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On June 26th, we brought together a room full of aspiring CFOs for an event designed to go beyond the job title and explore the real experiences, challenges, and decisions that shape a career at the top of the finance ladder.

Our four CFOs, Debbie Chandler (RVU), Farhan Khan (Fiorucci), Lauren Prosser (Metier), and Adam Wright (Merlin Networks) delivered a multidimensional picture of what it truly means to become and thrive as a Chief Financial Officer today. 

Here are some takeaways…

Following on from our last blog, we’ll now discuss different types of testing that companies use to interview Part-Qualified Candidates. These tests differ to tests given to Qualified candidates as they are usually used as an initial screen at the beginning of a hiring process.

Filling a finance role can be a time-consuming and complex task for many companies. In a recent survey conducted by JasperRose, we discovered that interview processes for the search for a Qualified Accountant can extend anywhere from two weeks to 2 months, depending on the level and urgency of the position. Finding the right candidate who not only possesses the necessary technical skills but also aligns with the company culture can be challenging.  In our experience, testing candidates at interview stage is paramount to ensuring you are hiring the best talent for the role. In this blog, we’ll explore some examples of testing used in the market for hiring Qualified Accountants, as well as the benefits of integrating this approach into your recruitment process.

As we settle into the second half of 2024, it’s unfortunately become clear that companies going into administration has become increasingly more common in what has been a very unpredictable market. Businesses such as Ted Baker and Carpetright have unfortunately had to close their doors following poor financial performances. In this blog, we will take you through the steps every candidate should take if they ever find themselves in this situation, and how this doesn’t have to be a negative experience.

Last week, the JasperRose team held our ‘Hire to Inspire’ event for Talent professionals in our network, hosted by one of our Recruitment Associates Vikesh Babajee, who manages our Part-Qualified finance vacancies within the Luxury, FMCG and Hospitality industries, and co-hosted by Bea Edwards, HR Manager at Zodiac Maritime. The aim of our event was to discuss key pain points within the world of Talent Acquisition, and to discuss the best ways to attract the best talent to your company in today’s market.

Following the end of our discussion, we were also treated to an incredible scent experience by our event venue hosts, Molton Brown!

As of April 2024, a number of employment law changes have come into effect. Things such as flexible working, redundancy protections and paid leave allowances have all been changed, in an effort to keep up with the needs of the 2024 workforce. Each of these changes will affect businesses in how they will have to amend their benefits packages and how they operate. Below outlines  exactly what changes have been made and, as an employer, what you will need to keep an eye on.

When working in a senior finance role, it is easy to be absorbed into other functions such as marketing, operations, HR, and more because accounting has such a huge role to play in all areas of a business. That being said, there is a huge importance in regularly reassessing your function in line with the needs of the business and your personal capacity. This can prove to be cost effective, strengthen team bonds, boost morale, and allows for adaptability to a changing market. In this article we will discuss how to delegate your workload in finance, and we will further delve into the benefits of doing so.

There have been lots of changes to how you can optimise your LinkedIn profile for Accounting in the last few years. In this article, we will discuss high-value features that you can add to your LinkedIn to increase your professionalism and connect with more people. We will also go over some more longstanding features which have an impact on your searchability and networking within the finance space.

A company’s culture is a major factor in the success of the company and its employees. A great company culture can attract and retain talent, motivate employees to do their best work, and help people feel like they are part of something meaningful.

What are the traits of a successful finance director? What are the challenges that finance directors face? What does it take to stand out? These are the questions that accomplished finance professionals Joel Stephens, Gemma Craddock, and Stuart Gunning set about answering at our “Aspiring FDs” Round Table Event last week, hosted by one of our Recruitment Associates, Jordan Dyer. 

Leadership can be difficult, but like most things the more knowledge and practice you have the better you should be at it.  With a vast amount of information available to us in different formats. It’s easy to get the knowledge you need to be a great leader. Leadership is not just about having a title. It’s about creating a culture and an environment for those you are leading to excel. Successful leaders are conscious of their leadership skills and work on them every day. Some skills and strategies cannot be taught in a leadership course and only come with experience.

Whether you’re an aspiring leader or looking for ways to enhance your leadership skills, there are a number of great podcasts you can listen to.  We’ve put together a list of some the top rated leadership podcasts for 2022.

Interviewing can be a really stressful experience- we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be! With the right preparation and mindset, you can be confident in your interview and set yourself up for success.

It is said that taking these four steps in consideration before an interview can help you to maximise your chances of success. This blog provides a few preparation tips that will hopefully ease some of the common pre-interview jitters.

Employee engagement is a measure of how happy and motivated employees are with their work. It is important for the company to have high levels of employee engagement, because it can lead to higher levels of productivity.

Some of the reasons why employees might be unhappy in their job can include: lack of clarity about what they are expected to do, lack of opportunities for growth, a toxic work environment, or insufficient compensation.

There are many ways that employers can improve employee engagement. Some ways include: feedback sessions, team building exercises and rewarding good performance with bonuses or promotions. Employee engagement models can also be great tools to use.

