IMA members: register now. The forum is complimentary, but space is limited.
In today’s business world, heightened uncertainly and risk are normal. Volatility in such areas as consumer demand, commodity prices, and exchange rates makes it difficult to pinpoint how to drive profitable growth. To stay competitive, finance organizations must adapt by weaving new analytics tools and disciplines into the fabric of their business. That’s why your attendance at IBM Finance Forum 2013 is so important.
Retaining talent is one of the most important things any manager can do. Finding the right workers who fit your company and its culture can be a difficult and time consuming task. Not to mention training new employees and setting up benefit plans, such as 401Ks, can eat up time and resources. For these reasons and more it is important to retain your talent.
One of the most important things a manager can do is take to care of their employees and this goes far beyond just pay. Taking care of your employees means developing holistic policies that can increase their emotional, physical, and yes, financial well-being. By developing such policies you will retain your best staff and ensure a productive work environment. Read More
2012 has come and gone and now 2013 has arrived. Many people have made New Year’s resolutions and it’s a safe bet that many of these resolutions involve finding a new job. Across the world millions of people are still unemployed or working part-time while looking for a full-time job. Others are simply unhappy with their career and are looking for a fresh start. While finding a new job in a stagnant economy can be a tough task there are numerous steps you can take to improve your likelihood of success.
The first step is remaining upbeat and dedicated to your job hunt. When there’s a high unemployment rate most open positions will receive many, many resumes. You will most likely have to apply to dozens of jobs before you find the right fit but the harder and longer you search the more likely you will be successful. Read More
Did you know that you could be a Certified Management Accountant in just one year?
Yes, with the GLEIM Professor-Led CMA Review Course (CMAPrepCourse), you can well on your way to earning an average salary that’s $22,000 higher in compensation over non-certified professionals before 2014!* Don’t let your desire to build Rare and Valuable Skills like a CMA certification sit on the backburner any longer – call us to enroll TODAY!
This program is live AND web-based and led by experienced, CMA-designated instructors who have helped many students like you to earn the CMA designation. The coursework was specially designed to fit in a busy professional’s schedule and includes numerous tools to assist in the learning process. Read More
The process of first attracting and then keeping your employee engaged is crucial to having a productive work force and to the bottom line of your business. A happy and properly attached employee will be a good representative for the company in terms of services to clients. A poorly thought out recruitment process will not only alienate your new hire but cost the company big dollars in terms of investment in training, the hiring of yet another employee, and lost productivity.
Attracting the new hire begins at the recruitment and pre-employment stages by making the employee feel secure in their new job. It continues throughout the employment with engagement of the employee and making them feel they have value. It is important that managers or team leaders be aware that it is critical that employees be happy at work and have a good attitude. You can hire someone based solely on skills, but you cannot teach a good attitude. By hiring people with a good attitude and engaging them properly, you can teach them the competencies they need to do their job and retain them. A hiring manager must look at each applicant or current employee on an individual basis and develop training according to the needs of that individual. Read More
The Professor-Led Live CMA Exam Review course provides the following:
• Eight live sessions with a professor for each of the parts – 64 hours of total classroom time
• Gleim CMA Review System – Books, sample test questions, on-line practice tests and audio CDs
• Unlimited individual access to instructors – Helping you with what you need
• Personal Counselor
• NEW – Now also available in streaming video
Classes are limited to 20 students and will be held Saturdays 8 AM to 12 PM at the University of Dallas Campus in Irving, TX.
Cost – $1,945 Parts 1 & 2, or $1,100 for individual parts
For more information, go to http://www.ima-cma.com or contact Ron Schmidt at rschmidt@strategiccfosolutions.com or 469-682-0452.
It is simply astonishing when we think about how technology has changed our lives. The “cloud” can offer businesses superb cost and flexibility benefits. A recent survey reported that 80% of respondents use the cloud in some way in their daily business.
The idea of cloud computing is not really a new one. In fact, if you have used any of the various email services, Google Docs or online photo storage you have used the cloud without even knowing! The latest study conducted by Pew on the cloud states that 69% of U.S. internet users have been using cloud computing in one form or another.
