If you surf the waters of the World Wide Web long enough you’ll find plenty of advice on how to handle accounting interviews. Unfortunately, most of these articles are about the person seeking an accounting position rather than the one interviewing eager candidates to fill the position. However, there are a few things you can do that will help you conduct an outstanding accounting interview as long as you put them into practice as an employer.

Understand the Assignment Requirements

It’s nearly impossible to fill a position adequately if you don’t fully understand the position you’re filling. When it comes to accounting, you need to know the specifics of the position being filled and what kind of person excels in this particular position. Not all accountants are good tax accountants. There are many different types of accountants and personalities that make some accountants great while others are only mediocre. When you’re interviewing, you want to be able to quickly spot the people who have the potential to be truly great while skipping over those who will plug through day after day without delivering standout results for your company or your clients.

Ask Appropriate Questions

Once you know the ins and outs of the position you’re working to fill, it’s time to create a list of relevant accounting questions. While questions about the job itself are vitally important, you definitely want to hire an accountant who knows his stuff, there are other questions you need to ask that will provide important insight to the nature of the person you’re interviewing. For example, someone who enjoys crafting as a hobby is generally very detail oriented – a good match for an accounting position. Questions about hobbies and interests reveal as much about accounting candidates as questions about skills and education if you know what to look for when it comes to answers.

Familiarize Yourself with Current Human Resource Laws

There are many different criteria available to help weed out the pool of potential employees. However, discriminating against a candidate due to race, religion, national origin, sexual preference or gender can land you and your business in a lot of legal hot water. Understand how these employment laws relate to your interviewing skills.

Finding the Perfect Employee

That is something that’s simply too big to look for. What you need to find is a person who has the right set of skills and personality to be a good match for your accounting needs. Perfection is a noteworthy goal. But, when you need to hire someone you can’t always afford to wait around for perfection when someone who is skilled, trainable, and motivated can still get the job done.

Giving an interview isn’t nearly as difficult as you may believe it to be. The most important thing to make an interview truly great is to be a good listener throughout the interview process. Nervous candidates often make telling reservations if you let them do enough of the talking. Look to Venteon financial staffing for your new hires.

Quality Engineer

•  B. S.  in Mechanical Engineering

•  Over Twenty years of diversified background in quality control

•  Certificate of Internal Auditor ISO/TS16949:2002

•  Six Sigma Black Belt

•  ISO9001:2000, TS16949, Internal Quality System Auditing

•  FMEA ,DFMEA , PFMEA, DVP&R and GD&T   

 Controls Engineer

•  C/C++ experience (over 3 years)

•  Schematics design experience (EPLAN)

•  Design and simulation experience (Matlab/Simulink)

•  RSLogix/RSLinx/ControlLogix/PLC programming training

•  Master’s in Electrical Engineering

Quality Leader – Global Black Belt

• 10 Years’ experience within Quality

• M.S. in Operations Management & Manufacturing Engineering & Management

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering

• Shainin Red X Journeyman  & Shainin Red X Apprentice

• Six Sigma Black Belt & Green Belt

• ISO9001:2000, TS16949, Internal Quality System Auditing

• DFMEA, PFMEA, PPAP, APQP

Program Manager/Engineering Manager

•BSME

•Experienced in product manufacturing / investment cost development, manufacturability in product design / validation, production process / tooling   

development, process capability, program planning / tracking, PPAP, APQP, production launch activities and directing teams in the activities listed.

•Commodity experience includes metal stamping and roll-formed functional and class A components and systems including progressive / transfer / line dies,

component parts, finishing, sub and complete assemblies utilizing fastener / in-die mechanical / MIG weld / spot weld technologies. These commodities have been

implemented in interior / exterior hardware, frame, suspension and seat systems.

Engineering Manager – heavy background includes:

• Production Welding Engineering/Tooling Manger:   Manager over the welding, stamping and tool room.

• Engineering/Tooling Manager:   Supervisor over 4 engineers & 24 tool & die makers.

• Molding/Stamping Process Engineer:   Serving as tooling/stamping engineer of professional  engineering staff group for supporting manufacturing and tool & die shop.

• Tooling Engineer:   Designed tooling, worked with outside vendors, try-out and de-bug for new and in house built tooling.  Quoted, reviewed and outsource work.

