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The
American Academy of Financial Management™ Journal
Volume
7- Spring 2009
International
Assigned ISBN(0-9749946-0-X)
Featured
Articles
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| In
the News |
| Keep
Calm and Carry On |
04/15/09 |
| The
last month or so was marked by a maelstrom
that included a clumsy backing maneuver
that put part of my car in a ditch,
a frozen hot water pipe, and the emergency
purchases of a new natural gas furnace
and a new car thermostat. In the midst
of all this, I received an e-mail
purporting to be from "HM Government."
|
| Network
Even When You Have a Job |
04/13/09 |
| Networking
isn’t just for the unemployed. As
more workers look over their shoulders
in anticipation of the dreaded tap,
they’re increasingly reaching out. |
| A
Twitter Cheat Sheet |
04/10/09 |
| As
ever more businesses and individual
professionals take up microblogging
on Twitter, "tweeting" may become
an indispensable career tool. A recent
post on Susan Weiner's Investment
Writing blog offers tips for coming
up to speed. While aimed at financial
advisors, her advice is useful for
other professionals too. |
| Managing
Your References |
04/09/09 |
| The
care and feeding of references has
taken on greater importance in today's
market. As reported in The Wall Street
Journal, you'll enhance your chances
of getting a job if you go the extra
mile when you’re preparing them. |
| Our
Take: Job-Search Bubble |
04/06/09 |
| Riding
the subway home from a job-search
networking party at which you met
more jobless-services entrepreneurs
than job-seekers, you skim a free
local newspaper. One page is divided
into two distinct advice columns,
each about coping with a layoff. The
next page reviews a career consultant's
latest how-to book about bouncing
back from being laid off. |
| Recruiters
Not Responding? Here's Why |
04/03/09 |
| A
story on our sister site eFinancialCareers
that showcased recruiters' complaints
about "crazy" candidates struck a
nerve among many users there. Several
comments draw a link between overeager
job-seekers - who recruiters may view
as pests - and uncommunicative recruiters
whom sincere and well-behaved job-seekers
may label rude and unprofessional.
|
| New
Grad's Job Strategy Primer |
04/01/09 |
| If
experienced pros can't find jobs today,
what's a new graduate with little
or no professional experience supposed
to do? College students who adopt
the same tactics as their experienced
counterparts have better chances of
success than you might think. |
| Your
Options In Negotiating Severance |
03/30/09 |
| As
the number of layoffs has risen, the
willingness of companies to negotiate
the contents of severance packages
has fallen off due to fears of creating
inequalities among classes of employees
and the necessity to hoard cash. |
| Don't
Be Like These Guys |
03/27/09 |
| Successful
individuals often urge keeping a positive
mind-set, even while between jobs.
As a cautionary flag, here are a couple
of examples of its opposite. The poisonous
attitudes that follow are markers
of what not to let yourself do, or
even think, in the course of your
job search. |
| Larger-Than-Life
Job Search Tactic |
03/25/09 |
| Mark
Heuer turbo-charged his job search
by attracting potential employers
to his online resume through an outdoor
billboard advertisement. But he says
the most important thing job-seekers
should do is communicate directly
with people. |
| An
Accounting Student Meets the Job Market |
03/23/09 |
| Kim
Kaemmer thought for sure she wanted
to earn her CPA and work in public
accounting. But as she readies for
her May 2009 graduation from the University
of St. Thomas, a regional Catholic
school in St. Paul, Minn., she's beginning
to have second thoughts. |
| Our
Take: Be Visible, Not Desperate |
03/20/09 |
| Was
Joshua Persky ahead of his time? Nine
months ago, the laid-off investment
banker made his pitch to passers-by
in midtown Manhattan wearing a poster
that read, "Experienced M.I.T. Grad
For Hire." His out-of-the-box tactic
brought encouraging words, worldwide
media attention and many a contact
- but few concrete job opportunities,
and no offers. Persky found a new
job in October, a full four months
after his week inside the sandwich
board. |
| Changing
Jobs? Leave Bad Habits Behind |
03/18/09 |
| People
with experience in accounting bring
a great amount of knowledge and skills
with them when they move to a new
job. But they also bring their old
habits, including some harmful assumptions
about how work should be done. |
| Your
Facebook 'Friend' May Want a Favor
|
03/16/09 |
| With
175 million members and counting,
Facebook is so firmly entrenched in
so many lives that the time has come
to start asking the tough questions:
What’s Facebook really for? And how
can Facebook help with your career?
|
| Speak
Up and Speak Better: Communication
Skills Primer |
03/13/09 |
| "Hi.
Okay, you guys, hi. How's it goin'?
