Accounting Recruiters Archives

Hire for Passion or Experience? Why You Need to Look at the Candidate Experience from the Other Side of the Table

It’s a candidate-driven market, which means more emphasis is being placed on the experience of the job candidate during the hiring process. A CareerBuilder survey revealed that “82 percent of employers believe there is little or no negative impact to a company when a candidate has a bad experience during the hiring process.” But this is not the case. Employees who have had a negative experience will quickly move onto a competitor and they may not ever consider your company again. Since job candidates have most of the leverage in today’s job search process, a bad experience in the hiring process will eliminate your company from consideration of the top talent you want to add to your organization.

One way to evaluate the experience of candidates is by going into their shoes and looking at it from a different angle. How can your company accomplish this?

From time to time, put yourself through the candidate application process. Does it seem complicated or too time consuming to fill out the application? Did you get an acknowledgment that you applied? How long until you actually get asked for an interview? These are all aspects that need to be evaluated on a regular basis if you want to focus on a positive candidate experience.

It’s easy to think your process works when you don’t have to go through it every day. If you don’t want to audit the process on your own and want to get a fresh perspective, ask someone in your organization who doesn’t directly work with the job candidate experience. You also could ask trusted colleagues, friends or other connections for their honest feedback.

Evaluate whether your company has had better success with hiring for passion vs. experience. In the past, there have been hires that have done outstanding based on either factor. Now is the time to see how they are doing. Are the people who were hired for passion still as enthusiastic about their jobs? Did the people who brought a lot of industry knowledge to the workplace stick around? Consider the time you or your company had to invest in getting the passionate new hires up to speed to complete the job responsibilities. With the experienced job candidates, did they meet the cultural fit of your organization or did a resume-based hire fall flat?

Interviews can be a valuable source of information too. They are often the first contact that candidates have with your company. In today’s climate, candidates are very eager to share their experience on company review websites like Glassdoor, or even on Google or Facebook. How are candidates rating their experience with interviews? Are they being challenged by the interview process or is it too predictable? Do they get an accurate image of the organization to help them make the best decision possible if they receive a job offer from your company? Or are they still confused about the job duties, culture and other factors?

From the side of the table that candidates sit behind, they are evaluating your company every step of the way. Be sure that your hiring practices meet their expectations and approval by putting yourself in their shoes once in a while.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, leaders in financial staffing in Chicago, will recruit and provide the accounting and finance staff your company needs. Contact our award-winning team of recruiters today to get started on finding the top talent your organization wants to add.

How to Retain Your Best Talent: Employees Need to Be Connected to the Company

It has been said that it takes a lot more to maintain a happy workforce than it did years ago. This is supported by statistics, like the fact that nearly two-thirds of the workforce is actively disengaged from their jobs, and many others are using work time to search for other opportunities.

One of the better ways of keeping employees satisfied in their careers is to offer support for learning and development. Let’s face it, the convergence of personal and professional is happening more often in the workforce. People want support for their goals. How can your company develop enough programs to meet the unique needs of all its employees?

1. Make learning a core value in the workplace.

When learning is a value of the company, it becomes a normal aspect of the culture. This enables employees – who previously would be searching for new learning opportunities outside of work – to confidently pursue their professional development. Create a system to reimburse employees for continuing education. Send them to conferences. Purchase webinars if your budget is smaller. Encourage your staff to read articles throughout the day.

2. Identify learning and development programs that cater to employees at all levels.

Because learning styles can be so vastly different from one employee to the next, often driven by generational characteristics, learning and development programs need to be varied. Blend classroom learning programs with on-demand eLearning. Survey employees to find out what they want to learn and link this to their career goals. Not everyone wants to sit in front of a computer for a 60-minute webinar, and not everyone wants to go hear a local speaker.

3. Bring industry-leading programs and experts directly to employees.

Get your employees excited about learning and connect them deeper to the company by bringing learning to them. Set up brown bag lunch and learn sessions, offer special talks from industry leaders, and create a full learning environment that includes employees of all generations and interests. Taking that information from outside topics and relating it to your company’s processes provides a natural connection for your employees.