• Journeyman Tool & Die Maker: 18 years’ experience in heavy and light tier 1 & 2 automotive stamping. (Presses from 45 tons to 5400 tons.)

• Transfer, tandem, progressive, multi-slide, forging, and compound dies.

Senior Product Development Engineer SDRCIdeas – Interior Trim  

• Responsible for the ‘11MY VW411 New Model Sedan interior trim (soft and hard), ‘12MY Nissan Armada/Frontier and the following production and mid-year refresh. ‘10MY Nissan Mexico Car platforms; Altima, Maxima, Sentra, Versa trim components.  Working knowledge of the Nissan G2B/Team Center Passion system, Data Notes, NDS/NES testing requirements.

• Development of fit and finish sections and joint checks with manufacturing and  suppliers.  Interaction with VW GoB, Nissan Motors, Nissan Mexicana, M-TEK Manufacturing and various tier 2 suppliers.

• Investigate program warranty concerns and propose corrective actions 3

• Create, propose and negotiating design specifications, changes, costs and timing 

• Investigation of new suppliers, technology and products.  Benchmark competitive products, vehicle tear down activities for VA/VE opportunities.  Preparation of DVP&R, APQP and DFMEA documents

• Understanding of testing specifications and methods for VW, Nissan and Japanese Industry Standards

As an information technology professional on the prowl for a new assignment, you are probably keenly aware that a lot has changed since the last time you looked for a job. Just a few years ago, the only way to get a job in IT was to either graduate from a top level IT college or happened to complete a preferred certification program. But today, the world is an open door, with multiple IT jobs readily available to you – if you know how to approach your job search that is.

Here are some tips for landing an IT job in the modern job search environment.

Brush up your IT resume and cover letter, pronto.

There’s nothing more annoying to today’s recruiter than an outdated resume, especially when It recruiters are looking for candidates with current skill-sets and presentations. Before you start sending resumes out, work with a professional resume writer or consult with a colleague about updating your IT resume. Draft up a concise cover letter for each assignment and make sure you focus on how your skills relate to each job.

Create a branded IT presence online.

Today’s IT recruiters are taking the time to do further research on any potential candidates to screen them before the actual interview takes place. This means they will likely be scoping you out on social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook, as well as any professional groups you participate in online. Make sure you are presenting yourself in the best possible light.

Get networked with multiple IT groups.

Utilize social networks and industry associations as a place for career support as you search for hiring companies who can give you the edge. Sign up for automatic alerts of new IT opportunities. Share your ideas and expertise to create a persona of being an expert in your field.

Go casual and expect collaborative work environments.

The IT workspace has also evolved with the addition of more collaborative technology and work environments that encourage up and coming IT pros to focus on their work rather than fashion. Take a look at the corporate culture and then dress casual for your interviews. Learn how to use new technology to your advantage.

A good avenue for finding an IT job is to work directly with an IT staffing and recruitment firm that has relationships developed with the top hiring companies. Take the time to contract with Venteon Technical for access to IT jobs in the USA.

Working in the financial world as a public accountant can be a highly rewarding and lucrative career. If you are good with numbers, detail oriented, and able to remember a great deal of knowledge about tax and business laws, you may be the right person for the job. The US Department of Labor and Statistics – Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition for public accountants looks promising, with the average earnings of $61,000 USD annually, and growth of 16 percent projected to the year 2020.

The good news is that launching yourself in a public accounting career can be achieved within 2-3 years. To get you on the right path, here are some tips for building your public accounting career.

Educational Requirements for CPAs

In order to learn the things you need to know to be successful as a public accountant, you will need a minimum of a 4-year college degree in accounting or a related field. Some experts recommend getting a Master’s degree in accounting, as it’s often required by employers, or the equivalent of education and experience. Working as a junior accountant or an internship in a public accountant’s office can often meet these requirements. According to the Department of Labor, “As of 2012, 46 states and the District of Columbia required CPA candidates to complete 150 semester hours of college coursework, which is 30 hours more than the usual 4-year bachelor’s degree.”

