Accountants tell each other about poor recruitment experiences

87% of accountants talk about their job hunting experiences with friends and colleagues, according to the latest research from recruitment specialists Robert Walters. 

The research, part of the firm’s Insight Series Whitepaper on “Managing Your Employer Brand Throughout the Recruitment Process”, shows how poor hiring procedures can impact employers’ overall reputation. In particular, the study highlights a number of preferences among job seekers when both searching and applying for jobs. 

Choosing your next employer in accountancy and finance

By Chris Daems

Chris Daems is the director of Principal Financial Solutions, a small financial planning practice based in the city of London.  During his career, Chris worked for a number of large financial institutions before setting up his own business.  Chris’s experience is working with both medium sized businesses and high net worth individual clients.

So…you’re looking for the next opportunity in your career. You’ve looked at a range of roles and have considered and compared the salary, benefits and opportunities within the businesses you are considering for your next move. However have you considered the core values of the business you intend to join? 

Employment law and internships – how to protect your rights

Competition for graduate jobs has rarely been fiercer. An internship is not just a way to make your application stand out but is practically a pre-requisite for many graduate positions. Employers in the finance and accounting sector value practical experience particularly highly.

As such, many don’t think twice about their employment rights before taking up the opportunity of an internship. But it pays to find out some basic information about your employment law rights as an intern. It will help you root out the small number of exploitative firms who probably wouldn’t look great on your CV or provide quality experience anyway. It also makes disputes with the business providing the internship less likely.

The Secrets of Psychometric Testing in Accountancy and Finance

By John Richardson

John Richardson joined Alexander Lloyd in 2003. As a Senior Manager leading the Accountancy & Finance divisions he personally maintains a client database recruiting senior finance professionals within the Accountancy & Finance sector. He specialises in the recruitment of qualified level Financial Directors and Controllers for both blue chip and SME clients, and  niche roles such as tax/treasury and corporate finance and audit.

The use of psychometric testing is widely used when recruiting new accountancy and finance staff, although you do tend to find it more frequently employed in larger companies recruiting in high volumes, than in smaller SMEs with smaller accounting teams.

The tests are standardised and designed to measure cognitive ability to help employers ascertain an individual applicant's ability to do a particular job.  The tests provide two separate measures:

• maximum performance (aptitude)
• typical performance (personality)

Writing your first professional ACA CV?

By Hamzah Manir

Hamzah joined Marks Sattin in July 2011 after studying Accounting & Financial Management at Loughborough University. Since joining the company Hamzah has developed an extensive knowledge of the ACA market and is renowned for building strong relations with his network of candidates, offering support and impartial career advice.

What employers want to see on a newly qualified ACA's CV…

The Newly Qualified ACA job market is one of the most fiercely competed markets in the UK, you must differentiate yourself from your peers and competition if you want to access the best positions. Creating an updated ACA CV is the first step to success.

Your CV is a representation of you. This information must be an honest account, but also sell your skills to prospective employers. A good CV should demonstrate your capability knowledge and experience without too much waffle. 

 

Why you should be honest on your Accountancy/Finance CV

By Paul Giuffredi

Paul Giuffredi is a Finance Director of entrepreneurial companies. He has been Finance Director of PE backed, family owned and AIM listed companies in a variety of business sectors. 

With the economy in the doldrums, competition for job vacancies if often very high. For candidates this can create the temptation to lie on their CV and at the interview. For employers the risk of recruiting the wrong person increases if candidates are being economical with the truth. Good candidates may rightly feel they have missed out on a good role because the winning candidate did not play fair.

So really, how big a problem is lying on your CV? Quite big if the data is anything to go by. Studies have shown that 53% of CVs have falsifications on them. An even higher proportion of graduates, 70%, said they would lie on their CV to get the job they want. This suggests the problem may be getting worse even though internet tools are making the probability of getting caught higher.

The benefits of applying for jobs via recruitment agencies on GAAPweb

By Christopher Gelder

Christophe is the Finance and Credit Control Manager for Daikin Air Conditioning UK Ltd, a manufacturer of climate control solutions for both the consumer and commercial markets. He is a Graduate Member of the Institute of Credit Management with over 20 years experience of Banking, Finance and Credit Management at all levels including senior management. His experience covers many industries including Banking, Public Sector, IT, Distribution, Media, Haulage and Manufacturing.

Like most of us, when it comes to changing jobs I have followed the normal pattern of using recruitment agencies to help me in my job search. Apart from the odd successful direct approach either to or indeed from a new employer most of the job changes in my career have occurred with the assistance of a recruitment agency.

