Here’s Your Sign From the Universe to Find a Better Opportunity
From the moment you choose accounting as your major, the one thing you consistently hear from peers and professors is “go into public accounting when you graduate.” Many professors, being Big 4 alum themselves, urge you to take a traditional path: internship, graduate, full-time role, CPA exam, and then put in your mandatory two years […]
This Is Not a Drill: The Robots Are Coming For Your Job (Probably)
For years now, we here at Going Concern — much like most of the accounting profession at large — have been engaged in dramatic hand-wringing over the possibility of robots edging accountants out of their jobs. And — again, much like the greater profession — we have mostly come to the conclusion that even when […]
Mastering Data Analytics Can Make You a More Valuable Accountant
What can you do to make yourself more valuable to your organization? If you’re an accountant or if you work on a corporate finance team, becoming a master in data analysis is a big step forward. But why? And what does data analytics have to do with accounting? Accountants use data analytics to help businesses […]
Accountingfly Featured Job of the Week: Virtual Senior Tax Accountant at HPC
Accountingfly's featured job this week is for a Virtual Senior Tax Accountant position with HPC in Denver, Colorado. Position: Virtual Senior Tax AccountantLocation: Denver, ColoradoEmployer: HPCRequirements: 3-5 years of experience; flexible; resourceful; tech-savvy HPC is trailblazing the way forward in cloud accounting and advisory services. They offer a fun, fast-paced and inspiring work environment. Click […]
Accountingfly Featured Job of the Week: Audit Senior With Atchley & Associates
Accountingfly's featured job this week is for an Audit Senior position with Atchley & Associates in Austin, Texas. Position: Audit SeniorLocation: Austin, TexasEmployer: Atchley & Associates, LLPRequirements: 3+ years of experience; CPA license; Prior experience with non-profits, governmental and 401(k) plans auditing (preferred) Atchley & Associates values the importance of work/life balance. Their office is […]
Accountingfly Featured Job of the Week: Tax Senior With Councilor Buchanan & Mitchell
Accountingfly's featured job this week is for a Tax Senior position with Councilor Buchanan & Mitchell, P.C. in Bethesda, Maryland. Position: Tax SeniorLocation: Bethesda, MDEmployer: Councilor Buchanan & Mitchell, P.C.Requirements: 3+ years of experience; CPA license preferred; Master's degree a plus The firm specializes in serving automotive, construction, professional services and real estate clients. If […]
#10 Firm CohnReznick Borrowed a Few Bucks From the State of Connecticut
$508 million in revenues and 274 partners couldn't dig deep into their own pockets to find $1.2 million? Seems legit: Accounting firm CohnReznick, which has Glastonbury and Farmington offices, is going to consolidate its area operations in downtown Hartford's Metro Center with help from a $1.2 million state loan, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said. The […]
Seven People Who Have a Worse Busy Season Than You
Just in case you're throughly entrenched in the FML stage of busy season, we thought we'd take this opportunity to remind you the grass is always greener on the side where the dog likes to drop a deuce. So remember, no matter how bad you think you have it, surely someone has it worse. Like […]
The Job Outlook Is Good for Accountants…But More Competitive
With one major deadline passed and two more coming up next week, some of you might be thinking about your employment options. It’s a common occurrence post-busy season to reflect on the past three-ish months, contact a recruiter and explore your options.
idea of what kinds of jobs might be attracting accountants in the year ahead so we got in touch with recruiter Adam Klitzke, Managing Partner of Emerson Search, LLC in Denver, Colorado.
Adam told us that he thinks that “2010 and…2011 are years where there is a “hot” background or skill set,” as opposed to a hot position (e.g. financial reporting, IFRS, or technical accounting). “[D]uring the previous 3 months, we haven’t seen the same job come up twice, but we have seen clients targeting the same type of candidate.“
So what does a hot “background or skill set” look like? Adam shared four primary characteristics that recruiters are currently looking for:
• 4-7 years of experience, the majority of which has been spent at a Big 4 firm.
• Experience with clients that comply with SEC regulation.
• Has experience supervising staff.
• Has obtained their CPA license.
