If you are CA and have been actively seeking employment in the recent job market you may have been feeling somewhat frustrated with the shortage of opportunities available to you. Have you found this? I would love to hear about your latest experiences in the job market especially over this past year or so.

For us, as recruiters, we have definitely experienced a shortage of opportunities for new CA’s and ones with 1 to 2 years post qualifying experience. This shortage has been emphasized by the definite increase of CA’s in the market place. We have found the market to be saturated with recently qualified CA’s – largely due to a limited number of international opportunities coupled with many of the audit firms decision not to retain as many CA’s as previous years. This has left us with an over-supply of recently qualified CA and a limited number of positions, which I am sure you agree has caused much frustration for all. This has also caused a bigger demand for the positions that do become available and a levelling out of salary. For example – the starting salary for a new CA in Cape Town is around R360K however some candidates have been accepting R300K – R340K to get the position – and get their foot in the door. (more…)

Flattered, guilty, doubtful, fear of change – these are probably some of the emotions you will feel during your resignation. Sometimes just one, or maybe the whole lot, depending on how your manager reacts. Resigning isn’t meant to be easy, but what we must remember and what should make us feel more confident is that it is very often the only thing that belongs to us. It does not need to be accepted, negotiated or signed. We own it. Another glimpse of optimism is that your resignation should mean that you are that much closer to realizing your wish list – the 5 things you said you would like to change about your current company/position when you began your search. But very often this is all forgotten by the craftiness of the counteroffer.

Did you know it can cost your company up to 5 times more to replace you than to keep you on board? So your manager’s initial reaction will probably be to ask you to stay because he/she will be under enormous pressure to keep you. With this in mind it might be a good idea for us to expect a counter offer because on almost every occasion it is easier and more economical for companies to keep us than to go through the rigmarole of replacing us. (more…)

We all know that it is important to focus on Employment Equity and the reasons these policies, procedures and the measurements have been put into place. Hopefully this is accompanied with a sense of pride, reason and backed with knowledge. But what about the other (previously) disadvantaged minorities? Focus is concentrated on legalities whereas the softer side, may I say the humanity, seems to falter. Certainly a notion as strong as empowerment is filled with meaning and sentiment, a collective strive for a splendid integrated nation. Although the minorities I refer to, stretch further than females, this article has its focus on this group. (more…)

I was watching Waterworld the other day and in the one scene I spotted a familiar face. Someone who in 1995 (the year Waterworld was released) was a relatively unknown extra but through persistence has become a celebrity in his own right with over 90 acting credits to his name. This got me to thinking: if we are as persistent in our careers and he has been surely this will pay dividends?

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I’d like to ensure that all my clients and candidates are able to find meaning in their work and I’d like to recommend an awesome book by Robert Holden PhD entitled Success Intelligence. As a starting point, if you have looked at what success is and what it means to you, you might be surprised by the results! What are you striving for at work and in your career?

I’d like to share some insights on a few day-to-day “small” things that could make a BIG difference and move you into a better place in your working relationships: (more…)

I received a call from an anxious candidate this week stating he feels he is in an ethical dilemma. Should he tell his boss he is looking for a new job? The anxiety around leaving the office at the drop-of-a-hat, the pressure of being away from the office and feeling that people “know” what he’s up to was causing him strain. He has also used up a lot of leave days and feels he is always making excuses to get out of the office. On the other hand, the strain of the unknown, what might happen if he tells his boss and his exit from the company is sped up without finding another position first! It’s simply more unbearable to be unemployed – he has bills and a mortgage to pay!

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If you find yourself one of the millions that are personally affected by job loss or have been sitting without a job for a while; you may wonder how on earth you are going to get back any sense of positivity. Beating the Unemployment Blues.

To start out try staying busy by learning new skills, networking and most importantly keeping  your body and mind in good shape.  Positive results = positive attitude!  Try stay away from the things that usually bring your attitude down and bear in mind that people enjoy being around optimistic individuals that look at life through ‘half-full-glass-eyes’.

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