FINANCE/ACCOUNTING CAREERS

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Advancing Your Career When Opportunities are Limited
Even if you feel fortunate to have retained your job during the recession, it may still seem that your career progress has stalled. With many professionals opting to stay in their current positions rather than retiring or seeking other opportunities, there may be fewer opportunities to advance. Or at least it may seem that way.

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Temporary Work: Myth vs. Reality
Although job creation remains sluggish, one bright spot is the temporary staffing industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported steady growth in this sector for months, suggesting that more employers are using temporary professionals to help them meet rising workload demands. Historical trends also show that an increase in temporary hiring typically precedes an economic recovery.

Avoiding Social Networking Blunders
Although services such as Facebook and Twitter have become pervasive in daily life, many people may not have given much thought to the potential impact of social networking on their professional lives.

Cost Control to Influence Salaries, Hiring Activity in New Year
Accounting and finance professionals with diverse skills and those who can help employers chart a path to greater profitability will see the best employment and salary prospects in the coming months, according to the 2010 Salary Guide from Robert Half International.

The Versatile Bio: An Indispensable Tool for Any Professional
In an era of quick, easy—and often very brief—communication spurred by tweeting, text messaging and posts on networking sites, the professional biography, or profile, is evolving as a vehicle for self-marketing. While a bio is still not intended to replace a resume or cover letter, this short-format description is taking on a key position in a professional’s career toolbox.

Why Being a ‘Yes-Man’ Isn’t in Your Best Interest — or Your Boss’s
Like many managers in today’s workplace, your boss is probably feeling the strain of a tough economy. He or she may be under pressure to deliver better results with fewer resources. To enhance your job security and ease stress on your manager, it’s important to be a supportive and cooperative employee, yet someone who isn’t afraid to speak up if you’re confident your boss and the company can benefit from your perspective.

Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation
Who couldn’t use a vacation? Accounting and finance professionals, in particular, may be feeling that some time away from the office is just what they need to recharge both personally and professionally.

7 Ways to Convince Your Company That You’re a Keeper
With news of layoffs becoming an almost daily event, financial professionals may be inclined to just hunker down at their desks and hope they won’t be targeted next. Although this is one way to respond to growing business uncertainty, it’s probably not the best stance to take. Consider these more proactive strategies you can employ to enhance your job security.

Why Project Work is Especially Appealing Now
Many accounting and finance professionals are facing a changed labor market, one that has been rapidly shedding jobs as employers react to the business downturn. As a result, a number of them have unfortunately found themselves without full-time employment.

Friends Make Office Life Easy Work

Anyone who has ever had a close friend in the office knows these relationships can make work life more enjoyable. Not only do work friends provide social benefits, especially when it comes to going to lunch or taking a coffee break, but they also serve in a variety of supporting roles, including sounding board, cheerleader, workplace confidante, honest critic and back-up player, to name a few.

Rules of Engagement for Online Networking

Online networking sites have become increasingly popular with career-oriented finance and accounting professionals. These resources allow participants to quickly and easily expand their circle of contacts, share information and keep abreast of industry trends.

Get Noticed at Work: How to Garner Positive Attention and Advance Your Career

Although it’s always important to stand out in a positive way at work, it’s even more of a career imperative in tough business cycles. Professionals whose accomplishments and talents are readily visible are more likely to be perceived as indispensable.

The Importance of Maintaining Certifications

Financial professionals today must contend with a number of changes affecting their work, including corporate governance reforms, an increasingly globalized business world and new technologies, to name a few. But if there’s one constant in the ever-evolving world of accounting and finance, it’s this: The need for professional certifications. Indeed, the current business environment has heightened the demand for financial professionals who possess industry-recognized accreditations. 

How to Get Ahead in Accounting and Finance

Whether you’re an internal auditor, tax specialist or financial analyst, getting ahead – and increasing your marketability – requires staying up to date with professional trends. In the quickly evolving fields of accounting and finance, this can seem like a tall order. 

Help Me Help You: Working With a Recruiter

There’s no question that looking for a job can be stressful. Finding a position that’s an excellent match with your skill set and career goals can take weeks or months, even in an employment market that remains strong for accounting and finance professionals. One way to make the whole process easier is to work with a recruiter. 

NetWork: Make the Most of Your Online Connections

For busy accounting and finance professionals, networking online is a great way to make dozens — or even hundreds — of connections. And for those less inclined to reach out and socialize with new business contacts in a traditional setting, it can be an especially attractive option. Websites like LinkedIn.com and MeetUp.com, as well as industry discussion forums and trade association chat rooms, are making it easier for people to expand their professional networks. 

Promotion? No, Thanks.

