Member Blog

The boon of the 21st century is such that trotting around countries and settling abroad has become a cake walk. Geographic boundaries no longer seem to be an impediment and the world has visibly condensed as a result of globalisation. Human beings thus have become smarter and aware. However, the one thing that still plagues humanity is the issue of finances. Taking your pick to study abroad or settling in one of your favourite nations with a job that pays you handsomely sounds pretty. However, all of that happiness can turn to ashes in your mouth in a moment if you do not know how to handle finances. Not being aware of how the financial institutions of a country work, and how the taxes are levied would be equivalent to treading on dangerously rough waters. Therefore, this article shall discuss certain crucial aspects that you need to know about taxes before you consider settling in another country.

What Are Taxes?

Every country needs funding to maintain its basic infrastructure and to serve its people with better conditions of living. The citizens of the country fund a significant portion of that money in the form of taxes. The roads that you walk on, the meals that you ingest and a hoard of other facilities that you enjoy need to be paid for because there is no such thing as a free lunch. Therefore, taxes form an integral and imperative part of a nation’s economy. There are several types of taxes, like the income tax, property tax, sales tax, tariffs, and the list goes on. However, the system of taxation is more intricate and complex than what appears to the eye. Since this article does not deal with explaining the entire system of tax, we shall keep that discussion for Marketreview, and move on to the topic at hand.                           

Though the basic concept of taxes might be the same, yet countries differ from one another on specific grounds. It is thus, essential that you know about how the country that you are moving to functions when it comes to taxes.

Know Your Income Tax:

Most people who fly over to another country with the aim of living there permanently or for a considerable period of time, have a job at hand. This, therefore, begs the question of paying income taxes. The way income tax works in a foreign country can be a bit tricky, and you need to be aware of the details. While figuring out your salary and expenses, you need to learn about the income tax rate of the foreign country.                       

There are high chances that your home country and the country you are flying to have different rates of income tax. Therefore, before you move out, dig around a little and calculate if income tax can be levied on your salary in the foreign country. There is yet another aspect that you need to keep in mind while doing your research on income taxes. Certain countries do not levy income tax on expats who live and work in the country only for bare minimum days. In such cases, the expat is expected to pay the income tax in their home country. There are countries which do not levy any income tax on expats, while there are some others that levy a humongous amount. Also, while keeping tabs on the tax rules of your new country, see into the rubrics of your organisation as well. Some organisations take the responsibility of filling in the taxes for their employees. Last but not least, learn whether you are required to file an annual tax return in your home country even if you are exempted from paying income tax in the foreign country. Income tax thus, has a lot of grey area that needs to be worked out extensively before moving in or out of a country.

Tax Breaks For Expats:

Expat tax break is a concept that you need to get the hang of before moving to another country. The idea of the concept is exactly what the name suggests- exemption from having to pay taxes. Some countries levy no tax on the expats, while there are some others that charge a very minimal amount. For instance, several countries in the Middle East have a lucrative system of taxation for the expats. Thus, it is of no surprise that people tend to flock to these countries in a bid to enjoy a high standard of living. They take home most of their salary while paying nothing or a meagre amount as tax. Some countries in Europe too, have a convenient taxation system for the expats. France, for example, levies less on families that have more kids. An interesting concept, indeed! Do your research on the tax rates of the country that you indeed to move to before taking the plunge. If serendipity has it, you might just be making money hands over fists, without having to worry about blowing a hole in your pockets.

There are several other elements of taxes that you need to figure out before moving to a new country, like the inheritance tax laws, capital gains tax laws and others. These nebulous details can be worked out gradually, but the knowledge of what cannot go amiss is that of income taxes. More than half of the planet’s population shift their bases and start afresh in a completely new country owing to better prospects and standards of living. Everything boils down to being able to earn more, save more and live a wholesome life. Therefore, getting your hands on the details of income taxes and other forms of taxes is a mandate. Once you have gained a holistic knowledge of the system of taxation of your new country, you can plan your accounts accordingly. Also, being ignorant is no charm and can often land you in hot waters of legal complications. The thought of moving to a new country is much more exciting than the process since it involves not just being uprooted from your known environment, but also imbibing in your life new cultural, legal and financial knowledge. Thus, plan your move carefully, or even better get an advisor to enlighten you on matters of finance and laws. This could ease up the process and make the shift comfortable!

