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LATEST ARTICLES
Is Your Current Job Perfect… or Just Easy?June 15, 2021 - 11:18 pm
4 Huge Mistakes Financial Job Seekers MakeJune 15, 2021 - 11:17 pm
Staff LogicHow Big Should Your Financial Recruiting Company be?June 15, 2021 - 11:14 pm
Staff LogicWhat Makes a Financial Staffing Company Great?June 15, 2021 - 11:13 pm
Staff Logic4 Benefits to Using a Financial Staffing FirmJune 15, 2021 - 11:11 pm
Staff LogicWhat Recruiters Can’t Get From Financial ResumesJune 15, 2021 - 11:09 pm
Is Your Current Job Perfect… or Just Easy?
RecruitingFrom time to time we meet with very talented and qualified financial professionals who tell us they don’t need to know recruiters because they are perfectly happy with their current employment. Furthermore, they sometimes express the sentiment that they are “perfect” for the job they already have.
Being experienced in the field of staffing, this sometimes leads us to follow up questions. That’s because we know that a lot of people really aren’t as satisfied as they claim… and certainly not as happy with their employment situation as they could be. Instead, what they are typically expressing is the feeling that they are feeling complacent enough to avoid looking for new opportunities.
That’s easy to understand, but why close off your options by turning away the occasional piece of information about a new opening that could suit you even better? They cost you virtually nothing in terms of time and effort to stay in touch with a financial recruiter, and we could help you find a position that improves your working life in a number of ways, including:
A Higher Salary
Good financial professionals are almost always in demand. That’s particularly true for those with the right skills, experience, and qualifications. Some of the men and women we work with are genuinely surprised to find out just how much of a raise they could get by moving on to a new company or position. What does it hurt to learn what you might be worth to a different employer on the open market?
A Stronger Benefits Package
As we always like to remind people, your salary is only part of your compensation – benefits like insurance, paid time off, and continuing education have to factor into the mix, as well. If you already have great benefits, it might not be much of a concern. However, if you have a growing family or different needs, it never hurts to see what’s going on in the financial job market.
The Chance to Work in a Different Location
There are a lot of reasons to want to move to another part of the country, or even a different corner of the globe. By changing locales you might be able to enjoy a better climate, get closer to loved ones, or simply enjoy a lifestyle you’ve always wanted to sample. Financial skills travel well, and a good recruiter can show you opportunities from around the country and the world if you let them know you’re open to hearing about them.
More Excitement and a Change of Pace
Sometimes, “easy” and “boring” get to be closely related at work. Familiarity can be a good thing, but it can also stop you from challenging yourself and learning new skills. By remaining open to new financial job opportunities, you could put yourself in a situation where you can enjoy a little more excitement in your day-to-day life, or at least a change of pace from what you already know.
There’s nothing wrong with having a great job, or sticking with a position for so long that it comes easy for you. However, when you shut the door to new opportunities, you also put a limit on your own growth and happiness. So ask yourself, is your current employment situation really perfect, or are you simply afraid to consider making a change?
If you want to learn about financial employment opportunities that might be right for you, contact the AF Staffing team today!
4 Huge Mistakes Financial Job Seekers Make
RecruitingAre you looking for a job as an accountant, bookkeeper, or financial professional? If so, it’s possible you’re making mistakes that could ultimately end up hurting your compensation or leave you unfulfilled in your new position.
We know this because our work as financial recruiters gives us a unique perspective on the way people look for jobs and are hired for them. When you can see both sides of a relationship or negotiation it gets easier to spot the kinds of blunders and misestimations that employers and job hunters make again and again.
Today, we want to give you a few pieces of advice you can use to avoid common but predictable blunders. Let’s look at four huge mistakes financial job seekers make every day…
#1 Looking Only at Salaries
Financial professionals know as well as anyone else that money is important and that the figures in any job offer need to add up. However, it’s also true that the salary you are offered for a position is only part of your compensation. Don’t forget to think carefully about things like location, benefits, and work-life balance factors. These can end up making you feel happier and more satisfied than an extra couple thousand dollars a year might.
