http://www.houston.org/pdf/research/quickview/Economy_at_a_Glance.pdf
Key Economic Indicator – Purchasing Managers Index!!!!
The Houston Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a short-term leading indicator for regional production, registered 50.7 in December, signaling economic expansion in metro Houston for the third straight month, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management-Houston (ISM-Houston).
Click to access Purchasing_Managers_Index.pdf
The tips I wish I knew when I started my career
Posted by: http://cfstaffing.blogspot.com/
First impressions matter
Remember, you only have one chance to make a great first impression! Meredith Woods, Staffing Manager of CFS Bethesda, agrees that it’s important to introduce yourself with confidence. Whether you are meeting the CEO or the receptionist, greet everyone with a smile and respect. Also, your colleagues will take note of the effort you put into meeting them, so be sure to put yourself out there.
Don’t forget to ask questions
Landing your first professional job out of college is a big deal. Although you may feel you know everything, navigating the real world isn’t as easy as navigating a college campus. Patrick Senn, Managing Director of CFS Minneapolis, says “often times we feel like asking for help or not immediately knowing the right answer to something can show weakness, but it is critical to ask for help.” You’re not supposed to know everything right away, and asking questions shows your eagerness to learn.
Take chances
You were chosen out of numerous applicants to do this job because someone believed in you. Now you have to take a chance on yourself and step outside of your comfort zone. Step up and tackle that new project. Volunteer to lead a new marketing strategy. Whatever it is, even if it scares you, look at it as a chance to grow and accelerate your career.
Accept feedback
The first 90 days at a new job generally serve as an evaluation period. When working on your first big project or submitting that first proposal, you are likely to receive some feedback. John Jameson, Executive Recruiter of CFS Chicago, advises that you “view all constructive feedback as criticism, then learn to recognize the true value of it.”
When a manager advises you of a mistake you’ve made, it’s easy to be taken aback or even offended, but you need to remember that mistakes happen. The key is to utilize the valuable feedback and use it to grow. Your manager’s knowledge and experience is an amazing resource.
Never burn bridges
Through the course of your career, you’ll meet a lot of people at the office, work functions, networking events, and more. These connections will prove useful when you want to transition out of your current role. “It is very rare now for someone to start their career and then retire from the same organization. With this being said, your reputation/personal brand is very important and you don’t want that tarnished by burning bridges with your current employer,” explains Senn.
Say “Thank You”
Senn also adds that there is a lot that goes into training/developing/mentoring a new employee, and sometimes you need to take a step back to realize that you should be saying “thank you”. Your manager is giving up their time to make an investment in you and your future, and saying “thank you” is the easiest way to show your gratitude.
Prepare your own lunch
It’s easy to think that you’ll be able to eat out more often when you start your career. Think again. Being that this is your first “real” job, you should still maintain a budget. This isn’t to say that you should skip the lunch outings with coworkers, but instead just do them sparingly. Your health, your waistline, and your wallet will thank you.
What were some of the lessons you learned when you started your career? We want to hear them! Leave us your story in the comments below.
Looking for a job? Contact a CFS recruiter today and we’ll help you with your search! Find the closes CFS location to you here.
Posted by Creative Financial Staffing at 4:33 PM No comments:
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Labels: Career Development
Price of Oil – Monday, January 9th!
Crude Oil and Commodity Prices
January, Monday 9 2017 – 09:10:08
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Note to self….
Friday Humor!
This is the way I feel!

Non Profit Staff Accountant – dlemaire@cfstaffing.com
Are you passionate about the non profit community? Are you eager to learn? Do you love to ask questions? Do you want to learn about the operations of a non profit? Then you may be the perfect fit for this Non Profit Staff Accountant role!
Overview
- Assists with Month End Close
- Prepare various general ledger account reconciliations and variance explanations
- Assist with quarter end review and annual audit schedules
- Verifies and posts details of transactions to computer systems, spreadsheets and databases.
- Prepares deposits, checks, reports and other records and reviews them
- Reconciles accounts and recommends resolution for discrepancies
- Prepares journal entries
- Responds to inquiries from vendors
- Acts as back up for CFO, Assistant Director of Accounting, and Database Coordinator
- Communicates effectively in both written and verbal
- Uses initiative and flexibility in making decisions
Requirements
- Degree in Accounting from accredited four year college or university
- 1 to 2 years general accounting experience
- Basic knowledge of commonly-used accounting principles, practices and procedures
- Ability to work with a diverse population
- Ability to process work with accuracy
- Ability to prioritize and perform multiple tasks simultaneously
- Ability to work with limited supervision and to make appropriate decisions
Benefits
- 100% medical paid for employee
- 100K life insurance paid for employee
- 4.5% match on 401K
- Over 3 weeks of Vacation / PTO
- Tuition reimbursement
Cash Applications Specialist / Accounts Receivable – dlemaire@cfstaffing.com
Downtown Houston
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Logging on to bank and print Lockbox Deposits.
- Processing Domestic Wires on Elite.
- Processing Lockbox Batches and preparing Auto Credit Loads.
- Process STALE write-offs weekly.
- Receiving, Reading & Responding to e-mails.
- Lead responsible for filing and offsite storage for A/R deposits.
- When no payment data is provided communicate with client via vendor processing websites, calling, e-mailing billing, file worksite, and internet for information.
- Prepare & key daily-in house deposits and back-up.
- Preparing refunds for duplicate and over payments.
- Reconcile JPMorgan access online report with system to confirm all debit/credits recorded, and at month end.
- Process PosPay 3 times daily and notify Supervisor I Assistant Supervisor of any issues, work to rectify issues .
- Monthly A/R meetings to discuss department issues.
- Other projects and tasks as assigned by A/R and Billing Manager; A/R Supervisor.
- Scanning monthly deposits and attach to file imaging.
Knowledge and Skills
- Ability to read, and write at a level normally acquired through completion of high school or equivalent; basic knowledge of accounting principles.
- Approximately two to three years of on the job experience in a business or accounting environment.
- Strong aptitude in organizational skills, problem solving and research.
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and written; internally and externally.
- Must have intermediate excel & word skill level, accuracy, dependability, and detail oriented.
Famous Failures! #wednesdaymotivation

