Attracting Talent- Culture Development

Establishing a company’s vision and values are the first steps in developing a deliberate corporate culture. It is important that the company leaders make sure all employees understand what the main goals are and what is valued by corporate leadership.

Vision and Values
Having clear a vision and values statement makes it easier to get everyone working towards the same end. An additional bonus is that having clear vision and values can be a competitive advantage in your business strategy.

Trust
Building trust is another important part of developing a great culture. Employees will become unhappy if they don’t feel they can trust their employer.

Trust begins with the leader and the team. Employees must trust more than just their immediate supervisors; it has to go all the way to the top. Trust is built by having open communications channels when dealing with criticism and complaints.

Teamwork and Empowerment
Organizations should strive for a culture of collaboration. This means that employees need to listen to one another and be open to new ideas, working as one large team.

Each of these items is not something that is easily done overnight. The best way to move forward is to make a plan and work it step by step. Once you have established the corporate culture you desire, you will attract employees who share those values. These employees will work harder and stay longer since they are aligned to what your company believes in.

Does your company have a distinct culture developed? Is this something you are working on for 2012?

Career Planning Cycle- Establish Goals

Once you have determined your starting point, you can then decide where you want to be.

Is CFO or Partner your ultimate goal?
Do you want to travel more or less?
Do you want to specialize?
Do you want to get into industry?
Do you want to work more hours or less?
What compensation are you after?

If you don’t immediately know your responses, you may want to do some research into different paths that might be options for you. You can search for information online or ask others in your network about different paths. Look at all the possibilities, then narrow down the list.

Think further down the road. Your ultimate goal may not be achievable quickly, but that’s ok. The answers to these questions will help you focus on your ultimate goal and allow you to make a plan to get there!

Do you know where you are headed?

Career Planning Cycle- Your Starting Point

Before you can plan your path, you must take inventory of where you are now.

Where do you fit in your current organization?
Take into account your compensation range and how you compare to peers with similar titles with similar years of experience.

How much responsibility do you have?
Would you like to have more? Do your peers have more or less?

Are you being promoted?
Are you moving up at the rate you would like? Have you been given opportunities to grow within your current company?

By taking stock of your existing situation you can then have a better understanding of where your opportunities might lie in the future.

Are you happy with where you are now? Why or why not?

Identifying Talent- Talent Pipeline

Building a talent pipeline means developing a database of qualified candidates for key roles in your organization in anticipation of future hiring needs. This way you are ready with relevant candidates whenever the need arises- you do not have to start at square one each time.

In today’s market, you cannot simply wait for the right candidates to show up at the exact time you need them. You must anticipate your needs and work on finding those candidates now. This pool of candidates must then be maintained until they are needed.

• Identify successful talent pools
  Discover where your ideal candidates are and begin the relationship. Create awareness of your organization to people who may want to work there.
• Evaluate your current process
  Find out what is working and what isn’t, then you can make better decisions. Try some new ideas to improve your process.
• Set a goal
  Once you have a starting point, you can set some reasonable goals. You can decide to try for certain percentages from each source. Continue to measure and adjust your goals.
• Keep the talent pool engaged
  Once you have found the talent, you must maintain the pool of candidates. Keep them informed of company news, opportunities, etc. There are many ways to keep them engaged with the technology available today, including websites and social and professional networking sites.

Finding the right talent at the right time is one of the biggest challenges employers face today. The time and effort you invest in your pipeline today will payoff in easier staffing for many years into the future.

What do you find the most challenging about getting the right talent at the right time? What would make this easier for you?

Career Management- The Career Pyramid

Comprehensive career planning is essential for accounting and finance professionals who are concerned with maximizing career growth. Yet many professionals rely on their employer to manage their career.

How much time do you devote to managing your career?

We have developed a Career Planning Guide to help with this process. The first section is the Career Pyramid:

Below is a graph representing the typical structure of positions in public accounting as well as industry accounting and finance.

While specific requirement to move from one level to the next vary by organization, in general, lower level success depends more on technical competence. Success at higher levels depends more on non-technical skills such as managing others, developing business and helping reach strategic goals.

This is important to recognize in terms of career planning. Make sure that you are developing those non-technical skills as you move forward in your career. You can get assistance in these skills through classes, seminars, workshops, etc.

Do you have a plan for 2012 to develop your career skills? What are you focusing on for this year?

Do you have your key employees for 2012?

Having the right employees in your organizations can make all the difference. Gaps in your company structure can affect your business, making it more difficult to meet your financial objectives.

At eSearch we strive to match talented accounting and finance professionals with exceptional opportunities. Below are some of the high-quality candidates we are currently representing.

