Suggestions for a More Effective Accounting or Finance Job Search

If you’re looking to land a new career opportunity this year, here are a few recommendations to augment your job search.

Our professional team of experts wants to share a few extra tips to help you land your next career all while saving you time and energy.

1. Keep variations of your resume on hand

The two elements that will increase your chances of an interview with a recruiting firm or potential employer are:

• resume submission quality
• resume submission time

What do these terms mean and how are they related?

Resume submission quality refers to you the style, organization, readability and thoroughness of detail for the specific role you're applying for. While your technical skills, soft skills and experiences don't change when applying job to job, you may wish to highlight certain accomplishments, responsibilities and/or skills more for specific industries and roles differently than others.

When you modify your resume for specific industries or roles, be sure to save it for next time you apply to a similar role. You can make minor adjustments as you find new opportunities so you can respond to job postings quicker.

Job boards typically receive most resume submissions within the first 10 - 14 days, so it is essential to apply with a quality resume as quickly as possible.

2. Use LinkedIn

Creating an engaging presence on social networks is essential in today's market, especially on LinkedIn.  Maintaining a LinkedIn profile is critical for active and passive job seekers because it shows more about you than a traditional resume. LinkedIn receives 18M average daily visitors and is the leading channel to distribute B2B content. We recommend keeping your profile active by continuously updating your professional experiences, certifications and skills. Engage with colleagues, previous coworkers, classmates, supervisors, and thought leaders. Join groups that match your interests and preferences. Post photos with colleagues. Celebrate high achieving individuals. Send highly personalized connection requests and take the opportunity to meet with professionals who you think could help you in a career search.

On LinkedIn, we recommend using a professional or business casual photograph of yourself for your profile picture. If you have any LinkedIn related questions or need additional tips, please reach out to your Accountants One recruiter.

It's worth mentioning that LinkedIn also has an incredible job board for active job seekers. You can mark yourself as “Open to New Opportunities” so that your profile can be discovered to employers and recruiting professionals.

With the unemployment rate so low it is important to clean up your other social media profiles. Don't post anything you'd regret in the morning! Remember, you can always use Facebook or Instagram as another avenue for networking.

3. Know what you want and what you’re worth

If you’re unhappy in your current role, take the time for serious self-reflection and see what is truly making you feel this way. Some of the top reasons for job dissatisfaction are poor compensation, limited career growth, lack of challenging work, poor management, and long commute time.

Based on findings from a our 2019 survey conducted with a sample of Atlanta’s best accountants, opportunities for career advancement and corporate culture were the leading factors in determining job satisfaction.

Knowing your market value is also very important so that you can evaluate offers from potential employers. Check out the Accountants One Salary Guide if you’d like to see how your current salary stacks up.

A recruiter can act as a career coach and trusted advisor in all of these aspects. Accountants One recruiters are looking to get to know you and your long-term career goals.

Here at Accountants One we listen to understand. We strive to discover your personal, educational and business goals so that we can identify opportunities that match what you're looking for. If you're ready to start exploring available opportunities, please view all listings through our Job Listings page.