By Aoibhinn Mc Bride
Is securing a new job in 2024 on your radar?
If spring cleaning your resume is one of your New Year's resolutions, you could be slowing down your chances of landing an interview before the spring—only 2% of candidates who apply for a role are called to attend a job interview, and if you do get selected, you'll be competing against five others.
And if your interviews are only starting to happen then, you probably won't land a job offer until the summer months; so it's prudent to think ahead and start the process before the holidays take over. Here's how.
Do your research
Despite wage growth in the U.S. falling in 2023 compared to peak figures in mid-2022, job seekers across the country are more empowered than ever when it comes to salary transparency thanks to the laws enacted in Colorado, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, California, Nevada and Washington (15 more are considering a change in legislation).
If you live in any of these states, set a salary benchmark based on your skills, experience and the positions you're applying for.
However, salary is only one side of the coin: you should also make sure the companies you're applying to are aligned to your values so the company culture is a good fit—60% of workers have admitted they would quit their job if the company they worked for didn't align with their values or beliefs.
Hone your soft skills
While those working in finance will need to have the technical skills necessary, soft skills are also becoming increasingly important to employers.
That's according to the The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2023, which found that analytical thinking is the number one skill for the future, followed by creative thinking and resilience, flexibility and agility.
Additional research by Deloitte predicts that soft skill-intensive jobs will account for almost two-thirds of all jobs by 2030.
With this in mind, give your resume a skills audit and identify any soft skills gaps that need to be addressed. You could volunteer yourself for any leadership opportunities within your team or department, or you can assess how you deploy analytic thinking when approaching a task or project.
Grow your network
According to recent data compiled by job listings platform Indeed, despite 80% of all tech applicants applying for a role the traditional way via its site, half of all hires came from personal referrals.
What this data tells us is that your professional network holds considerable currency when it comes to finding a new job.
That said, networking alone won't secure you a job offer, however it will give you some insight into the job market, and who is hiring or growing their teams.
And once you have all your jobseekers housekeeping completed, focus your search on the Financial Planning Job Board which features thousands of roles in companies that are actively hiring, including the three below.
Chief Financial Officer / VP Finance, Masonicare Corp, Wallingford
As Chief Financial Officer you will direct financial and related business support services that are fundamental to the successful achievement of Masonicare's short term and long term financial and operational objectives. You will participate in the development and implementation of organization strategic plans and identify opportunities which may result in improved financial performance ensuring sustainability of the organization and its mission. You will also oversee debt compliance requirements for commercial loans and CHFA bond issues, participate in loan negotiations, review proposed loan terms, cash flow and debt covenant implications and provide recommendations to the CEO, finance committee and trustees. View additional details here.
Financial Analyst - Finance, Onq Financial Inc, United States
The Financial Analyst will perform a variety of financial and business analysis activities including but not limited to ad hoc analysis, improving financial planning processes, performing detailed research, owning various finance, and accounting processes, and assisting in long term department goals. As such, you will need to be detail-oriented and strategically minded, organized, and able to present relevant and insightful information in a concise and easily comprehensible manner. The ideal candidate will also be able to improve upon existing financial reporting to identify both strong and weak areas of the business and maintain and analyze existing budgets while providing insights to where improvements can be made. See the full job description here.
Financial Analyst, NA Finance, Congo Brands, Louisville
Congo Brands, a health and wellness brand that sells supplements, fitness snacks, hydration drinks, energy drinks including Alani Nu, Prime Hydration, Prime Energy and 3D Energy, is seeking a Financial Analyst. This role will be responsible for the tracking and analysis of customer level sales, promotion and profitability. You will coordinate with other finance resources (Financial Reporting, Sales Finance, Marketing Finance and Operations Finance) to facilitate timely and accurate customer budgets, forecasts and reporting and collaborate with finance teams to analyze sales, costs and gross margin, identify trends, and provide recommendations to improve financial performance. Get more information here.
For more jobs in finance visit the Financial Planning Job Board today