It was only a few weeks ago that I set up East Lodge Consulting Ltd and I have been busy networking and starting professional relationships with business owners across the region.  Some time ago, I was advised to broaden my activities with one or two side hustles.  So, I’ve also been pursuing one of my pipe dreams as well as establishing my consultancy business.  This looks like it might turn into something fantastic – a supersized side hustle.

Chasing your dreams can sometimes feel like a fool’s errand.  When I completed my first novel, There There My Dear, a few years ago I dreamt that it would launch my career as a novelist.  I was certain that my book would be snapped up by a publisher and that it would rise to the top of the best-sellers list in no time.

Then came the rejection letters and emails from literary agents who wrote that they loved the book but would not be looking to represent me.  This happened time after time and chasing my dream turned into something of a nightmare.

About a year ago I decided to write the sequel to There There My Dear.  Looking back I don’t know if there was any logic behind the decision, I just knew I had to do it.  In the autumn of 2018 I was wondering what to do with the whole writing dream, and I asked a few friends if they knew anybody in the literary world.  After all, there’s no harm in asking, and our networks are often larger than we imagine.

To cut a long story short, I am now speaking with an agent about There There My Dear, the sequel and the final book in the trilogy.  He loves the story, the characters and my writing style.  The next step is for my agent to bring on board a publisher – I am so excited!

This all goes to show that chasing your dreams, listening to good advice and involving your network can bring great results!  

What can a virtual assistant do for you?

In April just gone, it was the 100th Anniversary of the death of Frank Winfield Woolworth, the American entrepreneur who founded F.W. Woolworth or ‘Woollies’ as it was fondly known in the UK. He was one of the first retailers who bought goods directly from manufacturers and suppliers, and then fixed the selling prices on them rather than haggling. He then came up with the revolutionary idea of turning the counters round allowing customers to self-serve themselves and look, touch and feel the merchandise without the need of a sales assistant, and so you could just select and pay the cashier. Those two ideas changed the course of retailing and shopping, making Frank a multi-millionaire whilst giving him enough spare money to build what was then the tallest building in New York (and the world) at a cost of $13.5 million, which Frank paid for in cash!

I wonder what Frank would now make of the latest ‘GO!’ store opened in San Francisco by Amazon, which has no sales staff, no tills and of course, no cashiers? The store sells prepared food stuffs, snacks, and drinks with a particular focus on Amazon’s new own brand of sandwiches, salads and what is known in the USA as ‘meal kits’ (partially-prepared food ingredients and recipes to prepare homecooked meals), but the big difference is the removal of the checkout completely. So how does that work? Well instead of standing in a queue to pay after selecting your food and drink or snack, you just simply leave the store because on entering the store you will have scanned in on your Amazon ‘GO!’ account and the cameras and sensors in the store then track your movements registering what you have taken, so that when you walk out your Amazon standalone ‘Go!’ App account is updated and charged for your shopping, for which you receive a digital receipt via the App for the goods you bought. This new concept is sure to have a dynamic effect on the types of jobs that will employ people in the future, and how the power and quality of the brand will figure in choice and where packaging becomes the silent salesperson.

It is clear that at least in the San Francisco area, Amazon are targeting delis, cafes, lunch takeaway stores and drugstores with their new retail model. Amazon have also made the conscious decision of installing their own central kitchens to produce the freshly made foods so that they can also control and maintain high quality standards and include variety. So for the first time we see a major online player like Amazon showing where the future of offline retail is bound to go in food outlets and much more, where the only staff in the store are the merchandisers, until the robots take over. Would Frank be turning in his grave, I rather doubt it.

