Month: April 2020

How to Promote Remote Team Bonding

As much of the U.S. settles into the changes brought on by the pandemic, employers are working to adjust accordingly. One area that your business may be overlooking: maintaining a strong company culture.

See, just because your employees are working from home, that doesn’t mean creating a collaborative, inclusive work environment isn’t important. In fact, it’s more essential now than ever to ensure your workers don’t feel isolated. Help promote engagement and remote team bonding with these virtually inspired ideas.

Encourage Water-Cooler Chats

While collaborating with colleagues through email and instant messaging is a common practice in the workplace, encourage your team to reach out to one another for non-work related conversations, too. Strong interpersonal relationships among coworkers breeds trust and results — a sense of unity toward achieving a common goal.

Video Conference, Video Conference, Video Conference

Sure, text communication is valuable and a preferred method by many professionals. But nothing can beat the ease, clarity and comfort of face-to-face conversation — lucky for us, video is pretty close. Schedule routine video chats to touch base with your team, and utilize ice breaker activities to engage your employees. For example, gauge how members of your team are doing by playing a quick round of “Red Light, Green Light” to start the conference. Or, take a page from the past by having each person “show and tell” a chosen item or household pet for a few minutes to kick off the meeting. Any exercise that inspires team-building can quickly dispel feelings of isolation, while getting to the root of potential concerns early on.

After-Hours Fun

Signs of a great company culture can be seen by how the team interacts off the clock, too. Happy hours, group lunches and the like also spur a sense of belonging — and, most importantly, can translate remotely. Free video apps like Zoom are a great place to host virtual meals and drinks. While game-based applications allow users to see one another in a fun, competitive environment. Houseparty is an easy-to-use tool that’s gained recent popularity, allowing players to enjoy games like Quick Draw and Trivia and naturally promotes remote team bonding.

Is your team adjusting to remote work? Check out our blog for more tips and insights.

 

 

2020 Q2 Accounting and Finance Employment Report

Within the last several weeks, stay-at-home measures have shut down normal life in California and much of the United States. Most reports indicate a dramatic increase in layoffs that is both historic in size and speed. The pandemic has impacted nearly every facet of life as we know it — from the way we grocery shop to how we interact with one another. Schools, retail, offices and manufacturing plants have had to learn to work remote, while essential services in health care, grocery stores, distribution services and construction are seeing rapid increases in activity levels.

Overall, these developments point toward a sharp drop in GDP in Q2. According to Goldman Sachs, we can expect “declines in services consumption, manufacturing activity, and building investment to lower the level of GDP in April by nearly 10%, a drag that we expect to fade only gradually in later months.” The venerable investment banking firm is now forecasting quarter-on-quarter annualized growth rates that could hit -24% in Q2. That said, they’re projecting a rapid acceleration of the economy by as much as +12% in Q3 and +10% in Q4.

At the heart of these predictions is the general belief that prior to the impact of COVID-19, the economy was not in a recessionary phase of the business cycle. In fact, the growing consensus appears to be that economy was strong. And, assuming we don’t wait too long to restart, it will ramp back up over the remainder of 2020 and throughout 2021. Alan Beaulieu, lead Economist for International Trends Research, recently put this process into perspective: “The lights will come back on like the fluorescent lights on the factory floor… they won’t come on immediately … they’re going to flicker a bit and they’re going to come on in different parts of the factory … but they will come on. The same is true for the economy as a whole … it will come back, but certain parts of the economy will come back faster than others.”

On the employment front, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the national unemployment rate climbed to 4.4% in March. This represents only the beginning of the effects of social distancing measures, with ITR forecasting an increase to 15% in April and May before starting a relatively speedy decline as the country comes back to work. The March numbers showed a total of 701,000 jobs were lost, with major declines in food services, retail trade and manufacturing. Still, after a decade of record growth and demand, it appears that degreed professionals and managers in the fields of accounting and finance have been largely spared to this point — likely the result of the extraordinarily tight labor market that preceded the crisis.

CENTURY GROUP’S FORECAST

For Employers

Finance and Accounting executives have been at the forefront of the rapid transformation in the way we work — transitioning entire departments to remote work over the course of days. The challenge: learning to manage teams of remote professionals and temporary associates. Early reports of successful transitions point toward the key role of communication — setting clear expectations, providing support, holding frequent team meetings via phone and video and building new tools for maintaining productivity and accountability.

We have remote-ready accounting and finance professionals available on a direct hire and temporary basis. Contact our team to learn how we’ve helped other clients with hiring in the new world of remote work.

