What Finance Hiring Managers Check

Finance and accounting professionals enjoy a good job outlook, with many companies competing for top talent. But when you’re in the market for a new job, it’s still important to know the best way to package your skills and accomplishments.

Keep the following tips in mind:  

Your résumé is your most important calling card. 

In the age of online profiles, the résumé is still king. According to the finance and accounting hiring managers surveyed, 53 percent prefer digital or electronic résumés when evaluating engineering candidates. A traditional hard copy résumé is preferred by 40 percent. Therefore, in order to be able to send out your résumé quickly, make sure you have it saved in a number of file formats, including a Word document, pdf, and .txt.

Alternative résumé formats aren’t widely adopted. 

Only three percent of hiring managers prefer to review personalized websites or “digital portfolios”; three percent prefer LinkedIn profiles; and one percent prefer to receive video résumés. Clearly, unless a job posting specifically asks for one of these formats, you’re best off focusing on a digital or hardcopy résumé.

Your qualifications must match the job description. 

The majority (78 percent) of finance and accounting hiring managers agree that this is the most important résumé component influencing their decision on which candidates to interview. Before you send out your résumé, invest some time in tailoring your qualifications and experience to match the job listing. It’s also advisable to feature the same keywords in your résumé and cover letter where appropriate.

Social media. 

Surprisingly, just over half of finance and accounting managers (53 percent) do not check social media to review a candidate’s information. Similarly, only a small number (14 percent) say they have ever disqualified a candidate based on a review of their social media profile.

What about LinkedIn? Of the finance and accounting managers who say they do review a candidate’s LinkedIn profile, a whopping 89 percent do so to review your employment history.

What are the benefits of social media? Hiring managers may not always be looking here, but social media may still aid indirectly in your job search. Of the finance and accounting professionals surveyed by Kelly®, 68 percent report that social media is their primary method of networking, and 36% percent say they use their online networks when making decisions about their career or employment. 

Add to this the fact that employee and industry referrals are top ways that hiring managers source talent, and it’s clear that social media is a vitally important tool for establishing and building relationships with your peers and industry leaders.

To position yourself to your best advantage in the job search process, always make sure your résumé is up to date and tailored to the position you want.