Several years ago, I wrote a "Starting Out" column for Fraud Magazine [ Federal Job Search Strategies (Part 1): Landing the Right Position is Almost a Full-time Job, July/August 2010] that described how to conduct an effective job search for fraud examiner positions. I wrote that column because I kept getting asked for advice from young CFEs, students and recent graduates and eventually found that I kept asking them the same four questions. It's important to remember these questions and answer them honestly to get the best result for any career search.
The fall semester is about to begin and for many college seniors, it brings them smack against a new reality — the need to find a job after graduation! Today's job market is competitive, but there are a number of ways to alleviate your job search and get you thinking about the next steps in your post-college job search.
Before you begin your résumé and draft cover letters, you need to do a self-assessment and ask yourself four questions. Your honest answers will help you move into the next phase of your job hunt. (These questions are also important for new CFEs and those looking to change careers.)
Self-assessments are important because they help you orient yourself and give you a sense of where you are, where you've been and where you'd like to go. It also helps if you're brutally honest with yourself. By not giving yourself full credit (or conversely, giving yourself too much credit) for what you've done and what you'd like to be doing, it can actually harm you in the long run.
Ask yourself these four questions and it will give you a good starting point to evaluate where you are, where you want to go and how to chart a course to get there.
Am I willing or able to relocate? If so, where? If not, because of family obligations or other considerations, is that going to limit my possibilities, and am I okay with that?
Location is essentially a binary question: Are you willing to move or not? If you can't because you're taking care of school-age children or an aging parent or you have other issues, make sure you're absolutely okay with the decision. Many of us are hesitant to uproot everything and move to a new place. I know lots of people, especially in college, who think they can't move, but once they try it, they know they've made a good decision. It's important that people count on us, but we also have to take care of ourselves, too.
Do I have the skills, experiences, education and training necessary for the types of jobs I'm interested in? If not, what do I need? How can I acquire those things? If I do have them already, have I adequately documented them in my resume or CV?
In the fraud examination field, many types of positions incorporate the fundamentals of prevention, identification, detection and investigation of fraud. One popular position is a forensic auditor for a government agency. Hiring managers are very discerning about whom they hire because they receive scores of applicants.
They're looking for candidates with real-world experience because new hires will be working with skilled and savvy investigators. A hiring manager is serious about supporting his investigators — his clients — so he wants to give them the best possible "work product." He will often tell younger folks that he'd like to hear from them in five years after they've had a chance to get some work experience and be challenged by other endeavors.
Entry-level jobs, of course, help you to gain experience, training and mentoring with senior employees. They also give you a chance to develop the skills necessary to be successful in the future. Focus on the foundational skills that will enable you to excel at each challenge you encounter.
Be ready to answer that ubiquitous interview question, "Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?" Does this organization have a career roadmap? Is it committed to my continuing education, skill development and career progression? If not, am I able to do those things on my own? Do your homework to find the organization's mission, who they work with and how it operates.
Diversity is important — not only for bringing in top talent with different backgrounds, ideas, and experience but also for the individual. A few years ago, I would have loathed the idea of becoming a computer forensics examiner. I firmly believed that all I wanted to do was be a financial examiner. However, a professor gave me some great advice: "Where do you think those financial documents are? On the computer!" He opened my mind to a good career move. I ultimately became a computer forensic examiner, and it has paid enormous dividends. Be open to opportunities that will diversify your career. Ultimately, it will make you a more well-rounded fraud examiner.
Are the pay and benefits within my acceptable range? If not, how do I offset the difference (for example, with teaching or a part-time job)? Is the geographic area I'm interested in able to support my current or future salary?
You should ask yourself more than these four questions, but they will start you out on the right path. You'll probably want to build a six- to nine-month window if you're applying for a job similar to the one you have right now and longer — one to two years — if you're looking to move, need to brush up on a certain skill set or require additional education and training.
We all know that "the dog ate it" isn't a good excuse for missing homework at school. Why should looking for a job be any different?
So, did you do your homework? Have you talked with people who work at that company, organization or agency you've targeted? More importantly, have you talked with people who regularly interact with them?
Insiders — current and former employees — can give you a good sense of daily tasks, mission, and execution. They can also tell you about intangible, but critical, things like morale, growth potential and agency issues. I always like to find out about the culture of a group. I don't want to walk into a pile of problems.
Outsiders — for example, attorneys who represent clients before a particular agency or body — can be helpful because they give a sense of how the organization works externally. They can give their opinions on how others perceive an agency, their sense of its mission and how the agency is faring in resources and politically. They can help you "read the tea leaves."
The beginning of the semester is the time to start! Visit your campus's career center and talk with them today. Network with alumni groups. Ask them about possible summer employments, internships or other opportunities. Usually it can come down to: "I know a guy who's in the ______________ business."
It might not be too late for an internship. You might not even need to go off campus. Look for opportunities with the campus police, security department or the college's office of internal audit. A part-time job at a local bank — even as a teller — can give you a needed boost to show that you're professional, responsible, willing to learn and can communicate with the public.
Colin May, CFE, is a forensic financial investigator with a government agency (the views in "Starting Out" are his own) in Baltimore, Maryland.
Make sure you do three things:
How is your résumé? Have you identified all your relevant experience such as internships, college jobs and volunteer experiences?
Have you identified specific career knowledge, skills and experiences, even if you've gained them in the classroom:
Unlock full access to Fraud Magazine and explore in-depth articles on the latest trends in fraud prevention and detection.
Read Time: 6 mins
Written By:
Fabia Wenger
Alexander Schuchter
Read Time: 9 mins
Written By:
Read Time: 5 mins
Written By:
Sandra Damijan, Ph.D., CFE
Read Time: 6 mins
Written By:
Fabia Wenger
Alexander Schuchter
Read Time: 9 mins
Written By:
Read Time: 5 mins
Written By:
Sandra Damijan, Ph.D., CFE