This blog will explore some of the models and theories, and will discuss three employment engagement models- Maslow, AON Hewitt and Kahn.

The world around us is ever-changing. Technological, societal, and behavioral advancements mean that leaders must make these changes, adopt new strategies, and consistently remain up to date with leadership trends. If you are a leader or an aspiring leader, we have put together a brief list of the top 5 leadership trends in 2022 to help you stay in the loop.

Finding you a job is one of the most popular and common services a recruiter offers. Whilst it is the first thing that springs to mind when considering working with a recruiter, there are also a wide variety of other services that recruiters can help you with. Here are 6 ways a recruiter can assist you.

Employees are the heart of any business. Providing them with the right tools and support to succeed is important. High performing and high-potential employees have to be sustained and groomed to succeed. We have put together a list of some of the top 5 things employees need to be successful.

How you start your morning can set the tone for the rest of the day. So, starting with intent and purpose is a sure way to be on route to success. We have put together a few tips that highly successful people follow. 

Leadership is a progressive art. One that continues to evolve as society, cultures and times change. Being a leader in 2022 requires different knowledge, skills and a different approach than it did some years ago. We’ve conducted some research and put together 3 of the most popular tips for leadership in 2022.

Teams play a key role in shaping the direction and future growth of an organisation. Every leader wants their team to perform well.  Building, developing, and sustaining a high-performing team is integral to any successful business.

Both leaders and members must work in symphony. Creating an effective and successful team requires members to communicate well, work together towards the agreed goal and execute their roles effectively. It also requires leaders to understand the individuals within the team.

We have conducted some research and put together 4 of the most popular tips in team building.

Work is a major part of many of our lives, statistics show that British workers will spend an average of 3,515 full days at work over their lifetime and work 188 days of overtime during the course of their professional lifetime (accountancyagencyage.com). It goes without saying that having a fulfilling job can be great for your mental health and general wellbeing, especially with the vicissitudes of life. There are some practices that we can implement during our day-to-day work routine to keep us energised and mentally well. We’ve put together a shortlist on ways you can improve your mental and physical wellbeing whilst working.

Besides high staff turnover having a negative impact on the employee brand, the loss of valuable knowledge, expertise and experience can be costly for the business. The last thing a company wants is for its top performers to hand in their notice. Where the actions of an employee cannot be controlled, there is still a lot that can be done to make the work environment and job remain attractive. If you are currently facing high staff turnover or need some tips on how to retain your staff, we have put together 5 well-known strategies for effective staff retention.  

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking tools out there. The social network has almost 810 million members.

There are many different uses for LinkedIn. From finding a new role to building your personal brand. If you are searching for your next job, updating your profile will help you to increase your discoverability. Whatever you are planning to use LinkedIn for having a professional and eligible profile is important.

So, If you’re thinking of improving your profile up? Here are some quick tips for you.

It’s a new year and with it comes a host of new opportunities and the infamous new year resolutions. By now, hopefully, you have set out what you want to achieve this year. Statistics show that the majority of people give up on their resolutions by January 19th. Not long is it? 

If you want to be outside that statistic, we have a few tips to help.

As we draw closer to the Christmas holidays; it’s common for people to want to stay in their current roles till the new year comes. With the new year comes a new drive, new targets, and a lot of people will have career progression or new career goals. So how do you prepare yourself for that dream job at a time when you’re not actively looking for a new role? We have a few tips to help you.

Recruiting can be difficult at the best of times, and it’s even harder in a candidate short market. If you’ve recently been trying to fill a role at your company you might have noticed that candidates are hard to come by these days. We’ve put together a quick blog post to help you attract the best talent in a candidate short market.

Due to high demand, JasperRose partnered with Antonia Smith once again to conduct another Leadership workshop titled:

How to think like a leader and optimise your performance.

The session provided an opportunity for those who were unable to attend the first leadership workshop to participate and take away valuable insights on how they could best achieve their leadership potential.

Our partnership with the Founder of Dragonfly Coaching Antonia Smith has resulted in a number of successful personal development workshops. Each workshop is designed to help finance professionals improve their work experiences. This workshop titled ‘How to go from STUCK to FULFILLED in your career’ was specifically designed to help boost your career experience.

JasperRose has partnered with Leadership Coach and Founder of Dragonfly Coaching & Consulting Antonia Smith, to bring you a four-part series of coaching workshops. The final workshop will be held on August 25th 2021! Register now as spaces are limited.

During the month of June JasperRose worked with Antonia Smith Leadership Coach and Founder of Dragonfly Coaching to bring you the third workshop, in a four-part series of workshops. Designed to help finance professionals with personal development. The session provided those who attended the workshop, an opportunity to understand how to capitalise on their influence to drive and motivate their teams.

JasperRose partnered with Business & Leadership Coach and Founder of Dragonfly Coaching Antonia Smith to bring you a four-part series of workshops designed to help finance professionals with personal development. The second workshop titled ‘Building your confidence from the INSIDE, OUT’ was held during the month of June. Antonia gave those who attended, the opportunity to work on a number of introspective exercises which helped identify areas for confidence development.

