After we parted ways and later in further reflection of the meeting, I analyzed our conversation and her comments and realized she had a good point. Not only her, but true reality for the majority of job seekers is that they truly don’t know how to find a job. It’s funny to think because even with all the mass media marketing by large job boards such as Monster or CareerBuilder, she didn’t know what they were or how to properly utilize those tools. It was also the first time she ever worked with a professional recruiter and had me explain the relationship and business.

With the current state of the economy, I started to think of the true number of job seekers out there and the mass that may also be in a similar situation as her. Looking for a job is tough, really tough. A matter of fact – there is a saying that goes, “When looking for a job, make it a full time job.” That saying couldn’t be truer therefore, I decided to help get the word out – let’s discuss how one goes about looking for a job.

Sometimes it’s as simple as going back to the basics. When my recruiting desk gets overwhelmed or I feel like I need a break; I simply stop, look at my process, and return back to the basics. This is a technique I learned growing up playing sports – every time I fell into a slump I simply revisited my techniques and went back to the basics. So what are the basics of finding a job? Let’s look at the 5 Top ways to get your foot in the door:

# 1 – Resume – your resume in your self marketing piece, make sure its well written, mistake free, and easy for the eye. Utilize bullet points, key words, and make your achievements stand out.

# 2 – Figure out what you want to do – have a targeted and focused search. Apply to positions that you are qualified for and that you have relevant experience in. Research industries, companies, articles to ensure you are targeting the right positions.

#3 – Who are you online – with the power of the Internet and social networking, promote your self and your background (facebook, LinkedIn). Use Google to get information on those you will be potentially interviewing with.

#4 – Networking – utilize professional networking events, groups, volunteer your time, and attend events people you are targeting would attend. 71% of Executives found their last position through networking.

#5 – Use a recruiter – locate a recruiter that works in your specialty. Interview them and find out what types of companies/industries they make their placements in. A great recruiter will help you out in some sort of fashion; they can provide resume critiques, career advice, market knowledge, and perhaps assist in getting you leads for targeted companies.

While this tips are not the end all for ones job search; they are definitely strong starting points to get up and running fast. Looking for a job is tough, but if you continue to work hard everyday, return to the basics of searching for a position, follow up, and network with the right people – good things can only happen.

Good luck and good searching – Morgan

The CFO directs the Accounting, Actuarial, Internal Audit and Building & Business Services staff and external advisors to perform the following duties:
• Effectively control cash receipts and disbursements, post them to the general ledger and produce accurate financial statements and management reports and analysis.
• Manage cash flow and liquidity to maximize funds available for investment while maintaining adequate liquidity to meet obligations promptly.
• Prepare the annual budget and financial plan.
• Maintain sufficient reserves and surplus to meet the short- and long-term obligations of the enterprise satisfy all regulatory requirements, and permit significant growth.
• Manage the investment of reserves, surplus, and short-term cash deposits in accordance with Board’s investment policy to assure the long-term financial viability of enterprise and the long-term benefit of Trust participants.
• Plan and manage assets strategically to achieve strategic business development, enrollment growth, and member retention objectives.
• Develop actuarial models and projections in order to determine required premiums for Trust benefit programs and to develop correct pricing for each product and customer.
• Manage the enterprise data warehouse to provide accurate and timely data to support actuarial processes.
• Provide analytic services to assess and assure the effectiveness, efficiency, and competitiveness of the company.
• Systematically assess and manage enterprise risks.
• Administer the Corporation’s retirement program and employee benefit plans.
• Deploy information systems and technology to achieve efficient operations and effective financial controls and deliver insightful management analysis.
• Manage the maintenance of the Trust’s building and grounds, office space planning, building security, company vehicles, and coordination of mail, printing, and purchasing services.
• Manage the financial relationship with the Member Benefits, including the allocation of costs for shared services.

Qualifications:
• A CPA with the knowledge and experience necessary to manage a not-for-profit multilane insurance operation that meets all applicable state and federal regulatory standards.
• Well respected by peers, auditors, and regulators as a financial professional with an unblemished history of integrity and ethical business practice.
• An investment industry professional, well informed on the principles and practices of institutional investing. A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation or FINRA Series 6 or Series 7 license are preferred qualifications.

Contact: mhoogvelt@carneiro.com

If you know anyone who may be interested, please let me know. Also, feel free to forward this email to anyone in your professional network who may be interested or able to help. Below is an overview of the role.

Description: Assurance Manager – Government and NFP

· Have met the CPE requirements of the Yellow Book.

