Welcome to the Inaugural Conner Connection!

This is meant to be an update on news that may affect your job, career advice, trends, upcoming events, and a bit of laughter. If you ever have anything specific you'd like to see in this newsletter, please feel free to let me know.  

Accounting News

New York (CNN Business)

This past December, the US economy added 145,000 jobs. While December's job report was 100,000 fewer than in November, the report was filled with bright spots: a total of 41,000 retail jobs were added because of the holiday season. If 100,000 jobs are added each month, the U.S. economy will be able to keep up with the influx of labor. The unemployment rate remains at a steady 3.5%, which is an historic low. Read the full CNN report here. 

IRS Opens Compliance Assurance Process to New Corporate Applicants.

For the first time in a while, the IRS accepted corporate applications for the Compliance Assurance Process (CAP). The IRS Launched CAP in 2005 to improve federal tax compliance by corporate taxpayers. CAP allows taxpayers and the IRS to work together to achieve tax compliance before the taxpayers file their returns. CAP shortens the length of posting examination as many issues are worked out prior to the taxpayer filing. The application period ran from September 16 to October 31, 2019 and applicants received notification of their acceptance into the program around the end of January. For more information on these issues, please reference The CPA Journal's article.

A guy goes in for a job interview and sits down with the boss.

The boss asks him, "What do you think is your worst quality?"

The man says "I'm probably too honest."

The boss says, "That's not a bad thing, I think being honest is a good quality."

The man replies, "I don't care what you think!"

Superstar Candidate Looking for the Right Team

We have a manager coming out of one of the Big 4 firms who is looking for an exceptional organization. This professional has his CPA, a degree in accounting and both domestic and international clients. This candidate excels at breaking down complex financial transactions into understandable items to be addressed by management. He has excellent skills in internal controls, mergers, financial reporting, and accounting, as well as years of supervising others while handling multiple tasks (and clients) simultaneously. 

He would like to join an organization that is looking to blend its new data-driven numbers into the standard financial forecasting and help increase the bottom line and efficiencies. This candidate is looking to lead a team into the next decade, and continue to set a culture as an employer of choice. If you would like to discuss his background, or other talent options, please contact me immediately.

Controller

A growing, privately held, technology firm located in downtown Pittsburgh is looking for its next financial leader! You will work alongside the CFO and Executive Management to help make decisions to guide the company. This individual will be responsible for a lot of special projects, internal controls, and oversight of all financial reporting. If you have your CPA and 10+ years of experience, this could be for you! Contact me for more information. 

Manager of Accounting

A large, international organization is looking for a manager to oversee internal accounting, as it relates to the division's balance sheet. This individual will have exposure to general ledger, and tax and liability analysis. This is a broad role with a great chance for growth! Contact me for more information.  

Financial Analyst

A publicly held manufacturing company is looking for a dynamic Financial Analyst with strong analytical abilities to join their team. This individual will work closely with Operations, FP&A and R&D teams to ensure efficient use of the budget. The successful candidate must have a strong desire to build skills and knowledge across various areas of Marketing, R&D, FP&A and Strategic Planning. You will help develop complex financial models and make various presentations to executive management. If this sounds like an exciting opportunity, contact me for more information!

Tax Executives Institute, Allegheny Tax Society and Pittsburgh Tax Club 

February 19th, 5:00pm - Duquesne Club, Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA

Listen to speaker David Kirk discuss "The Trials and Tribulations of a Post-TCJA World on Individuals and their Closely-Held Businesses." For more information, click here. 

Pittsburgh Job Fair

Feburary 25th, 11:00am - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh, Green Tree

Whether you are a seasoned executive-level professional, just beginning your career, or anywhere in between, these events can connect you with as many valuable employer contacts in three hours as you would make in weeks of job searching on your own. For more information, click here.

Network After Work - Pittsburgh

February 26th, 6:00pm - The Boulevard Lounge at the Distrikt Hotel

Network After Work invites you to an evening out with other local business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, and career-minded professionals. For more information, click here.

Women of Influence

March 12th, 5:00pm - Westin Convention Center

Don't miss this incredible evening as we honor the region's most influential business women - help us to recognize these leading women who are changing their industries and impacting their communities. For more information, click here.

Pittsburgh Technology Council Breakfast Briefing

March 12th, 7:30am - Pittsburgh Marriott Center

Join Duquesne Light President & CEO, Steve Malnight, as he presents information on electric vehicles, solar interconnections, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), and more. For more information, click here. 

St. Patrick's Day Parade

March 14th, 10:00am - Festivities all day - Downtown Pittsburgh

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

March 21st, 8:00pm

For those of you who, like me, learned classical music through Saturday morning cartoons, this concert is a must-see! For more information, click here.

Recently, a non-profit client had a controller leave without notice. The client knew that we could help, so they reached out and utilized our services to find a consultant to keep the day to day running. In the meantime, we searched for a full-time direct hire candidate. Within three weeks we were able to connect them with four quality candidates who they interviewed and screened, and have them hire a candidate, our first choice, a controller from a similar non-profit. We love helping make the right connections!

HR Trends

Today's workforce is the most diverse and dynamic generation ever. Looking ahead, we'll see a major shift in HR policies as they change along with the growing workforce. Here are the top three trends to watch for in 2020:

1. Soft Skills > Digital Skills 

The biggest skill gap is behavioral, not technical. Too many years of stressing that employees should build their digital skills created a vacuum of caring coworkers and empathetic bosses. 45% of HR officers say college graduates entering the workplace are digitally ready. In the future, companies will be looking for employees with strong soft skills like: negotiating and creative problem-solving that are essential when fostering greater collaboration between teams.

2. Independent Employees

Today, employees expect and demand more from their superiors. Annual reviews aren't enough for young employees who prefer ongoing and straightforward feedback. They view their employers as an investment in their own future-and you should see it the same way. Engaged employees perform better, so it's up to HR to encourage a culture of corporate performance that inspires employees to take pride and ownership in their work.

3. HR Adapting to the Future 

The future of the workplace is multi-generational: five generations of adults may work in the same company, and HR must adapt to this. Age diversity is an excellent asset to a company. However, age isn't the only contribution to diversity in 2020. The workforce is increasingly racially diverse, with more representation for LGBTQ people, and college-educated women. 

For more on HR trends, please reference BenefitsPRO.

"Bookkeeping" is the only English word to contain three sets of double letters back-to-back-to-back.