4. Promote and reward learning achievers.

To create a deep connection with employees, link their learning efforts to performance. If they participate, reward them for making this commitment to excellence. Set up promotions and bonuses based on learning initiatives. The incentives don’t have to be anything major. You can tie salaries to something like continuing education or certifications. A small gesture like a gift card to a movie theater will be appreciated, especially if you recognize employees publicly.

Work with a Leading Financial Recruiter in Chicago

When your financial group has an employment need for top financial talent, work with the award-winning financial recruiters at Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. Contact our great team today to get started!

How Teamwork Helps All Aspects of Your Career

Whether you are currently employed or seeking a new job, being a team player can be to your advantage. Why? People skills are often in short supply as more employees lean on technology and interact less in the workplace. Being a great communicator and collaborator can take you far in your career. The ability to relate to many different types of people and situations, using your best skills to support a team effort is something you should work on throughout your career.

Here are some reasons why teamwork helps you in all aspects of your career development.

Teamwork helps you see things from other perspectives

When you open yourself up to working with others in a team setting, you benefit by learning perspectives and experiences. This aids in your development and ability to expand your horizons. It can also help you become better at your job as you learn new ways of handling tasks and seeing things from alternative views.

Teamwork will help you get a better career

At your current job, teamwork develops relationships and leads to increased production. When you’re looking for a new job, people will help you out and you can show examples of when you were a great team member.

Teamwork skills require being more personable

If you struggle with shyness or fear around other people, making an effort to be active on a team can help you come out of your shell. Make the choice to be an active participant and use your talents to contribute to the success of each project. You will earn the respect of your peers and develop more personality.

Teamwork can connect you with the right people and opportunities

In life, being part of a team can bring you closer to the type of career and the challenge of new experiences you need to grow. You can build closer connections with your peers, mentors, and even clients and vendors you work with. Using teamwork principles, you will be viewed as someone that others can rely on to get things done.

Teamwork is the hallmark of a future leader

When you learn how to be a team player, you are also developing the skills you can use as a future leader in your industry. Learning to get along with others, bringing out the best in them, and sharing in successes are the traits that all good leaders possess. Think in these terms as you work on team-building skills and attitudes.

Work with a Leader Among Chicago Recruiters

At Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, we value teamwork among all of our employees. We will focus on your area of expertise and place top financial job candidates with the best financial companies in Chicago and the surrounding area. Contact our award-winning financial recruiters to get started!

How to Get Responses from Passive Candidates

To a recruiter, passive candidates may seem like a golden opportunity to attract a professional with a strong sense of loyalty and above-board skills. The hardest part is often connecting with the elusive candidate without being too “sales” oriented. While it is possible to accomplish this on social networking sites like LinkedIn, recruiters must still tread carefully so that they do not scare off, intimidate, or – worse yet – annoy a passive candidate.

Many recruiters have equated passive candidate attraction to the dating world. You may like what you see, but taking that first step and talking to the passive candidate is the hardest. Failure to take action could mean losing a valuable person. Coming on too strong could ruin any chance you had to begin with.

Try these suggestions for reaching out to passive candidates and getting them to respond in a positive way.

Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes

What is it that you’re actually sending to passive candidates? If you’re not sure of how your initial messages may appear to a candidate, take the time to send a message to yourself – wait 24 hours, and then read it to get an initial impression. Remember: These are people who are not actively looking for work opportunities, however with the right offer they may consider at least talking with you. Your initial communication with a passive candidate must be respectful of their time, and not overly pushy.

Explain who you are

Getting a message from an unknown source can be creepy to anyone. Be sure to explain in a non-threatening way who you are and why you were contacting a passive candidate. Keep your message warm and friendly. Make sure all of your social profiles are up-to-date, including your cover photo profile information and any open positions you are recruiting for. Remember: A candidate will immediately start searching for you online, so you want to shine in the best light.

Be complementary and specific

When a passive job seeker reviews your message, they will be able to tell immediately if it is a form letter or if you wrote it specifically to them. Review the candidate’s background carefully and compliment specific achievements that they’ve made. Recognize their value to appeal to their ego. If you have a common connection, make sure you indicate this in the message. Keep the message concise and discreet. Include your direct contact information. Let the candidate know you will be checking back with them within a specified amount of time.