In total, the study discovered that people are enthusiastic about the convenience of cloud computing. This is especially true regarding the younger audiences. It was noted that using the cloud was preferred by almost 77% of people age 18 to 29 but only 27% of those over age 65. Another good sign was that 52 percent said the cloud made it possible for them to rapidly add new products and services.
It’s normal to want to retire and leave the work world while you’re still young and able to enjoy it. There are a plethora of good reasons to retire early.
I want to spend more time enjoying my family and friends.
I want to participate in activities I enjoy.
My work is not really what I want to do with my life.
I want to become a world traveler.
I want to use my time and talent making a difference in the world.
The list goes on and on. Unfortunately due to the economic crisis, many are left wondering if they will ever be able to retire at all. For some people the new retirement plan seems to be “keep on working”. The fact is you cannot retire until you have saved enough money to live. Before you turn in your letter of resignation, evaluate your finances in terms of retirement. You need to carefully plan whether or not you have enough to live in the style you imagined during retirement. Besides the hurdle of finance the retiree faces the cost of health insurance. It is prudent to research insurance costs and use an online retirement calculator such as the Fidelity Income Strategy Evaluator. http://bit.ly/KuSXcY
Any inspection of recruitment websites will show you a multitude of businesses looking to hire.
“On any given week, we may see hundreds of new social media jobs posted,” said Kathy O’Reilly, director of social media relations for job recruitment site Monster.
With over 200 million people on Twitter, companies are reaching out to Twitter users. Twitter has become extremely significant to job seekers as it is valuable in searching for companies with positions to fill. According to a survey by Jobvite.com Linkedin currently dominates but using Twitter to find a job is also a great resource. Recruiters and HR managers are aggressively screening Twitter looking for candidates and Twitter allows you to connect whether you know them or not. You can follow anyone on Twitter based on shared interests.
Follow these steps to find a job by using Twitter:
1- Sign up for an account and work up a profile with appropriate information for a job seeker. Make sure the profile consists of things you want the employer to know about you as it relates to your work life. Try to come up with a profile that will capture a prospective employer’s attention. Include an email that you check often, a link to a CV/resume and a professional looking image on the account. Remember that your profile and image is the first impression the employer has of you so make it count!
In Part I (https://www.mamrecruiting.com/getting-a-job-using-linkedin-part-i-2) we discussed How to set up your profile on Linkedin for the best results. In Part II we take the discussion further by discussing networking, making connections and setting up your links and expert status.
MAKING YOUR LINKS
Linkedin has features that allow you to post links to your page or to other websites. If you have a website, blog or other relevant site, you can add it to your profile page for further exposure outside of Linkedin. To make the links you can use the function that Linkedin provides or one of the Linkedin apps. In addition to Linkedin apps there are other apps that you can find by doing an online search for “Linkedin Apps”. Do not employ an app for its own sake but only if it will enhance your status on Linkedin.
MAKING YOUR CONNECTIONS
There are several websites and groups within Linkedin that offer “open networking”. Open networking status indicates that a person will allow you to connect even though they are not acquainted with you. This method will gain many connections for your profile but in the instance of a job search it is not advisable. The most focused and targeted method requires you to use the search function provided on Linkedin to find the best leads for a connection or to groups to join.
When you join groups you have an opportunity to participate and pose or answer questions and become part of the discussion. Many times job offers are posted directly to group pages by recruiters. Make sure to offer something of value in return as you use the group for its resources. Also avail yourself of the “Linkedin Answers” forum to gain and give your knowledge and expertise as well as gain respect and confidence from your peers. One last thought on groups: Find groups that echo the goals you’ve set when creating your profile. When you make a connection, do not send out the generic “join my network” message but customize your message and offer some type of value or help to your connections.
Please help us expand our reach and hopefully increase our attendance at our April 16th Dinner Meeting and April 25th Networking Happy Hour, as well as the IMA Texas Annual Conference (April 25 and 26). Dennis Whitney, IMA VP who oversees the CMA program, will be joining us for the Happy Hour.
You should have received our notice for the April 16th dinner meeting. The first notice for the Networking Happy Hour will go out later this week. Please share them with your contacts and groups that may be interested in attending.
Please note that we have changed the topic for our Early Professional Development session. The new topic is The Leadership Spectrum: Leading groups, organizations, and yourself.