Please contact us to discuss how eSearch can help you find those key employees to help you meet your 2012 objectives.

Ray Camma                                               Randy Samsel
(216) 642-2345 x 242                             (216) 642-2345 x 240
rcamma@esearchjobs.com               rsamsel@esearchjobs.com

Internal Controls/SOX Compliance Expertise
CPA, CMA, MBA with Fortune 500 Company
SAP/Oracle
7 years overall experience
Audit, Risk Management, and GAAP/IFRS expertise
West side, mid-$80k’s

Plant Controller
Forecasting, inventory evaluation & control, profitability management
Established standard cost controlling functions for multi-national plants
Company ERP specialist: system planning implementation & efficiency management
Extensive logistics planning and material management exposure
5 years of experience, MBA, fluent in German, extensive international experience
Cleveland/Akron/Canton, mid-$70k’s – low-$80k’s

Financial Reporting Specialist
Responsible for financial reporting including all SEC; 10K’s & Q’s
Prepares supplemental package
Regulatory Compliance & Reporting Expertise
4+ years of experience, all in large publicly traded company setting
CPA (active)
West side/Downtown, mid-$60k’s

Controller/Financial Reporting
8 years overall experience; 5 years in Big 4, 3 years publicly traded manufacturing company
Manages Financial Reporting team, oversees 10K’s & Q’s
Global consolidations
Hyperion Administrator
Passionate leader, teacher in the workplace
Executive presence
Cleveland/Akron/Canton, comp low-$100k’s

Cost Accountant/Analyst
Maintains & processes standard cost system for $1.5B Manufacturing Division
Developed cost estimating module allowing for flexibility & manipulation of data to ensure accurate forecasting
Annual operating plan oversight & implementation; Ensure accurate account & inventory plant- wide
Key member of SAP implementation team
5 years of overall experience
Akron/Cleveland-east, comp low-$60k’s

Big 4 Tax Associate
Two years plus of Big Tax experience
Graduated with 3.8 GPA, currently pursuing CPA certification
Strong state, local, and federal tax skill and exposure
Exposure to various industries; financial services, NPO, manufacturing
Cleveland/Akron, comp low-$50k’s

Assistant Controller/Senior Accountant/Corporate Accounting
G/L maintenance, fixed assets, corporate tax returns, bank reporting
8 plus years of experience; manufacturing & real estate
SAP & MS Excel expertise
Master’s in Accountancy, CPA (active)
International exposure
Beachwood/Solon/east side, comp low-$80k’s

Cost Analyst
2005 undergrad 2007 MBA in International Finance
Construction and Real estate experience
In-depth merging and writing code
Complex analysis on a divisional level
Cleveland South side, high $50’s to low $60’s

Public Audit Manager
CPA
1 year Big 4, 6 years large local public
Extensive work in the Real Estate and construction field
Acting CFO for clients during transitional phase
Involved in 10-Q filings, and SOX 404
South East, Mid to High $80’s

Public Staff Accountant
2009 grad, going into 5th busy season
3 years in public accounting A&A
Non-profit and manufacturing clients
Public and non-public clients
Cleveland East – Low $50’s

Senior Public Accountant
CPA
Ohio State grad High GPA
4 Years Big 4 Public accounting
East Side, current comp. low 60’s
Looking for internal audit

Internal Audit Manager
MSAC, CPA, Sitting for CIA 2 parts passed
11 years total in industry audit
Supervisory experience
Public and non-public companies
Cleveland West side, current comp. $90k

Senior Financial Analyst
MBA with long-term strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting experience with a major division of a publicly-held company. Serves as a trusted business advisor to the division GM. $75K + bonus.

Internal Audit Senior
Big 4 audit plus industry audit experience, including SOX and financial audit support. Excellent communication skills. $65K.

Tax Manager
Regional public accounting experience including corporate tax planning and compliance. $85k

Corporate Controller
Big 4 manager in audit plus global manufacturing corporate financial management experience, including international assignments. Excellent reporting and analysis experience. $150K

HR/Training Manager
Wide range of training experience including custom curriculum development and delivery. Results oriented, proven bottom line impact. $90K

Consultants / Available Immediately

Tax/Cost Accountant
MBA candidate with experience in Tax, Cost, Account Analysis, and Project Control. Has experience managing other employees in addition to reporting to the Controller/CFO. Fluidly adaptable to new concepts and responsibilities and is highly proficient with SAP, IFS, and Excel.

