Hiring Trends to Anticipate in Accounting for 2015

As we begin 2015, companies are preparing their budgets for the coming year. One thing they are preparing for is hiring new employees. Within the accounting industry, there are a couple of hiring trends that employers should anticipate for 2015. We will discuss them in this post so you can prepare to hire the best talent available for your open jobs.

Hot Accounting Jobs for 2015

In 2015, the following jobs in the accounting industry will be hiring in large numbers, so be sure your company is ready to bring in the best talent.

  • Staff accountant: salary range of $46,220-$60,882 with an average of $54,257
  • Accounts payable manager: salary range of $53,994-$95,575 with an average of $74,030
  • Payroll manager: salary range of $59,612-$102,132 with an average of $80,433
  • Collections specialist: salary range of $24,175-$42,828 with an average of $33,048
  • Tax accountant: salary range of $38,633-$59,592 with an average of $48,774
  • Mortgage loan processor: salary range of $39,252-$60,352 with an average of $34,623
  • Auditing director: salary range of $94,803-$180,574 with an average of $133,183
  • Compliance manager: salary range of $75,567-$95,467 with an average of $79,889
  • Financial reporting supervisor: salary range of $77,420-$124,639 with an average of $99,519
  • Business data analyst: salary range of $45,156-$70,331 with an average of $58,325

Salary Increases in Accounting

Within the accounting industry, there are a handful of jobs that are expected to see significant raises in salary once 2015 arrives. Those jobs and salary increases include the following:

  • Audit/Assurance Services at a midsize firm: Any professional in this position who has held the job for three years will see a raise of 2.9 percent, which is a range of $56,750-$74,750.
  • Tax Services Manager at a midsize firm: Any professional who works in this profession can expect to see a raise of 3.9 percent in 2015. The salary range will increase to $88,750-$123,250.
  • Management Service Professionals at large firms: People who have worked this job for at least three years can see a salary increase of 3.1 percent in 2015. The salary range will increase to $65,750-$82,500.
  • Senior Manager/Director in Audit/Assurance Services at a small firm: These professionals can see a 3.6 percent salary increase that will move the range to $94,250-$134,500.
  • Bookkeepers at firms of all sizes: Raises of 3.0 percent in 2015 are expected for these professionals to increase the salary range to $40,750-$61,250.

As you prepare your budgets for 2015, you need to prepare for all of the hiring trends within accounting so you can bring in the proper talent for your firm.

Interviewing a Financial Analyst? Here Are Some Good Questions to Ask.

As you prepare to interview a financial analyst for your company, you need to prepare some tough questions to ask the candidates. These questions should challenge the candidates and also help them exhibit their knowledge and experience within the industry. The last thing you want to do is hire a candidate who is less than stellar when it comes to the financial world. We will discuss the best questions to ask a financial analyst candidate in this post.

What do you want to learn from this position?

One of the first questions you must ask a candidate is what they want to learn from the position should they be hired. This is an important question because you will be able to gauge the interest of the candidate and what they already know about the industry and the job.

Describe a time when you had to meet a deadline, but failed to do so.

This is more of a request than a question, but it is still very important to discuss with the candidate. You need to discuss this subject so you can find out how honest the candidate is and whether or not they were able to handle the adversity that was presented to them by the missed deadline.

Have you ever made a bad financial decision?

Another important question you should ask every candidate is if they have ever made a bad financial decision during their career. You do not need to base your hiring decision solely on the answer to this question, but it should be taken into consideration. You should follow up by asking the candidate what they learned from the mistake.

What are financial models?

Any good interviewer knows that a financial analyst candidate must be asked this question. If they cannot answer this question immediately and explicitly, then they might not be the right person for the job.

More Important Questions to Ask:

– What is the importance of a monthly sales report?

– How does a company calculate its monthly cash flow?

– What programs do you use to create graphs, charts, and spreadsheets for data?

– How do you monitor industry development?

– How do you handle a financial analysis project?

– What types of profitability models do you use?

-Which profitability model do you think is best and why?

As you can see, when interviewing financial analyst candidates, the questions you ask should be challenging. This will help you gauge their experience within the industry and whether or not they are a strong fit for your company.

The Benefits of Using a Recruiter

Recruiters are becoming very popular these days with people who are looking for a new job, or their first job right out of college. In this post we will discuss the pros of using a recruiter for your job search.