We are already experiencing the change that self-checkouts have had in our supermarkets and how this will continue changing the shopping experiences for consumers as each quantum leap in technology evolves, whilst also changing the business models for business owners and affecting the type of jobs that will be on offer and the training that will be offered. Some job types may disappear entirely.

How employers hire people and who they hire has also been affected by the leaps and bounds in technology. For many companies we are already seeing signs that the part of the country where you live no longer affects your ability to do a job or manage people. A manager living in Leeds can now manage a team of people in London and vice versa, and because of email, social media and video-conferencing utilising Skype, Google Chat, etc., more people are ‘tele-commuting’ rather than the need for them to spend several hours in a car going from A to B.

What comes with these innovations and the changes they make to our work patterns and lifestyles is the danger that there is too much technology, and with the ability for people to be ‘available’ all of the time it becomes so easy to always be ‘on call’ and not clocking out by turning off emails and notifications, or turning off your mobile phone, which can be crucial when trying to avoid techno-burnout. Amazon have now entered the market with a convenience store that has no staff or checkout because people do not have the time to queue and pay, but it is important to remember that every day we all need to checkout from work to find ourselves some #MeTime.

While all recruitment decisions are important, choosing the right executive leaders or board members can be one of the most challenging tasks a company can face. Senior appointments can have a significant impact on the strategic direction of a business and on the levels of employee engagement and motivation to deliver the planned vision of success. In turn, this all influences an organisation’s employer brand and its success in recruiting and retaining high-calibre employees at all levels.

Through our Pure Executive division, we specialise in board and top-level appointments across a range of sectors and work with organisations ranging from privately owned through to listed businesses. We are known for our personalised, consultative approach where we provide a balance between listening to employer’s needs and challenging them to make the right choices for the long term. Here are just some of the things we support clients to consider when recruiting at this level.

DIVERSITY AND COMBINED STRENGTHS

When recruiting to build a leadership team, diversity is widely understood to be fundamental. This is because all great teams display a diverse mix of qualities, skills, experiences and outlooks. The varied perspectives and a mix of voices which reflects the breadth of the organisation’s stakeholders results in stronger governance and better decision making. There are a range of ways to achieve this including through assembling a team of high performing leaders with a mix of gender, ethnicity, age and backgrounds.

Alongside this, look at the skills and experience you already have in place and examine if there are any gaps to be filled in building a team with the combined strengths needed to drive strategy, mentor and invest in staff, shape company culture, and ultimately work effectively with each other. This helps to evaluate prospective candidates for their respective abilities and aptitudes, not just their experience in a role or industry. Appointing non-executive board members can also be a highly effective way of achieving a diverse team with combined strengths. NEDs can provide not just relevant experience but also an external viewpoint as well as acting as a ‘critical friend’ to the business.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE FOR GROWTH AMBITIONS

Establishing a strong leadership team, from senior management through to executive board, is critical to the sustainability and future success of a business. However, the search criteria for senior recruits will vary depending on the size and history of the business. The skills and experience needed to launch a business and lead it through its first few years of growth are different to the ones needed to manage an established company for example. Even when a business is well established, expanding and further strengthening the leadership team can support the organisation’s future growth by bringing in new ideas and experiences to help shape strategic direction. For example, we recently supported Treatt plc to appoint two new Non-Executive Directors in preparation for the organisation’s next phase of transformative growth. Already one of the Eastern region’s most successful companies, it was important for Treatt to attract more international business experience to its board to help drive its worldwide expansion, as well as to achieve a greater balance and diversity of thinking.

AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

The subject of authentic leadership regularly comes up when we are recruiting for board and executive roles. At this level, the focus shifts from looking to find specific skills sets towards an emphasis on broader leadership qualities. Employers talk about finding candidates who are genuine and open, and those who have the ability to bring a team together by inspiring loyalty and trust. Whether leading the business as a CEO or leading the board as the chair, a poll of the Forbes Human Resources Council revealed the top traits they looked for when recruiting for these types of positions were; passion, integrity, problem-solving, action and vision sellers. These traits are all more focussed on the skills needed to effectively bring together and engage a team in delivering on the organisation’s vision.

