Accounting Recruiters Chicago Archives - Page 3 of 3

What Questions Should You Be Asking Job Candidate References?

A recent survey indicated that recruiters will remove one in five candidates from consideration during the reference check process. Upon interviewing over 1,000 hiring managers, they found:

36 percent said they were interested in getting more insight on the applicant’s past job duties and experience
31 percent used a reference check to learn about candidate’s strengths and weaknesses
21 percent removed a candidate from consideration for a job after speaking to professional contacts

It’s really not surprising that hiring managers eliminate certain candidates during the candidate reference check process. Very often, candidates elaborate on their experience, inflate their own value, and even falsify information hoping no one will check. The smartest hiring managers use a consistent series of reference check questions for all candidates before offering them any employment.

Here are some questions that you can legally use when checking professional candidate references. Along with verifying their position and dates of employment, you will want to ask:

1. What is your relationship to the candidate?

If someone is a good reference for a candidate, they have had some direct supervision or observation to the candidate. Ask specifically about how they worked with this job candidate during their time with the company. Learn about the specific daily interactions, either as a co-worker or a supervisor. The office receptionist or a cousin of the candidate don’t count, sorry.

2. Would you bring them back?

This very simple question is also very important to understanding the reputation of the candidate. If the reference says Yes with no hesitation, it’s a great sign. If they hesitate or refuse to answer, this can be a red flag. Regardless of the answer, follow-up questions are important to gain more insight from the job reference. Some companies have policies that don’t allow the company to hire a person back once they have left the organization, no matter what the circumstances were when the person left.

3. What are their strengths and weaknesses on the job?

Once you break the ice with a reference it’s perfectly legal to ask about the performance of the candidate. Ask for the candidate’s biggest strengths and weaknesses, which can then be compared to how the candidate answers later in the interview. If the reference is being hesitant to talk about anything specific (especially in the weakness area), then have a list of questions prepared to gain the information that you want. When a bland answer comes from “What are their biggest weaknesses” then ask more direct questions about attention to detail, creativity, etc.

As part of the job hiring process, job references can become an integral piece of that process. They give information that you can’t learn directly from the job candidate. A well thought-out plan of questions for the job references can lead to great information that helps you make the best decision.

Work with an Award-Winning Recruiter in Chicago

As a trusted staffing firm, we reduce your time spent on recruiting, evaluating, screening and interviewing employees. Contact the award-winning recruiters at Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today to partner with a top financial recruiter in Chicago.

Why Using Twitter Will Help Your Job Search

There’s a reason why 310 million users speaking 40 different languages worldwide are spending their time on Twitter each day. Twitter has grown to be a favorite spot for everyone from everyday citizens to celebrities to be heard by a massive audience. As Twitter has developed, it’s also become a favorite place for candidates to search for new jobs, and recruiters to connect with job seekers. At Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, we have a Twitter account where you can find new job leads!

But, how can you know that your efforts at Twitter are worth it? Here are some good reasons why Twitter will help you with your job search.

You will have a social network presence:

Around 95 percent of all recruiters today use social media to check out candidates before they even call them in for an interview. When you establish a Twitter account, which is typically done in about 5 minutes, you have a network presence and the start of a brand you want others to see. While social media accounts sometimes have a negative perception, it’s a great option to differentiate yourself as a positive addition to your brand. A company could also find you on Twitter and use it as a way to contact passive or active job seekers to start the conversation.

You will get access to job leads first:

The instant nature of Twitter is that once a recruiter posts a job there, it’s immediately available for candidates who are searching. Twitter is also a good way to find out about new jobs and opportunities as companies often post press releases there that talk about company expansions and recruitment events.

You can set up lists to follow:

Twitter has a unique function that allows users to set up favorite lists by industries, people and even companies. This can be a great way to sort through all the job leads and keep personal conversations from taking over. For example, you can set up a group called ‘temp jobs IL’ for all new jobs to be listed.

You can search for jobs:

Using hashtags, you can easily access a huge search engine right at your fingertips. Try looking for jobs by industry such as #HRjobs or by the location of jobs such as #chicagojobs. Be creative and think of how the recruiters are posting job leads on Twitter. Once you find a hashtag that generates a lot of jobs, continue to search for that on a consistent basis.