The Benefits of Using a Recruiter

One of the most important pros that job seekers enjoy when using a recruiter is the fact that recruiters know many people and they love to help improve people’s lives by moving them into new career opportunities by performing their job of finding talented people for companies.

In most situations, recruiters will have a direct connection to the hiring manager at a company or organization. This means your resume and cover letter will make it to the top of the list when a trusted recruiter calls to tell them about you.

Another pro is it is an excellent use of your time. When you perform a job search on your own, you might get to talk to only three companies in the span of a week. However, when you work with a recruiter, he or she has access to many companies that potentially might be looking for someone with your job skills that the recruiter can reach over the  same time span.

One of the most popular pros to using a recruiter is that you may go on fewer fruitless interviews. This is because recruiters will be able to whittle down the jobs for which you are qualified. This prevents you from interviewing for jobs that you do not have enough experience for or for which you are overqualified.

One Final Pro of Using a Recruiter

There are some additional plusses when using a recruiter to find a job. Consider that you want to land with a company that can offer you more than just a salary. A recruiter has established many networks around the industry and region in which you work and live. They have connections with a good number of people who may never otherwise hear about your talents. When you work with a professional recruiter, you can tap into this benefit instead of hoping to be in the right place at the right time.

Top Accounting And Finance Talent For Fall 2014

We at Casey Accounting & Finance Resources pride ourselves on providing our clients with the best job candidates available in accounting and finance. From accounting clerks to CFOs, we are committed to fitting your vacant positions with the appropriate talent. Here are some examples of our featured candidates:

Credit Analyst:

  • Fantastic work history!
  • Strong MFG industry experience handling a portfolio of 400 accounts with a $6 million balance.   Experience includes research, analysis and collections.  Designed and implemented a web based credit application and credit limit process for new customers and monitoring credit lines for current customers.
  • Available for:   Temp to Hire and Direct Hire
  • Location:  Chicago IL and Near West Suburbs

Senior Accountant:

  • CPA with excellent work ethic.  Experience includes:   Financial Statement preparation, consolidations, budget preparation, has supervised A/P and A/R.
  • Available for:   Temp, Temp to Hire and Direct Hire
  • Location:  Northwest Suburbs

Accounting Clerk:

  • Reliable/Great references
  • Expertise in Accounts Payable, payroll processing, monthly accruals, journal entries, G/L reconciliations, intermediate excel skills
  • Available for:   Temp to Hire and Direct Hire
  • Location:  Northwest and West Suburbs

Senior Payroll Administrator:

  • ADP and multi-state payroll experience within both large corporate setting (several thousand employee) and small company (several hundred employee) environment using ADP software.   Respond to payroll inquiries, garnishments, conduct payroll audits, provide SOX reports, administer 401k.
  • Available for:   Direct Hire only
  • Location:  Northwest Suburbs

CFO/Controller:

  • Small/mid size privately held company background
  • CPA with a progressive work history.    Excellent communication skills.   Service industry and distribution industry background.  Recently lead finance for a $210M dollar company with multiple sites and helped facilitate the sale of the company.
  • Available for:  Direct Hire
  • Location: Flexible

Payroll Professional:

  • Areas of expertise: Multi state payroll and multi company federal reporting
  • Over 10 years as Payroll Manager and administrator processing up to 3500 employees and 7 companies. Instrumental in automating systems in 2 companies,  supervised payroll staff. Proficient with  SAP,Ceridian, ADP.
  • Available for:  Temp to hire or direct hire.
  • Location:  Wauconda IL  area

Financial Analyst, Sr Accountant:

  • Demonstrated success in project management, accounting, IT projects related to finance and supply chain, general management, and operations. Fortune 500, mid and small companies, as well as new business startups. Experienced in accounting applications and functions; evaluated and streamlined processes, cost and efficiencies; and detailed business analysis in engagement and project work. Extensive knowledge of SAP and Oracle. Advanced Excel skill sets include pivot tables, v-lookups, and if-statements. Candidate for the CPA exam.
  • Available for:  Temp to hire or direct hire.
  • Location:  Chicago IL

A/P, A/R expert:
Manufacturing, Retail, Healthcare, Transportation

  • Vendor invoicing, coding, posting to GL, created batching, ,expense reports, vendor coordination, national accounts.  MS Dynamics AX vouching, TSS, Oracle. Customer cash application, Credit cards/PayPal reports. ACH wire transfers. Posting, processing of bills, vendor information. Matching of purchase orders with shipping/receiving documents. Extensive Excel skills, extensive software knowledge.
  • Available for:  Temp to hire or direct hire.
  • Location:  Chicago IL and near suburbs.