THE RIGHT CULTURAL FIT

For a senior recruitment decision to be an effective long-term investment, cultural fit must also be taken into consideration. It’s not just about finding the right skills and experience but also about selecting those who will best suit the culture of the organisation. It is far easier for leaders to be authentic if they genuinely share an organisation’s vision, values and purpose. They are more likely to lead with the integrity, honesty and passion needed to gain credibility and trust among existing teams. They won’t feel a need to mask their true selves, will be able to show their natural style and unique strengths, and lead by example in developing and maintaining your organisation’s culture.

DEVELOPING YOUR OWN LEADERS FOR SUCCESSION PLANNING

When planning ahead for executive recruitment we are often asked whether it is better to recruit externally or to nurture potential leaders from within existing teams. There are benefits to both options and various considerations needed, for example the cost to recruit versus the cost to train employees in leadership skills. Developing your own leadership talent is likely to mean a good cultural fit is already established and that relevant company and industry knowledge will be at a premium. However, you may not gain different perspectives, achieve greater diversity or secure new areas of expertise to strengthen the existing leadership team. In essence, the decision all depends on the role, the timings, the current business plan, the vision for the future and the skills and experience already in place. At Pure, we are committed to developing the talent pipeline of Executive and Non-Executive Directors in the Eastern region with a team of highly experienced executive recruitment consultants. Our Board Ready Talent Scheme and Women’s Leadership Programme both support businesses to progress their own talented employees and to develop a succession plan for when the right leadership opportunities arise.

ABOUT GILL BUCHANAN

Gill is a founding Director of Pure and has worked in the recruitment field since 1988. Gill’s experience is broad-based and includes eight years of specialist recruitment experience within an international specialist recruitment company including five years working within financial services recruitment in Sydney, Australia.

Affiliate businesses rely on their network to be successful. Without their network, they will struggle to grow into new areas and make mutually beneficial connections. In a time when we are all scrolling through social media too much, it can be difficult to make those connections, but conferences are one way of saying hello to potential business partners and even shaking hand on new deals. Here are some of the best reasons why conferences are essential to affiliate businesses.

1.   Networking

One of the first advantages of saying yes to your next conference invite is to network. This was touched on above and is one of the first benefits people think of when considering going to an event like these. However, many do not make the most of their opportunity to network. They do not prepare or execute a strategy to network and sometimes people stick to familiar faces rather than branching out. Networking requires you to step outside of your safe space and choose to interact with new people. In fact, reaching a hand out to industries you do not network with enough can be especially beneficial and open unseen opportunities. So, next time you are at a conference, head on over to the table of that marketing company you keep seeing branded around. You may find great relationships in unlikely places.

2.   Making Old Connections

Just like conferences are great for making new connections and expanding your network, they are also the perfect place to meet up with your current business partners and affiliates. Making time for these people during the hectic business schedule can be difficult and a conference allows you to meet up with many of them at once, without wrestling with logistic headaches and time constraints. You also need to make sure you are at the forefront of these people’s minds to secure further deals and continue your relationship. Many businesses receive a majority of their success through limited avenues. If you are one of these businesses, maintaining relationships can be just as important as creating new ones. A perfect example of this is Affiliate conferences in the gaming arena, where even global brands like PartyCasino take advantage of these events to re-acquaint themselves with current partners and foster new relationships as well.

3.   Knowledge is Power

The core aim of a conference may be seen as a place to network, but we should not forget that conferences are also put on to share knowledge and innovations. By attending conferences, you reduce the chance of your affiliate business from missing out on opportunities to embrace the latest developments. You also stay up to date on the ways that technology is reshaping your key areas. Knowledge is certainly power – and conferences are one way of getting your share.

RSVP Yes!

Next time you and your business partners are invited to a conference, instead of scoffing at the thought of sub-standard sandwiches and boring seminars, consider going to meet new prospects and a benefit in a whole host of other ways.

Norwich law firm Hatch Brenner has appointed Solicitor Helen Barker as Head of Commercial Property.

