SelectOne Blog

The only person who will truly look out for your best interest is you.  With that context, I’ve always struggled with the notion of “quitting” a job, since it has such negative connotations.   

Years ago, when I left public accounting to join SelectOne, it always struck me odd when people would say “wait, you’re quitting?!”  Quitting implies giving up, admitting defeat, being vanquished, relinquishing.  But what I felt was a genuine excitement and exuberance to be pursuing a career with a company I felt aligned much more closely with my talent and aspirations, as well as appreciation for the job and team I was leaving behind.  It was by refusing to accept the “quitting” mindset and embracing the positive elements of what I was doing that enabled me to leave on good terms. Here are a few quick take aways from my experience on how to quit with class:

There is a huge disparity in the supply of qualified candidates for skilled jobs. With the US economy improving and the seemingly ever-widening skills gap, the onus on employers to be strategic in their approach to wooing talented young professionals is only beginning.

Currently, 77% of small to mid-sized businesses focus their recruiting efforts on the young professionals' talent pool. The competition is fierce and in order to catch any young professionals eye, you must make opportunities and companies more appealing to young, desirable, skilled workers.

To ensure optimum marketability and appeal, use the following tips to guide your next steps:

For the first time in 12 years, the Department of Labor announced that the Final Rule for overtime regulations will extend coverage to approximately 4.2 million Americans who are currently exempt.

LinkedIn is our lifeline – connecting recruiters to candidates, the sales team to clients, and business knowledge to our followers. LinkedIn is a dream world for all business professionals and is constantly growing at a rate of two new members per second.

Yes, it is pretty intuitive to use - however, much of our business success stems from what LinkedIn won’t tell you. Regardless of how you utilize the world’s largest professional network, here are 6 little-known, shocking tricks that will help you drive even greater results with little effort.

Regardless of the recent cold front we have experienced in Buffalo - summer is on its way. The change of seasons brings about exciting opportunities for some companies – one of which is summer interns. Summer interns can be a huge asset if they are utilized correctly. 

So, how can you maximize the time you have with your summer interns?

Research has shown that hiring managers and recruiters alike, tend to choose or move forward with candidates that have a similar background to their own.

One of the most common issues we have run across over the past few years involves the mass exodus of the Baby Boom Generation from the US workforce, and the struggles companies have in not only replacing retiring Boomers, but in planning to shift the needs of their company before they are impacted by this change.

Baby boomers, (75 Million strong in the US, according to recent Census data), are the generation of people born during the post–World War II baby boom – 1946 and 1964, and are now between 52 and 70 years old. In 2011, the first Boomers turned 65 and began retiring, and despite numerous studies that indicate many Boomers will continue to work after 65, they will continue to retire at an astounding rate of approximately 10,000 per day over the next 20 years. 

Companies that choose to address this issue head on and develop a plan for transitioning their workforce upon the retirement of their key staff, will undoubtedly be a step ahead of their competitors.

What should companies do to prepare for this impending exodus of Baby Boomers?

All of the accounting and finance positions we recruit for require a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel. Are your skills up to par to remain competitive in the job market?

A study of job postings by Burning Glass Technologies found that 8 in 10 jobs require digital skills such as spreadsheet and word processing proficiencies. Additionally, digitally intensive jobs pay 18% more than jobs that do not require a digital component.

Many companies want to know candidates’ proficiency level in Excel and even require their candidates to take an Excel assessment as part of the recruiting process. The assessments are interactive tests or multiple choice questions used to measure your ability to complete tasks.  

Where do you fall on the proficiency scale?