The No. 1 Key to Professional Development: Always Be Learning

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Kathy Lavinder, CFE
Owner and Executive Director of Security & Investigative Placement Consultants

Is there one key to professional advancement and long-term success? Yes and that key is lifelong learning. Continuous learning is the hallmark of ambitious and curious individuals. That’s why I probe job seekers on their professional development efforts and activities. When getting to know a potential candidate and evaluating someone for a role I regularly ask these questions:

•  What courses have you taken recently? 
• Have you attended any seminars or training this year? 
• What are you reading to stay abreast of developments in your field? 
• What are your educational aspirations? 
• Are you working on any professional certifications?
• Is there someone in your organization, or elsewhere, who you view as a mentor?

The employers who rely on my firm to find them the best applicants for their fraud prevention, investigation and detection roles want to see candidates who are never satisfied with their professional status quo. So many résumés I receive emphasize years of experience when they should emphasize experience that reflects responsibilities that have changed, roles that have evolved and a progression in one’s career. Someone may say they have 20 years of experience, but I will want to determine if that 20 years of experience is really just one year of experience times 20. 

Here’s the bottom line: There is simply no more dynamic landscape than the one in which anti-fraud specialists work. That reality means continuous learning is essential, not optional. There are so many ways to learn, with peer learning being one of the most obvious and accessible. Do not view your peers as competition; view them as unique individuals who through different educational and professional paths can offer you the benefits of their experiences. Do not view your supervisor as simply the boss, but look to learn from this person. Even if you dislike someone’s management style, you can learn from a negative. You will see role models, and possibly mentors, all around you if you look.

Formalized professional development is at the heart of the ACFE experience. Mine the organization and its broad array of members who live to battle fraud, as well as the personal and professional relationships that grow out of membership in the ACFE for all that they can offer. Do not view your participation as a “tick-the-box” endeavor. You’ll be missing out on so much if you do. 

Also, don’t overlook your potential for contributions to the anti-fraud field. Give back, share, teach and mentor. You will also learn in that process. The questions posed to you, the scenarios others will lay out and the case studies that will be referenced can all add to your understanding and personal development. You’ll also gain confidence in public speaking while sharing your ideas and experiences in a supportive and collegial setting.

“Always be learning” should be your new mantra. With the ACFE as part of your broader peer group you will have the best platform possible for doing that. 

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.

Learn How to Speak the Language of Recruitment

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Glenn Bass, CPA, Director of Recruiting, Security & Investigative Placement Consultants, LLC
Bethesda, Md.

Whether you are currently hiring new employees or deep in the middle of your own job search, there is tremendous value in understanding recruitment lingo. As a result of speaking with both hiring managers and job seekers on a daily basis, I realize that not everyone has a solid understanding of some of the basic terminology used in the recruitment process. Here are some common terms you’ll hear:

Recruiter or Headhunter:  Recruiter can refer to either an in-house recruiter or a third-party/agency recruiter, also known as a headhunter. Headhunter is a term generally used to describe third-party/agency recruiters, who work on commission or retained search on behalf of a client and are the ones most likely to call you up at your current job to headhunt you for another position. Recruiter, on the other hand, is used to describe anyone who recruits candidates. This includes headhunters, but also includes corporate recruiters (also called in-house recruiters), who work within organizations and are less likely to headhunt candidates. 

Contingent Search and Retained Search: A retained search is where a firm is hired by a company to fill a specific position. The company and the retained search firm work together as a team, in an exclusive relationship, and the company pays the search firm for their efforts as the search progresses. The search firm understands the hiring company’s culture and becomes thoroughly familiar with the specific position that is the object of the search. Thus the search firm can work closely with both the client and the candidate to obtain a successful cultural, technical and personal fit. The retained process ensures that the firm finds a qualified candidate based on the company’s particular specifications.

