ASK HR: Are hirers intimidated by my remarkable expertise in finance?

Q.I have two degrees in financial management and a master’s degree in financial forensics. I am also a Certified Public Accountant. I have been applying for a job for one year now without success. I only get jobs on temporary basis, with the organisations claiming unsustainability of my salary demands, which is to me market competitive. Are hirers afraid of my expansive skills in finance?

Congratulations on your academic and professional qualifications. Landing the right job is not just a matter of qualifications alone, other factors such as experience, social skills and attitude are also key considerations. You have been turned down on salary grounds, and yet you are convinced what you are asking for is market-competitive, as you say. You might want to validate your benchmark sources to ensure you are not locking yourself out of good jobs by overpricing your competencies. When looking at the market data, remember to not just rely on qualifications alone, but also experience, which is key to many employers.

It is encouraging that you have had some temporary offers. It may be useful to seek feedback to find out if there are any other reasons for not confirming you to those roles other than salary. Many employers use temporary assignments to assess many competencies, such as how you translate your knowledge to actual work, how you relate with colleagues, how you work with your seniors, your work ethics, and other characteristics. If many of these requirements are lacking, it is easy to terminate the appointment and seek other candidates. Don’t forget that there are many other colleagues with impressive academic and CPA qualifications, and if they demonstrate better work demeanor, the employer is likely to look in their direction.

Though a degree in finance and a CPA are quite common, perhaps your MBA in forensics is in a specialised area, and if you use it alone to seek a career as a forensic accountant or auditor, you may not be as competitive, given you have not yet been certified as a forensic expert. You have to be smart as you seek your academic qualifications in a highly skilled area, and you may want to consider entry point jobs to gain practical experience. List down the industries you need to target for forensic accounting from the obvious financial institutions and audit firms to include legal firms, insurance firms and the government. The gig economy is here, and all your options should not be skewed to fulltime employment. You can sell your expertise to interested parties, do the jobs you like, be your own boss and in the process create employment.