#2 Ignoring Temporary or Temp-to-Hire Openings
Temporary financial jobs get a bad reputation, but they can provide wonderful opportunities. Not only do they tend to come with high per-hour pay, but can provide opportunities for travel, learning new skills, and fresh connections. Plus, working on a temporary basis can give you a foothold into a company where you want to earn permanent employment, especially under a temp-to-hire arrangement.
#3 Failing to Negotiate Important Terms
Usually, when a company is looking to hire any bookkeeper, accountant, or financial professional they have a range of salaries and bonus structures to offer. You don’t want to overplay your hand, particularly if the opportunity is a perfect fit for your skills and ambitions. Still, it never hurts to ask if you have questions and see whether a slightly higher salary might be available for the perfect candidate.
#4 Staying Out of the Market for Too Long
Obviously, it’s a great thing to be happy with your current position. However, every serious financial professional should be in the habit of looking for new openings. Not only will it keep you in tune with the skills employers want (and the salaries they command), but it will also leave you covered in the unlikely event that you suddenly need to find a new job or move your career in a new direction.
Whether you’re looking for a financial job right now, or are simply keeping an ear to the ground for new opportunities that might come around later, you can’t afford to make any of these mistakes. So, think carefully about all the openings and opportunities that are out there, and the kind of working life you want to create for yourself in the future.
Then, take a moment to contact the AF Staffing team and see how easy it is to become part of our network of financial professionals today!
How Big Should Your Financial Recruiting Company be?
RecruitingWhen you’re looking for help from a financial recruiting partner, is bigger necessarily better?
This is a question new clients sometimes ask in an indirect way. We can understand their concern – in a lot of areas of business, you can get better value from a huge provider than you can a smaller one. However, when it comes to staffing, economies of scale don’t really work the same way.
In fact, you’re going to get better service, attention, and rates from working with a smaller financial recruiting company (but not necessarily a solo recruiting professional). You could certainly say that we are biased, but real-world experiences backup our point of view.
Let’s look at a few of the reasons smaller is better when it comes to financial recruiting…
This is a Relationships Business
The most important part of our work is maintaining good relationships with both employers and talented professionals. That’s easy to do in a small firm where everyone is involved. Conversely, no one has a “great relationship” with a giant company. When someone is looking for recruiting help for the perfect job opportunity, they want to be able to turn to the right individual. That’s what they get at a boutique firm.
Your Financial Recruiter Needs Two Kinds of Experience
There are really two types of experience that matter for a financial recruiter. The first is related to finding candidates within the industry. We have 18+ years of success stories behind us, and it shows when we work with our clients. The second type of experience is working with your business. A good recruiter should know your company, culture, compensation structure, and other details so they can find the right people for you. You’ll get that service from a small firm, but not necessarily from an industry behemoth.
Smaller Staffing Companies Can Charge a Little Less
It’s fun to visit massive businesses with huge offices in expensive downtown areas. It’s less fun to see your monthly or quarterly invoices from those firms and realize you are the one paying for their office space, furniture, and large payroll. Small staffing companies have lower overhead, which translates into a more client-friendly fee structure for every project.
Your Business Means More to a Smaller Recruiting Company
In our experience, boutique financial recruiting firms tend to work harder for their clients than we have to. Because we stay in business by providing a superior level of service to a smaller number of companies, customer satisfaction is key. We can’t simply run a massive ad blitz every time we want, so we work harder than anyone to ensure you are happy with the results we provide.
When you start looking for help with financial recruiting, it’s because you want better candidates, faster service, and to fill your openings with talented employees who will remain with you for the long run. Those are all benefits that are easier to get from a smaller staffing company than a larger one.
Want to see just what we can do for your company? Contact the AF Staffing team today and let us put our expertise to work for you!