Blog
Browse thoughtful views and opinions about staffing topics from KBW’s perspective.
Taking Stock of Your Team’s Culture
Why Now? The start of the new year is a time to reflect on the successes and challenges of the previous year, and set goals and expectations for the coming year. How will you monitor progress? How often will you check the status? Will you set specific monthly or...
How Can KBW Support My Organization During Tax Season?
When tax season arrives each year, your accounting department is more stressed than usual. Increased workloads, tight deadlines and other demands pile up quickly. Your team might struggle to get everything done on time. To avoid having your team members face burnout,...
Why You Should Start Over-Sharing at Work
When Yvonne’s boss asked her to meet with a potential client about co-sponsoring a conference, she was happy to do it. She researched his company, his work and had a clear preliminary path ready in her mind. Except when she walked into his office, he said, “it’s great...
Giving Better Presentations at Work
So you’ve been asked to give a presentation at work. It’s rare that we get training in how to present – and that can make the thought of it intimidating. But we’ve all sat through a lot of presentations and know that the differences between a good presentation and a...
An Entrepreneur’s Journey Back to the Workforce
If you’ve been out on your own as an entrepreneur, the return to the mainstream workplace can be a daunting journey. How will you re-acclimate to regular accountability? What direction will best suit you on this new or revisited path? Why are you returning and is it...
Great Meetings
According to recent research, the average American office worker spends 9 hours a week preparing for and attending meetings – almost 25% of a full-time workweek. And while careful consideration can certainly cut down on how many meetings we have (it’s not necessary to...
Four Ways to Find Your Management Style (Part 1)
There are a variety of characteristics to consider when deciding which management style works best for you. The type of business you manage, the volume of work that needs to be completed, your personality and attitude, and the personalities and attitudes of your staff...
Unstructured Time – At Work
You may have heard of MIT’s “Building 20.” By the time it was torn down in 1998, it was famous for having been the birthplace of some of the 20th century’s most significant ideas. Microwaves, the first video game, modern linguistic theory, high-speed photography and...
Apps to Make Your Job Easier…and More Enjoyable!
As an accounting or finance professional, you’re always looking for ways to make work easier and more enjoyable. Some of those ways may be by better managing your time, improving your public speaking skills, or increasing your productivity. No matter what your...
Email Overload
There was a time not so long ago when having an empty email inbox seemed do-able. Even if I never actually got around to doing it. Not any more. Just sifting through my inbox would take all day. Everything is communicated by email – I’d venture to guess that only half...
Interviewing 101
Interviews! Some people love them, some people hate them, but everyone has to be prepared for them. Here are some of the basics to help you get ready for your next interview: Dress the part The first impression you make when you walk into an interview is visual. Yes,...
How to Make Your Introverted Employees More Comfortable During Meetings
Helping introverted employees to be more comfortable during meetings can be challenging. They typically need more time than extroverts to process information and form ideas before sharing them. Introverts also prefer to assess situations before deciding how to act....
What to Wear: To an Interview, and Beyond
We’ve heard them all before: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. You only have one chance to make a first impression. When in doubt, always dress up. All of these are still true, but here is the biggest piece of advice I like to give to our candidates:...
Two Ways to Prepare for a Challenging Conversation with Your Manager
Like most employees, the thought of addressing a challenging issue with your manager may make you apprehensive. Not knowing how they might react can keep you from addressing your concerns. However, not directly dealing with the problem or talking about it with...
Do You Know How to Give Your Accounting Team Feedback?
Part of managing your accounting team involves providing feedback. When done promptly and well, giving performance feedback increases productivity, strengthens relationships, and improves retention. Follow these guidelines to reap the benefits of providing feedback...