Invite the candidate to self-schedule

Thanks to modern scheduling calendar software, it’s possible to invite the candidate to select a time that is convenient for them to talk with you about the career opportunity. This call to action can be very effective in getting a passive candidate to respond to your request. Clearly state that you want to find out what their career goals are and how you can help them accomplish this. This should appeal to any passive candidate who may be thinking about a career change in the near future.

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. From a recent survey, the feedback we received was: “I am pleased with the professional service provided by Casey Accounting & Finance Resources.” Contact our award-winning team of financial recruiters today to get started!

Employee Retention: Best Practices to Keep Your Employees Engaged

Employee retention is a big talking point at companies in every industry, with HR managers and other department heads trying to find new ways to keep employees – especially their most talented ones – from jumping ship. Part of employee retention is keeping employees engaged in what they are doing. If you are perplexed by poor employee retention and grumbling unhappy workers, your organization could be in trouble without prompt action.

Here, we will discuss the best practices to keep your employees engaged so they stick with your company and stay productive.

Commit to Open Communication

Let employees know what their jobs require and why their jobs are important to the success of the company. Make sure employees know that collaboration is welcome, especially when it comes to completing projects. Your company’s leaders must also encourage employee feedback and listen to it. Treat your temporary employees the same way and respect their ideas and contribution to the company goals.

Take Advantage of Social Media

Your company can create a safe place for employees to discuss issues within the industry with their co-workers by taking part in debates and other discussions. You could also create a Facebook page for new additions to your company where they can interact with each other prior to their first day on the job. They can also use the group to discuss how their first couple of months have gone at the company.

Create a Culture That’s Intentional

Creating an intentional culture is actually a good way to make sure that employees know how they are expected to act at the office and how the company wants them to fit in with others when it comes to their values. There is no reason to hide the corporate culture from employees. Hang posters, send newsletters, discuss it in meetings and write emails that explain the culture and the company’s values.

Support Employee Career Development

Employees want to know that they can climb the corporate ladder without having to switch employers multiple times. They do not want to get stuck in a dead-end job. If you want to keep your employees engaged, and in-house, make sure they have a defined career development path. Create learning opportunities and have a mentoring system in place for skills transfer.

Take one or two of the tips outlined above and put them to work for your company so you can keep employees engaged. The effort will be well worth it because of higher productivity and employees who will be more loyal to your company.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources is a trusted staffing firm that provides innovative and creative solutions. Contact us today and see how we will exceed your expectations as one of the top finance recruiters in Chicago.

What Does It Mean When They Say “We’ll Keep Your Resume on File?”

When an employer says they will “keep your resume on file,” what does this mean to you as a candidate? This is a common recruitment practice that can leave job seekers feeling dismissed and rejected. Understand what this means and that it’s not necessarily a bad thing as we will explain.

First off, it’s generally understood that hiring managers are bombarded with hundreds of resumes from candidates who vary from not qualified to overqualified. They must review all these resumes, and then choose a small handful of candidates who meet the job criteria, and then decide how to proceed from there. It doesn’t matter if your resume was the first or the last to be received, all candidates must be treated equally. However, if you have sent your resume once they have stopped accepting resumes for the position, it may not even be considered since the top candidates may have already been selected.

At this point, you may have received a letter or email thanking you for applying, but announcing that they have decided to move forward with other candidates at this time. Your resume will be securely stored in a file with the other candidates, and will be grouped by area of skills for future consideration. Very often, hiring managers will refer back to these resumes as new positions are opened, so you could get called back in a few weeks or months.

If you are one of the lucky few who are called for an initial phone or in-person interview, congratulations – you have made the first big cut! This means you have met the general requirements of the job you have applied for on the company’s website or online. Your resume and qualifications are likely to have been reviewed more closely and even by a few people on the hiring team. Your resume is now in a much smaller group of candidates, and you are being considered for the job.