“These candidates are not having any trouble landing interviews,” Adam told us. He added that in terms of your competition, there are far more bodies jockeying for a position, “in the current market we are seeing 5-10 candidates like this [with the ideal skill set] competing for the same job, whereas 3 years ago, a client would be lucky to see 2 candidates with this background.”
What if you don’t have the ideal skill set? Don’t worry, it’s not hopeless, “a second tier would look like someone with non-Big 4 public accounting experience coupled with industry experience (with a mid to large size public company – $200M+), supervisory experience, and a CPA license or an MBA,” Adam said.
Naturally, if your current background is lacking in these , it will be more difficult for a recruiter to help you land some interviews. Adam told us that while there are jobs out there for people with backgrounds that don’t fit the model above, those candidates typically find jobs without the services of a recruiter. If you’ve got bigger plans for yourself than that, it will be worth your time to pursue some or all of the points above.
The good news for those of you looking to make a move now is that you can expect to do well in terms of salary. As Adam told us, “Salary negotiations will be firm, but fair. Candidates will be able to negotiate an increase in pay and do NOT need to take a pay cut.”
Finally, another development he has seen has to do with the morale, “employee morale seems to be quite low and neither department heads or human resources are doing anything to combat that.” So, if you’re meeting with a recruiter it pays to be honest why your old employer didn’t give make you feel so good about yourself, “clients have asked us for ideas on how to improve morale and we have been able to help them as there are things a company can do other than increase salary to improve [that].”
Bottom line is that whatever your situation, it pays to be honest with recruiters about exactly what you are looking for. If you don’t like what you’re hearing from them, be honest and don’t settle for a position that you’re definitely not interested in pursuing. It may be a more competitive market but if you’ve got a strong background, you’ll have options.
Job of the Day: Genworth Needs a Financial Analyst
An analytical CPA/CFA/MBA is needed for a position located at the Genworth HQ in Richmond, Virginia. Qualified candidates need to have at least five years of Big 4/public accounting experience or experience in financial services or insurance.
Check the more details for this position after the jump.
Company: Genworth Financial U.S.
Title: Sr. Finance Analyst – Strategic Capital Planning
Location: Richmond, VA
Minimum Experience: 5 years
Description: Genworth Financial is looking for a highly experienced and analytical CPA, CFA or MBA to join the Genworth HQ Stat Financial Planning & Analysis team.
Responsibilities: Liaison with various functional areas of the business, including Treasury, Tax, HQ GAAP FP&A, Business Development, Controllership, and Segment Finance groups as needed to consolidate long-term enterprise-wide financial plans, including all key financial metrics; Maintain models for use in updating the consolidated financial plans as needed and to show the impacts of various “what-if” scenarios on all key financial metrics; Use this information and analysis to support strategic corporate planning, including communications to the Board of the Directors; Support the management of the Corporate and Executive Capital Committees, including maintaining committee calendar, minutes and follow-ups, organizing and distributing materials, and documenting project statuses and approvals; Support the Business Development team by providing regular financial inputs, and ad hoc data and analysis as required; Support Board of Director, Quarter Close, Planning, Rating Agency and Capital Committee presentations and analysis as needed
Qualifications: CPA, CFA, or MBA designation; 5-7 years Financial and/or Insurance Experience; Prior Big 4 or public accounting experience; Corporate Finance Experience;
See the entire description over at the GC Career Center and visit the main page for all your job search needs.
FEI Survey: Half of CFOs Don’t Plan to Replace Laid Off Positions
This story is republished from CFOZone, where you’ll find news, analysis and professional networking tools for finance executives.
This is not the news you hear when there is talk of “recovery.”
Plus, it’s bad news for President Obama. The morning after our leader joined the rest of Americans and finally acknowledged that jobs are the most important issue facing the country, chief financial officers signaled they don’t expect the employment picture to improve anytime soon.
Sure, 62 percent of the 371 corporate CFOs who participated in the latest quarterly survey conducted by Financial Executives International (FEI) and Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business said they do not plan any layoffs for this year. Big deal. Most companies have already gotten around to this cost-cutting measure. In fact, 77 percent of those surveyed said they already cut rank and file during the economic downturn.
