Hot Jobs Newsletter - August 2011

Cochran, Cochran & Yale is one of New York’s largest executive search firms.  We are currently working on several outstanding opportunities we would like to share with you and your associates. The search market continues to improve and our business has improved over 25% from last year. Please review below and feel free to reach out to us directly or share with a respected peer. We very much appreciate your consideration.

Director of Finance-$80-$110k, Manufacturing Client between Buffalo and Rochester seeks solid financial manager with strong knowledge of cost and hands on plant/operations accounting.

Controller-West Side Manufacturing Client is looking to add this position due to growth. Client needs custom reporting and cost analysis to help drive business. Situation offers FAMILY FRIENDLY or Part- Time hours. QuickBooks and BS required. CPA a big plus. This is a great opportunity to have a flexible schedule that allows you to put the kids on the bus and be home to get them off! Salary- Market.

Controller-Fairport, NY- to $140k plus bonus, CPA required. International manufacturing exp in a large company setting preferred. Must be GAAP reporting expert!

Controller-Seneca Falls, NY- to $115k plus bonus and Relocation CPA and Shared Service experience.

Valuation Analyst- Rochester, NY-to $75k plus bonus potential. MBA mandatory. Commercial credit analysis, financial statement analysis or quantitative/engineering background required.

Credit Manager-Rochester, NY – $50-65K BS or AS and 3+yrs experience with business to business collections and credit, A/R management experience a plus.

Client Support Manager-Rochester, NY- to $50K BS in Accounting or Finance and some investment experience required to manage client relations for a busy wealth management company.

Risk Manager-Rochester, NY- $80-100K Prior experience with RMIS required and min 10 years of risk management experience including supervising staff.

Staff Accountant- Honeoye Falls, NY to $35k. BS in Accounting required. Great position for any of Kym’s students right out of college!

Out of Town opportunities offering Relocation:

Baltimore- International Treasury Position - CPA & Spanish $150-160K + bonus and relo

Baltimore- Director of International Consolidations- Market + full relocation

Baltimore- Accounting Supervisor- French & CPA $90k (Big 4) + relocation

Boston- Big 4 Background Sr. Manager of I/A financial services and asset management experience required $90-140K+ bonus and relo

Miami- CPA/MBA with valuation or M&A or any accounting or finance with energy exposure, multiple positions exist

Chicago- Director of Finance- Pharma mfg exp and CPA required $175-180k plus bonus and relocation

NJ- Executive Director of Tax $225k CPA or JD background and exposure to 1441's manage a staff of 80

NYC- VP Global Tax- CPA with FAS 109 experience 12+yrs experience $250-275k+bonus and relocation

The Blacklist Letter

I have 16 years of stories to tell some old and some new. The decision is, where do I begin? Of course the names of the parties involved will be changed to ensure strict confidentiality.

Since my last article was about “reputation” I will share an old story many of you will remember. I can’t remember all of the details but this is what I recall and I filled in some of the blanks.

Bill worked for a CPA firm in Rochester, NY. He was unhappy with his current position and decided to start a job search to find a more challenging opportunity. This is the case with most of our candidates. They are currently employed, but they are open to listening to new opportunities, hoping to find their “dream job.”  This is another discussion topic in itself to be discussed at a later date. Bill used his computer at work and the company intranet to create and send his resume and interview correspondence.  After several weeks his supervisor caught wind that he was looking for a job. He was called into their office to discuss his dissatisfaction with his current position. They felt his job search was disloyal and terminated his employment. .

Bill was upset with their decision and decided to write a letter expressing what he thought about the firm and the partners. Back then email was a new technology.  Without thinking about the potential ramifications, Bill decided to email blast it to everyone in the firm. The content of the letter was “Charlie Sheenesque” and criticized the partners and firm.  The attack was very personal and unprofessional. Bill was upset and writing the letter was a “Charlie Sheen” moment in his career.

Everyone at the firm was horrified at Bill’s lack of professionalism. They decided to forward the email letter to everyone they knew in town. The letter spread like wildfire across the CPA community.  Needless to say Bill had a difficult time finding a new job in Rochester.  It was the most talked about event of the tax season!  Email is a quick way to reach a large audience, but you need to make sure what you put in writing represents you and the “professional brand” that you want everyone to see.  - Kym Bailey

A Day in My Life - Forty Under 40 Ladies Happy Hour

In April, Cheryl Yawman (my job-share partner) and I were invited to a networking happy hour at Restaurant 2 Vine. This informal group consists of women who are Forty Under 40 Alumni. Cheryl is from the Class of 2004 and I am from the Class of 2009. The group has been in existence for several years but this was the first time we heard of it. This group was started as a way to unite all of the Forty Under 40 Ladies and provide a networking opportunity. The email distribution list continues to grow as word spreads. It is open to any woman who has been selected as a Forty under 40 Recipient.

April’s happy hour was a small group of ten women welcoming and embracing us as first-timers. We saw some familiar faces and several new friendly ones. It was a great networking event and we enjoyed our time catching up with old friends and getting to know other successful businesswomen in the community.