CFO – Private Equity Backed – Phoenix, AZ
Newly acquired company located in Phoenix, AZ. 100% private equity owned. Looking for experienced CFO with M&A, previous private equity, and manufacturing experience. 40M dollar company.
Base, Bonus & Equity!
Email dlemaire@cfstaffing.com
Responsibilities:
Report to the CEO as well as the Board of Directors on financial and strategic matters. Assist the CEO and Board in evaluating and implementing strategic initiatives. Provide the Board with annual budgets and monthly reporting packages.Manage relations with financial institutions. The company will finance working capital primarily with asset-backed bank lines. Candidate should have substantial experience interfacing with banks and manage bank relations.
Manage relations with key suppliers seeking to control raw material costs. Also, work with trucking vendors to maximize on-time delivery as well as control delivery costs.
Report to the CEO with regards to various operational improvements and assist the CEO in tracking the performance of these initiatives in monthly reports. Report to the President (Head of Sales) on customer-facing initiatives and track performance through monthly reports.
Work with private equity firm in diligence of acquisition opportunities and oversee the consolidation of those opportunities post-close
Eventually, oversee 3-4 regional controllers throughout the country that manage different regional P&L’s and standardize reporting amongst each region
Oversee Information Technology, Procurement, and Human Resources
CFO would be viewed as a critical member of the senior management team and would participate in the equity of the Company through equity warrants linked to performance and shareholder value. Annual cash compensation would include base salary + performance-based bonus. Salary range can adjust commensurate with background and experience of the candidate.
Preferred Skill Set:
Prior experience (10+ years) as CFO of a lower-mid market company with $50MM to $300MM of revenue where the CFO had to take a hands-on/entrepreneurial approach and had oversight of all financial areas (accounting, treasury, monthly KPI reporting, audit, strategy, bank loan covenant reporting and managing bank relationship)
Prior experience in the manufacturing space with a cost accounting background and experience implementing operational improvements regarding production capacity and production efficiency. Experience managing trucking/delivery logistics also preferred.
Prior experience dealing with private equity or other financial sponsor-backed companies that require the CFO to prepare budgets, build financial models, and prepare detailed monthly board reporting packages.
Experience dealing with banks and other financial institutions with regards to loan logistics, loan documentation and letters of credit.
Must be able to manage a 3-5 person accounting team and develop daily and monthly reporting procedures.

Crude Oil and Commodity Prices January, Tuesday 3 2017 – 08:20:52
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Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas From My Family

