What’s Really Behind that Resume – Nonprofit Executive Directors Beware!
Hiring managers read and hear strange things when sifting through resumes and conducting interviews.
It’s hard to believe but one hiring manager recently interviewed an applicant who said he worked for Microsoft but had no idea who Bill Gates was. In another instance, an applicant claimed to have studied under Nietzche? It’s true – as reported by hiring managers in a national online survey conducted by Harris Poll.
A 2015 survey by CareerBuilder.com said that 15% of the resumes hiring managers received had job seeker reporting rewards and accolades they had never received. And, if that has you wide-eyed, consider this next survey statistic: hiring managers report 25% of the resumes they review include claims of employment by companies the job seeker never really worked for!
It’s a little like getting married after only a first date. You can’t be sure of what you’re in store for with another person after a first date. To jump into a commitment at that point is a certain recipe for heartbreak and disaster.
Executive Directors beware!
Some lies are very easy to see. Others, with minimal due diligence are quickly uncovered. But what do you do when you don’t have the subject area expertise to know if the applicant’s skill set is as advertised? Or if that skill set truly maps with what your organization needs?
For example, your accounting knowledge is limited to a college accounting course from 10 years ago. Armed with what you remember from that class and the data on a stranger’s resume, is it enough to hire (with confidence) the right Finance Director, CFO, or even Senior Accountant for your organization? We all know the heartache that comes from a bad hire.
Outsourcing gives nonprofit Executive Directors control, clarity and confidence
When you’re hiring an individual, their former employers must limit their comments. “Yes, John Smith worked for us from November 10, 2015 until June 4, 2017.” But when you conduct your due diligence on a firm to handle your accounting, you can call and get as much detail as the firm’s current and past clients are willing to give. You’ll enter into the business relationship with far more complete knowledge of the firm’s track record.
The perfect mix and level of expertise for your nonprofit
Usually when nonprofits make their first accounting hire, they have to make a decision between a senior level, finance director level of expertise or an accountant, bookkeeper level of expertise. They need both skill sets – just not on a full-time basis. That means you have to decide between hiring an experienced finance director who will also do the bookkeeping or hiring an accountant/bookkeeper and forego the more strategic input of a CFO/finance director.
When you outsource you have both – at a predictable, budget-friendly, monthly fee. You can’t afford to let your accounting fall into disarray. At the very least it will keep you from operating at an optimal stewardship level. But there’s the worse possibility that unattended or incorrectly done accounting can threaten the ongoing viability of the organization.
We invite you to explore how outsourcing could dramatically benefit your organization by setting up a free consultation. And, we have available a short eBook ‘8 Myths of Nonprofit Accounting Outsourcing Uncovered’ as well as a case study on how one nonprofit is enjoying the benefit of outsourced accounting services.
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