JasperRose has partnered with Leadership Coach and Founder of Dragonfly Coaching & Consulting Antonia Smith, to bring you the first of a four-part series of coaching workshops. The next workshop will be held on July 8th 2021! Register now as spaces are limited.

During the month of May, JasperRose partnered with Leadership Coach and Founder of Dragonfly Coaching Antonia Smith to bring you a four-part series of workshops designed to help finance professionals with personal development. The first workshop titled ‘Managing Stress and Creating a more Aligned Work/Life balance’ was extremely successful and insightful. Antonia gave those who attended, practical nuggets to continuously use in the effective management of stress and maintenance of a balanced life.  

JasperRose has partnered with Leadership Coach and Founder of Dragonfly Coaching & Consulting Antonia Smith, to bring you a four-part series of exclusive coaching workshops. After successfully hosting the first workshop, our next one will be held on Thursday 17th June 2021! Register now as spaces are limited.

Employee well-being is becoming increasingly relevant as businesses are more aware of the link between employee wellness, productivity, engagement and retention. Some benefits include:

Having a stable and clear work-life balance is #goals. The line between your career and personal life can get very blurred. Even more so, now that working from home is the norm and we are growing increasingly more connected through technology.

JasperRose has partnered with Leadership Coach and Founder of Dragonfly Coaching & Consulting Antonia Smith, to bring you the first of a four-part series of coaching workshops. The first one will be held on 26th May 2021! Register now as spaces are limited.

There have been a lot of changes in the way businesses have operated in the past few years. Even post-pandemic; changes in technology, generational differences, employee/ employer expectations and so on, have resulted in businesses rethinking their normal operations, policies and management. 

Career development is an important factor in any job. Whether you are looking to work your way up to CFO or continuing your journey up the career ladder. Career development is important to help you continually progress. 

Only 14% of CFOs in FTSE businesses are female. We want to do our best to change this, as soon as possible.

After officially a year of working from home, we have all found our way around working from the home office. With the anticipation of returning to the office, have you found yourself becoming a little more distracted?

Are you looking for ways on how to make your remote meetings productive? After almost a year of working from home, remote meetings have become the norm.

Looking for ways on how to utilise LinkedIn for your job search? LinkedIn is one of the most established business networking tools out there.

The key to any successful business is exceptional talent. Over the past year, we have endured a rollercoaster of events that nobody could have predicted. Did you have a succession plan in place, ready to replace those who left?

Self-reflection is a term you may be aware of but not something you practise in your daily routine. In the current world we live in, it is fast-paced, chaotic and busy.

Getting up in the morning can be difficult. When the alarm goes off it can be tempting to press snooze for just 10 more minutes. But what if getting up earlier and implementing morning habits could make you more successful? Would you do it?

After several months from the ‘home-office’, it is likely you have settled into your routine and have been working hard throughout the lockdown. So how do you get promoted whilst working from home?

As we enter our third lockdown and as businesses continue to work remotely, we recap and reflect on the helpful advice and information Antonia Smith previously shared with us on leadership and managing remotely.

2020 is a year that we will all certainly remember. One that no one could have predicted, but a year that we have all learnt a lot from.

2020 wasn’t quite the year we planned for. However, it is important to take time to reflect on 2020 across all aspects of your life to help you to plan your 2021 goals.

Left it to the last minute and looking for gift inspiration for your Secret Santa this year? Well, don’t worry we have come up with some gift ideas for Finance Professionals that you could send to your Secret Santa this year.

As Christmas trees begin to go up and the sparkly lights start to get switched on, it can only mean one thing. It’s December! However, does that mean you should stop your job search over Christmas?

We recently asked our LinkedIn network: “What is the main service you use a recruiter for?” A whopping 94% of you responded with “Finding a job”. 

Back in March 2020, the job market was booming with the highest recorded rates of employment.

JasperRose Consultants are asked by both employers and job seekers on a daily basis, “what is the current employment market like?”

It is fair to say that Coronavirus has created both uncertainty and confusion around the job market. According to HMRC, around 9.6 million jobs were furloughed.

In the current job market employers are having to make difficult decisions to adapt to the ever-changing environment and manage their team through change.

With many adapting to the ‘new normal’, working from home has provided a variety of benefits and challenges.

Due to the emergence of Covid-19, not only has the way people work now changed but so too has the recruitment process.

Working from home (WFH) has seen a sharp increase in popularity and desirability. But what about starting a new job remotely?

JasperRose are dedicated to supporting both employers having to make the tough decisions to make redundancies as well as individuals who have been made redundant or are currently going through the redundancy process.

There are a variety of different benefits of contract work. If you find yourself in a position where you are immediately available, contracting can be a great option to trial new working environments.

It’s our moving day! Today is a big day for the JR team. We are leaving our lovely Bank offices where we’ve made so many amazing memories and heading over to our sparkling new offices in Holborn!

In these unprecedented and challenging times, many have found their sleep quality has reduced.