Last week we attended our second networking happy hour with the “Forty Under 40 Ladies” . This meeting was at the new Monroe’s Restaurant on Monroe Avenue. There were several familiar faces from the first happy hour and again, several new additions to the mix. Business mixed with pleasure: I came out of the happy hour with a speaker for my RIT class and several new friends. This is a great group and time well spent. I will do what I can to connect with more of my classmates and urge them to come out to the happy hours to meet new people and network with other Forty Under 40 Ladies ! - Kym Bailey

If you are a Forty Under 40 Recipient and would like to join us, email me at kym@ccy.com and I will get you on the distribution list.

Hot Jobs Newsletter Late July 2011

Cochran, Cochran & Yale is one of New York’s largest executive search firms. We are currently working on several outstanding opportunities we would like to share with you and your associates. The search market continues to improve and our business has improved over 25% from last year. Please review below and feel free to reach out to us directly or share with a respected peer. We very much appreciate your consideration.

Local Positions: (Out of the Area Positions all include relocation- listed below)

Finance Manager- Rochester, NY- Client is looking for a Fast-track CPA (Big 4) with some manufacturing experience required. Strong IT and problem solving skills required to manage $450M business unit. Salary to $140K +bonus.

Controller- Rochester, NY- Growing division of a public company seeks a CPA with strong GAAP background and experience managing an international staff to be responsible for all financial reporting for a $500 mm division. Definite career path opportunities. Salary to $130K + bonus.

Public Accounting, Rochester & Elmira, NY- Public accounting firms seek experienced CPAs for Supervisor and Manager roles. Excellent opportunity to advance in great firms. Salary – Market.

Director of Audit, Southern Tier - Financial Services Company seeks a fast track audit professional with a CPA and board level exposure. Must have financial services audit experience in a large company. Salary to $140K +bonus.

Valuation Analyst-Rochester, NY- MBA (Required) and 5+years experience analyzing financial statements. Salary to $75k + bonus.

Controller- Buffalo, NY- Prestigious Non-Profit organization is looking for a financial manager with fund accounting/non-profit experience. Salary to $70K

Manager of Payroll Accounting- Olean, NY. BS in Accounting and 5+ years experience in employment accounting and reporting. Must have shared services experience. This position is on the fast track to a Director position in a few years. Salary to $106k plus an excellent relocation package and sign on!

Sr. Manager-rINTL Tax Group of a Fortune 500 Company, Albany NY- Salary range $150-200k+
Tax Director/Tax Controller and (4 other positions)- Wichita, Kansas – Salaries to $150K ++

Out of the Area:

New Hampshire- Director of Reporting 8-10yrs experience and PWC or Big 4 background 145-150k + relocation

Boston-Finance Manager- Looking for REIT experience and 5-8yrs public audit or tax in Big 4. Salary to $100K base plus huge equity and bonus and excellent relocation. Client is looking to convert from an Operating company to REIT status and needs to set up reporting and controls.

NJ- Director of Global Credit & Collections – Fortune 500 company experience in a global setting (Asia specific) a plus. Salary to $200k + 20-30% bonus and relocation.

Chicago-Director of Finance- Client is looking for pharmaceutical experience with strong manufacturing and operations. Salary to $165K plus 25% bonus and relocation.

Atlanta-Director of Finance- Large division is looking for a controller who has excellent Excel, FP&A skills and packaging experience. Experience with Box manufacturing a huge plus. Salary $150-170K plus 25%. Full relocation.

West Palm Beach Area- Sr. F/A- $90k Base and 100% bonus potential- Must have 2-3yrs M&A with heavy modeling, energy industry exp a plus. Full relocation.

West Palm Beach Area- Sr. Quantitative Analyst- $70-90k with 100% bonus potential – Heavy modeling and analysis exposure to wind or energy market a huge plus. Full relocation.

Baltimore-$3Bil pre-IPO Company looking for accounting and finance professionals that have Spanish/French/Italian and public accounting at all levels! Specifically Director of Investor Relations, Director of International Treasury (Portuguese and Spanish) and Director of Corporate Finance. Director of International Consolidations and Accounting $135-150K plus 20% Bonus and relocation. Relocation is available for all positions.

Tampa- BIG 4 FP&A – SEC experience $120k range – multiple openings full relocation included!

Hiring - The Undercover Candidate

Everyone knows about the hidden job market, but did you know that there is also a hidden candidate pool?

High unemployment means the market is flooded with candidates and job openings are few. It is time for companies to take a good look at their hiring process and evaluate “is it working to find us the best person for the position not just the best available?”