Certification for Public Accountants

For public accountants who wish to become certified, a requirement of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), passing a 4-part exam from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants happens during an 18-month period.  Accounting professionals generally take a class to prepare them for the certification exam, around their work schedules. Continuing credits are required to maintain the credential. Some employers require this upon hire, so you’ll want to have a plan for taking this, particularly if you will be involved in the tax market, corporate finances, and audits.

Work Experience and Skills for Future CPAs

To get into the line of public accounting, you’ll want to focus on developing the skills that help top CPAs achieve more out of this career. Take temporary assignments during the busy tax season to learn how to manage work and people. Work as a junior accountant while in school. Learn accounting software, and become comfortable with its use. Read up on the laws surrounding accounting and finance. Be part of a community of CPAs by networking and being part of industry associations.

For access to full and part time, contract assignments in finance and public accounting, check out the recent job opportunities available at Venteon.

For decades, human resource managers have recognized the key to success starts with the people – or human capital management as it’s often referred to. The concept of leading people through the ups and downs in business, while doing what it takes to preserve the company values and mission are the foundations of successful HR leadership. Yet, in an ever-changing engineering industry, this becomes challenging as various skill sets phase out and are replaced with new engineering techniques and technology.

The questions that keep many engineering company leaders up at night include:

• How can HR manage well through a changing atmosphere, yet still retain good employees and productivity levels?
• Is the engineering organization as flexible as it can be to keep up and stay ahead of important industry changes?
• Do my engineering employees have what it takes to lead my company into the next century strong?

While there is not much that can be done about change (which is an inevitable part of the engineering world) there are some ways to efficiently handle change management and remain competitive.

1. Realize that you must always be thinking “what’s next?” – As a leader, it’s up to you to see what’s coming down the pipe in your business. Be sure to stay in touch with your industry through networks and associations.
2. Continue to develop your engineering employees through succession planning. Today’s talent is tomorrow’s leadership. Take the time to regularly assess the skill-sets on your team and design development programs around the key skills needed for future success.
3. Give your employees a stable foundation on which to build their dreams. Create a mission statement and remind employees often of how this helps you to navigate all changes. This can provide a compass from which to build your business.
4. Encourage collaboration, technology and connectivity in the workplace. The use of social networking and more open work spaces can propel your engineering firm into greater levels of innovation and success.
5. Recruit and hire the best entry level engineers in the industry. Make sure your recruitment team knows what critical skills are needed to get the job done well. Consider the advantages of using an outsourced recruitment strategy, like working with Venteon technical staffing, to get the best contractors on board.
6. Convert to agile project management tools and processes. Change will always be a factor in engineering, so shift your project management to that of an agile work process. This will help your business to adjust to changes as they come more effectively.

User Interface Specialists – UI/UX “We Recruit Really #Creative People”

• Bachelor of Arts in Creative Design & HCI
• Progressive experience implementing creative and innovative user interfaces utilizing HTML5, CSS3, and J-Query to construct designs that are eye catching, and unique.
• Current experience with designing material for large scale corporate clients from conception to  launch
• Superior knowledge of implementing wireframes, and sample prototypes with pristine detail.
• Energetic individual who takes pride in meeting the objectives of tight deadlines.

Mobile Application Developers “We Build Efficient Applications”

• Experienced iOS Developers who are proficient in Objective C, and SQL lite applications
• Creative developers with experience constructing web, and mobile applications
• Experienced Android Developers who utilizing  Java, and Groovy when creating Android SDK applications

PHP Developer “Constructing Secure, Back End Application Content”

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics.
• Highly proficient with LAMP technology.
• Experience with CVS, SVN, WordPress, JQuery, LDAP, and IIS.
• Familiar with PHP 5.3.
• Freelance experience.
• Has been responsible for the productivity of teams ranging from 3-20 developers.

Business Analyst “We Find the Ones You Want, and Need”

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• 5 years of Business Analysis experience including formulating and defining system scope, analyzing business/user needs, and writing and executing test plans.
• Experienced with traditional applications, web and mobile development/Quality Assurance.
• 10 years of industry specific experience in mortgage banking.

Project Managers “Consistently Meeting Tight Deadlines”

• Experienced Project Management Professionals (PMP) ready to shine in the fields of Marketing, Manufacturing, Automotive, Digital, and Mobile management solutions
• Scrum certified professional with experience in Agile Methodologies, traditional application, web and mobile projects.