Once you have a phone interview, or have been asked to come in for an interview, you are in an even better position. This is your chance to impress the hiring manager and convince the company how your contribution can help their company succeed. If you have this interview and you then get a rejection letter, your resume will end up being stored with the job type and skills, and may even be passed around the company (in a secure file) to see if any other managers or teams may be interested in you. Sometimes, the candidate they did offer the job to initially is unable to accept the position, and the interview process starts all over from the beginning.

Remember, getting told that your resume will be kept on file is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a required human resource practice to hold the resumes and applications of qualified candidates on file for at least six months for EEOC guidelines (equal opportunity). Feel free to reapply for work as you see positions come open you are qualified for, and send in your resume at least once every six months, or as asked.

As a nationally accredited, best-in-class recruitment firm, our staff is well networked in the accounting and finance community, tenured and industry certified. Contact Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today, and we will help you find finance careers in Chicago!

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.

Be YOUR Recruiter’s Top Candidate! Dos and Don’ts of Working with a Recruiter

It’s very common for professionals to seek out the support of a recruitment professional for career growth. There are a number of benefits of doing this, including faster access to careers and the companies that offer them, as well as higher earnings potential. If you have decided it’s time to work with a recruiter to find your next job, then you need to know how you can turn yourself into the recruiter’s top candidate. You want to be at the top of their list, because they will place you first for jobs that become available that match your experience and needs.

Here, we will discuss the dos and don’ts of working with a recruiter, so you can make the most of the situation.

The Dos of Working with a Recruiter

We will begin today with what you should do when working with a recruiter. They include being patient, having an open line of communication, being transparent, asking questions, doing your homework, talking about your past, and discussing what you want in your next job.

Recruiters are not able to place every person they meet in a new job. You need to be patient because the job might not come right off the bat. An average job search lasts anywhere from three to six months, but a recruiter can accelerate the process. Even with a recruiter, placement will not come instantly.

A recruiter works for job seekers and employers. You need to be open and honest with recruiters in order to obtain a job. Be as transparent as possible when discussing what it is you want to do in your career.

Do not work with just any recruiter. Try to find someone whose niche is in your industry. This can be discovered by doing your homework and asking questions of each recruiter you meet. A recruiter will have an easier time placing you if you talk about your past jobs, skills, responsibilities and more. Check into the local staffing associations, such as the Illinois Search and Staffing Association, www.issaworks.com, to obtain a list of reputable and ethical staffing companies that you can contact to help you with your job search.

The Don’ts of Working with a Recruiter

Now we can move onto what you shouldn’t do when working with a recruiter. They include expecting the recruiter to perform all of the work, failing to talk about the small things, forgetting that time is money, hiding concerns about the job and demanding an increase in salary that is unreasonable.

Do not expect the recruiter to do all of the work for you. Even though they will walk you through the interview process and help you solidify your resume, you still need to do your part. This includes researching companies and learning about the jobs out there that interest you.

Listen to the recruiter when they help to prepare you for the interview. Often, the recruiter will have a good working relationship with the client, so the information they share with you will help you to be more successful during the interview process.

The small things matter in a job search, especially when small things are found on your background check. Even if it is a small issue, disclose it early so no issues about your character or integrity come up when it is too late.

Time is money, and because of this, you need to drop out of an interview process prior to wasting everyone’s time if you know the job will not be a fit for you.

Be honest with the recruiter when it comes to job opportunities they present you. They will be able to form a better idea of what you are looking for by talking openly about jobs.

A typical increase when changing jobs is 10 percent. Be realistic on your expectations for compensation.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources is a trusted staffing firm that strives to exceed our clients’ expectations to help achieve their talent management goals and objectives. Contact our team of recruiters today to get started on meeting your employment needs.

Hire Fast! Great Accounting & Finance Candidates Land Quickly!

In the job market, finance and accounting candidates are easy to come by, but the really great ones are few and far between. This means the top companies are competing for high-performing finance and accounting candidates, before others can snatch them up. They do this using smart recruitment practices.

How can your company attract and hire great accounting and finance candidates fast before they land at other companies? Start with these tips.

Offer something the other companies don’t.