Work with an Award-Winning Staffing Agency:

At Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, we are an award-winning financial recruiter in Chicago that helps job seekers find the right placement for their situation. Search our Twitter page for the latest job openings or contact our team today!

How to Answer Tough Questions on an Interview

No matter how prepared you are as a job seeker, there is always going to be the prospect of being asked tough interview questions. This is especially true when companies are looking for ways to identify the top job candidates available. Difficult or odd interview questions are often thrown in to stump candidates in order to evaluate their ability to think on their toes.

How will you answer tough questions during your next interview? Here are some examples of tough interview questions you may be asked, and how to ace them! If possible, ask for the complete job description before the interview to help you prepare. If you are working with a financial recruiter or staffing agency, you most often will be able to obtain this information on the job requirements.

Why did you leave your last job?

This can be a tricky one, particularly if you were terminated or if you left for a negative reason. The best course of action is to be as brief as possible, but be truthful. Do not say anything negative about your former boss, co-workers or company. And never lie about the situation – that might work in the short term, but will come back to haunt you in the long run.

Are you looking to change careers?

If you have applied for a job that is unrelated to your work history, or if you have been with your current employer for a short time, it can appear that you are a job hopper of sorts. It’ important to state that you are always learning as a professional and find that you are open to new experiences. Prior to the interview, consider your skills that are transferrable and show how you can use your past experiences to bring value to this job.

How would your peers describe you?

Think about how you have interacted with your co-workers in the past. Share some positive experiences, and be sure to add that you are viewed as trustworthy, reliable, knowledgeable, and a real team player. When talking about completing a team project, don’t take all the credit. Explain your role and compliment your team members.

What are your weaknesses?

Be careful with this interview question. You will want to share some things that you may find yourself to be somewhat weak in, but here’s the trick – make them actually positive traits. For example, you are honest to a fault, or you are so organized your co-workers tease you.

Why should we hire you?

Very often, an employer will come right out and say they have other candidates, so why should they consider you for the job? Try to show some passion for the industry here, and be sure to state that you are dedicated to exceeding expectations and learning all you can to be the best employee for this open position. Back these statements up by providing facts and examples from your working experience.

Partner with a Leader in Chicago Financial Recruiting

With our specialization in accounting and finance, we focus directly on your area of expertise. Contact the award-winning recruiters at Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today to get started on taking the next step in your financial career.

5 Salary Negotiation Tips for Employers!

Make sure the role is clearly defined for the future employee. Often we hear from candidates who start looking for a new position when the current position they are in doesn’t match what they were told during their interview. Salary may have been acceptable during the offer, but not if the actual position does not match what they were told.
Due to internal equity issues, try to interview candidates who are in the salary range. If you do have an exceptional candidate who is outstanding and outside the salary range, is there a senior role they could interview for at your organization? These candidates are hard to locate, so look to see if there is a place for them in your company in a different role.
Ask good questions when discussing salary. Let the candidate know you will require salary information verification. Ask about the candidate’s true base, bonus (how much and when does the bonus pay out), incentives (cell phone, laptop, car allowance, etc), stock options, pensions, 401(k), benefit costs, paid lunches, etc. This information will help you when determining the salary offer.
Do you have good information on what the current marketplace is paying for your job roles? Let the candidate know you have researched the role in your efforts to be competitive in the job market. In addition, let the candidate know why people enjoy working at your organization. This will help the candidate in their decision making process on accepting the offer or not.
Working with a recruiter helps to alleviate some of these concerns. The recruiter will know what salary the candidate is looking for in their next opportunity, and will share this information with you to help make sure the salary offer is competitive for the candidate and the marketplace. Sometimes clients feel confident negotiating salaries with candidates even though they are working with an agency, but they fail to realize that the recruiting firm has been working with the candidate for some time and may know the candidate on a level that the client does not. It’s almost always better to let the recruiting firm handle the negotiations to seal the deal and get a favorable response for everyone.

Your future employee will benefit going into the new role of the company knowing they were treated fairly in the salary negotiation process. The person will feel loyal, work harder and be committed to the company. If they feel that they were not treated fairly, then your company may be just a stop for them in their career as they keep their options open to future opportunity at other organizations.

