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There's a new trend afoot - hiring financial professionals on a project-by-project basis to fill in the expertise gaps at your company. Virtually everyone agrees: Knowledgeable and experienced executives are [...]

I'm an accounting manager in an expanding small company. I'm beginning to interview candidates for several new positions and would like some advice on reference checking. How many references are [...]

Just-in-time (JIT) staffing can be a highly valuable strategy for accounting departments. This concept involves the careful evaluation of departmental staffing priorities, which is then used as a basis for assigning projects to either full-time and temporary employees. Full-time employees function as a core staff unit that focuses on priority projects while temporary employees act as a contingency group that takes care of planned and unplanned seasonal fluctuations, rush projects and workload peaks. The advantage of hiring temps is that they can focus on particular tasks and are flexible enough to satisfy unexpected demands, thereby improving the quantity and quality of work in the department. Realizing the value of temps, the core staff then concentrate on strategic issues and daily execution. The overall effect is reduced concerns about staffing, overwork and burnout.

The pressure to produce more with less has left many employees zapped of morale. The economic conditions of the past several years clearly have left their mark on today's corporate [...]

For years, it was difficult for companies to tap into the experience of high-level talent on a temporary basis. It required the same significant time and money commitments that were [...]

The next time an employee gives notice, don't just mentally 'dismiss' him or her. Sit down and discuss the departing employee's reasons for leaving. An exit interview is good way to find out whether your managers are motivational or your pay is competitive. With a minimal investment Of time, you'll get other hard-to-obtain information that can be used to improve inefficient operations and poor management--two leading causes of employee turnover., It is common for business owners to dismissed employees who want to leave the company without looking at the reasons for the departure of their employees. Conducting exit interviews with departing employees is a management technique that could help business owners find out inefficiency in company operations, which can manifested in many ways, one of which is incompetence on the part of company managers or supervisors., After the third controller in four years resigned, the CEO of a Northeastern apparel firm stopped attributing the company's inability to retain key employees to poor hiring decisions and bad [...]

Reference checks of an applicant's work history allow the employer to screen the applicant's former duties, areas of strength and weaknesses and personality. It is advisable to obtain written permission from the applicant to check his references. Getting in touch by phone allows one to perceive a tone of assurance or lack of it. Between eight o'clock and nine o'clock in the morning and five o'clock in the afternoon are the best times of the day to phone referrences. Face-to-face meetings can furnish more information through body language., In Brief: In these litigious times, it's hard to get references to reveal much more than an applicant's employment dates and salary. But a thorough and well-planned reference check is [...]

There's been a lot of talk about the information superhighway, the fabled gateway to globalized network communications. In fact, employees from many firms already travel the highway on a regular [...]

The right combination of permanent and temporary employees can increase your department's competitiveness. Accounting departments used to be fairly insulated from the effects of economic cycles. Heads might roll in [...]

In the good old days, corporations were fully staffed and jobs were metered out by functional area. Accounting staff performed accounting duties. Marketing staff did marketing. But in today's tough [...]

Managerial accountants that have reached what the feel is a plateau in their career should conduct a career audit. Managerial accountants that have reached a career plateau should not blame their company for their situation, but should look at any weaknesses in themselves that have led to a lack of career momentum. A career audit entails an examination of the managerial accountant's knowledge base, including computer literacy, management of people, and post-graduate education.

The Task-is-Boss management system can help accounting managers adjust to the changes in the business environment caused by trends that include high levels of mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, and computerization. The key elements of the Task-is-Boss system include defining a task, responsibilities and roles. Defining a task involves: defining a company's mission; determining tasks each department must accomplish to fulfill that mission; and establishing interdepartmental contributions necessary to complete each departmental task. The factors in defining the roles and responsibilities include identifying the people who must accomplish tasks, and defining roles for each person.

One of the greatest challenges for a manager is allocating the appropriate resources for accounting projects: You must assign enough people to meet business requirements, but you can't afford to [...]

Business reports are a common assignment for accountants today. You'll most likely be asked to provide analysis on a variety of topics from budget considerations to technology investments and operational [...]

You've scanned through resumes, selected candidates to interview, and met face-to-face with many of them. Now you've reached the most important stage of the process--deciding which applicant will receive an [...]

Change is a normal part of business. Every day, companies make decisions to reorganize, add new products or services, acquire other firms, downsize, make other shifts in their strategy. As [...]

It's understood that a resume is meant to point out a job applicant's strengths and downplay any weaknesses. While it would be helpful to have all the facts up front, [...]

Despite common perception, training today is definitely not just for beginners. Even the most accomplished accounting professional can benefit by continually updating his or her knowledge base--whether it's mastering the [...]