I'm your presenter today, so just,
like, open your packets and, like,
follow along with the PowerPoint so
we can jargon, jargon, jargon, gobbledygook,
thirty-six million four hundred twenty-nine
thousand eighteen point one percentage
points and more, you know, like, jargon.
Okay?" |
| Anger
in the Workplace Isn't All Bad |
03/11/09 |
| We've
all been taught that anger is harmful
and dangerous – especially at work.
But a long-term study by Harvard researchers
of 824 adults points to a different
conclusion: expressing anger in a
controlled way serves both careers
and personal lives far better than
keeping frustration bottled up all
the time. |
| No
Stimulus For Hotels, Sports Events
|
03/09/09 |
| Congress
last month approved $787 billion in
new spending to stimulate the economy
and preserve jobs. Somebody tell that
to the 13.2 million Americans who
work in the leisure and hospitality
industry – whose customers are standing
aside in droves, partly because of
those very same lawmakers' sermons
against corporate "excess." |
| New
Grads' Entitlement Colliding With
Reality |
03/09/09 |
| Bankers
aren't the only people whose sense
of entitlement is taking a beating
lately. College students feel pretty
entitled too, if a post in the Daily
Beast blog is any indication. |
| Plug
and Play Resume Customization |
03/05/09 |
| Customizing
your resume to match each job opportunity
will result in more interviews and
offers. But is the potential return
worth the time investment? |
| Severance
and Your Rights |
03/02/09 |
| The
firestorm surrounding Microsoft's
severance package gaffe - first overpaying
about 25 laid off workers, and then
asking for the money back - brings
up a question: Are former workers
legally obligated to return money
to a company that's let them go? |
| TU
for the Interview? NVR! |
02/27/09 |
| Thanks
to mobile technology, you can find
new job opportunities, network online
and research prospective employers
on the run. But be warned: When you
call a prospective boss or send him
a post-interview thank you e-mail,
you should sit down and turn off your
Blackberry. Formal communications
standards and traditional etiquette
rules still apply to the job hunting
process. |
| How
to Do Unto Others |
02/25/09 |
| A
recent blog post by corporate consultant
Richard Skaare serves up a fresh slant
on networking: the best ways to help
a friend who is unemployed. |
| How
to Manage an Exit Interview |
02/23/09 |
| For
whatever the reason - maybe you've
been let go, maybe you're leaving
for another firm - you're facing a
human resource officer on your last
day of work. |
| What
NOT to Include in Your Resume |
02/18/09 |
| It’s
a tough job-hunting environment, so
in your zeal to stand out you may
have made a mistake on your resume
that could sink your chances instead
of enhancing them. So, in the interests
of helping you stay safe, we present
highlights of HR World’s list of 25
things you should never include in
your resume. |
| Economy
Pressures Smaller Firms |
02/13/09 |
| If
the economy continues to crash, accounting
firms may find themselves forced to
lay off employees to balance the books
after the busy season. |
| Grow
Professionally Online |
02/09/09 |
| Looking
for career guidance or growth? Want
to share your wisdom with others?
Then consider becoming an online mentor
or protégé and let the coaching begin. |
| Half
of CFOs Plan to Retire On Schedule |
02/06/09 |
| Economic
conditions have led about a quarter
of chief financial officers (CFOs)
to delay their retirement - bad news
for those who were hoping to move
up when the boss stopped working. |
| Good
Background, Strong Skills - And No
Job? |
02/04/09 |
| Despite
a perfect resume, flawless references
and years of experience, some finance
professionals are finding it difficult
to land a job suitable to their skills.
Even people who've put in time at
Big Four accounting firms or well-known
investment banks have sometimes gotten
less-than-receptive reactions from
prospective employers. |
| Firms
Still Hiring, But More Slowly |
02/02/09 |
| If
there's an unwritten rule not to change
public accounting jobs during tax
season, plenty of accountants are
ignoring it. And despite the emergence
of some interesting staffing options,
hiring in accounting and finance has
slowed. |
| A
Career Change Road Map |
01/30/09 |
| Changing
careers requires intensive research,
self-knowledge, and passionate commitment
to a goal. Ultimately, getting hired
may rest on devising a marketable
idea you can present to an employer
in the field you’ve trained your sights
on. |
| Coping
With Difficult People At Work |
01/28/09 |
| Vicky
Oliver's book, Bad Bosses, Crazy
Coworkers & Other Office Idiots,
comes at the right time. Until a year
or so ago, "retention" was a mantra
for HR officers. Now the shoe is on
the other foot: It's employees who
obsess about retaining their own jobs.