So you’ve poured your heart and soul into finding the perfect position. You know, the one that will make your long job search worthwhile. Now that you’ve found it, you’ve discovered that your dream position requires one thing you don’t have – a college degree. Do you scrap your search and give up your dream job?

No way!

When a door is shut, it’s time to start sniffing around for windows.

Match Other Job Requirements as Closely as Possible

Take your time to go through the job description, point by point, and create a resume that highlights each and every skill in the description you have. The more matched points you can create, the less significant a missing degree becomes in the eyes of the employer.

Highlight Your Adaptability

There are few things employers want more than a highly adaptable employee with skills that match their needs. Show them how you’ve had to adapt and overcome in previous employment situations.

Perhaps you’ve reinvented yourself or your career through the years. Make sure it’s notable on paper so they can see how far you’ve come and how far you can still go in your career. Employers, after all, like to see that you’re trainable and prepared to evolve to fit the role you’re hired to fill as it evolves over time.

Seek Inside Help

Go through your list of contacts, staffing agents, and business connections to see if there’s anyone working on the inside who can, and will, vouch for you on a professional level. Today’s job market is more relationship-driven than any job marketplace of the past. Use the relationships you’ve built over the years to help you land the job you really want rather than settling for a job elsewhere that isn’t going to provide as much satisfaction and fulfillment.

Let Your Confidence Shine

People find confidence attractive. It’s not just in potential dates and mates. Employers find that job candidates who are confident about their skills and ability to do the job are much more attractive candidates than those who lack that inner certainty or spark. Insecurity and uncertainty in the job interview process are lethal to your chances of getting a job even if you have the degree.

Don’t allow a golden opportunity to pass you by because you’re not the “perfect” match on paper. Many employers list the skills and qualifications they believe their dream employee will have. Most of the time, they’re much more concerned with finding a match for skills and experience than education. In fact, many companies are willing to substitute practical experience in the field over former education any day of the week. All you need is the confidence to go for it. You might be surprised by the results.

Venteon offers a wide range of temporary and contract assignments that can help you get the experience you need. Very often, you may be able to circumvent the degree requirements simply by having the equivalent in job experience. Be sure to check out our jobs in Troy MI today.

It has been said that IT project management is akin to herding cats. There are generally a multitude of priorities, activities, and goals that an IT project requires. Even with the help of an IT project management software and a seasoned project management team, things can and do go wrong with projects of all types. Yet, you can avoid some project management mistakes by anticipating them and taking steps to reduce this from happening with a plan. Here are some of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

The wrong project manager

In order to be successful on any IT project, you need to assign a team leader who is knowledgeable about the process and the type of project work at hand. This knowledge and experience will count the most when it comes to handling problems or setbacks in the project. Choosing someone who has not managed a project is risky, especially if the project is for a client or important vendor.

Lack of executive buy-in

Your stakeholders and the executives who will be in charge of making key decisions should be on board before undertaking any IT project. This is because you will need this support from the management and financial end of things as the project requires resources and prioritization. Make sure you have executive buy in and provide frequent updates to test this throughout the life of the project.

No regular communication

An IT project team must continually communicate in an agile project management environment. This means scheduling regular project meetings to discuss updates, challenges, and feedback for the project. The IT project manager should be in charge of setting this up, but if not, be sure to create an internal forum for tracking all project communications rather than relying on a chain of random emails.

Poorly written scope of work

Every IT project needs a carefully written scope of work document that will explain every detail and milestone of the project ahead. This is a collaborative document that each member of the project team will use to complete their tasks. Make sure it is written by a skilled analyst, and then checked by your project team for accuracy before signing off on it.

Unrealistic project deadlines

All project teams go into a new IT project with gusto, but over time this wanes to the point where there may be a little less motivation. If a project deadline is set too soon, this becomes overwhelming to team members; too far out and they will forget what they need to do to accomplish the goals of the project. Using a project management system, set realistic timelines as they apply to each task and current resources.

Being successful in IT project management begins with the people who are part of the project team. Hire the best IT employees and you’ll likely find that project management becomes more of a smooth process. Venteon’s IT staffing resources can help you select the best contract and temporary employees for the job.