For Job Seekers

Is it too obvious to say that the hiring landscape has shifted drastically within the past month? But the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Great companies and great teams are still built on having great people. That’s never more true than when you’re facing a crisis. We’ve been impressed at how quickly our clients have adapted to current conditions by moving to remote work arrangements. And we’ve seen the same adaptability in the people we represent. The only constant is change. Leading companies continue to build their teams; they continue to hire, execute interim roles and complete key projects in response to the challenges they’re facing. They need great people.

Keys to success in this new environment:

  • Be Remote Ready: Develop a remote work routine and work space.  Acquire and learn the necessary technology tools.
  • Video: Get comfortable video interviewing.  Practice.
  • Remote Networking: Let professionals in your network know you’re open to new opportunities, as well as to recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter.
  • Find a Partner: Build a relationship with a professional staffing and executive recruiting firm to gain access to a select group of hiring managers.

Submit your resume today to connect with one of our team members.

8 Proven Methods to Making Your LinkedIn Profile Recruiter-Ready

When it comes to job boards and finding new talent, LinkedIn remains the top resource for recruiters. After all, it’s the world’s largest professional network on the internet — with more than 30 million companies represented and 20 million-plus open jobs.

That’s a lot of data to wade through. To get the attention of recruiters, you’ll need to do some of the heavy lifting — make your profile work for you. Century Group Talent Acquisition Manager, Megan Helgeson, shares eight proven methods to making your LinkedIn profile recruiter-ready.

1. Make a Strong First Impression

“First impression is always going to be their picture,” Helgson says. “It’s proven that having a picture makes recruiters more likely to visit your profile.” Don’t have a professional headshot at your disposal? No problem. Recruit a friend or family member to snap a photo of you in your favorite business attire ensemble. Stage it in front of a wall or clean background. And avoid filters, car selfies and other busy settings.

2. Showcase Your Education

Give yourself credit where it’s due. Helgeson frequently comes across candidates’ profiles who only list their university without including the type of degree completed — eliminating themselves from filtered LinkedIn Recruiter searches. “If the position requires a certain degree, but a candidate doesn’t have theirs listed, they won’t pull up in the search,” she explains. “Recruiters might assume that you didn’t complete your degree and pass by your profile. You worked hard for it — show it off!”

3. Promote Yourself — Not Your Employer

Focus on highlighting your value proposition, experience and skills in the “About” summary. And while it’s OK to mention your current company, best practice is to use this space as an elevator pitch — make it personal. “Don’t be afraid to use first person or showcase your personality,” she says. “Keep your industry and audience in mind. But if a recruiter wanted a play-by-play of your career history, they would scroll to your experience.”

4. Keep Your Contact Information Updated

If you choose to make your contact information public, make sure it’s updated. For example, Helgeson recalls instances where she’s tried to make a connection with a candidate, only to realize the phone number listed was from their previous job. For email, use or create a professional account. “Just make sure you are checking it regularly, so you don’t miss out on opportunities,” Helgeson says.

5. Let Recruiters Know You’re Available

Are you on the market? Signal recruiters by utilizing LinkedIn’s “Open to Opportunities” function. There are two privacy settings: one that notifies you of who visits your page, and another that restricts that visibility to only recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiting. But beware. While LinkedIn tries to hide your availability from recruiters at your current company, your privacy isn’t 100% guaranteed.

Also list the type of opportunities you’re open to, Helgeson says. But use this wisely. Only do so if you’re singularly interested in exploring those type of positions, as this could restrict recruiters from taking a potential job application seriously if it doesn’t match. “This is also a great tool to use if you are looking to make a career pivot,” she explains. “Listing that you are interested in an opportunity that doesn’t necessarily match your career path let’s recruiters know that you are ready for a new challenge.”

6. Make Yourself Visible with Skills and Endorsements

Recruiters regularly use this feature to search for candidates, so make sure to include all that apply to you. Helgeson offers a pro-tip for pairing with opportunities you’re interested in on LinkedIn. “Check out the ‘How You Match’ section to see what skills that opportunity requires. If you have experience in a skill they want but it’s not reflected on your profile, go back and add it!”

7. Use Your Experience to Highlight Your Professional Performance

Ensuring your current and previous roles are listed and up-to-date is an easy, important step to illustrating your professional career accurately. Use this area to share the companies’ mission statements so recruiters can get an idea of your industry experience — as well as your specific job duties and achievements in the role.

8. Engage Your Network

“The way you interact with your network matters, and recruiters can see your recent activity from your profile,” Helgeson says. “Get involved! Leaving words of encouragement on your colleagues post, sharing a helpful article and helping others connect all reflect positively.” Remember: be mindful of your very visible interactions — always keep it professional.

Are you open to new opportunities? Submit your resume and our recruiters will reach out to you if there’s a match. Browse our blog for more career advice and insights.