Like what you see? These are just some of the great candidates we have to offer. Contact Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today and let us place the right accounting and finance worker with your company!

Seasoned Veteran vs Young Talent: Who To Hire?

Companies across the country are faced with a dilemma on a daily basis; do they hire a seasoned veteran of the workforce or young talent just out of college for an accounting position? This can be a difficult question to answer, but we will discuss both options, so companies know how to go about their hiring process for open positions.

Hire the Seasoned Veteran

As we take a look at hiring veteran workers, one thing we need to keep in mind is the fact that this should not be gauged by birthdays. Instead, companies need to gauge a veteran worker by the years he has worked within the industry, the experiences they have amassed, the personal networks created, and the trials and errors solved throughout their career.

If your company wants to hire a veteran worker, it needs to take into account the wisdom and experiences that worker has accumulated during their career. The more wisdom and experience an employee has, the more effective or helpful he/she will be to the company hiring him/her.

Hire the Young Talent

Companies that hire young talent will be rewarded with fresh ideas and new perspectives to complete projects assigned to them. Young talent right out of college, or with very little time in the workforce, will be more inclined to take risks with projects in order to see their company succeed.

Hiring young talent often means that they likely will not finish their career with your company. Gone are the days of employees working for one company their entire career. This means that within two to five years, you will need to replace the young talent as they move to other ventures.

The bottom line here is that you need to look at both veteran workers and young talent when positions become available at your company. Reach out to Casey Accounting & Resources in Chicago IL and hire a suitable temporary employee to try before you commit to any one employee. This gives you a chance to see what they are all about while they prove their worth to your organization.

Why Having a Referral for an Accounting Job is so Important

You may not realize just how important it is to have a referral for an accounting job until you get passed over for a position by someone who has an inside contact at your dream company. If you enter a job search without having a referral, you could be putting yourself at a major disadvantage. Why is having a referral so critical to your success?

  • It gives you a chance to breeze through the application process faster than other candidates.
  • A referral can get your resume in the right hands of a hiring manager sooner than just waiting around for a response.
  • Direct referrals can give you added insight into what to expect in the hiring and interviewing process, so you have an advantage of correct interview preparation.

When searching for a new job, you should do everything possible to put yourself ahead of the pack, but make sure what you do is positive and does not negatively impact your search. We will discuss the importance of using a referral in an accounting job search here.

Using an Internal Referral

One of the most effective types of referrals for accounting jobs is that of the internal referral. This means that you will need to know someone working at the company where you want to apply for a job. Many companies today are using their employees to find their new hires because it can be less costly than traditional recruitment methods. This means that they rely strongly on their employees and trust their judgment when it comes to referring potential candidates. When you begin the search for an accounting job, think about all your friends and family members and where they work. One of them could turn out to be an internal referral for you.

Get Referred by a Staffing Agency

When you are registered with a staffing agency that has a relationship with multiple companies that hire accounting and finance professionals, you have a major advantage. Your resume goes to the top of the pile in most cases, the recruiter calls the hiring manager directly to promote you, or you may just be placed into an assignment right away. Once you prove yourself in a temporary accounting assignment, often this can lead to regular full-time employment at the client.

Referrals Push you to Top of the List

As with any type of job, having a referral in the accounting industry can push your resume to the top of the candidate list. Why does this happen? You would not refer someone for a job who might be shaky or might not have the experience needed for the job because it will reflect poorly on you. The same can be said for someone referring you for an accounting job. If you can acquire a referral, you will more than likely be called for an interview because you instantly have credibility in the search by the company for a new hire.

Personal Attention from the Employer

If you have a referral for an accounting job, it is likely that you will receive personal attention from the hiring manager or human resource executive. This happens because the person who referred you to the company probably handed your resume directly to the person who is hiring for the open position. This instantly increases your chances of being interviewed and offered the job. When you receive personal attention from the hiring manager, you are already ahead of the game.

Send a Referral Letter

Another important tip to consider is sending a referral letter to the potential employer. This will only help your cause in finding an accounting job. After your referral says he or she talked to the hiring manager about you, submit the letter to that person. Make sure you explain how you know the common connection and even offer a little bit about your background and experience in the letter.

Using a referral to find an accounting job can put your resume atop the list of candidates. Make sure you take advantage of this job search secret the next time you apply for a new job.