I have applied to around 15 jobs over the past 3 weeks and have not landed a single interview or got a phone call. For the past 3 years I have been self employed and running a small trucking business. I had to get into this due to fathers health and now because of the poor market conditions, I am getting out and go back into my field. At this small trucking business, I pretty much did everything that was involved. I am now looking for Accountant or Financial analyst positions, nothing too Senior.
I applied 60 jobs over the past 3.5 weeks and received only one phone interview scheduled next week (financial analyst job though, which I’m probably going to reject), which I pretty expected. In average you get only 2 interview invitations for every 50 applications. So keep applying.
I concur… your résumé is pretty weak. First and foremost, the cover letter is much more important than the résumé. The cover letter needs to be customized. here’s one I help my wife right a long time ago:
"Hello Jane,
I am interested in the Director of Development, Corporate & Foundation Relations position. Upon reviewing the job description, I am eager to present myself as a candidate
My diverse work experience and multi-disciplinary training position me uniquely for this role. In my current role as a Community Relations Manager for a financial team at a Fortune 500 organization, I manage our long-term business development strategy, centered around client and community relationships. I value people and this pays dividends; strong communications skills, tact, flexibility, and discretion have been integral to my success in getting buy-in from coworkers and clients alike.
As a people-person, speaking fluent Spanish has been invaluable in allowing me to connect cross-culturally. While I value people, I also value efficiency. Training in quantitative methods and financial analysis provide my foundational love of data and evaluating outcomes. As a member of your team I would take a balanced approach to relationships/results, and would look forward to energizing the team toward a common mission of serving seniors.
I am passionate about serving seniors. In my previous career at HICAP, I learned about the needs and challenges of our aging population. I would be delighted to be a part of the solution offered through your organization, and I look forward to exploring the opportunity in more detail.
Attached to this email is my resume. I look forward to meeting with you! ,"
Also, Agree with CEO, put university above the silly cfa/cpa which arent even close to being done
The Financial Analyst: FP&A is responsible for providing management with useful and accurate financial information on a timely basis by researching and analyzing accounting data and preparing reports. The Financial Analyst will conduct financial analysis and analyze G/L accounts. The incumbent will also be expected to assist in the coordination of monthly closing processes and process improvements.
Responsibilities
Provide timely and accurate analysis of monthly financial results to management team in order to support month and quarter end processes.
Support annual financial budgets development, prepare monthly financial forecasts, and conduct monthly budget variance analysis.
Analyze and compare monthly and quarterly gross profit results against planned and other internal benchmarks
Review and analyze financial accruals and make adjustments as necessary
Assist with quarterly review and annual audit process
Participate in establishing/improving accounting processes to ensure best practices in place
Conduct ad-hoc financial analysis and perform other duties as needed Skills / Knowledge / Experience / Education Required
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and/or Accounting
At least 5~7 years of experience in accounting and or financial planning role
Strong knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (IFRS) and
financial analysis techniques
Solid understanding of financial closing processes including financial transaction
flows from the source to the general ledger
Attention to detail with advanced MS office skills (advanced MS Excel)
Please let me know what you think. I def need major help.
Dear Hiring Manager, October 06, 2019
Around 5 years ago my father was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. At that time, he was operating a small transport company and I was working at Magazines Canada as an Accountant. His health started to deteriorate our family’s financial condition forcing me to quit my employment and take control of a then struggling business. After a thorough financial analysis of the past 3 years, I decided to transform the company from a lease-based operation (Franchise type arrangement) to privately-owned model so that we could have more control over the revenue and expense but also being exposed to a greater risk. On this journey, I faced tremendous barriers but also gained a lot of skills from doing almost everything to turn around a struggling business. These skills will benefit any employer and I will like to bring them to Motors.
Things have come back to normal and I’m very excited to be applying for the Financial Analyst position. My motivation to join ________ stems from excellent reputation, professional growth and a strong commitment to its customers
I have strong organizational and financial analysis skills. My previous experiences have required my attention to smallest detail and keeping track of expenses down to the single dollar. I am very good at analyzing problems and making corrective actions which have been very effective.
Moreover, while my on-the-job experience has afforded me a well-rounded skill set, including first-rate leadership and interpersonal abilities, I excel at:
Analyzing budget variances, business pipeline and industry trends,
Understanding third-party agreements, grant contracts and highlighting areas of concern
Analyzing spending and providing financial recommendations,
Tracking multiple projects and regularly updating management
Identifying risks and developing mitigation strategies
Working with a team, under strict deadlines and pressure
Building lasting relationships and managing resources to gain maximum return
A copy of my resume is enclosed for your reference and am readily available via phone or email to further discussing this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Enclosure: Resume
Please note: Due to the state of the economy, ABC Logistics in shutting down and liquidating.
Your resume is not well formatted, at least the way it looks.
I prefer to look at academics, you may include scores and academic achievements
As your exp is less you may indicate “positions of responsibilities” at college, extra curri
Highlight key words relevant to the role
Skills should be separated from interest. Interest I won’t care much
CPA which you have just enrolled, is not a great starter of your resume
I can see only one quantified achievement, you must have more. As a Fin guy numbers is my natural inclination, most probably true for many hiring managers
This is my personal opinion, cover letter should not be huge, just indicate few bullet points. Keep the rest for discussions
No sad stories at the start. Say how you can contribute to the position and work in the sad story as a strength. The letter has to be cheerful and exude confidence. The mental image I have of you is not very good after reading this cover letter. For instance third paragraph should come first.
I would eliminate the sad story all together, it’s a transparent. I would simply state the situation (you’ve been running a company), what you accomplished while there and what you’re looking for now.
I will be making the changes to my cover letter and will post my cover letter and resume later tonight. Any if you kind enough to Revise a little? I can pm a word file?
Write from your heart. What you truly feel about the job. How you truly feel there is a fit. Your sincerity should come through. Templates will be obvious to HR. Write all your thoughts down first and then rearrange to make the letter flow.
This is a revised resume. Wordy. Please me know what you think. I believe I am having a hard time getting any interest is due to being self-employed. It will be difficult for any employer to verify because there is not much on Google if you search the company name.
On top of what’s already been said: you’re from the GTA. There are 10’s of thousands of people in Toronto and the surrounding areas that are more qualified than you applying for the same jobs. Here, it’s a game of numbers and you haven’t been hitting your numbers. Expect to apply 100 times before you get a phone call for a good job in the Toronto area.