While many financial professionals are focused on making it to the top, not everyone wants to be promoted. Maybe you feel this way, too. Perhaps you want to remain in your current job because of the work/life balance it affords or you enjoy your day-to-day duties too much to alter them. 

How Having a Mentor Can Boost Your Career

While talent and personal ambition are necessary ingredients for accomplishing career goals, few finance and accounting professionals who have achieved success have done so entirely on their own. A mentor who offers guidance and advice can help you navigate the pitfalls on the road to advancement. 

Meeting Etiquette: Avoiding Gadget-Related Mistakes

You’re one hour into a meeting when your BlackBerry starts vibrating to let you know you have new e-mails. Should you check them now? According to a Robert Half International survey, the verdict is still out.

First Impressions: How to Make Them Count

While most job interviews last for about an hour, it’s the first few minutes after you shake hands that may count the most. According to a Robert Half International survey, executives form either a positive or negative opinion of job candidates in just 10 minutes of making their acquaintance.  

Resume Rules: Dos and Don’ts for Success

One of the biggest challenges for most accounting and finance professionals searching for a job is creating a compelling resume. It doesn’t help that the rules for crafting this document (e.g., Should you keep your resume to one page? Is it wise to include your hobbies?) frequently change.  

Culture Shock: How to Evaluate a Firm’s Environment

There’s a job opening at a firm you’ve dreamed of working for, and the hiring manager has asked you in for a third interview. You believe you have the perfect skill set for the position and an excellent chance at receiving an offer. The responsibilities, title and salary are all in line with your goals, but you may be overlooking the most significant factor in determining your eventual on-the-job satisfaction: the company’s corporate culture.  

The Other Certifications Financial Professionals Need

If you hold a certified public accountant (CPA) designation, you have proof of your solid understanding of broad accounting principles and financial reporting. If you hold the certified internal auditor (CIA) credential, you possess expertise in auditing records, identifying risks and enhancing internal controls. Certifications such as these prove your skills to prospective employers and assure your current company of your value and qualifications for higher-level assignments.  

Resumes That Get Interviews

In a job search, your resume plays an important role. It highlights your strengths and qualifications for prospective employers and can entice them to call you for an interview. But when you apply for an opening, your resume could be just one of dozens, or even hundreds. Lacking the time to examine every document in depth, the hiring manager or human resources recruiter may give each resume only a quick once-over. How can you ensure your resume stands out? 

Five Tips to Help You Negotiate Your First Job Offer

Finishing school and finding your first job is an exciting transition and marks the beginning of your career. Once a company decides on hiring you and makes an employment offer, you’ll undoubtedly feel a sense of accomplishment — and trepidation if the offer doesn’t meet your expectations.  

What Should I Say? Five Tough Interview Questions and How to Handle Them

Wouldn’t it be great if you submitted a resume and quickly received a call from the hiring manager, who phoned to say,
“Based on your resume alone, I can tell you’re qualified for the position. When can you start?” Of course, the reality is that all candidates go through the interview process before they are offered a job.

Hiring of Accounting and Finance Professionals Picking Up

The already-positive hiring market for accounting and finance professionals is becoming even brighter for those in in-demand specialties. Individuals looking for new positions will find more opportunities to choose from and more flexibility in compensation. 

Emerging Issues for Next Generation Accountants

The recent changes impacting accounting and finance have created new challenges for today’s professionals but also have created new opportunities. This is just one of the key findings of Robert Half International’s Next Generation Accountant: A New Outlook on a Timeless Profession, a comprehensive research initiative that examines the trends shaping the future of accounting.

In-Demand Specialties in Accounting and Finance

Multiple factors have led to increased hiring in accounting and finance during recent years. Regulatory reforms have fueled the demand for specialties such as internal audit and forensic accounting. At the same time, corporate growth initiatives are driving the need for staff and senior accountants and financial analysts. And demographic forces, such as a shortage of experienced candidates and the expected retirement of millions of baby boomers over the next decade, are anticipated to further prompt competition for top talent.

Accounting Salaries on the Rise – Are You Ready to Negotiate?

The demand for accountants remains strong in today’s marketplace, resulting in new opportunities and higher compensation for skilled professionals. According to the 2006 Salary Guide from Robert Half International, starting salaries for accounting and finance professionals are expected to rise an average of 3.1 percent this year with even larger increases in high-demand specialties like internal audit and forensic accounting.

Highlighting Your Communication Skills in the Job Interview

A recent Robert Half International survey shows job seekers make more mistakes during the interview than at any other stage of the hiring process. Whether it’s not knowing enough about the employer, appearing anxious or asking about compensation at an inappropriate time, this meeting is full of potential stumbling blocks.