Interview Skills You Should Brush Up On to Succeed!

As companies move forward during The Great Resignation, they need to hire the right employees. This requires effective interview skills.

It takes a significant amount of time for a hiring manager and HR to discuss the job requirements, source and screen candidates, and conduct interviews. It also takes time to conduct background checks, finalize the candidate selections, and wait for candidates to accept offers and begin working.

As a result, hiring managers should participate in training now to refresh their interview skills. This helps build candidate pipelines for current and future hiring needs.

Discover some benefits of hiring managers brushing up on their interview skills and topics to discuss during training.

Advantages of Refreshing Interview Skills

Proving a refresher for hiring managers’ interview skills training lets them practice in a safe environment. Because these managers may not have conducted interviews for a significant time, a mini session would be advantageous.

Refresher training ensures hiring managers and HR are on the same page regarding interviewing. This increases success in hiring the best candidates.

Topics to Discuss When Refreshing Interview Skills

Intake meeting: Talk about the meeting between the hiring manager and HR to discuss the job requirements and sourcing strategy. For instance, emphasize the importance of the candidate experience throughout the hiring process. Also, discuss specific ways to show commitment to diversity and inclusion so candidates feel they are welcome and can be themselves at work.

Discussing the intake meeting ensures the hiring manager and HR are following the same policies and procedures for interviewing. This speeds up the hiring process, increasing the likelihood of hiring top candidates.

Interview questions: Emphasize the importance of asking effective, compliant behavioral interview questions. These questions provide insight into a candidate’s experience.

You may want to use the STAR method to create interview questions. This involves asking a candidate about a situation they encountered, the task they needed to accomplish, the action they took, and the results they attained.

Ensure the hiring manager asks follow-up questions to gather enough detail for a complete picture of the situation, task, action, and result. This helps provide the necessary information to make a hiring decision.

Candidate selection: Remind hiring managers to look past their unconscious biases when choosing the best candidate. This can be accomplished through an online training program that may be included in your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

Need Help with Hiring?

Refreshing hiring managers’ interview skills ensures managers and HR are on the same page throughout the hiring process. Sharing details about the intake meeting, interview questions, and the candidate selection process increases the likelihood of hiring the most qualified candidates.

For additional help with hiring, partner with Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. Get started today.

Leading a Meaningful Life

What are your proudest accomplishments?  What deep failure, fear or frustration do you have to overcome?  According to Derek Deprey, these initial questions will help you to begin your journey on leading a meaningful life!

To get started on your journey, you will need to form your CORE VALUES.  Define what your idea of success looks like, and develop this into your core values.  These core values with guide your decision making and your actions.

MOVE TO GROWTH.  What is your plan for personal development?  Identify the goals you have for your personal growth and pursue them.

VISION.  What gives you direction and purpose?  What do you want your future to look like?

FLOW:  On this journey, develop an APE attitude!

A:  Attitude.  Adapt a positive mindset:  Everyone is a TEN!  Give loyalty first, then you will get it back!  Realize that YOU have the ability to be more positive.

P:  Passion.  How do your passions drive your life?  What do you enjoy most and what skills do you need to get there? What do you have a strong desire to do or to achieve, that will typically require determination and hard work.  Identify these ambitions.

E:  Execution.  “Do it Afraid!”  Commit time to yourself to work on your goals.

Ask yourself, on a scale of 1 – 10, how was your last 3 months?  What would you need to do to increase your happiness score!!

FUSION.  You can lead a fulfilled life when personal values tie in with work values.  Think about what’s been bothering you.  Schedule the time to do what you would like to do and “Jump in the Pool!”  At this level work and play can become synonymous!

IMPACT!  Care about the dreams of others, and inspire fellow travelers along the way!

Source:  2017 Midwest Staffing Conference, Derek Deprey, www.derekdeprey.com

Top Candidates – March 2017 Newsletter

Senior Financial Analyst
Areas of expertise: Budget and Modeling and Analysis, Financial Planning and Analysis, Corporate Reporting and Analysis, Cost Benefit and Product Analysis, Operations Modeling and Process Review, Procedural Development and Review.

Noteworthy: 15 years of experience within the manufacturing arena. In the last three roles they held sole responsibility for Financial Planning and Analysis as well as closing out all of the books.

Position Interest- Sr. Financial Analyst or Finance Manager
Available for: Direct Hire Placement
Location: Northwest Suburbs.

Treasury Operations Manager
Areas of Expertise: MBA and pursuing his CPA. Banking consolidation projects, FX hedging and netting, Compliance reporting,  Prepare quarterly Board Meeting reports for the CFO, Implemented e-payment solutions, Implemented new treasury and banking platforms including foreign currency, the treasury workstation and bank fee analysis portals. Certified Treasury Professional

Noteworthy: MBA and pursuing his CPA with experience within manufacturing Fortune 500 Companies.

Position of Interest: Treasury Manager
Available for: Direct Hire Placement
Location: Northwest Suburbs

Sr. Credit Analyst
Areas of Expertise: 10+ years of working with SAP FICO and customized SAP programs. International credit analysis for Mexico, Australia, Canada and South America. Has handled a portfolio up to $350M.Deduction experience includes: shortages, discounts, promotions, damaged goods and spoiled product. Full DSO responsibility.

Noteworthy: SAP expertise as well as International Credit Analysis expertise.

Position of Interest: Sr. Credit Analyst
Available for: Contract, Contract to Hire or Direct Hire
Location: Western Suburbs

Staff Accountant
Expertise includes:  Advanced Excel  (pivot tables, lookups, formulas), G/L Accounting, Fixed Assets and Bank Reconciliations

Noteworthy:  This person is only looking for temp work over the next 6 months while finishing a Master’s Degree and studying for the CPA test.