More significantly, nearly half of the CFOs that previously laid off people said they do not plan to replace those positions. Rather, they figure to deploy other strategies to increase production or output. For example, they plan to reinstate overtime for existing employees, turn to outside consultants, hire part-time employees, and/or make current part-time employees full time before rehiring new full-time employees.
Just 44 percent of the total surveyed said they anticipate an increase in hiring at their companies. On the other hand, about one-quarter of the finance execs expect to cut back on hiring. Not too encouraging, huh?
What’s more, non-cash payments seem to be high on the list of anticipated cutbacks. For example, executive perks were cited more than any other area for potential cutbacks (37.2 percent). Benefits in general ranked third (31.5 percent).
“As far as the new normal is concerned, efficiency is the name of the game,” Marie Hollein, CEO and President, Financial Executives International, said in a press release.
CFOs may become more confident later in the year, however. Virtually half of the respondents to the survey said they believe indicators such as bond yields, mortgage interest rates, U.S. unemployment rate and rising GDP will collectively improve and result in the start of a recovery in the U.S. economy in the second half of this year. Another 22 percent don’t expect these conditions to materialize until the first half of 2011.
In general, however, CFOs indicated they were more optimistic about the U.S. economy in the fourth quarter survey than they were three months earlier.
They are also more optimistic about their own company’s financial prospects than they were in the third-quarter survey.
Job of the Day: Citi Needs a Financial Accounting Analyst
If busy season is already kicking you in the teeth and nothing has been able to motivate you, then perhaps it’s time to try something new. Or perhaps you just woke up and you realized you’ve got to pull your life together.
Whichever applies, Citi is looking to fill a Financial Accounting Analyst position with a minimum of five years experience in New York. Get the rest of the details after the jump.
Company: Citi
Title: Financial Accounting Lead Analyst
Location: New York
Minimum experience: 5 years
Responsibilities: Participate in analyzing and advising on the regulatory capital implications of broad Corporate strategic initiatives (including, for instance, potential M&A activities); Partner with the Corporate Regulatory Reporting team in addressing regulatory capital and reporting issues of significance; Interface with Corporate staffs (e.g., Accounting Policy, Treasury, Corporate Reporting) regarding certain regulatory capital matters; Garner exposure to Clearing House discussions as well as those with the U.S. banking agencies (Fed and OCC) regarding complex and/or nuanced regulatory capital or other relevant regulatory matters of significance.
Skills: Bachelor of Science Degree – Accounting Major; CPA; 5 – 10 years professional experience, preferably a combination of public (ideally Big 4) and private within the financial services industry (commercial or investment bank); Preferably GAAP Accounting Policy or Regulatory Reporting or Advisory experience
See the entire description over at the GC Career Center and visit the main page for all your job search needs.
Job of the Day: Fund Accounting Manager – Private Equity at J.P. Morgan
This position involves various responsibilities including financial, operational, client service, and deal related. The House of Dimon will not stand for slackers.
Check out the details for this position in Chicago, after the jump.
Company: J.P. Morgan
Title: Fund Accounting Manager – Private Equity
Location: Chicago
Minimum experience: 5 years
Requirements: Must have a strong accounting and tax background, familiarity with acquisitions, partnership accounting, investor relations, partnership agreements, the ability to deal effectively with sophisticated accounting and tax issues and a strong attention to detail. At least five to seven years experience with a Big 4 public accounting firm is required and additional experience at an established private equity firm is desirable.
Responsibilities: Establish process and procedures to provide accurate and timely financial reporting to multiple constituents; maintain and ensure accuracy of distribution calculations/waterfall models; maintain capital accounts and available commitments; work with other groups to ensure all accounting and other information (e.g. security type, custody…) are consistent with deal documents; manage the operations and reporting for regulatory authorities; budget/prepare financial projections of income and cash flows for funds and management companies
See the entire description over at the GC Career Center and visit the main page for all your job search needs.