Why an Accountant should consider staying in Practice

By Jonathan Way, Consultant at Marks Sattin

Jonathan joined Marks Sattin in July 2011 after studying Business Management & Marketing at Nottingham Trent University. Since joining the company Jonathan has developed an extensive knowledge of the ACA market and is renowned for building strong relations with his network of candidates, offering support and impartial career advice. He was an integral part of the driving force behind Marks Sattin's recent Newly Qualified Network Evening, where a record number of candidates attended.

If you are currently working in Practice and have just finished your exams, you are most likely looking around to see what other opportunities are available to you outside of Professional Services. This is a common situation most newly qualified accountants find themselves in, but what is uncommon is for these same people to consider the reasons to stay in Practice. 

There is more on offer than just Audit

One of the main reasons people want to leave Practice is because they have grown tired of specialising in just Audit, for three years. What they forget or maybe don’t realise is practice firms can offer greater mobility with opportunities outside of Audit, in areas such as Corporate Finance, M&A and even Tax.

MBA Exclusive: the ACCESS MBA One-to-One tour London

 

Date: Monday, September 24th

Time: 4:00pm to 9:30pm

Venue:  Le Meridien Piccadilly 

Register online: www.accessmba.com

 

Meet the world’s top Business Schools and find the MBA programme that is right for you on the Access MBA Tour returning to London for the 11^th time next month

 

Highlights of the event: One-to-One and small group meetings with Admissions Directors of the best worldwide MBA programmes, interactive panel discussions featuring school representatives, individual MBA consulting sessions and GMAT advising with Kaplan, as well as a complimentary ACCESS MBA 2012-2013 Guide. Participating schools include London Business School, Insead, IE Business School, IESE Business School, University of Chicago - Booth, IMD, Duke, Kellogg-WHU, HEC Paris, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Manchester Business School, Esade Business School, Cass, RSM - Erasmus, Hult International Business School, and many more! Places are limited for One-to-One meetings and early registration is recommended. Scholarships opportunities are also available.

 

All you have to do is register here and bring your CV to the event. 

Newly qualified ACAs in the Thames Valley - Taking the leap from Practice into Industry

By Lauren Carpenter

Lauren joined Marks Sattin's Thames Valley office in 2011 and she specialises in placing permanent part-qualified and newly qualified accounting and finance professionals within Commerce & Industry. Her expert knowledge of the Thames Valley market has enabled her to develop strong working relationships with a wide range of different organisations across IT, Telecommunications, FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, Hotel and Publishing . 

Congratulations. After three long years of late nights studying, you finally have your ACA qualification, but what next? Is it really the right time to take that giant leap from Practice into Industry?

For most exam tired ACAs the prospect of moving into Industry offers greater responsibility and commerciality. Industry allows you to be at the heart of the business, making key strategic decisions and driving the business forward; a far cry from practice where you review and consult. The good news is, newly qualified accountants are highly regarded by organisations which look to recruit new talent to train, develop and promote from within. So what can the Thames Valley offer newly qualified accountants moving into Industry?

The Thames Valley region is known as the economic powerhouse of the UK and is home to some of the largest, well-known multinational organisations spanning Pharmaceuticals, Manufacturing, Telecommunications and IT sectors amongst many others.  Slough, which is located off the M25 (under 30 minute train commute from London Paddington and within 15 miles of Heathrow Airport) is home to the headquarters of O2, Reckitt Benckiser and Mars Chocolate whilst IT giants Microsoft, Oracle and HP are all located in Reading. In addition, the Thames Valley region has a number of SME and start up businesses offering the perfect opportunity and challenge that a newly qualified accountant requires.

These organisations have been attracted to the regions excellent infrastructure; with Heathrow Airport within 25 miles of much of the Thames Valley and less than 40 minutes commute from London Paddington and London Waterloo; an easy commute for those living in London. However, the main reason most candidates are attracted to the Thames Valley region is the relaxed pace of life and cheaper living costs in comparison to the London ‘rat race’. The Thames Valley is therefore the ideal choice for individuals wanting a better work-life balance. So what are you waiting for? Take the leap into Industry in the Thames Valley today. You won’t regret it.

If you're ready to for a job in Thames Valley search and apply on GAAPweb today. 

Not looking for a job in Thames Valley? Browse Marks Sattin's other accountancy and finance jobs on GAAPweb.