Recent Job Placements from Casey Accounting & Finance Resources

Currently, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources is placing 1 out of 3.2 candidates who interviewed for a position. That’s a great ratio for a staffing agency and is part of the reason we have great relationships with accounting and finance companies located in the Chicago area and were recently honored with a Best of Staffing Award® from Inavero.

Check out some of our most recent placements below, and if you’re interested, contact our great team of HR recruiters today!

CASEY ACCOUNTING & FINANCE RESOURCES placements include the following:

Director of Finance-Mt. Prospect, IL
Staff Accountant-Northbrook, IL
Credit Analyst-Glendale Heights, IL
Collections-Temporary-Maywood, IL
Payroll Manager-Schiller Park, IL
Sr. Accountant-Temporary-Mundelein, IL
Payroll-Temporary-Chicago, IL
Payroll-Temporary-Rolling Meadows, IL
A/P Clerk-Temporary-Rolling Meadows, IL
Accounting Clerk-Temporary-Chicago, IL
Senior Director of Finance-Schaumburg, IL
A/P Clerk-Temporary-Cicero, IL
Accounting Clerk-Temporary-Chicago, IL
Payroll Specialist-Temporary-Schiller Park, IL
Accounting Clerk-Temporary-Chicago, IL
Senior Accountant-McHenry, IL
Billing Analyst-Deerfield, IL
Staff Accountant-Chicago, IL
Staff Accountant-Temporary-Lincolnshire, IL
Accountant-Bartlett, IL
Senior Accountant-Mount Prospect, IL
Accounting Clerk-Temporary, Elgin, IL
A/P Clerk-Temporary-Mount Prospect, IL
Payroll Specialist-Temporary-Elk Grove Village, IL
A/R Specialist- Schaumburg, IL
Staff Accountant-Chicago, IL
Accountant-Temporary-Chicago, IL
Credit/Collections-Temporary-Wood Dale, IL
A/P Clerk-Temporary-Hoffman Estates, IL
Senior Accountant-Schaumburg, IL
Staff Accountant-Temporary -Elk Grove Village, IL
Accounting Manager-Chicago, IL
Accounting Clerk-Temporary-Hoffman Estates, IL
A/R Clerk-Carol Stream, IL
Senior A/R Specialist-Schaumburg, IL
A/R Clerk-Temporary-Evanston, IL
A/R Clerk-Temporary-Schaumburg, IL
Staff Accountant-Temporary-Chicago, IL

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, Inc. Wins INAVERO’S 2016 BEST OF STAFFING® Client and Talent Awards

Rolling Meadows, IL – February 18, 2016 – Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, a leading staffing organization specializing in the placement of Accounting & Finance Professionals announced today they have won Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and job seekers. Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inavero’s Best of Staffing winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients and the employees they’ve helped find jobs. On average, clients of winning agencies are nearly three times more likely to be completely satisfied and talent of winning agencies are 50 percent more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies. Award winners make up less than two percent of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada who earned the Best of Staffing Award for service excellence.

Focused on providing Accounting & Finance Professionals, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources is pleased to be able to provide outstanding services to their clients and candidates.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources claims an Invaero® Best of Staffing Award for the third consecutive season.

“We are honored to achieve this milestone for our business and winning both awards – Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client and Talent! Our team works hard to make our services the best for our clients and candidates, and I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish together for the Accounting and Finance community! Currently 1 out of every 2.5 candidates interviewed by our clients is hired, providing a great resource of outstanding talent with a quick response rate.” Casey Accounting & Finance Resources President and CEO, Patricia Casey said.

“Leaders of growing companies are more committed than ever to staying flexible in this stable yet volatile market making staffing firms the most viable employment partnership,” said Inavero’s CEO Eric Gregg. “Finding the best staffing partner with a proven commitment to service excellence can be really tough. BestofStaffing.com is the place to find the winning agencies that place talent with the skills you need in your city or state. We are very proud of the 2016 award winners.”

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, Inc.
Casey Accounting & Finance Resources is a nationally accredited, best in class recruitment firm specializing in the placement of Accounting & Finance Resources talent for both temporary placement and direct hire. Our dedicated staff is well networked in the Accounting & Finance community, tenured and industry certified. With our strong relationships, referrals and sourcing skills, we can quickly locate top talent to add to your team. In addition to our outstanding recruiting practices, we are committed to community service and philanthropy. Our people are our greatest asset!