· Current experience in preparing a comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) in accordance with the GFOA Certificate Program including conversion from the fund level financial statements to the government-wide financial statements.

· Significant and current experience in auditing local governments (Cities, Towns, Villages); County audit experience a plus.

· Significant and current experience with the Federal Single Audit Act and OMB Circular A-133 (Florida Single Audit Act experience is a plus).

· Significant and current experience in performing financial audits and single audits in accordance with Government Auditing Standards.

· Significant knowledge of GASB pronouncements and reporting requirements applicable to governments

Experience & Knowledge

· Minimum 7 years current experience in a nationally recognized CPA firm’s governmental audit division having achieved at a minimum the designation of manager.

· Minimum 8-10 years in the Governmental and Not-for-Profit sectors.

· Experience in managing audits of governmental engagements from the planning phase to the preparation of the financial statements.

• Responsible for international tax planning relating to tax matters associated with companies projects.
• Responsible for special tax projects and other tax research and planning as it relates to mergers and acquisitions, Greenfield development projects, establishment of new representative offices in foreign jurisdictions, identification of new, country-specific tax initiatives, and other strategic analysis and planning as required.
• Responsible for the review and filing of tax returns for the holding and service companies.
• Responsible for the analysis of current and proposed laws as they could potentially impact new and current businesses.
• Responsible for the successful defense of positions and strategies from tax auditors in the jurisdictions in which Company affiliates operate.
• Responsible for proactively generating new ideas and supporting due diligence and business development teams; working as member of multi-disciplinary teams on project development and implementation.
• Responsible for assisting tax team with FAS 109 reporting, transfer pricing, or other departmental projects and initiatives, as needed.
• Responsible for engaging and directing local country tax advisers as needed.

• A minimum of 8-12 years of international tax experience in major aspects of U.S. international and foreign country corporate tax planning (preferably related to large capital investment projects), including legal entity and contract structuring.  CPA required.
• Good organizational skills; ability to prioritize workload.
• Strong analytical and technical tax skills and ability to understand tax law.
• Strong written and oral communication skills are required.
• International travel, as required

About the position:

• Evaluate internal controls for adequacy; evaluate processes for compliance (SOX, regulatory requirements).
• Evaluate business processes for adequacy of internal controls.
• Assist with development of Internal Audit’s business plan and annual budget; manage budget.
• Develop and lead internal audit team
• Plan and administer internal controls walkthroughs and testing for the organization.
• Assist the company’s leadership with monitoring the organization’s ethics.
• Prepare reports to communicate testing results and recommendations.
• Assist with preparation of quarterly reports to Audit Committee.

About San Antonio

San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas and famous for its River Walk, the Alamo, Tejano culture, and being home to Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, the city is visited by 20 million tourists per year. San Antonio is one of the most attractive and livable cities in America. Despite its size, San Antonio maintains the atmosphere of a smaller town.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Master’s degree preferred.
• CPA strongly desired.
• Strong leadership and management skills
• (8)+ Years experience in accounting, public accounting, or internal audit capacity.
• Strong knowledge of financial accounting and auditing principles (GAAP).
• Strong systems skills.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to travel up to 35%.

Researchers suggest that the lowered number of available job opportunities and lowered wages in the recent economic downturn may be partially responsible for the drop. Other possible causes may be the result of rising cost of health care and lack of interesting/challenging responsibilities.

Employers need to be wary of unhappy workers because these employees are less likely to be as innovative and productive as satisfied workers. Once the economy picks up, employers may also face an increase in turnover as these unhappy employees seek opportunities elsewhere.

This person will handle the sections in the financial statements pertaining to loss share, as well as discussion and analysis of the information presented. When we begin our quarterly SEC reporting process, this function will be an integral part of that process in document preparation and review.

Profile:

-Audit (manager level) out of public accounting

-CPA is a MUST

-Must have direct experience auditing banks

-Highly preferred experience with auditing failed banks taken over by the FDIC

-Experience with SOP 03-3 and loss share agreements

Contact: Morgan Hoogvelt – 210.308.7965 – mhoogvelt@carneiro.com

Consider the latest reports. Accountants and auditors should enjoy much faster than average employment growth from 2008 through 2018, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011.

The predicted growth of 22 percent, or 279,400 new jobs, the handbook said, will result from “an increase in the number of businesses, changing financial laws, and regulations, and greater scrutiny of company finance.”

The best prospects await those with professional licenses, such as the CPA credential, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, which releases the Occupational Outlook Handbook every other year. Obtaining a CPA or CMA also is advised by CareerCast.com, which conducted an analysis of 200 jobs, and ranked accountant No. 9 in its Top Ten List of Best Jobs for 2010.

