A CFO Asks: Why Am I Striking Out in Interviews?
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I like to think that I’m a pretty well-qualified financial executive. I’ve got an MBA, I’m a CPA CMA and I’ve been a very successful VP Finance / CFO in three different companies over the past fifteen years. My resume shows that I’ve progressed through a number of challenging […]
CFO Resumes 101
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m currently the CFO of a $150MM food processing company. I’ve been with my current employer for six years, and previously, I’ve had twenty years’ experience in various industries including food service and consumer goods distribution. I decided to start looking at the market for a new position a month […]
Let go as CFO? Welcome to the Club
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I was most recently CFO of a good-sized public telecommunications concern. I had been with the company for seven years, the last five of which as VP Finance. Two years ago, the company replaced the CEO, my boss, with another telecommunications executive recruited from outside the company. The new […]
What Do I Need to Pay My Next CFO?
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I run a $100mm manufacturing business out in Mississauga. My CFO just quit and I need to find a replacement. Frankly, I’m not sorry to see this guy go, he never really added a lot of value other than keeping the accounting function going smoothly. He was with […]
Great Expectations
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the Controller for a Canadian, TSX listed, software company up in Markham. I’ve been recruiting for a Manager of Financial Reporting and we’re at the offer stage with one of the candidates that we’ve been interviewing. When we started interviewing this person (let’s call him Steve), we told […]
Vision Quest
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I run a $45mm CPG manufacturing company and we’ve been recruiting for a new VP Finance to replace the incumbent who’s about to retire. I posted the job on LinkedIn and have interviewed four people so far who’ve headed up finance departments in CPG companies. Of the four […]
Time Kills All Deals
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’ve recently been interviewing with a $100mm manufacturer for a newly created Vice President, Finance position. I started the process four months ago and have had six interviews so far. I’ve met the CEO, his executive team, his father and brother (the company is family owned), the firm’s public […]
Bridesmaid’s Blues
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: Two weeks ago, I had the final of four interviews for a VP Finance role at a mid-sized public company. A few days later, the recruiter I was working with told me the company had gone with another candidate who was a “better fit”. Yesterday, the recruiter called again […]
Why Am I Having Trouble Recruiting A Controller?
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the Vice President of Finance for a fairly large retail concern with stores across Canada. I recently promoted one of my divisional controllers into a regional Director of Finance role and I needed to backfill that position. Since I didn’t have anyone in my accounting group ready to […]
Why I Don’t Like Functional Resumes
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m currently VP Finance of a mid-sized auto parts manufacturer with over twenty five years’ experience behind me. I wasn’t really on the job market but I was recently approached by a headhunter on a really interesting CFO position with a PE owned company in the auto parts industry […]
Turning Lemons into Lemonade
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the controller of an $800mm TSX listed company and my assistant controller is going on maternity leave for a year. Normally I’d hire a contractor to fill in for the duration, but the CFO has put a moratorium on any contract hiring. We’re already running pretty lean so […]
There’s Never Time to Do It Right but there’s Always Time to Do It Over
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the VP Finance of a $300mm TSX listed software services firm. My Director of Financial Reporting resigned a couple of months ago and since have the bench to replace her from within, I needed to go outside the firm to recruit for this position. As I was considering […]
I’m An Underpaid CPA CA – How Do I Deal With That In A Job Interview?
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m a qualified CPA CA with almost three years of experience in industry since leaving public practice. I didn’t take the traditional route to getting my CA designation – I left public accounting when I had fulfilled all of my hours commitments to do some traveling and then wrote […]
Scenario Based Interview Questions
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m CFO of a very large, diversified Canadian company and I’m trying to fill a newly created position of vice president, acquisitions. We have a lot of financial bench strength in our organization and I’ve had quite a few senior people express interest in the position. None of these […]
Risky Business
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I was recruiting for a Controller a couple of years ago and ended up hiring someone who responded to my job board posting. Long story short: that person didn’t work out and I had to replace her after 14 months. The next time out I went the placement agency […]
Panic Early and Avoid the Rush
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: My brothers and I run a successful $35mm furniture manufacturing company in Mississauga. Our VP Finance has been with us for over twenty years and has recently announced that she’d like to retire at the end of the year. When should we start looking for someone to replace her? […]
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the CFO of an owner-managed cosmetics manufacturer here in Mississauga. I’ve been here for over nine years and I’m wondering if I should start looking at the market. It’s not that I’m unhappy; I like my boss, the work’s interesting and everything’s humming along pretty smoothly. My concern is […]
The Blind Side
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the CFO of a $100mm automotive services company and I recently had to go to the market to find a contractor to fill in for my Director of Finance who’s going on maternity leave. Our company has been growing very rapidly so I really needed someone who could get […]
Managing Expectations
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the Controller for a Canadian, TSX listed, software company up in Markham. I’ve been recruiting for a Manager of Financial Reporting and we’re at the offer stage with one of the candidates that we’ve been interviewing. When we started interviewing this person (let’s call him Steve), we told […]
The 70/30 Rule
Straight Answers to Real Questions Question: I’m the CFO of a $50mm Tier 2 auto parts manufacturer. I’ve recently had to go to the market to recruit a Controller. I’ve looked at a number of candidates and there’s been one person in the process that I’m especially keen on because she would be an excellent fit […]
