Few people understand what really goes on behind the scenes of major corporations, public accounting firms, and law firms in how they go about hiring tax professionals. Unless you are a seasoned tax headhunter (http://www.etsearch.com/clients.htm), you will never know the many nuances and obstacles every tax professional goes through in the process of being hired. Believe me, I have seen more reasons tax professionals do not get hired than you could possibly imagine. Ask any experienced recruiter and they will have their own stories to tell you. Having the opportunity to educate you and provide a solution to protect you is what you will learn today.

Here are the behind the scenes real life truths that you never hear about finding a tax job or how a tax job can find you.  I have seen these familiar occurrences over and over again during three decades in executive search for tax professionals. Here is the real behind the scenes truth that you all need to learn!

Scenario #1- Company tells you they want to make an offer but they need two weeks or more.

The Real Truth:

a) They made an offer to another candidate and are waiting for an acceptance. They do not tell you because they do not want to lose YOU, their #2 choice.

b) Someone new has walked through the door and they want to interview them. They then continue to interview even more candidates.

c) The organization may be changing out the person you think you may be reporting to in this role.

d) The company may be acquired and they just cannot tell you about the pending deal.

e) The company just decides to back away(flame out) after doing a reference check and decided you are not the perfect fit after all.

Scenario #2-Recruiter tells you that you are a great candidate and they can help but they never get back to you.

The Real Truth:

a) Recruiters fees are paid by the company so they work for the company, not you. They really do want to help you, if they can.

b) Recruiters will call if they have a project with a client, if you do not hear from them they do not have anything for you.

c) If a recruiter makes a lot of calls on your behalf and are not getting action, they will move on. They must focus on client who pays.

Scenario #3-  Why the majority of tax jobs will never make it to the majority of tax professionals.

The Real Truth:

a) Many jobs never make it to you because of your lack of visibility and accessibility in the market.

b) Tax professionals make the mistake of not marketing/promoting/branding their tax expertise throughout their careers.

c) LinkedIn charges recruiters a $7500 Annual License Fee to access their database which many headhunters cannot afford. Corporate generalist recruiters do have more access but they lack the knowledge of your tax expertise.

Given all these roadblocks to the success of your tax career, you need to wake up and protect yourselves with better visibility in  the market. Every tax professional needs to have “tax career insurance”! The world has changed and you must change your ways and invest in your personal branding. The small independents are jumping in to brand their tax expertise and it is working for them as they gain more authority in the market every day. The most vulnerable are those of you in the tax departments of corporations; those of you in big national public accounting firms whose names cannot be seen on your firms site; the lawyers in law firms who believe that their next new clients will be patient enough to look through all the law firm sites to fine your tax expertise. You are foolish to think you can sit idly there and things will magically happen for you. You must make things happen for your personal tax brand TODAY. You must stop procrastinating about building an active tax brand.  Just being on Linked In is not enough because people must pay to see your full profile on Linked In. Tax professionals are quickly branding themselves on www.taxconnections.com so everyone can discover their tax expertise for free. There are no more obstacles to your tax career when you become a member at https://www.taxconnections.com/membership/tax-professionals. TaxConnections is the leading way to build your visibility, authority and professional brand in the world of tax.

Join TaxConnections Today  🙂