Accounting News Roundup: Haiti Relief Passes Senate; Accounting Job Surge? CPAs Basically Control People’s Lives | 01.22.10
• Senate votes for faster tax breaks for Haiti gifts [WaPo]
As expected, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation yesterday that allows taxpayers to deduct donations made for Haiti relief efforts. You have until the end of February to donate so that it may be included on your 2009 return.
Maybe it’s bad legislation but we’ve been over that.
• CPA Jobs Set for Surge. But When? [CPA Trendlines]
That’s the question, isn’t it? Rick Telberg, who has done a great job of tracking the Bureau of Labor Statistics on accountants, points out that while the latest BLS forecasts a 22% increase (279,400 jobs) by 2018, there’s no indication that it’s happening now:
[M]any tax, accounting and finance professionals are still slogging through the Great Recession. The Association for Financial Professionals, for instance, reported that about one in four respondents say their organizations will contract in 2010. At the same time, a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of private companies found 43 percent of CEOs and CFOs still budgeting no expansion over the next 12 months to 18 months. The data just seem to reinforce economic uncertainties and a weak outlook.
The BLS is looking past the past the recession for the jump in opportunities but just when the hell will that be? Just because the economy isn’t contracting currently, doesn’t mean it won’t in the future and this “recovery” has been tepid at best.
• Theismann to CPAs: You Are the Conscience of America [Web CPA]
Joe Theismann gets it. He knows that without all of you out there in CPA land, your clients don’t stand a chance. They’d be finished. Finished!
“You’re the conscience of America,” Theismann told conference-goers. “You are the survivors in tough times. With accountants, I’m not looking for someone to file taxes and do my financials. I can do that myself online. In your position you can basically control people’s lives.”
So get out there and control somebody’s life. Joe Theismann is expecting it.
Job of the Day: Real Estate Fund Controller Needed with Knowledge of GAAP and IFRS
Here’s a controller position that has a good salary that beats the average controller salary from our earlier post on salaries for jobs that you may want.
Check out the details for an open end real estate fund controller available in New York City, after the jump.
Title: Controller
Compensation: $150,000 – $185,000
Location: New York, NY
Minimum experience: 8 years
Description/Responsibilities: Define client services for open end investment funds, liaison with client financial advisors and build a staff. Manage relationships, operations and reporting re: US GAAP and IFRS.
Requirements: Requirement is for CPA/ Controller with 8/10 year yrs in open ended real estate investment vehicles utilizing CORE or CORE+ strategy. Good GAAP and client facing experience. Working knowledge of MRI/YARDI and Investran, PEFS real estate and fund administration is a plus. Position can be based in New York, Luxembourg or London.
See the entire description over at the GC Career Center and visit the main page for all your job search needs.
Salaries for Accounting and Finance Jobs You May Want
The good folks at Accounting Principals (they’re your pals) and Parker & Lynch put out their salary guide for 2010 last week and we managed to pour through the thing as superficially as possible.
With that in mind we present to you the top five average base salaries at various levels as presented by the guide:
Accountants and Financial Personnel
• Senior Budget Analyst – $75,200
• Tax Accountant – $74,000
• Senior Financial Analyst – $72,900
• Senior Treasury Analyst – $72,400
• Senior Internal Auditor – $72,300
Supervisor
• Financial Reporting Supervisor – $80,400
• Tax Supervisor – $77,800
• Budgeting Supervisor – $77,300
• Auditing Supervisor – $73,600
• Cost Accounting Supervisor – $71,900
Mid-Level Managers
• Audit Manager – $109,300
• Tax Manager – $105,400
• Sarbanes Oxley Manager – $99,800
• Financial Analysis Manager – $99,500
• Financial Reporting Manager – $95,700
Executive and Senior Managers
• CFO – $329,600
• Finance Director – $210,600
• Treasurer – $183,900
• Top Audit Executive – $179,200
• Controller – $175,500
It’s pretty clear that the first big jump is at the manager level and then we see another even bigger jump at the executive/senior manager level. The guide doesn’t appear to include partner salary data which as it has been discussed, varies widely.
For anyone that’s looking for a job based primarily on salary (you know who you are), these positions may be the ones to look at first.
Abrashoff-Salary-Guide-2010.pdf