There is little doubt that having the top data analytics talent on your side is big business. In fact, this is one of the most interesting fields in the job market today. There is incredible demand for qualified professionals in data analytics but there is a significant shortage of professionals to fill those positions. Because this field is becoming an important part of business decision making, there is a good deal of competitions for those people viewed as the top talent in the field.

Is There Really a Shortage of Data Talent?

Some experts believe that by 2018, the United States will be facing a significant shortage of talented analytics professionals. These professionals will be unavailable to companies who want to use big data. As many as 140,000 to 190,000 positions could go unfilled. That does not account for the 1.5 million managers and analysts who will have the knowledge and skill to take the analytic data and use it to make effective decisions within the business.

Those companies able to land top talent could see operating margins increase by as much as 60 percent. Many businesses are realizing this need and, as a result, are taking the time to find the best talent in the field. The effects of not having the right professionals could be astounding with product launch setbacks and various project delays likely in many organizations as a direct result.

Why Is This a Problem?

There are some factors in the market demanding this need for talent. The explosive growth in big data is one of them. The amounts of data being collected has never been larger. And, 72 percent of businesses plan to increase spending on business analytics, therefore pushing that data number even higher.

One key component of the problem in finding this talent is that many schools and universities do not have programs in place yet to teach the skills necessary to fill these positions. Even worse, many developing countries are more likely to create the graduates needed than the US is simply because there are degree fields available in those areas.

Overcoming Staffing Limitations

For those businesses that do not want to be struggling to fill such positions, time is of the essence. Having a plan to find the right mixture of IT expertise and analytical skill is necessary.

• Know the strength of talent you are looking for so you know which skills you need to hire for right now and in the future.
• Look for those with top skills. This is likely to be individuals with data experience, basic statistics, and creative problem solving.
• Look for those with great education foundations including in the areas of social sciences, market research, and advanced statistics.
• Take advantage of data and IT staffing agencies, such as Venteon, to provide on-demand data and IT specialists to fill key assignments.

It may take working with a consulting service to find the personnel you need. There is significant demand and the competition is high. Hiring and then retaining these talented professionals is critical.

Cover letters are all about getting the attention of potential employers. However, with the job market in almost every industry literally saturated with applicants, how can you really knock their socks off, especially when all you have to do it with is a cover letter?

Believe it or not, your cover letter, when written the right way, is the only tool you need to really set yourself apart from the competition. Resumes start to blend together after 100 or so are received for the same position. Education, experience, these things are great, but they’re hardly the stuff dream applicants are made of.

An effectively crafted cover letter, can help you to stand out in a meaningful way, by grabbing the attention of the hiring manager. Here are a few things you can include in your cover letter that will leave them wanting to learn all there is to know about you as an applicant.

Create a Slogan that Sums You Up

Catchy little slogans don’t take a lot of time to come up with, but they really stand out in a sea of monotonous cover letters and resumes. It’s like adding a splash of vivid red in a room that’s stark white. It stands out. The one thing you want your slogan to do, though, is succinctly state the value you have to offer the employer in question.

Also keep in mind that short and sweet is what will get this job done. Make it a snappy one-liner for best effect.

Where should you put it?

Try using the line right below your name at the top of your cover letter if you want it to stand out while they’re reading your letter or add to the bottom of your cover letter as a parting note.

Remember to K.I.S.S.

You know the old adage, “keep it simple sweetie.” It’s a good idea when writing cover letters to remember this throughout the letter. Not only do you want to make your cover letter simple to read, but you also want it to tell a simple story. Don’t get so caught up in clever tricks with your cover letter that you make it too complex for the person on the other end.

Tell a Story

People like for cover letters to be clever and tell stories. Just make sure it’s a short story not a Tolstoy novel. More importantly, keep your story relevant to the job you’re applying for and the role you’d like to play within the organization. Don’t make them dig too deep to find the relevance either or they’ll simply dig into the next cover letter.

Cover letters are one of the most challenging aspects, for many people, of the job search process. However, if you take this advice to heart and apply these tips you should be able to write a cover letter that leaves you standing heads and shoulders above your competition.

For more career search, resume and cover letter advice from Venteon, be sure to review our previous posts on this topic:

How to Be the Candidate Employers Love

Creating a Relevant Resume – It’s Not What You Think