Helen has a wide-ranging legal background, and takes up the new role having chosen to specialise in Commercial Property. Her practice will focus on working with businesses and individuals on matters including the sale and purchase of commercial property with associated business for sale, leasehold disposals and acquisitions, and landlord and tenant matters. She has particular expertise within the food and drink sector having worked with many pubs, café and restaurant business owners.

In addition to working with clients on their Commercial Property transactions, she will oversee the Commercial Property team, and help to strengthen local relationships with business owners and professionals.

Hatch Brenner Managing Partner Dawn Parkes commented: “We are all very pleased to welcome Helen to Hatch Brenner. She is a very positive and driven person, and will fit in well. Her broad experience combined with her pro-active nature will be a great asset to the firm.”

Helen added: “I am looking forward to both working with our current longstanding Commercial Property clients, and building new relationships across the city and beyond. Hatch Brenner has an excellent reputation and is a long standing, city centre firm, so I am very pleased to take up this new role. I enjoy being client-focused and can apply my breadth of experience to tailor my service in line with the objectives of my clients. Each transaction is unique and I combine attention to detail with a pragmatic approach to ensure my clients’ business needs are promptly met.”

Helen completed her Solicitor training with Hansells, Norwich, qualifying in 2011. She has previously worked at North Norfolk District Council and most recently Pope Solicitors in Cromer working across departments including Family, Private Client, and Residential and Commercial Property.

Active in Norwich networking, she also enjoys writing industry articles. Outside of work she spends time with her family, and enjoys running, singing, baking, reading, and watching films.

We have all thought of a great business idea, the next big thing and then got back to the ‘day’ job. Let’s face it, ideas are ten a penny.  It’s taking action that counts. Louise knew the insurance market well and spotted a gap in the market just waiting to be filled.  Rather than just think about it, she went all in and has worked for over two years creating her product and bringing it to market. The work involved has been enormous and together with a great team here in Norwich they are now ready to launch.

Along the way, they raised £2.5 million from a mix of investors including probably the most high profile business person in the insurance sector, received regulatory approval, worked out a route to market and are now ready to launch PIKL to the world, literally.

If you ever use Airbnb and have an interest in the sharing economy, this is for you.

Hear Louise’s extraordinary story here:https://businessgrowthclub.net/spot-a-gap-in-the-market-raise-2-million-and-launch-louise-birritteri-explains-how/

Enjoy!

Pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimisation (SEO) are two very different avenues to source website traffic. Frustratingly, both approaches are viewed in very different lights by website owners and users, making it tough to properly understand their respective strengths. For years, businesses have debated whether one outweighs the other, with the prevailing beliefs being that organic traffic takes time to grow, whilst ads are often mistrusted by users.

At Nu Image, our experts optimise and promote businesses using both strategies and are firm believers that if done well, websites can benefit from a healthy mixture of both forms of marketing.

Advantages of PPC

• Provides a quicker turnaround for leads and online conversions compared to organic. This is because your ad can appear in the top 3 paid search results as soon as your campaign is made live.
• Places your business in the perfect position to capture users when they’re most in need of your services and products.
• Instant data makes it easy to clearly identify who the main target audience are, when they need you, and what device they typically use to search for you.
• The ability to assign monetary value to each lead based on the data that is returned.
• It provides insights into the quality and relevancy of your landing pages. Not only will this improve the chances of your ads appearing, but also helps you to improve the user experience on these landing pages in general.

Disadvantages of PPC

• The abundance of information and features in a PPC account can be overwhelming and difficult to understand without training.
• Whilst the return of data and results is quick, it takes time to tailor and optimise your campaigns to ensure they’re showing for the correct searches and not wasting your budget on unwanted searches.
• Users sometimes disregard PPC search results due to the ‘ad’ icon. Either they have enough understanding to know a business has paid to be there, or they don’t understand at all and think there’s a chance they may have to pay to click on it themselves.
• Accidental clicks or clicks from your competitors can waste your budget unnecessarily.

