Is Your Business Prepared for the New Year?

It’s that time of the year again—it’s time to make sure your business has all its ducks in a row to start the new year. You’ve used December to reflect on the past year and now, in this last week of December, it’s time to focus on your company’s new goals for the upcoming year. It’s time to evaluate things by cleaning house, making sure those financial reviews are completed and getting ready for success in 2012. 

The Importance of Making an Informed Decision in Your Job Search

After several months on the job search, it comes as a huge relief to be offered a position in your respected industry. As easy as it is to get ahead of yourself in the acceptance process, it’s important to take a moment to sit back and re-evaluate the position to ensure it is the best possible fit for your career. The job search process is a long, tedious and exhausting journey, which is why many people find themselves in less than ideal roles that they commonly accept out of simply the pure excitement of the moment. It’s important to take the time to ask yourself serious questions about the position you are about to accept. Some questions to consider:

The Game of Interview Telephone

Being a people person is a great quality—it can take you above and beyond in the professional workplace. However, what happens if you aren’t particularly good on the phone? In today’s job market most pre-screening takes place over the phone, which is why it is important to know the best way to engage in phone interviews. There is currently a lot of competition in nearly every job market due to the down economic situation. We have compiled several tips that will help you to put a better step forward when faced with your next phone interview.

The Life of a Recruiter

“Can you help find me a job?”

If you are a recruiter, this is a question that you’ve been asked a hundred times or so. With the current state of the job market, job seekers are looking to all outlets for the opportunity to find job openings for résumé submissions. Along that same wavelength, due to the high volume of candidates applying to open positions, hiring firms are looking to recruiting firms to find them the most suitable candidates.

What Finance and Accounting Recruiters Really Look For

No matter your industry, there will always be competition in the job market. Knowing what will make you stand out from the crowd is what makes the difference between getting the interview or not, getting offered that promotion or getting overlooked. To help you get noticed by recruiters and employers, we have put together some general tips that we, as finance and accounting recruiters, look for when searching through potential hire résumés.

Reinvent Your Company with Recruiters

It’s no secret that the current state of the American, and global economy, has companies in a tailspin. Unemployment is still high, industries are in a fragile state and it’s hard for many to feel any sense of security. A common trend that has made itself evident recently is that many companies are electing to “reinvent” themselves in order to stay ahead of the competition.

In The Trenches: “Older” Versus “Younger” in the Global Recession

The job market is a cut-throat place these days, but is it extra difficult for older workers? The consensus seems to be “yes”. The questions that arise may include: are they less qualified? Less hardworking? Or is it that younger workers are less expensive?  These are the questions that are instigating conversations across the job market. We have narrowed down some reasons older workers may be suffering when battling for a job against their younger competition.

Increasing Your Worth in the Workplace

Are you interested in making a larger salary? Before you ask your boss for a raise, you may want to review your current workplace activity to ensure you are performing at your best. The better your value in the workplace, the better the chance at a promotion and the salary boost that comes with it. Luckily, there are several tips our financial recruiting experts have pulled together to help you enhance your overall worth in the workplace.

First Days and First Impressions

The interviewing process and landing a job are no small feats. But once you land the position, that’s when the real work begins. Trying to establish a good reputation and trust at the beginning of a new job is an important part of building relationships at your new place of business; it helps shape your perception.

To help you make a great first impression, this accounting recruiting firm suggests these guidelines once you land your job:

Fact or Fiction—Nobody Hires During the Holidays

Every year when the seasons begin to change and the holidays fast approach, job seekers and career advisors find themselves discussing the often repeated topic: “are companies hiring during the holidays?” In our experience, this claim is nothing more than a myth that’s been circulated among business professionals seeking employment. Of course, there are times throughout the year when companies slow down the hiring process either due to end-of-the-year vacations, a lack of available budget space or in preparation for the next fiscal year. However, if a company has open positions needing to be filled, they are less likely to halt the hiring process.

Real Recruiters Win Out

Well-rounded, dedicated recruiters know the difference between sourcing and recruiting; they also know the difference between passive candidates compared to the active ones. To be an effective, successful recruiter, there are several characteristics you must possess that help define you from hiring average employees to hiring candidates that reside at the top of the talent pool. Real recruiters possess the following characteristics and knowledge:

Job Search Tip: Use tools to sell your story

When it comes to reviewing résumés, the sheer volume of résumés received in their inbox can overwhelm a recruiter. Think about it: a recruiter could get hundreds upon hundreds of résumés for a single job posting. And with that amount, it can be difficult to differentiate one from the other. That is why it’s important that your résumé has unique properties, such as URLs and hyperlinks, to make it stand out among the sea of qualified applicants.

It’s All About Who You Know

It’s not news that networking is a vital to jobseekers on the hunt for a new career. It’s said regularly by professionals and job seekers alike, “It’s all about who you know”. Do you know the right people? Whether you are just starting your networking venture or consider yourself a networking veteran, there are five top individuals who should be in your network.

Make It or Break It

It’s a war out there—figuratively, of course. Job seekers and hiring managers are battling tooth and nail to come out on top. Recruiters want to hire the best candidates and candidates are battling to be the best prospect. The pool of candidates, although substantial, lacks volume when it comes to experience. It is our job as recruiters to not only attract, but also retain the best candidates for your industry.

A Financial Interview

Advancing—or even jumping headfirst into the finance industry—can prove to be a monumental task. It’s vital for you to gain a competitive edge over other candidates by standing out and properly preparing yourself for the recruiting and interviewing process. We’ve put together some insights into the dynamics of for a career in finance.

Create a Strategy for Managing Stress

This is the time of year when people begin to really feel stressed: holidays are approaching, bills are piling up and the pressure is on at work to get major projects completed before the start of the new year. It’s common knowledge that stress follows us, be it at home or to work, we struggle to compartmentalize it.  The great news is that stress is manageable; you have the ability to control it but in order to do so, it’s vital to have a personal stress management strategy.

Reach Out to Recruiters

When your company prepares itself to hire new employees, managers will quickly find that it is an exciting, sometimes trying, process. The talent pool is filled with individuals that may be a great fit for your company; however, the reality is that your company may spend weeks—even months—interviewing prospects without success. Time is money and we understand that many companies cannot afford to waste on hunting for talent.