A contingent search is where company contacts a firm to fill a position. The company can and usually will engage multiple firms. The contingent search firm earns a fee only if a résumé they submit to the client results in that person being hired. This requires contingent search firms to deal in a high volume, transactional type of relationship, quickly submitting many résumés to a client and often the same résumé to multiple clients.  

Active Candidate: Someone who is actively looking for a new position. They’ve registered with a recruitment agency; they have automatic feeds coming in from Indeed.com or job boards; and they’re definitely interested in hearing about new opportunities.

Passive Candidate: This is someone who is happy in their current role. They are not actively out in the job market pursuing opportunities. However, if approached, they would listen and entertain a conversation to learn more about the opportunity. 

Applicant Pool: The group of candidates who has either applied for a position or has been approached and is interested in pursuing the position.

Shortlist: The candidates, usually four to six individuals, who are under serious consideration and have been evaluated and preliminarily qualified for the role.

Topgrading:  Topgrading is a methodology used by companies to create the highest quality workforce by ensuring that talent acquisition and talent management processes focus on identifying, hiring, promoting and retaining high performers in the organization. The high performers are often called “A Players.” It’s also the best practice for promoting people, coaching and retaining top talent.

Whether you’re a candidate or a hiring manager, a headhunter can be an important asset.  If you know how headhunters work and how they can help you, you’ll be ahead of the game. Keep in mind that headhunters ultimately work for the client company, but they can have a vested interest in helping a candidate at the same time.

7 Ways to Stand Out in Your Job Search

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Glenn Bass, CPA, Director of Recruiting, Security & Investigative Placement Consultants, LLC
Bethesda, Md.

Landing a new job can be a daunting task in any industry. The anti-fraud industry, whether forensic accounting, investigations or compliance, is no exception.  While the industry is booming and opportunities are available, the competition remains fierce. The good news is that there are ways to make yourself a stronger candidate and rise above your competition.

Here are seven things to consider as you prepare to explore new job opportunities: 

1. Diversify your education. Well-educated candidates have an advantage over the competition. These days a bachelor’s is a “must have” and a master’s is a strong “nice to have.” Think about certifications as a differentiator. The CFE credential is the leading certification in the anti-fraud industry and will add value as your career progresses. 
2. Focus on transferable skills. Become an expert at detailing your transferable skills to a potential employer. How are your leadership skills? Your ability to organize efficiently? Can you analyze situations and communicate your findings? How about time management? Exceptional communicator? Be sure to have specific examples of these transferable skills to highlight during interviews.
3. Create the perfect résumé. No one is perfect, but you can have a perfect résumé. Anything less than perfection and you risk being ruled out immediately. Perfect means free of grammatical errors and inconsistent formatting. It also means a résumé that puts your experience in the best possible light. Have a colleague or friend review it for you, or invest in your career search by hiring a professional résumé writer.
4. Networking, more networking and you guessed it, even more networking. Many of us underestimate the power of the network, but it is how more than 80 percent of job opportunities come about. Incorporate social networking into your strategy, and remember that networking works both ways. To strengthen your network ties further, reach out even when you don’t need someone’s help or support. That’s what colleagues, not just networkers, do.
5. Clean up your online presence. Google yourself to see what information any potential employer is viewing since it is almost certain they are doing just that. Pictures, videos, blog and Twitter content have all cost candidates potential jobs. Appear professional across all social media, and spiff up your LinkedIn profile to enhance your appeal to potential employers. 
6. Get published. There is no better way to demonstrate expertise in a discipline than to write an article for an industry publication. It shows that you are engaged, knowledgeable and invested in your profession. It will give you an advantage over others who haven’t put in the effort to get published. 
7. Understand where you want to go. The anti-fraud industry covers many areas so it’s important that your career search has a focus. Self-evaluation is critical. Do you want to do forensic accounting, investigations or compliance? Public sector or private sector? A shotgun approach is bound to lead to frustration. The right focus and direction will help you reach your career goals and help you stand out in the interview process.

With some preparation, savvy execution and tenacity you can get a leg up on the competition as you explore the job market in the anti-fraud industry. Good luck!