Provisional Accounting Blog

Some days are much crazier than others, but if you’re able to stay calm, you’ll get through it just fine. Busy periods like quarter-end and tax season can fluster even the most composed people, so you have to know how to find the calm in the chaos.

As one of the top accounting recruiting agencies in the Northwest, Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing knows a thing or two about navigating a hectic day. Use these tips to maintain your cool and end the day on a high note.

Get Organized

Feeling out of control can make your stress levels rise, so establish a sense of structure. Make a list of every task you need to complete before the end of the day and create a schedule to accomplish it all. When you have a plan in place, it’s a lot easier to stay on track.

Make Your Well-Being a Priority

During a hectic day, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision, but you’ll run out of steam if you don’t take care of yourself. Stop for lunch and be cognizant of the amount of water you’re drinking. You might think you don’t have time to eat, but you can’t afford not to. Keeping your stomach full and your body hydrated will give you the energy needed to power through the day.

Step Away for a Few Minutes

Breaks aren’t typically a priority on a busy day, but they should be. Heading outside for a quick walk or making a trip to the coffee shop will clear your mind and help you relax. Spending the day in a hectic work environment can take a toll, so having a few minutes of peace can make all the difference.

Expect the Unexpected

Chaotic days are often filled with surprises, so assume everything won’t go according to plan. You can’t do anything about curveballs that throw your day off-course, but you can control your reaction. Try to take things in stride, because no problem is too big for you to solve.

Relax and Unwind

Take some time for yourself at the end of the day. Hit the gym, binge-watch a few of your favorite TV shows, or enjoy a long, hot soak in the tub. This will allow you to decompress and leave the stress of the day behind you. Winding down will help you fall asleep, allowing you to wake up feeling energized the next morning.

Need a little help finding a talented accounting or finance professional to join your team? Team up with Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing. Whether you need to fill a temporary/contract, contract-to-hire, or direct-hire position, we have you covered.

Career fairs can be a great way to meet dozens — or even hundreds — of potential candidates at once. You’ll probably come across many who hadn’t previously heard of your company or didn’t know much about the business, allowing you to captivate a new audience.

As one of the most successful accounting employment agencies in Seattle, Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing encourages you to set up shop at job fairs marketed to your demographic. Of course, simply showing up won’t accomplish much, so use these tips to get the most from it.

Create an Eye-Catching Setup

The more enticing your booth, the more candidates will want to stop by. Creating a polished and professional structure will capture attendees’ attention and reflect positively on your business. Just make sure you know the size of your spot, any restrictions set by the organizers, and that you have enough help to get it up and running before participants arrive.

Get Out in the Crowd

Job fairs can be overwhelming for attendees, so if you don’t draw them in, many will pass by your booth. Always stand in front of the table, and when possible, step out in the crowd and introduce yourself to passersby, because a little extra effort can go a long way.

After standing for awhile, you’ll probably be tempted to sit down and take a break, but resist the urge and tough it out. Sitting down sends the impression you’re not really interested in connecting with candidates.

Know What Jobs You’re Trying to Fill

People attend career fairs because they’re looking for work, so know what you have to offer. The best candidates won’t waste their time talking to a recruiter who doesn’t know if there’s a place for them at the company.

Engage Attendees

During the event, you’ll talk to a lot of candidates, so you have to find a way to identify top prospects. Preparing a couple questions to screen those interested in applying is a smart move, because it allows you to get an idea of who might be a good fit. Takes notes, because you won’t remember many specifics by the end of the day.

Make Connections

People attend a job fair to make connections. If you simply pitch your company to them and point them to your website to find job openings, they’re going to feel like talking to you was a waste of time. Bring plenty of business cards to hand out to interested prospects and encourage them to reach out. This will temporarily flood your inbox, but it’s just part of the process.

Need to hire accounting and finance talent for your Seattle area company? Count on Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing to connect you with the best temporary/contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire professionals in the Northwest. Contact us today to discuss your needs!

It’s hard to believe it, but 2017 is starting to draw to a close. Now that the fourth quarter is upon us, take some time for a little self-reflection.

If much of your free time this year has been consumed by work, it could be time for a change. You might want to start looking for other accounting jobs in Seattle that offer a better work-life balance or find a way to cut back at your current job.

Four Signs You’re Overdoing It at the Office

You’re Constantly Exhausted

It’s normal to be tired after an eight-hour day of work, but most people go home and relax, waking up recharged the next day. Regularly burning the midnight oil during the workweek, and often continuing to work on the weekends puts a strain on your body. If you haven’t already developed health problems, you likely will, because stretching yourself too thin comes at a price.

You’re Always Sick

As noted above, working yourself to the bone can literally make you sick. When you’re consumed with work, exercising, eating healthy, and getting a full night’s sleep often don’t happen. This weakens your immune system, causing you to get sick frequently. Constantly battling illness isn’t good for your health and it can cause you to rack up sick days.

Hobbies Have Become a Thing of the Past

You used to enjoy filling your free time with fun activities — i.e. hiking, cooking, reading — but now you work too much to fit them in. This diminishes your quality of life, and it’s also bad for your health. Leisurely pastimes are fun, and they also help relieve stress. If you don’t have time to do the things in life you enjoy, work has overstepped its bounds.

You Don’t Get to Spend Much Time With Loved Ones

Time spent with family and friends is priceless. If work has taken you away from more family dinners, kids’ soccer games, birthdays, and holidays than you can count this year, it’s time to reprioritize. No job is worth sacrificing precious moments with those you care about the most. If you stay on this path, your future will be filled with regrets about memories you didn’t get to make.

Ready to embark on the next chapter of your accounting or finance career? Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing is here to guide your search for a temporary/contract, contract-to-hire, or direct-hire opportunity. Let’s get started today!

If you play your cards right, attending a career fair can be an incredible networking experience. Having the chance to meet with recruiters from a variety of companies under one roof saves a lot of time and can expose you to prospective employers that previously weren’t on your radar.

As one of the leading Seattle accounting temp agencies, Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing encourages you to make the most of every career fair by taking the following three steps as soon as you arrive home.

Get Organized

You probably left the career fair with a pile of papers, a stack of business cards, and a bunch of nearly incoherent notes scrawled on them. Make sure nothing important gets lost in the shuffle by taking the time to put it all in order.

When everything is organized, create a spreadsheet and input the name and contact information of the recruiter you spoke with at each company and any notes about your conversation. Take it a step further by creating a column to specify if you applied for a job at the organization and when, as this will be very helpful in your search.

Email Thank You Notes

During a job fair, recruiters often speak with hundreds of candidates. Stay on their mind by promptly following up with a thank you note via email. Sending it the same day increases the chance they’ll remember you, but be sure to mention something specific the two of you discussed, to help jog their memory.

Ponder Lessons Learned

Before your job search comes to an end, it’s very possible you’ll end up at another career fair. Make your next event even more valuable by contemplating what went well and what didn’t. For example, maybe your elevator pitch wasn’t particularly impressive, but your idea to make a list of the companies you wanted to visit in advance helped save a lot of time.

Finding the right accounting or finance job isn’t easy, but Accountingpros Recruiting + Staffing is here to assist. We have connections with many top Northwest employers, and we want to share them with you! There’s no need to delay, so contact us today to start your search.