About Inavero
Inavero administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world. Inavero’s team reports on over 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and talent each year and the company serves as the American Staffing Association’s exclusive service quality partner.

About Inavero’s Best of Staffing
Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on BestofStaffing.com – an online resource for hiring professionals and job seekers to find the best staffing agencies to call when they are in need.

Featured Accounting Talent

Casey Resources, one of the top finance and recruiting agencies in Chicago, currently has several outstanding candidates. Here is a sample of some of the top talent currently available. Contact Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today and let us place the right accounting and finance worker with your company!

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

Areas of Expertise: Annette is a CPA with Strong SAP system experience.
Noteworthy: Expertise includes preparing financial statements, month-end close, consolidations. Excel skills include: pivot tables and v lookups.
Position of interest: Senior Accountant Role
Available for: Temporary, Temporary to Hire and Direct Hire opportunities.
Location: McHenry County, Lake County and Elgin/Schaumburg area

SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST

Areas of Expertise: Justin is a MBA with about 3 years experience
Noteworthy: Expertise includes financial consolidations of multiple entities, in-depth reporting and presenting financial information to executives, developing budgets and forecasts. Strong user of Cognos and Excel
Position of interest: Senior Financial Analyst Role
Available for: Direct Hire opportunities.
Location: Flexible

ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Areas of Expertise: Michelle has 5+ years of small manufacturing company experience as Accounting Manager.
Noteworthy: She has supervised multiple employees and been responsible for all accounting functions. Direct responsibility for US and Canadian operations. She has a BA in Accounting and an MBA in Finance. She is proficient in Navision, Great Plains, AS400 and JD Edwards.
Position of interest: Michelle is looking for Accounting Manager role.
Available for: Temporary, Temporary to Hire and Direct Hire opportunities.
Location: Hoffman Estates, IL area.

ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Areas of Expertise: Katherine is a financial executive with a background of planning and managing initiatives to improve finance, accounting and operational processes.
Noteworthy: Her extensive professional skills and experience include financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting, improving processes, procedure and productivity, managing expense budgets and capital expenditures, producing accurate financial statements and reports, coordinating sales tax reporting and reconciliation, negotiating contracts with vendors & suppliers, HR/payroll/taxes/employee benefits, minimizing financial risks & exposures, analyzing insurance coverage & premiums and controlling costs & boosting profits.
Position of interest: Accounting Manager, Controller or VP of Finance
Available for: Temporary, Temporary to Hire and Direct Hire opportunities.
Location: Chicago, IL area with ideal locations within the western and northwest suburbs

CONTROLLER

Areas of Expertise: This CPA Professional has 7 years within the manufacturing industry arena including 16 direct reports. He also possesses 5 years experience kicking off his career within public accounting. Nick’s core values are integrity, ability to make a difference, balance and ever learning. He is very service oriented.
Noteworthy: He has provided continuous internal controls to improve and develop his team of best practices and procedures. He has installed cross-training and developed the roadmap for his staff. While with a prior employer he was involved with standard cost for engines and while in public accounting he audited manufacturing operations verifying the standard costs. He has held full g/l, financial statement, budgeting, forecasting and modeling responsibility throughout his career. Nick considers himself a power user of SAP. He has also been involved with a system conversion from an IBM platform to PeopleSoft platform.
Position of interest: Controller
Available for: Direct Hire opportunities
Location: Schaumburg or Chicago IL Loop

CORPORATE ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Areas of Expertise: Mike has solid progressive career growth throughout his career.
Noteworthy: He was designated “Accounting Expert” for a Fortune 500 SAP Conversion. He established all Policies and Procedures in addition to building and training a team for a new Fortune 500 Accounting Department due to an acquisition. He managed the accounting and analysis for the a business segment with revenues over $2.4B. He streamlined the accounting close process as well as developed gross margin analysis model to quickly and accurately identify margin and pricing issues for that Fortune 500 Company.
Position of interest: Corporate Accounting Manager
Available for: Direct Hire opportunities
Location: Joliet, IL and along Route 88 corridor to Aurora

Interested in learning more?

Contact Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today and let us place the right accounting and finance worker with your company!