Advantages of Organic

• The top three positions in Google acquire 60% of clicks for that search. These top three positions are game changers and you’ll notice the traffic to your website and number of conversions shooting up.
• 70-80% of users scroll past the PPC ads to the organic search results.
• You’ll become a trusted and credible website for users and other businesses.
• It’s rewarding for marketers and business owners to see that their hard work has paid off and pushed the website to the top of Google.

Disadvantages of Organic

• It’s time-consuming. The length of time it takes to climb the rankings depends on the level of competition and the quality of your site; this can sometimes take 9-18 months.
• It’s a lifelong commitment. Once you’ve acquired the desired positions, the work can’t stop as competitors will continue to work towards acquiring those positions and will overtake you if maintenance and management of SEO isn’t ongoing.
• There are conflicting ideas on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to improving your organic search rankings.

Is it worth doing both?

Definitely! If you can afford a marketing budget that covers doing both well, then why not? On average, 60% of the clicks go to organic search while the remaining 40% goes to paid ads.

Two of our clients – sister companies Norwich Glass Company and City Locks Norwich – have chosen to do both as they provide a 24/7 emergency services. By optimising for both organic and PPC, they’re able to capture every user for search terms such as ’emergency boarding up’ and ’emergency locksmith near me’ throughout the day. With both, they’re able to cover all grounds and answer the user’s search query.

If you think PPC search or organic search is something you would like to work on for your business, contact one of our experts today on 01603 859007 to find out how they can help you.

Configured Cars Need Carefully Constructed Finance Arrangements!

A car showroom is a marvellous spectacle of excitement and in its busy hours, it has a buzz that can only be described as that on Wall Street.

Upon entering the dealership, you are alive with trepidation. You hold all the power. The creation of a car perfectly crafted to you- and only you- is within your grasp.

But what will you choose?

The unyielding elegance of a coupe? Or the artistic dominance of an SUV? A Tan interior could add a touch of class, but the depth of black upholstery could be the classic choice for you and your family to enjoy. Ambient lighting may help you create mellow memories of long-distance drives, and the paint could reflect your playful nature.

No matter the decision, take ownership that this is all yours.

After test driving your latest automotive ambition and contemplating the careful configuration of your car…

Take the reins once more and contact Chatsbrook.

We use our flourishing partnerships with dealerships to source the vehicle you desire and then we tailor create a finance plan as bespoke as your car.

Let the excitement linger, talk to our expert team about your particular requirements on 01603 733500.

SEO is a whole collaboration of efforts to get your website to the top of Google, there’s not one set thing that will prove to be the correct way to optimise your site for your chosen search engine. If this were the case, experts wouldn’t still be debating and discussing exactly the right way to implement SEO practices, years down the line.

However, we can all agree that there are two sides to SEO, on-site optimisation and offsite marketing. Although, many SEO experts are split 50/50 as to which one to prioritise over the other.

What is included in on-site optimisation?

On-site optimisation is most commonly known as the conscious action of targeting your copy and website content to answer any searches that include keywords associated with your business, the products you sell and the services you provide.

Having said that, other types of on-site optimisation include the level of usability on desktop and mobile, clear points of contact, a good first impression and engaging content. In simpler terms, anything that helps to keep users on your site and encourages convertion should be considered as on-site optimisation.

For instance, we originally built the Swiftfit website in 2014 and in that time, the way users digest content and what Google expects to see, has changed dramatically. We took Swiftfit on as an SEO client the latter end of 2018 and our first priority was to optimise their site by improving the user experience and conversion journey. Naturally, this has done wonders in improving where they appear in the search rankings and the number of enquiries they receive through the website.

How important is offsite marketing?

Whilst on-site optimisation will help to keep users on your site, as well as ensure Google is able to identify what your business offers and decide whether it is relevant to answer the user’s search query. Offsite marketing will provide the biggest advancements in your search results positions and will drive more traffic to your site.

Our client Anglia Chiropractic Healthcare noticed a big jump in their search rankings in the last year. Of course, on-site optimisation was carried out, but the biggest improvements came about after working on their offsite marketing. This was achieved by working in partnership with other credible, local online businesses and establishing a strong presence on their social media platforms.

