Whether You are an FAE student awaiting results in the months ahead or already a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) you will be glad to hear that the market has been improving since the start of the summer. A barometer for the current qualified CA market as a whole is that all of the Big 4 firms are seeking Audit, Tax and Corporate Finance professionals. They are working closely with experienced recruitment firms to find strong Auditors in particular, with large client experience either in the Financial Services, ICT or Industry areas.

Big 4 practice life may not be every Auditors ambition however it is certainly regarded as the pinnacle within the marketplace. To have a Big 4 branded employer on your CV will give you huge credibility and experience with Multinational clients. Bearing this in mind, let’s face it – it is the MNC’s and Global Financial Services organisations that are doing the lions share of the hiring outside practice at the moment.

Many Auditors are joining a Big 4 firm with the intention of getting the brand onto their CV and getting a bit of experience for a few years before going out into Industry. However with improving atmosphere and culture in many of the larger firms ‘Staff Retention’ has become a key focus. In fact, on a recent visit to one of my Big 4 clients an Audit partner highlighted that they have no problem with a CA joining them with the intention of only staying 18 months because the reality is “that it is up to the firm to invest in the individual and show them the benefits of remaining with the firm in the long term”.

Make sure you work closely with the right recruiter who has a strong relationship with the firm you are targeting and leverage that relationship to make sure your best foot goes forward.

If you think you have suitable experience, skills and acumen take on a new challenge with a Big 4…then contact Dave Riordan ACA dave.riordan@careers-register.com or 01 500 5904 who will review and confidentially discuss opportunities.

Businesses today have more information than ever before, stored in more systems and locations, being produced in increasingly varied forms and being used in many different ways. Technology can provide tools to handle the complexity of data in the form of analytics.

Ventana Research recently conducted a study examining business analytics in manufacturing. Participants expressed a number of common concerns regarding the need for and use of business analytics. Most participants are concerned about how well they handle them; only 21 percent are satisfied with their current analytics efforts.

For businesses wishing to improve their performance through business analytics, here are 10 recommendations.

1. Assess the maturity of your business analytics.
2. Look for business analytics tools that are easy to use and flexible.
3. Look for tools that support a range of roles in your environment.
4. Ensure business analytics are widely accessible.
5. Don’t let inferior data undermine use of business analytics and metrics.
6. Replace spreadsheets as tools for business analytics.
7. It helps when IT and the lines of business work together on analytics.
8. Understand the value of predictive and forward-looking analytics.
9. Address barriers standing in the way of improving business analytics and performance.
10. Resources must be adequate to enable investment in technology to make analytics easy to access and use.

What do you think, do you have other suggestions as to how analytical can improve a business?

Jennifer Doddy
Cpl

Our clients and candidates frequently ask for reliable salary guidelines for PMO and Analytics Professionals. Although over the last couple of years there has been a significant decrease in salary levels we have seen changes over the last few months.  Salaries for some key roles are creeping up as demand increases for certain skills, for example, with Data Analysts we have seen a salary increase of up to 15% and with Business Analysts we are seeing increases of 5-10%. Companies are revamping their benefits packages in order attract high quality talent to their business.

Below salaries listed are average based salaries and do not reflect bonuses or other forms of compensation & benefits.

Analytics & IT/Project Management -  Salary Guide 2011

If you’d like to get a better understanding of salary levels and benefits being paid, please feel free to contact me on 01 6146045 or email Jennifer.Doddy@cpl.ie.