Do your research to find out what finance and accounting candidates are looking for. First, conduct a salary and compensation survey using the most recent data for your region and type of industry. PayScale is a good place to start, and you can also search at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational data or Salary.com. Find out what the best finance and accounting employees are earning, what benefits they enjoy, and what the market trends point to, in terms of career opportunities. Make this the foundation of your recruitment offering.

Become an employer of choice for finance and accounting pros.

Finance and accounting professionals are very much like other working people – they want to work for a well-respected company in the industry. Therefore, if you want to land the best candidates, your efforts should be about making your workplace the best in the market. Provide excellent compensation packages, highly ethical work practices, and proactive ways of getting people to that place they dream about.

Provide flexible work arrangements and career growth.

Working in the accounting and finance fields can be exhausting. Accounting and finance pros often find themselves working grueling hours on time-sensitive projects that drain them. This is why a company should offer flexible scheduling that allows for generous amounts of time off when needed. On top of that, career growth is a big need for many who work in this area of business. Offering training and advancement opportunities speaks loudly to top candidates.

Don’t forget about passive finance candidates.

When trying to obtain the best finance and accounting candidates possible, think outside of recruiting active job seekers. Look further and start connecting with passive candidates who may be seeking something better in the future. Building relationships with passive finance and accounting candidates gives you a chance to attract those who are highly valued in the market, so when they are ready for a new job, they will consider your company first.

Hire on a temporary basis.

One of the best ways to attract and hire the top accounting professionals in the market is via temporary staffing agencies. Many accounting and finance pros are looking for better opportunities, and they will seek out temp projects going this route. This also works well for seasonal peaks in your business and those that demand specialists in finance and accounting topics.

How to Turn Off a Top Candidate in an Interview

Years ago, hiring companies didn’t care so much about the candidate experience and about turning candidates off in the process. Now, however, the tides have turned and it’s become a candidate-driven job market. Today’s companies have to work harder than ever to attract top talent. Then, once they have them in person at an interview, employers must do their best to impress an outstanding candidate enough so that they will enthusiastically accept the job offer.

How can you know if you are impressing the best candidates or if you are simply turning them off? If you are having problems getting top talent to call you back or accept job offers, this could be a clear sign that your interviewing process has issues. Here are some ways you could be ruining your chances of hiring the best.

Making the application process far too complex and time consuming

One of the biggest pet peeves of candidates is that they are often forced to spend way too much time filling out job applications, taking online assessments, and answering pre-interview screening questions. An overreliance on applicant tracking systems leads to candidates who would rather walk away than go through the hassle. If the candidate does “jump through all the hoops,” often weeks go by without any response from the company. When this happens, the professionalism of the company is in jeopardy.

Being unprepared or disconnected during job interviews

When the candidate comes to your office for an interview, is the environment welcoming? There is nothing more annoying for a top candidate than to be shuffled into an interview room to face an unprepared and unprofessional interviewer. Reading through canned interview questions, not taking notes or talking about things of relevance with the candidate is recruitment suicide.

Requiring candidates to endure group interviews or coming back for multiple interviews

This can be a huge waste of time that many candidates will not put up with anymore. Make interviews straightforward, intimate, and focused on the outcome. Try to schedule the candidate’s time effectively to meet with the key players at your organization on the same day. A top candidate’s time is important, too. Even worse, after the first interview the candidate does not get a response from the company, or the company calls him back many weeks later for another interview.

Doing all of the talking and asking all the questions during interviews

Another way that so many recruiters turn candidates off is by doing all the talking and not creating a dialogue. This is never a good idea. Don’t make the candidate feel like they are being interrogated in an interview. By creating a dialogue, you get to know your candidate better and the candidate gets to know the goals and mission of your organization, and how he/she can help you achieve these goals.

Rushing the candidate through interviews, form completion and background checks

Once you have a top candidate on board, don’t make the mistake of then rushing them through the hiring process. Respect that they will likely have to provide notice to their current employer, may need to relocate, and a whole slew of other responsibilities before they can come work for your company.

If you have noticed that some of these areas are a problem, take steps to correct your approach to hiring top talent. You’ll find that a staffing agency can also help to reduce losing good people.