When it comes down to answering which of these approaches is most important for your SEO, this entirely depends on your business. In fact our experts believe it is a gentle balance between the two options that bring the biggest reward.  In some instances, all you will need is a few adjustments to your website to start reaching the first page of Google for your targeted keywords. Whereas, in many cases, a carefully crafted SEO strategy over a longer term will ensure results, with the focus directed towards building trust and credibility for your website.

If you would like our SEO experts to audit your site for improvements and help you climb the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPS), don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01603 859007 today.

You’ve been keeping your fingers crossed and refreshing your inbox every five minutes, but now you’ve finally received the email you’ve been waiting for – the interview invitation. Congratulations!

From very early on in our careers we are all told the same things: first impressions are everything, arrive early, give firm handshakes, dress smart… it’s all great advice, but a firm handshake and an early arrival alone are not enough to land yourself that finance role you’ve had your eye on for so long.

So, what are hiring managers going to be looking for?

Demonstrate your skills

You can pretty much guarantee that you are going to be asked questions relating to your skills and core competency questions during your interview, in which you will need to be able to demonstrate your expertise.

To ensure you keep your answers clear and concise, we recommend following the STAR method when it comes to answering competency questions, typically the ones that begin with “Tell me about a time when…” or “Demonstrate how you would…”.

STAR stands for:

• Situation: Set the scene and describe the scenario by asking yourself questions such as who, what, where, and when.
• Task: What was your task or goal that you were working towards?
• Action: What actions did you put in place or what steps did you take to ensure you could complete your task or achieve your goal? (It’s important to focus on your own actions and refrain from using “we”, as interviewers will want to learn about your own actions and not those of a team.)
• Result: What was the outcome of your actions? How did it benefit the business/add value?

Where you can add value.

Talking about your previous roles and responsibilities is great, but during a finance interview, something your interviewers will be looking to learn about is how you were able to add value to the business and be able to demonstrate some examples.

Adding value to a business doesn’t necessarily have to be from a monetary perspective in the form of increasing profit. Other examples could include:

• Improve the reporting process to drive the quality of financial information.
• Cost saving (the STAR method is a good way to demonstrate this point).
• Influencing decisions – maybe you found a financially better way to take a product to market.
• Systems implementation – perhaps you’ve been involved in a system upgrade/implementation that has saved the business time? After all, as Benjamin Franklin once said, time is money.

Remember to always be positive about your achievements. Selling yourself and promoting your abilities and contributions to the business will not only make you a valuable candidate but will also demonstrate where you can add value to the business.

Talk about finance interacting with the business

One factor that employers are increasingly keen to see are ways to integrate the finance department into the rest of the business.

As recruiters, we often hear from candidates who work within finance teams that are referred to as “back office” or sit in silo.

The good news is that an increasing number of employers are now looking to modernise this way of thinking and are keen to get Finance out into the business, working across different divisions. Try to think of examples of where you have worked with other departments within a business and how you can support the business in making finance more external.

Stay up to date

The finance world frequently changes, which is why it’s essential that you’re able to demonstrate that you have kept up to date.

If you’re applying for a new role in finance, we recommend researching which regulations/guidelines would affect your role and ensure you can demonstrate your awareness. Whether it’s FRS102, US GAAP, SOX or IFRS, it’s always worth being prepared for a technical question!

Show a genuine interest

During the interview, your interviewer will give you the chance to ask some questions. Remember, an interview is a two-way process that is as much about the employer finding the right candidate as it is for you to find the right position.

Asking questions during an interview will not only help you to ascertain if it’s the right opportunity for you but will also help you to come across as having a genuine interest in the position and the company.

Reading the news section on the employer’s website will give you access to information rarely published anywhere else, which will demonstrate to the employer that you’ve done your homework and have a genuine interest in the business.

At NXTGEN, we take interview prep seriously and ensure all of our candidates are briefed and prepared ahead of their interviews. If you’re currently looking for your next finance role, or to see how we can help with your business, speak to our specialist team today on 01603 273489.