Prospex

Where Experience Meets Personal Touch in Recruiting.

Dear Abby

Build a Winning Resume with Prospex Recruiting

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Dear Abby: I haven’t written a resume in years and I need HELP! or I’ve sent my resume to more places than there are Swifties with no response – HELP!

Don’t worry, the Prospex Recruiting team is here to help you. Here are some tips that get the best response from hiring managers:

Formatting Matters: How to Structure Your Resume

  1. Chronological Format > Functional Format: Hiring managers want to know what you did, when you did it, and where you did it.
  2. Bullet Points Over Paragraphs: Keep your content digestible. Short bullet points are easier to skim than bulky paragraphs. One to two descriptive sentences about the company are fine, but concise bullet points are key.
  3. Balance Accomplishments and Responsibilities: Mix key achievements with daily tasks. Include quantifiable details like revenue generation, cost-saving initiatives, or quota achievements to stand out.
  4. Outline/Header Format: Show progression and longevity. Use a master header for each company with total years worked, followed by secondary headings for each role, dates, and bullet points for responsibilities and accomplishments.
Resume Writing Tips | Build a Winning Resume with Prospex

Highlighting Skills and Certifications

  1. Technology, Certifications, and Skills: Dedicate a section to showcasing your technical expertise. Be specific about your proficiency, such as Excel (v-lookups, macros, pivot tables), and list all relevant software and ERP systems. Avoid subjective traits like “hard working” or “detail-oriented”—let your bullet points demonstrate those qualities.
  2. Less Is More: Keep your resume concise at 1-2 pages, focusing on key highlights and leaving room for elaboration during the interview.
  3. Focus on Recent Experience: Add more details to roles held in the last five years, as they are most relevant. Older experiences are still important but require less detail.

Additional Tips for a Polished Resume

  1. Certifications After Your Name: Start your resume on a positive note by listing certifications right after your name.
  2. Skip the Objective Section: Objectives are implied when you’re applying for a role. Use that space to expand on your experience.
  3. GPA Guidelines: If your GPA is under 3.8, leave it off your resume.

Need Help? Prospex Recruiting Has You Covered

If you want help or a review of your resume, reach out to our Prospex Recruiting team. Head to our website at www.hireprospex.com to learn more about our services.

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💬 What are your best resume tips/hints? We’d love to hear from you!

Your Guide to Smart Resume Job Title Choices

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🌟Dear Abby🌟: How does it look on my resume if I take a job with a lower title than I’m at now?!

As with a lot of my answers – it depends! Titles are so nebulous. I have “controllers” that are making $60K, and I have “controllers” that are making $185K. I have “Sr. Accountants” making $75K, and I have “Sr. Accountants” making $115K. There are SO many factors that go into a title – company size, public, private, PE-backed, managing people, managing a process, and so on.

Why You Should Chase Opportunities, Not Titles

My best advice is to not title chase, rather opportunity chase. Look at the opportunity as a whole – company size, growth opportunity (both the company and personal growth), gaining certain experiences, working with a certain mentor, work/life balance, etc. Make sure you have a firm intention as to why you are making the transition and confirm that your new opportunity hits those main drivers.

On your resume, you can write a small company highlight next to the name of the company that details the size of the company, ownership structure, etc., to help explain the title naming conventions for each company (e.g., transitioning from a Controller of a $5mm company to an Accounting Manager of a $500mm company).

Smart Resume Job Title Choices | Career Advice from Prospex

Evaluating Career Moves: The Three Key Factors

When making a career decision, I always tell people if:

  1. The pay makes sense
  2. The responsibilities make sense
  3. You like the people/company

You can’t make a bad choice. When you accept a job based on it being the right overall opportunity, you end up performing better, growing faster, and gaining more meaningful experience, which springboards your career more than just accepting a position because a title fits a superfluous expected growth trajectory!

Share Your Experience: Have You Taken a Lower Title?

Who has taken a lesser title, and what was your reasoning for doing so? How did it work out for you? Love the insight!

Let’s Talk About Your Career Transition

Reach out to anyone at Prospex Recruiting if you want to walk through any decisions you’re making right now or to talk through your next career transition! Head to our website, www.hireprospex.com, to learn more about our services and how we can help guide you towards your dream job.

Prospex Recruiting’s Advice for Smart Career Transitions

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Dear Abby: Should You Stay, or Should You Go?

Dear Abby: I started a new job, I’ve only been here for a few months and I hate it! Do I need to stay for a year or when can I leave? #SPLITdecisions (😂)

Unfortunately, this happens more than you would think. I hear from candidates so much: “I don’t really like it, but I’ve committed to stay here a year and then look.” I don’t always agree with this, and here are a few reasons why…

Staying Unhappy Hurts Everyone

If you don’t love what you are doing, you generally are just “doing” the job instead of really performing and excelling in the position. You don’t want to spend a year of your life just waiting for it to end. You also want to make sure that you’re giving your employer the best of you and the best of your work—not just doing enough to complete tasks.

When you don’t enjoy what you are doing, it bleeds into your whole life. People can try as hard as they want to compartmentalize, but it inevitably seeps in. Spend your energy to grow every aspect!

Employers Value Honesty

I usually hear from employers that they would rather have someone leave sooner if they aren’t happy than after a year because it really takes someone 6-12 months to be fully trained, functioning, and adding value in their position. When a candidate leaves after a year, the employer has to start all over again.

