THE MARCONIAN | Volume III, Issue 41
Quote of the Week: "Excellence can be obained if you: care more than others think is wise; risk more than others think is safe; dream more than others think is practical; expect more than others think is possible." 
-- Anonymous
October 16, 2015 - In This Issue:
Weekend Weather
Sunny
Fri., Oct 16
Sunny
High 53 Low 35
Sunny
Sat., Oct 17
Sunny
High 53 Low 37
Sunny
Sun, Oct 18
Sunny
High 57 Low 45
Chicago Sports 
 Sunday, Oct 18
 Bears @ Lions
 12:00 PM, FOX
 Saturday, Oct 18
 Cubs @ Mets
 7:07 PM, TBS

 Sunday, Oct 19
 Cubs @ Mets
 7:07 PM, TBS
 Saturday, Oct 17
 Blackhawks vs. Blue  Jackets
 7:30 PM, WGN
Networking Events
Network & Social's Professional Networking Event @ The Godfrey Hotel

October 23 at 6:00 PM

The Godfrey Hotel I|O Roofscape
127 W Huron Street

A couple times a year we try to offer networkers an experience at The Godfrey Hotel I|O Roofscape that they won't find anywhere else in Chicago. We invite you to join us on October 23rd for a special networking event featuring many of Chicago's top influencers. This event will feature a FULL HOUR of open sponsored bar, passed appetizers, vacation package raffle, and special access to one the top rated rooftops in Chicago. If you're looking for a different approach to meeting new clients and growing your professional network, you will not get a better opportunity than this!

Click HERE to learn more!

Weekend Events
Chicago Ideas Week

October 12 - 18

Various Locations in Chicago


Chicago Ideas is a movement built on one core belief:  When a broad spectrum of thinkers and instigators share ideas, we have the power to transform our world.

Click HERE to learn more!

Will Your Finance Staffers Be Testing the Job Market? 
by Tim Gould | CFO Daily News

How stable is your Finance staff? Looks like there could be a lot of movement in the job market over the next several months. 
According to new research from CareerBuilder, 15% of companies say they're going to be hiring in the Accounting/Finance area.
The big picture: Full-time, permanent hiring in the fourth quarter is projected to be the most robust since 2006 and seasonal hiring is poised to outpace last year's projections by a healthy margin, per CareerBuilder.
And, as outlined in a recent post on HRMorning.com, there's a substantial number of employees who say they're actively looking to change jobs - despite being generally happy with their positions and their organizations.
It's setting up to be the perfect storm of worker mobility.
Thirty-four percent of U.S. employers plan to hire full-time, permanent staff in Q4, and nearly the same percentage (33%) expect to add seasonal staff, according to CareerBuilder. More than half (53%) of retailers plan to hire seasonal workers in Q4, up from 43% last year.
The national survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder, and included a representative sample of 2,326 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.
The numbers from the CareerBuilder research:
Full-time Hiring in Q3 2015
Thirty-nine percent of employers added full-time, permanent headcount in the third quarter of this year, up from 34% in the same period in 2014 and 28% in 2013. Ten percent decreased headcount, on par with last year, while 49% made no change to staff levels and 1% was unsure.
Full-time Hiring in Q4 2015
Looking ahead, 34% of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in Q4, up from 29% in 2014 and 25% in 2013. Ten percent expect to reduce staff, on par with 9% last year, while 52% anticipate no change and 4% are unsure.
Seasonal Hiring in Q4 2015
Seasonal hiring activity over the next three months is also expected to show notable year-over-year gains. One third (33%) of employers expect to hire seasonal workers in Q4, up from 26% last year. Fifty-seven percent expect to transition some seasonal staff into full-time, permanent roles, up from 42% last year.
Pay for Seasonal Jobs
Seasonal workers will likely benefit from recent minimum wage increases implemented at the federal and state level and among large name brands. Thirty-seven percent of employers say they will increase pay for their seasonal staff, up 10 points over last year. Seventy-two percent of seasonal employers will pay $10 or more per hour while 19% will pay $16 or more.
Half of seasonal employers (52%) say they're boosting staffs to help with the busier holiday season while others are focused on wrapping up the year (30%) or ramping up for 2016 (31%).
While the number of retailers planning to hire seasonal help in Q4 increased 10%  over last year, companies across industries are hiring for a variety of areas:
  • Customer Service - 46%
  • Administrative/Clerical Support - 23%
  • Inventory Management - 17%
  • Hosting/Greeting - 17%
  • Shipping/Delivery - 16%
  • Accounting/Finance - 15%
  • Marketing - 15%
  • Sales (non-retail) - 11%, and
  • Technology - 10%.

South, Midwest lead regional hiring


 

Similar to last year's forecast, the South houses the largest percentage of employers planning to add full-time, permanent employees in Q4. The Midwest reported the largest year-over-year gain with 34% of employers expecting to add full-time, permanent staff, up 10% over last year. The West is leading other regions for seasonal hiring (42%) by a significant margin of over 9% and reported the biggest year over year gain (13%).


 

Hiring by Company Size


 

Among employers with more than 500 employees, the percentage expecting to hire seasonal workers in Q4 is up significantly from 31% in 2014 to 42% in 2015. Forty-four percent plan to add full-time, permanent headcount, a solid jump from 35% last year.

Hiring is also expected to pick up pace in small businesses. 


 

Among companies with 50 or fewer employees, 23% plan to hire full-time, permanent workers over the next three months, up 7% from 16% last year. Seasonal hiring for this segment is expected to hold steady with 17% of employers planning to add staff.


 

Among companies with 250 or fewer employees, 26% expect to add full-time, permanent staff in Q4, up from 23% last year, while 25% expect to add seasonal staff in Q4, up from 21% last year.


Available Talent Spotlight
Is your team looking for someone with this skill set? 

Senior Finance Manager/Treasury Manager

Versatile finance leader and strategic business partner through Insightful financial planning, analysis, and execution. Successful track record of leading strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, and managing cross-functional projects.  Passionate learner with strong business acumen, excellent collaboration and communication skills, known for critical thinking, multitasking, and complex problem solving.
  • Successfully executed $4B+ in new bond issuances / re-financings across 5 SEC registrants; Led liability management initiatives for debt portfolio of $18B+, resulting in $10M annual cash interest savings, representing $80M in positive NPV; responsible for related external reporting and SOX compliance.
  • Partnered with operations leadership in identifying $130M annual cost reduction opportunities; performed variance analyses, such as current plan vs. prior plan, actual vs. budget, actual vs. latest estimate.
  • Established robust and comprehensive interest rate risk management program that led to $8M savings in 1st year and better diversification of company's risk exposure to interest rate fluctuations.
If this person would be a good fit for your team, please contact Jennifer Williams at 312.546.9800 or at [email protected]
Potential Opportunity
Looking for a new opportunity? 

Senior Accountant/Analyst
 
The Senior Accountant is responsible for:
  • Assisting with accounting and financial reporting in accordance with U.S. GAAP
  • Helping to ensure compliance with internal controls and policies
  • Ad-hoc reporting and analysis at the request of the Accounting Manager
  • Participating in the monthly financial reporting and close process
  • Assisting with reporting to other divisions of the organization
  • Preparing monthly account reconciliations
  • Helping with the annual budget process
  • Inventory and fixed asset accounting
  • Assisting with audits
  • Special projects at the direction of the Accounting Manager
  • BA/BS Accounting/Finance and 3 -7 years experience required
  • Public Accounting and experience in manufacturing preferred
Interested parties are encouraged to contact David Tuminello at 312.546.9800 or at [email protected]