The problem is two-fold. First, most of the good candidates are still working and not actively looking for a job. Companies hold on to the “good” ones – even in bad times they find ways to keep them happy and challenged. Employees, who are taken care of, are scared to make a move and fear the evil they know is better than the evil they don’t know. Notice I used the word “active” above. Many of our candidates are not active but passively looking. In my 16+ years I have compiled a list of “fast-trackers” who have quickly risen in their careers. These “fast-trackers” are held in high regard by the companies they work for and by their peers and people who have worked for them. These star candidates have the total package: political astuteness to survive interactions with top level executives and board members, as well as the “people skills” to be a great manager of people - someone who mentors and cares about their staff. These stars take pride in their management skills and measure their effectiveness based on the amount of success their staff attains. These candidates are my go-to people when I need a referral - they know other successful people they have worked with or who might have worked for them in the past. In conversations with these candidates we discuss how things are going for them and what the future holds. Fast-track candidates think about their future and are always assessing their options. They share with me their “Dream Job” that they would want to know about if I ever see it, and ask for a call when I do. Until that point they are happy and not looking at open postings on Monster.com or other job boards. This quiet list is part of what I refer to as the “Art” of recruiting. Understanding what candidates are looking for and connecting them to their “Dream Job” down the road is very rewarding. Some of the elements could be part ownership or relocating back to their hometown, or changing directions and taking a job in a non-profit, or a CFO looking to get into a COO or GM position - it varies from person to person but to each one it is their dream.

Second is the technology the company is using to recruit and process potential candidates. Companies are integrating several different hiring forums into one standard platform. The big boards are attracting large numbers of candidate resumes and many companies are having candidates fill out generic profiles and populating their internal database. This systematic processing of candidate information is essentially getting rid of the paper resume and in the process getting rid of what makes each candidate unique. It is this creative work of “Art” where you can view the key accomplishments and not only assess what they put on the resume but how they chose to construct it. When you deconstruct a resume and check off the boxes on requirements the candidates start to look the same. Call me old fashioned, but the resume is the “first impression” of a candidate and can tell you more than the words on it. How they constructed the resume is as important as the words on it. Hiring someone is not about checking off the boxes but making a good match. The streamline process of stockpiling resume information is making it easier to match experience with requirements but you are missing an important piece of who they are.

Technology is changing how we do business every day, but sometimes you have to stop and ask yourself is it actually making it better? - Kym Bailey

Job Search - Counteroffer: Career Suicide

You should ALWAYS turn down a Counteroffer.

It feels nice to be wanted and to have your current employer give you more money to stay. Don’t be fooled by this gesture; it will not fix what was wrong in the first place and you should not expect that things will go back to normal.

If you like your job except for one or two minor things, you owe it to yourself and your employer to try to fix the issues before you start interviewing. Have an honest conversation with your boss explaining what you are dissatisfied with and how they can improve it. If improvement is made, you know that you are working for an employer who values what is important to you and will do what it takes to keep you challenged and satisfied working for them. If your employer is not sympathetic and there are no improvements made, you will know exactly where they stand on the issues that are important to you. They had an opportunity to make improvements and decided not to implement any changes that would improve your job satisfaction. Knowing that you did everything possible to fix your current position the right way, you will be able to decline any counteroffer with a clear conscience down the road.

Candidates look for a new job because they are missing something in their current position. They find their “Dream Job” and then give notice. Some companies will offer a plethora of benefits to a wandering employee just to get them to stay. Recently, we placed a controller with a mid-sized company and upon giving notice he was countered with a new title, a promise of part ownership in the future, an additional week of vacation and they matched the compensation. He took the counteroffer and stayed.

This employer failed to tell him that they were going to sell the company to a private equity group and within seven months this candidate was out of a job. He burned the bridge with our client and now had to start a job search.

In my 16+ years of executive recruiting, I have seen this scenario way too often, typically with the same horrific results: the candidate leaves or is fired within twelve months about 85% of the time. Think about the pain you inflict on your boss when you give notice. All of your responsibilities just landed in their lap and they react accordingly. First they feel betrayed and view you as being disloyal. They remember all of the long lunches and the late arrivals over the past few months as you were on interviews and they feel they can’t trust you anymore. I put trust up there on my list when I look at my employees and my employer. I could not work closely with people that I did not trust completely.

Most employers will do whatever they can to change your mind and entice you to stay. They want to retain you, keeping you in place and doing your job, at least until they replace you or figure out a plan to redirect the work. Two weeks is not enough time for them to conduct a search for your replacement. They need to stall you so they can cover themselves. Many times when a counter offer is accepted we get a call from the manager looking to confidentially replace the disloyal employee. The work environment has been thrown into disarray with many loyal employees in the group feeling unsettled that their co-worker just received an incentive to stay that they did not get. There is no magic in a counteroffer. You do not get to accept one and have everything go back exactly the way it was. Loyalty issues cut deep: bosses will take it personally that you wanted to leave and co-workers will view you as not being a team-player.

It is natural to want to stay. Career transition is not comfortable in any way. It is the unknown road and the change can tough. Ask yourself this: Do you want to work for someone who does not recognize your value or potential until you quit? Do you have to give notice in order to receive the raise you wanted? Isn’t it ideal to have a company offer you a larger salary or promotion because they see your potential and they want you on their team because they see your long term value? Don’t be tempted by a counter offer. Understand they are responding to you making their life miserable and that you need to look after yourself and continue down the path of building your career.