Business people waiting for job interview

Avoid the Resume Red Flags

Don’t make it a habit. I’m definitely NOT condoning using the first couple of months as a continuous trial period. Don’t have perpetual 6-month positions on your resume.

Make sure that you aren’t mistaking the learning curve for disliking the position. Ensure you’ve had the right communication with your manager and have done everything possible to make the job the right fit. Do your due diligence when accepting a position (I’ll post tips for this next week). When you’ve done all of this and it STILL turns out to be different than you hoped—get in the right situation. Be intentional and be diligent.

When to Make the Move

There will always be bumps in any job, things you don’t like, and days that feel hard. But if you spend every night dreading work the next day, it’s time to change your situation—for you and the company—whether it’s been a few weeks or a few years.

Have You Been in This Situation?

What did you do? How did it turn out?

Feel free to contact anyone on the Prospex Recruiting team; we’d love to discuss any of this with you!

Ace Your Interview with Prospex Recruiting’s Proven Tips

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Dear Abby: I’m interviewing with a company and trying my best to do my due diligence – what can I do to make sure this is the right next step for me?!

Never take a job “just to take it”; take it because you feel it is the right fit (culturally, current responsibilities, and long-term growth) for you. I want the excitement for the new opportunity to outweigh any anxiousness from starting a new position. Here are a few tips to make the best choice for your career!

Understand the Company Culture

Get a good read on the culture. Try and speak with more than one person if you can. I always like to ask why the interviewer enjoys working there and really listen to what they say—any red flags? Do they have passion behind what they’re saying?

If you’re doing an in-person interview, pay attention to the employees as you’re walking through the office. Are they happy overall, enjoying each other and enjoying being there, or are they looking at you with pleading eyes that seem to be saying, “Get out while you still can!!”

Define Your Top Priorities

Take some time before applying or interviewing for positions and really hone in on the top 3 most important things you’re looking for in a new opportunity: commute, hybrid, management, having a good mentor, being a good mentor, working under a CPA, culture, work/life balance, industry, gaining certain experience, etc.

Only you know what you want in your next position. Define those and be intentional in your job search to find the position that hits those main drivers.

Ace Your Interview with Prospex Recruiting

Use the Back Door Approach

Dial in on where you realistically want to be in the next 5-10 years. What does that look like? Back into where you are currently and what you are interviewing for. Does this new opportunity put you on the right path to get you where you want to go?

Ask Questions and Voice Concerns

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or express your concerns (tactfully) during the interview process. If a company has poor reviews, ask them about it. Give them the chance to speak to those.

If someone said something during an interview that didn’t resonate, ask them about it and get further clarity. Remember—you are interviewing them as much as they are you. Both parties (companies and candidates) want to find a good fit. It’s better to either flush this out or get reaffirmed during the interview process than to find out 3 weeks in that it’s not a good fit.

Trust Your Instincts

If something isn’t sitting right, there’s probably a reason. If you’re trying to convince yourself that it’s the right position, then it’s probably not.

“I mean, I can do the work… the position is fine… the people are nice…”—you aren’t excited about it. Wait and find something that aligns with your long-term goals! You want to feel so excited and confident that this is the right next step for you.

Partner with Prospex Recruiting Today!

There will always be some variability in a new position, but do what you can to feel as confident in the transition as possible. Grab a time with anyone at Prospex Recruiting to talk about your interviews and long-term goals more in-depth!

Reach out to us today or visit our website at https://www.hireprospex.com/ to explore our services and learn how we can help you.

Navigate Counteroffers: Expert Advice from Prospex Recruiting

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Dear Abby: I have an offer on the table but my company is doing a HARD PRESS to keep me! I owe it to them to entertain it, right?!

Why Counteroffers Deserve Caution

I could hit on this subject for probably 6 posts but I’ll try and keep it brief (although brevity has never been my strength). I never want to get into a counter offer situation for 2 main reasons:

  1. I want to make sure the position you get an offer from is one you are so excited for and feel like it is the right match that you aren’t even interested in a counteroffer – you are making an OPPORTUNITY move not just a MONEY move (yes – money is important but it shouldn’t be your only deciding factor).
  2. If at any point you would entertain a counteroffer, try and have those conversations with your manager before another offer is even on the table. You can do this in a very non-threatening way: “I enjoy working here and am excited for my long-term progression and growth – I really want to get to [pay, responsibilities, job title, etc.], what do you feel I can do to get there and what can we put in place for me to continue my growth here?”

If your employer does something at that point to get you what you want – great! Stay there for a few years and start your search when it makes sense in the future. If they don’t do anything about it – you’ve essentially given them the chance to counter before you have something on the table and you know where you stand. They should do what it takes to keep you there prior to having an offer and not just react because they’re trying to cover themselves from losing you in the position.

Expertly Navigate Counteroffers | Prospex Recruiting

Consider the Employer’s Perspective

On a side note – as an employer, if you continuously counter-offer when your team has a different offer, what message are you sending to the rest of the team? Make sure to have the regular conversations with your team, do what you can to provide the right environment for openness, learning and growth and if it’s time for someone to make the move, you know you’ve provided a great home while they’re there!

Connect with Prospex Recruiting Today!

What has your experience been with a counter offer? Love hearing from you!

Reach out to anyone on our Prospex Recruiting team to walk through your situation!