Before venturing down any new career path, you'll need to assess your marketability--the skills, attributes, and experience you possess that increase your value to current and prospective employers. The job [...]

Like most accounting professionals, you undoubtedly find yourself attending many meetings throughout your work week--from department get-togethers to discussions focused on specific company initiatives. While many of these meetings are [...]

Despite the number of dot-com disappointments in the past year, innovative and adaptive start-up companies continue to attract a variety of experienced professionals. Though typically technology-based, these developing firms offer [...]

Whether you're out of town for a meeting or conference or just working from home for the day, occasionally you find yourself managing from a distance. These types of situations [...]

Whether you're seeking a promotion or just want to position yourself for future opportunities, earning a professional certification can provide the leverage you need to further your career. A recent [...]

To be successful in accounting and finance today, you must have more than solid technical, communication, and analytical skills. You must commit to becoming a peak performer--someone who is recognized [...]

Three weeks ago, your company's controller asked you to represent the accounting department on a cross-functional team charged with launching a sweeping new e-commerce initiative--uncharted territory for your firm. Rising [...]

If yours is like many companies, the words 'performance review' typically draw a less-than-favorable response from employees. For managers, the process is often considered time consuming, and many feel uncomfortable [...]

Professional setbacks come in many different forms: a costly mistake, an unsatisfactory performance review, a confrontation with a manager, a demotion, or, worst of all, a layoff. Certainly, no one [...]

There's one thing about a job search that an experienced financial professional can be confident of today: It will likely be short. But even in such a candidate-friendly hiring environment, [...]

The ability to keep quality employees is critical to being a successful manager, particularly in today's competitive hiring environment. One of the keys to retention is making sure your staff [...]

A member of your accounting department has just approached you with an idea to improve a company procedure. The proposal is risky, both financially and politically, because it would change [...]

If you are looking for a new accounting position, it's more likely than ever that a hiring manager somewhere is seeking someone with your background to fill what may be [...]

Although most businesses can minimize conflict among coworkers with insightful management, communication does break down occasionally. Regardless of the level of cooperation and camaraderie among employees, misunderstandings occur. Knowing how [...]

If you've been out of the workforce for an extended period of time to raise a family, care for an ill relative, travel extensively, or continue your education, the prospect [...]

Today the cliche 'good people are hard to find' holds special meaning for employers in search of quality personnel. The unemployment rate is hovering near its lowest level in a [...]

It's nearly 9 p.m. at the office, and the staff has gone home. Meghan, an accounting manager for a financial services firm, is still at work putting some last-minute touches [...]

Recruiting and retaining skilled employees, always a formidable task, is challenging managers as never before in today's competitive hiring environment. A junior accountant may receive multiple employment offers before making [...]

The company controller has called with an urgent request. In less than a week she wants you to present to senior management the results of your cost analysis project for [...]

Upgrading inefficient financial systems can increase a business's productivity dramatically, as can pursuing Internet-based initiatives that facilitate e-commerce and streamline internal communications. Investing in new technologies requires a staff that's [...]

If you haven't yet been asked to participate on an interdepartmental project team, chances are you will be soon. In a recent independent survey developed by Accountemps, nearly eight out [...]

Sometimes the little things can matter as much as the big issues when it comes to keeping employees motivated and satisfied. Most managers intuitively know this and do their best [...]

As competition for experienced accounting and finance professionals increases, organizations are looking for ways to give themselves an edge. An attractive benefits package can often make the difference in recruiting [...]

In a job market where there are often more open positions for experienced financial professionals than there are people to fill them, retaining staff is a priority for accounting and [...]

Success in any accounting and finance role requires the ability to work well with diverse groups of people throughout the company and the business community. Today's accountants are master collaborators; [...]

With accounting and finance candidates in high demand, finding top talent can be especially challenging today. Research by our company shows that it takes an average of four weeks to [...]

False assumptions may be a fact of life, but they can pose particular challenges in the workplace. Some misconceptions can be narrowly focused on our own careers--for example, certainty that [...]

Being an effective financial leader is no easy task. Heightened expectations from investors, tighter government regulations, global business competition, and rapid technological developments are adding to the list of growing [...]

The impending retirement of a mammoth wave of workers in the Baby Boomer generation in the coming years has prompted well-publicized predictions of widespread labor shortages. The good news for [...]

In the past, many organizations viewed the use of temporary talent as merely a means of filling shortterm staffing gaps due to employee absences. Today's accounting and finance departments, however, [...]

* The road to success for leaders is rarely easy. Nearly all managers make their share of missteps as they learn how to become effective in their roles. Even experienced [...]

Few people look forward to working on projects that are long in duration, mundane in nature, or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, overwhelmingly complex. The reality, of course, [...]