SAP Analyst and Auditor
Cost Savings Financial Auditor with experience facilitating the day-to-day management of the supply-demand chain for businesses. Candidate is well versed in ERP and works independently as software trainer in Manufacturing, Distribution, Retail, and Private Equity sectors. Highly advanced in SAP, Oracle, IQMS, HP Open View, EPIC, Excel, MS Office, among others.

CPA Controller and Sr. Accountant
Accomplished CPA with many years’ experience as a Controller and Sr. Accountant. Self-motivated, accurate, and organized professional with the ability to work well under pressure. Strong background compiling and analyzing financial data to identify areas where cost-saving modifications and profit margin improvements can be implemented.

Experienced Financial Analyst
Dependable hard working Property Accountant/Analyst with strong attention to detail and ability to meet strict deadlines. Six plus years of Financial Analysis with international property company and experience reporting directly to the Controller. Reconciled accounts, budgeting, forecasting, and generating income statements on a daily, monthly, annual basis.

Corporate Accountant
Innovative Corporate Accountant with a successful career of increasing efficiency and reducing costs in financial organizations. Has experience reporting directly to CFO in addition to generating Financial Statement Analysis, Regulatory Reporting, Corporate Tax, Account Reconciliation, etc. Has handled month and year end close for financial institutions and reduced time and money over his tenure.

Recent College Graduate
2011 Accounting graduate eager to get his foot in the door with local company. Is a fresh face with high energy, sharp knowledge, and openness to learn. Primarily focused on cost accounting, auditing, and international accounting throughout his college coursework. Would consider accounting clerk role and work his Controller/Analyst Excellent analytical skills; able to identify problems, propose resolutions, and train staff on changes. Experienced in audit, budget and forecasting, strategic planning, and job costing. 14 years overall experience in key Controller and Analyst roles.

Big 4 – Manager – State & Local Tax / Tax Associate
Former Big 4 Accounting Manager in State and Local Tax is reentering the work force after raising a family. Experienced in all aspects of state and local tax; able to lead teams in research, allocate workflow and meet deadlines. Able to process federal, state, and local tax returns for corporations, partnerships, S-Corps, individuals, and not-for-profit entities. Knowledgeable with SAP and PeopleSoft. Over 11 years of experience.

Staff Accountant/Accounts Payable
Staff accountant with strong Accounts Payable skills. Experienced in month end closings, financial statement analysis, and payroll for 100+ employees, and payroll taxes. Has worked for $700 Million dollar company as well as not-for-profit; can adapt well to any company setting. Expert knowledge of Excel and Access programs. Open to all of Cleveland/Akron/Canton areas.

Auditing / Operations Manager
Experienced in auditing inventory, identifying problems, developing inventory control improvements, and training employees on improved systems. SOX compliance and has trained employees on compliance regulations. Knowledgeable in logistics within a $5 billion plus company. Skillful in cost analyst. Willing to travel.

Financial Planner/Tax Accountant
Senior financial planner started in Big 6; can provide quality tax and financial planning to corporate executives, business owners, and high wealth clients. Expert in Excel, tax research, and strategic planning. Experienced in preparation of tax returns for partnerships, fiduciaries, and individuals. This individual has earned CPA and CFP recognition.

Senior Accountant
Financial reporting, GAAP compliant, financial analyses, and corporate tax returns are just a few areas this senior accountant can be an asset to your company. Knowledgeable in ERP, Legacy Systems, and implementing Industry Specific Software.

Preparing for an Annual Review

Performance reviews can be stressful in a slower economy filled with layoffs. It can be difficult deciding what to say about yourself, but it is an important part of progressing in your career.

Instead of being worried, get excited about this opportunity to talk about the great things you are accomplishing in your position.

• Look back in your planner
  Use your planner or calendar to remind you about those big projects you had last year.

•  Track impact
  Remember to mention things you have done that helped the company that were beyond your projects. Remind them about the times you pitched in to help the team, saved the account or stayed late.

• Compare goals to action
  If you have goals set for you, make sure you address each one and how you did. No one expects perfection, but you should acknowledge how your performance met the goals.

• Give explanations, not excuses
  If things did not always go as planned, make sure you explain the reasons for this. But don’t spend all your time making excuses or blaming others. Acknowledge what you could have done better and what you have learned from the experience.

• Set a plan for the next year
  Come with ideas for the next year. Focus on the impact you want to make and where you want to go in your career. You can discuss your own professional development and how you can set yourself apart.

• Prepare for your next review now
  Take some time to make notes as 2012 progresses. You will be in a much better position when your next review roll around.

Remember, this is your chance to talk about your position and where you want to be headed. Take the initiative to drive your career- you are in charge of your direction.