So a tool kit for coping with difficult
workplace personalities falls on fertile
soil. |
| How
Managing Up Positions You For Growth |
01/26/09 |
| Even
if no one reports to you, your job
still involves managing people - the
ones occupying slots above yours on
the organization chart. It's called
"managing up," and those who do it
well can become indispensable to their
organizations, resulting in choice
assignments and promotions. |
| Fraud
Threat Creates Opportunities, Too
|
01/23/09 |
| The
financial crisis and recession will
stimulate both fraud and employers'
efforts to combat it. That spells
danger as well as opportunity for
financial professionals, says fraud
expert Ralph M. Fatigate of BDO Seidman's
consulting division. |
| SEC
Could Add Enforcement Jobs |
01/21/09 |
| The
SEC might add as many as 120 new slots
for enforcement lawyers and accountants
later this year. That's how many new
bodies one securities law expert believes
the agency will need to restore its
reputation as a market watchdog. |
| Strategic
Career Change |
01/19/09 |
| Since
Change is the national theme of the
week, we thought we'd look at a recent
article in Psychology Today that,
while it focuses on personality change,
can apply to the idea of career change,
as well. If nothing else, it's a helpful
guide to taking stock of your position
and whether it's really the right
one for you. |
| More
Ways to Hurt Yourself with E-Mail |
01/14/09 |
| The
day before we warned about new ways
to injure yourself online - in particular,
by losing control of important correspondence
- a personal experience hammered home
the message. |
| Analysts,
Accountants Needed At FBI |
01/12/09 |
| If
you're looking for a way to utilize
your analytical skills and the Madoff
story makes you hopping mad, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation has several
openings with your name on them. But
you'd best act fast, because most
of those career doors are set to shut
on Jan. 16. |
| Our
Take: Networking is Hard |
01/09/09 |
| Networking
your way to a job opportunity takes
both ingenuity and a significant time
commitment. That's why so many of
us get it wrong. |
| Wield
New Tools, But Wear Protective Gloves |
01/07/09 |
| Job-seekers
are often urged to ramp up their use
of online tools like personal Web
sites, social networking, live-blogging
and mobile Web-based e-mail. Just
as with physical tools, however, any
relatively new product poses a risk
of self-injury. |
| Finance
Smarts Needed at NCIS |
01/05/09 |
| You
won't get to work with Mark Harmon,
star of the television drama NCIS,
but if you take a job at the real
Naval Criminal Investigative Service,
you could find yourself leading the
real-world version of his on-screen
life. |
| ‘Preparation’
Tops the list of 2009 Resolutions |
12/30/08 |
| The
events of 2008 remind us that job
security can be fleeting. Job market
vigilance has become a modern day
career survival technique, requiring
professionals to keep a constant eye
open for that next opportunity and
be prepared to launch a job search
on a moment’s notice. |
| Dating
for Jobs |
12/29/08 |
| Having
spent the last six months of my life
on a fairly concentrated job search
- I'm looking for a position as a
financial writer or communications
professional - it's become obvious
to me there are parallels between
finding the perfect job and finding
the perfect date or future mate. |
| Success
with Behavioral Interviewing Questions |
12/19/08 |
| Interviewing
for a job can be nerve racking. Even
experienced professionals can have
a hard time demonstrating their capabilities
and expressing themselves effectively,
given the tension of an interview
situation. The best way to reduce
your anxiety and increase your interviewing
proficiency, is to eliminate the element
of surprise by anticipating the questions
you’ll be asked, and preparing some
answers. |
| Charting
a Course to the Controller's Office |
12/12/08 |
| So,
you want to be a corporate controller.
To make yourself a viable candidate,
you'll need a CPA, acumen in auditing,
finance and operations, and a career
focus on a narrow set of industry
sectors. |
| Strategize
Your Job Search |
12/10/08 |
| There's
always room for good, solid people
in the workplace. Industries may be
different, but there's always a need
for good managers. But if you're searching
for a job in today's marketplace,
you need a plan of attack. The fact
is most people are skilled as job
holders - but not as job hunters.
|
| CareerWire:
Clueless on MySpace |
12/08/08 |
| If
you don't want your private life to
ruin your career, then take steps
to keep it private. And stop whining
about free speech. |
| Ex-Bankers
Make Good Accounting Candidates |
12/03/08 |
| If
hordes of unemployed investment bankers
and fund managers are contemplating
a switch to finance-related jobs,
Seiki Murono hasn't seen the evidence.