The pros are a “great work environment, good hiring outlook (ranked 28th), and a relatively high median income for a job that doesn’t require a master’s degree or Ph.D.” The cons are not surprising: stress, long hours leading up to tax season, and frequent deadlines.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook for 2010-2011 contains hundreds of job profiles and specific information about training, anticipated earnings, job projections, and working conditions. It says that, in general, management, business, and financial occupations are expected to increase 11 percent by 2018. That is half the growth expected for accountants and auditors specifically.

The handbook says that as the economy grows, the number of businesses will increase as well, as will the complexity of the financial information and internal controls that need review. Globalization also will drive growth, as demand increases for knowledge on international trade, International Financial Reporting Standards, and international mergers and acquisitions. The handbook also notes stronger demands for accountability and transparency, creating opportunities for management accountants, internal auditors, and forensic accountants.

Prospects for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks also were favorable, but not as plentiful as for accountants and auditors. The handbook says employment should increase 10 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is “about as fast as the average for all occupations.” More job openings will result from the need to replace retiring workers or those who leave the job than from job growth. Those with a wider range of skills, and those who are certified, will have the best opportunities, the handbook states.

In May 2008, the median annual wage of bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks was $32,510, while that figure was $59,430 for accountants and auditors. In addition to wage information, the Occupational Outlook Handbook also contains job search tips, information on how to weigh job offers, and data that is searchable.

The Vice President, Human Resources is responsible for providing overall Human Resources leadership and related results to the company. Oversees the development and implementation of human resources programs and services, including recruitment, selection, retention, legal compliance, employee benefits, labor relations, employee relations, employment practices and procedures, and compensation.

This VP, HR will initially be intensely hands-on, focusing on personally delivering noticeable, measured value, not on building a larger, cumbersome staff with associated overhead.

Additional responsibilities include leading Risk Management, and serving as internal consultant to company management team, supervisors and employees on issues that affect performance and business relationships.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Personally develop and implement necessary, value driven efforts regarding human resources and related programs and assistance.
• Develop progressive and proactive compensation and benefits programs that provide motivation, incentives and rewards for effective performance.
• Monitors the effectiveness of existing compensation policies, guidelines and procedures, recommending plan revision as well as new plans which are cost effective and consistent with compensation trends and company objectives; personally coordinates implementation and provides guidance to management staff.
• Provides relevant advice to management staff on pay decisions, policy and guideline interpretation and job evaluation including the design of creative solutions to specific compensation-related programs.
• Responsible for advising management to ensure company compliance with all federal, state and local laws related to employee benefits, compensation, employment, labor relations, and training.
• Work within, perpetuate, and develop existing, successful culture. This culture is hands-on, personally accountable, and pays real attention to details at the highest levels.
• Continually assess the competitiveness of all programs and practices against the relevant comparable companies, industries and markets.
• Develop staffing strategies and implementation plans and programs to identify talent within and outside the corporation for positions of responsibility. Identify appropriate and effective external source for candidates for all levels within the company.
• Exercise and demonstrate sound fiscal management for assigned responsibilities. This includes valid ROI calculations and information for program implementation decisions and establishing on-going measurements and metrics for management analysis of issues, efforts, and results.

Qualifications
• An experienced leader and accomplished human resources executive with appropriate industry experience, preferably in pharmaceutical organizations.
• A senior professional with higher-level thinking, yet prepared, capable, and willing to be a hands-on contributor rather than simply a staff manager.
• An intelligent and articulate individual who can relate to people at all levels of an organization and possesses excellent communication skill.
• A strong spokesperson with successful labor contract negotiations experience.
• An excellent negotiator who is experienced in compensation and benefits plan design, purchase and implementation.
• Knowledge of international HR practices and approaches.
• Bachelor’s Degree (Masters preferred), with 15+ years’ related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience in several of the key functional areas.

Sell your achievements and results rather than just include a laundry list of your job responsibilities and skills. Employers love seeing how your accomplishments have increased sales, improved productivity, reduced expenses, etc. If you can quantify them, even better!

Use key words and customize your resume to fit each position you’re applying for. Sometimes your resume maybe not even be read by a human, but must be filtered through a computer search query that is scanning for key words. So if the job description is looking for certain certifications or computer software skills, make sure to include them if you have them.

Having a great resume is only half of the work; you need to get it in front of the right people. According to research, almost 8 out of 10 jobs are landed through a referral. Therefore, merely submitting your resume through job boards may not be enough. You need to network, either with your own contacts or through a recruiter to get that referral.