Make Your Own Luck at the ACFE Global Fraud Conference

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Katharine Bosworth
ACFE Human Resources Specialist

Three years ago I had the luckiest break of my working life. I had been spending hours each day applying to jobs online while also waiting tables to pay my bills. Even though I had interviews regularly I still hadn’t landed a worthwhile position. I was educated and I was qualified, but I was competing with more than 100 other people just like me.

Then one day at lunch I waited on Jim Ratley, ACFE President and CEO. We chatted during his meal, and by the end of it he asked me if I was looking for a job. I took his business card, called the ACFE and never looked back.

If I had applied to the same job without talking to Jim I probably would have looked like any other applicant. Instead, I stood out because I made an impression on him.

This is just the sort of opportunity that the Career Connection at the 25th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference provides job seekers — the chance to stand out from the crowd and connect with recruiters and employers from the industry’s leading organizations who are actively seeking to fill positions. Featured employers come ready to accept résumés, discuss job openings and informally interview candidates. At the conference, you will find a group of recruiters and hiring managers actively seeking anti-fraud professionals all in one place. So, rather than blend into endless online applications, come to the conference ready to make an impression on decision-makers.  

The Career Connection also makes taking the next step in your career easy. Get résumé advice, practice your interview skills in a mock interview, attend career advice presentations and meet employers without leaving the Exhibit Hall. Even if you’re not looking for a new employer, career coaching is available to help you keep your career path advancing and improving.

Before I started at the ACFE, I wasted hours applying on websites and daydreaming about having a job just fall in my lap. I lucked out this time, but I would never rely on this again. Don’t let this be your strategy (unless you know where Jim likes to eat lunch).

I look forward to seeing you at the ACFE Global Fraud Conference in San Antonio, Texas, June 15-20, 2014.

Year in Review: ACFE Publishes 2010 Report to Members

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Scott Patterson, ACFE Media Relations Specialist

The ACFE’s Report to Members is one of the publications I really enjoy working on every year. The Report to Members is unique because it is one of the few opportunities we have to look back, reflect on endeavors and successes, and works-in-progress. The theme of this year’s Report is “Leading the Profession: 2010 in Review,” which I find appropriate because the ACFE truly is the leader in fraud training and resources. Our membership grew by almost 10 percent in 2010, and we now have members in more than 150 countries, an amazing feat considering the difficult economic times.

What the Report is really about, though, is looking at the things the ACFE has done (and is doing) to support our members and remain in this position of leadership. The benefits we provide make joining the ACFE one of the best decisions an anti-fraud professional can make. The letter in the Report from our president and CEO, James D. Ratley, CFE, mentions many of these initiatives. The new Fraud Magazine website; an improved CFE Exam Prep Course®; online chat with member representatives; the new 2010 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse and Compensation Guide for Anti-Fraud Professionals with international data; the largest and best annual fraud conference in the world; the list goes on. The Report also includes initiatives we are rolling out in 2011, such as the ACFE Advisory Council and an enhanced Career Center on ACFE.com.

Another great aspect of the Report is the ACFE member profiles we’ve included. Read about Ashley Busa, CFE, and Boyd Foster, CFE, and learn about their journeys to become professional fraud fighters. Also, one of the coolest new things about this year’s report is an embedded video interview with another CFE, Corey Costa. Corey sat down with us at the 21st ACFE Fraud Conference & Exhibition in Washington, D.C., last year to discuss how membership and the CFE credential have helped him along the way. Having his video interview available in the report truly adds a multimedia element to it.

I hope ACFE members enjoy reading the 2010 Report to Members as much as we enjoyed creating it. I’m already looking forward to next year’s edition.

Download the 2010 Report to Membershere.