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.

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.