When you think about how to increase your firm's profits, what comes to mind? My guess is that training and learning may not make your short list. Soft skills are even less likely to make the cut. The reality is that preparation precedes profits, and many firms miss out on great earning opportunities because they do not invest enough in training their people the right way.

The majority of HR managers and recruiters who have responsibility for recruiting accounting and finance positions are planning to hire in the next six months, according to a new survey.

Accounting Tomorrow and Next Generation Consulting have teamed up to create a YouTube video contest for accountants of all ages -- all in the name of showing off the varied talents CPAs have (other than crunching numbers).

CFOs,Optimistic,Just,Not,Hiring

Private sector employment increased by 55,000 last month, according to a report by payroll giant ADP.

The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Finance Committee have introduced legislation to create job opportunities for veterans returning home from war by providing tax credits for businesses that hire them.

The workplace is changing.

Generational differences in staff productivity, culture and drive have been a hot-button topic for a long time.

The Internal Revenue Service has posted a form on its Web site that employers can use to claim a payroll tax exemption for hiring new employees under the recently passed HIRE Act.

This issue's Generational Viewpoints features two individuals from the Rochester, N.Y.-based multi-office firm EFP Rotenberg LLP (www.efprotenberg.com). Darla Wheaton, partner and head of the Attest Department, a Baby Boomer born in 1963, and Gen Y staff accountant Joe Barone, born in 1986, shared their thoughts regarding the following question:

Don’t expect things to just happen in your career or expect others, especially employers, to know what you are thinking.

Paychex has introduced a new Web page and online calculator to help businesses determine their tax savings if they take advantage of the recently passed HIRE Act to hire new employees.

Only 29 percent of CFOs and senior controllers at U.S. companies plan to increase their hiring in the next six months, while 22 percent say they will decrease hiring, according to a new survey.

Even with high unemployment, businesses are finding that it takes at least a month to fill open accounting and finance positions.

The biggest takeaway from the recession for employers could be taking better care of their workers, according to a recent survey of chief financial officers.

A round of resumes for the upcoming season are beginning to circulate within our audit and consulting office. Undoubtedly, the traditional interviewing process will fall short, resulting in regrettable new hires.

Accounting firm Marcum’s recruiting arm Marcum Search has opened a temporary services division that will offer temporary employee placements for all types of industries.

The recession has affected many companies harder than they anticipated. Most organizations experienced some kind of impact from the financial upheaval, according to a survey by Burlingame, Calif.-based Accountants International of 3,500 accounting, finance and human resource executives nationwide.

Seven percent of CFOs plan to add full-time accounting and finance employees during the second quarter, the highest forecast since the first quarter of 2009, but 8 percent expect staff reductions.

Small businesses lost 18,000 jobs in February, according to a report by payroll giant ADP.