The managing director of Boyden Global
Executive Search's San Francisco office
says he's received a few extra resumes
from ex-bankers - but hardly an onslaught. |
| CareerWire:
Watch Your Back! |
12/01/08 |
| An
economy in recession encourages the
in-house blame game. Take steps to
avoid being scapegoated by an ill-motivated
colleague or boss. |
| Selecting
Your Ideal Boss |
12/01/08 |
| It's
often said people don't leave companies
- they leave bosses. The expression
suggests that bad chemistry with their
supervisors can cause employees to
quit. But the relationship between
you and your boss is more complicated
than that, and in truth even a boss
you adore may not be a good match
for you professionally. |
| CareerWire:
Zig Where the Market Zags |
11/24/08 |
| Classic
bear-market specialties like litigation
support, risk management and crisis
management are among areas spawning
opportunities for accounting and finance
pros lately. |
| Considering
Coaching? Consider This |
11/24/08 |
| Many
financial professionals view a personal
cheerleader as a necessary investment
on their way to achieving their goals.
But before you embrace the idea that
coaching is indispensable to success,
think carefully about whether it's
the best approach for you. To start,
consider whether any of these descriptions
apply to you. |
| Six
Ways to Not Get the Job |
11/21/08 |
| If
you want to know all the stupid things
people do when job hunting, ask Ed
Navis. He's been reading resumes for
two decades as a human resources consultant
to mid-size companies and non-profits.
Here are the top six mistakes he sees
job hunters make. |
| Valuation
Experience Needed in N.Y. Area |
11/19/08 |
| Despite
concerns over layoffs at Citigroup,
Morgan Stanley and other financial
institutions, CPAs remain positive
about valuation work. With increasing
regulatory oversight and forced consolidation
in the financial services sector,
more accountants are needed to deal
with valuation matters. |
| Correcting
Your Credit Report Before Your Job
Interview |
11/17/08 |
| More
and more companies are checking the
credit and background reports of their
employment candidates. Before sending
in a resume, smart job-seekers should
pull their own documents to make sure
their information is correct. Here's
how you do it. |
| Recruiter
Sees Drop in CPA Searches |
11/14/08 |
| A
leading California-based recruiter
of CPAs and finance executives says
his business has fallen off significantly
since the start of the year. Paul
Herrerias, who heads the San Francisco
office for Stanton Chase, says his
volume of search assignments is down
to a trickle, and he is having to
market himself more vigorously than
he has before. |
| Profiting
From Performance Reviews |
11/12/08 |
| To
many, the annual performance review
is about as welcome as a colonoscopy.
Could any good ever come from a one-on-one
where your boss - no matter how much
he might respect your work - is required
to detail your strengths and (mostly)
weaknesses? Surprising as it may seem,
experts answer in the affirmative.
|
| Interviewing
in Cyberspace |
11/07/08 |
| Virtual
jobs fairs and interviewing by avatar
instead of by phone are moving into
the mainstream, and could be standard
several years from now. Here are some
perspectives and coping tips from
people on the front lines of cyber-recruiting
today. |
| Public
Accounting Still Favors Job Seekers
|
11/05/08 |
| While
it may appear that all jobs in the
financial markets are evaporating
or experiencing severe reductions
in compensation, public accounting
continues to be healthy, with salaries
increasing at high levels for experienced
tax and audit professionals. |
| CareerWire:
Tax Work, N. Calif. Top Pay Gains
|
11/03/08 |
| New
surveys by Robert Half and Ajilon
Finance provide detailed insights
into expected movement in accounting
and finance salaries for various specialties
and metropolitan areas. |
| Options,
Demand in Corporate Accounting |
10/31/08 |
| Despite
layoffs and a tightening job market
in various industries, corporate accounting
remains a strong line of work nationwide.
Not only is there continued need for
corporate accountants in a variety
of positions, salaries are holding
steady - and even increasing in certain
high-demand areas. |
| Guide
to Surviving a Merger |
10/29/08 |
| The
news hits you like a truck: the corporation
or financial institution you work
for has agreed to be acquired. Now
what to you do? |
| SALT
Skills Needed in N.Y., N.J. |
10/24/08 |
| Given
the ever-increasing complexity of
the region's state and local corporate
tax laws, New York and New Jersey
CPAs with SALT experience are in increasing
demand. The jobs offer strong pay
and job security, but require some
grueling hours and tons of reading.
|
| Mass
Customization and Your Job Search |
10/22/08 |
| By
utilizing a direct marketing technique
called "mass customization," a job
seeker can send out volumes of documents
to prospective employers without having
to hand-tailor each one individually.
|
| Building
Your Internal Network |
10/17/08 |
| Building
a network within your company can
be as important to your success as
developing contacts outside. But watch
out: The wrong moves can sink you.
Here’s how to avoid some of the most
common pitfalls. |
| Q&A:
Greg Burke, Chair, CalCPA |
10/15/08 |
| California
Society of CPAs Chair Greg Burke has
an ambitious agenda. At the top of
his list, Burke, wants to overhaul
educational requirements that are
beginning to restrict California CPAs
from practicing out of state and can
limit career opportunities. He also
wants to recruit more veteran accountants
to academia, and revamp committees
to address industry trends more quickly.
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