The interview didn’t kill me……

Most popular post in 2016! A little Accounting humor!
Source: A little Accounting humor!
AP Specialist – NW Houston -dlemaire@cfstaffing.com
Our client is looking to add an AP Specialist to their team. They are not requiring any experience! This is an EXCELLENT way to break into the E&P sector of the oil & gas industry. We are looking for someone with a great attitude! Someone who loves to be a team player, is eager to learn and will do what it takes to get the job done!!!!!
The role will include:
- Review field invoices
- Upload batches to accounting software
- Set up A/P Vendors
- Reconcile statements
- Answer vendor phone line
- Journal voucher corrections
Requirements:
- H.S. Diploma
- One year of AP experience would be a plus!
- Basic excel skills
- Team player
- Proactive
- Good communication skills
Email: dlemaire@cfstaffing.com
Apple’s interview questions could have your candidates stumped via www.recruitmentgrapevine.com
Gaining a coveted role at one of the giants of Silicon Valley is a dream for many-a talented candidate, and getting a foot through the door is just one step towards achieving it.
However, some of the interview questions used by Apple could throw candidates completely off – so preparing them for the unexpected is one way to ensure they have a fair chance.
Both successful and unsuccessful candidates who applied for jobs with the tech firm shared some of the questions they were asked during their interviews on the website Glassdoor.
Let’s just say, answering “Are you smart?” could be very awkward…
- “Who would you most like to share a coffee with and why?”
- “Who is your role model and why?”
- “Are you creative? What’s something creative that you can think of?”
- “How would you describe yourself?”
- “There are three boxes, one contains only apples, one contains only oranges, and one contains both apples and oranges. The boxes have been incorrectly labeled such that no label identifies the actual contents of the box it labels. Opening just one box, and without looking in the box, you take out one piece of fruit. By looking at the fruit, how can you immediately label all of the boxes correctly?”
- “What would you say to a customer who says they don’t like Apple?”
- “Tell me about a time when you got something you didn’t think you deserved.”
- “What is the most embarrassing song you have on your phone?”
- “If you have 2 eggs, and you want to figure out what’s the highest floor from which you can drop the egg without breaking it, how would you do it? What’s the optimal solution?”
- “Name one moment in your life that defined you and why?”
- “What’s your biggest weakness and why?”
- “If you’re given a jar with a mix of fair and unfair coins, and you pull one out and flip it 3 times, and get the specific sequence heads heads tails, what are the chances that you pulled out a fair or an unfair coin?”
- “Name a person that you would trust to make life decisions for you.”
- “What would you say to your future self and past self now.”
- “Who is your favourite leader?”
- “You have a 100 coins laying flat on a table, each with a head side and a tail side. 10 of them are heads up, 90 are tails up. You can’t feel, see or in any other way find out which side is up. Split the coins into two piles such that there are the same number of heads in each pile.”
- “How many children are born every day?”
- “Are you smart?”
- “You put a glass of water on a record turntable and begin slowly increasing the speed. What happens first — does the glass slide off, tip over, or does the water splash out?”
- “What would you want to do 5 years from now?”
- “How would you test a toaster?”
- “If you had to float an iPhone in mid-air, how would you do it?”
- “Explain a situation when you gave the wrong advice. What were the consequences? What did you learn from this?”
And it’s not just Apple that makes candidates squirm – at Google, they deploy similar tactics. In fact, the boss even struggled to answer one of their own interview questions, read more here.
A little holiday accounting humor….

How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn During Your Job Search Written by Alan Carniol

Learn how to take the strategic approach to LinkedIn and let it work to your advantage.
Joining the site, setting up your profile page and connecting with other contacts are not enough to help you land a job you’re interested in. You have to use LinkedIn’s basic elements in order to maximize the value of your membership (especially if you’ve chosen to go the Premium route).
Networking
It’s very easy to add contacts to your network—and you can start as soon as you join the site. Accepting and sending invitations to connect can be addicting. Be willing to connect with professionals outside of your existing network to build connections related to your fields of expertise and interest. (You never know when someone may need you.)
Don’t randomly add people just because LinkedIn suggested them. Before connecting with someone, think about your purpose in networking with people and how you want your connections to grow over time. You can still connect with people on different social media sites, but you need to consider LinkedIn as a professional platform that can pave the way to bigger opportunities.
Forget the Numbers
The number of connections you have on your profile page doesn’t matter. Adding contacts for the sake of doing so isn’t the most effective way to leverage your career. When it comes to building your base, it’s best to take a deliberate approach and focus on selecting connections that have the potential to help you reach your career goals. Remember that quality is always better than quantity.
Focus on Potential Contacts
If you’re not sure which types of contacts will be of value to you, feel free to communicate with them upfront to find out if they are willing to network with you actively.
There’s no need to rush—take the time to vet each request you receive before accepting. Don’t be afraid to ask why they want to network with you. It’s okay to skip several connections to make way for others that are more promising for future collaborations.
Be intentional when it comes to building your network on LinkedIn. The right focus will make you a power user, and will allow you to get much more out of this professional social media platform. It may just open the doors to your next job opportunity.
HOT Accounting & Finance Openings December 2016
- Internal Financial Reporting Manager (E&P, CPA)
- Logistics Coordinator
- Senior Financial Analyst (Modeling and Hyperion Planning)
- Reporting Specialist (mini controller for 5 to 6 operating companies)
- Senior Accountant (mini Controller for 3 to 4 operating companies)
- Entry Level Audit (less than 10% travel) 0 to 1.5 years of experience
- Senior Payroll Accountant
- Senior Auditor – Public Accounting – high growth mode firm!
- Audit Manager – Public Accounting – high growth mode firm!
- Senior Property Accountant (construction experience)
- Senior Financial Analyst (Manufacturing, International & MBA)
- Internal Auditor (high travel)
- Controller – (CPA, distribution & manufacturing required, 12 to 20 years of exp)
- Budget Analyst
- Tax Accountant – NW Houston – Public Accounting










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