Linda Maginity, the owner and hiring manager of The Bottom Line, a bookkeeping service, has some great tips for job seekers! Before the tips, I’d like you to get to know Linda. Linda is very friendly, an excellent teacher and really loves the “mind numbing” work of data entry. The part of business that really excites her is helping other business owners realize their goals and dreams. Linda shared…

“The financial health of your business begins with a solid foundation and that means accurate bookkeeping. Without good numbers to base decisions on, you’re just operating in the dark. We teach business owners how to interpret their financial statements and how to generate management reports so they may make informed decisions.”

I asked Linda, “What qualities are you looking for in an applicant?” Linda said she is looking for a person that is…

  • Eager to help others.
  • Focused on what they can bring to the company.
  • Knowledgeable about our company goals
  • Articulate in sharing how to help us reach those goals.

What does a person do or look like in order to turn you off?

“When one of their first questions is what does this job pay, what are the benefits and what are the hours. This tells me they have an “entitilement” attitude. Businesses need people to help them to grow and in the end everyone will benefit.”

What questions do you ask at an interview?

  • What did they like best about their former or current jobs?
  • I want to know how & why they were separated from those jobs.
  • I ask what their future vision is.
  • I give them the most boring details about the job they are applying for and ask how they feel about performing those tasks.

After you have hired someone, what are some ways a new employee can jumpstart their job?

  • Be eager to learn
  • Ask questions

What are some words of wisdom you would have for someone wanting to enter the bookkeeping field?

“You must be computer litterate. You MUST be proficient using QuickBooks, and MS Office. I cannot stress enough the importance of education and training. To be employable in today’s market you must seek IT training.”

Not only Linda’s company, but all companies when hiring are looking to hire a person that knows their company goals and how you are going to be a solution for their need. I recommend taking the time to research companies well so that you are prepared in networking and interviews. If you would like help with job search strategy or interview preparation, please contact me for information.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 6:11 am and is filed under Interview tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.