Position of Interest:  Staff or Senior Accountant level
Available for:  temporary
Location:  West Suburbs

Senior Accountant/Analyst
Expertise includes:   Month-End G/L close, sales forecasting, budgets, Analysis of SG&A expenses

Noteworthy:  CPA and MBA with manufacturing industry experience.

Position of interest:  Senior Accountant or Financial Analyst
Available for: Temporary, Temp to Hire and Direct Hire
Location:  North Suburbs and NW Suburbs

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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.

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2015 Mid-Year Salary Survey

With 2015 more than half over, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources has acquired updated salary data in finance and accounting.  The compensation trends change throughout the year and with the fluctuating economy, you need to be on top of your game when negotiating salary numbers.

Looking to learn more about what salary expectations should be? Casey Accounting & Finance Resources can help! We have compiled our salary survey list with updated facts and figures including job descriptions for finance and accounting positions for the Chicago metropolitan area.

Contact us today and we will be happy to share this with you.  In the “YOUR MESSAGE” section, please enter “2015 Finance Salary Survey”.  Enjoy the rest of 2015!

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Temporary and Contract Work Booming! 6 Reasons to Consider Temporary Employment

As the job market continues to recover from previous unemployment rates, it appears that temporary and contract work is booming. Why is this? Employers are more willing to take on temporary employees as a way to find great employees and quickly fill staffing requirements while still maintaining employee skill sets. Temporary work is also an excellent option for those who are in between jobs or looking to gain career experience in a new organization.

Here, we will discuss the reasons why you should consider temporary employment and how you can benefit from this arrangement.

Learn New Skills

A temporary job is an excellent way for you to learn a new skill, especially if you need that new skill for a full-time job for which you wish to apply down the road. The new skill could be technical, physical or in the leadership field. Simply watching others around you in all of the temporary jobs you work will help you pick up on some new things you can leverage when applying for jobs elsewhere.

Flexibility of Scheduling

Flexibility is a key benefit of working temporary employment. Those who work in temporary jobs will find it very easy to arrange their schedule. This means that when you need to take time off, you can take a break in your career. As a temporary worker, you do not have to file a request with your employer for time off. Instead, you simply do not schedule another job to start until after your schedule is open again.

Make a Life Transition Easier

Life transitions, such as moving to a new state, are very difficult for some people to make successfully. Working temporary jobs can make a life transition easier for some. A temporary job will help a newly relocated person learn the culture of the area, learn what the job environment is like and much more. This will make it easier to accept a full-time job down the road because you will know what to expect on the job.

Temporary Often Leads to Regular Full-Time Position

It is quite possible that a temporary job could turn into a regular full-time position one without you even knowing it. Some companies hire temporary workers with the goal of keeping them on full-time if you are a good culture fit with the organization. The thing is, the company does not always know an opening will come up, so the employee will not know that this is a possibility. This is why you must put your best foot forward as a temporary worker.

Increase Your Network

Why not meet some new career contacts while earning a paycheck? If you love to network, temporary employment is an excellent way to do it. By working at a new company every couple of months, you will be able to add countless new people to your network. This will help improve your chances of landing a regular full-time job.

Earn Respect Within the Industry

An excellent way to earn respect within the industry is by working temporary jobs. You not only meet scores of new people, but you also build a reputation within the industry as a hardworking temporary employee. For all you know, a former temporary employer might contact you in the future for a full-time job.

There are plenty of reasons why you should work temporary jobs these days and we only touched the surface of them above. Find out more by connecting with the accounting recruitment specialists at Casey Resources.

Employee Incentives: Why They Are A Good Idea

Want to encourage your workforce? Employee incentives are an excellent way to motivate and reward your employees for a job well-done. Not all companies like to offer their employees incentives, but more are moving in the direction of these programs. In today’s post, we will discuss why it is a good idea to implement an employee incentive program in your workplace.

Send the Right Message

When your company offers an employee incentive program, it sends the right message not only to your employees, but also prospective employees. Not only does the entire program send a message, but individual aspects of the program send strong messages to those the rewards target.

For example, if you offer child care to your employees, those who are parents will see you value their family life. If you offer longevity bonuses to employees who are celebrating an anniversary with your company, you show the employee that you value their loyalty to the company.

Some of the most common forms of recognition in employee incentive programs include length of service with a company, going above and beyond on a project, top sales numbers, excellent ideas, earning employee of the month, practicing safety and attendance.

Increased Motivation

When your company offers its employees an incentive program, it increases their motivation to perform strongly while on the job. Employees will work harder when they are rewarded for reaching various goals or targets at the office. It can be difficult for employees to motivate themselves, which is why your company should provide an incentive program.

Better Loyalty

Companies that offer employees an incentive program notice an increase in employee loyalty. You cannot buy employee loyalty, but offering an incentive program for your employees will definitely help. These programs show employees that you value their time, hard work and commitment to the company. They will return that care by staying at your company and trying to work their way up the corporate ladder.

Higher Attendance

An employee incentive program can also help the attendance at your office. When employees have something to look forward to at the office they will tend to come in more often. Office settings that have poor culture and no reward system will see a higher amount of call-outs.

Stronger Culture and Morale

A company with an employee incentive program will experience a stronger culture and morale. Employees will be happier, highly motivated and have better morale each day of the week. When employees are happy and morale is high, your company’s overall costs will decline and productivity will increase.

If your company is considering an employee incentive program, take a look at the benefits outlined in this post. They are very hard to ignore, especially when you realize that happy workers are excellent workers.

Casey Resources, a trusted staffing firm, provides a number of services to clients and candidates, specifically in the accounting and financial industries. Contact us today to learn about the services we provide.