable.

In a candidate-driven marketplace, a company needs to put in an 110 percent effort in order to find qualified employees for open jobs. If your company uses the information from this post, then finding a strong candidate should not be an issue.

Casey Resources provides a number of services for clients and candidates to be successful in their job search. Contact a leading staffing firm in Chicago to learn more today.