You're reading: KPMG’s Richardson talks about how to land a job

With the employment market still not fully recovered from the financial crisis, few companies keep recruiting new staff more regularly than firms that provide auditing and tax consulting services.

After all, as long as Ukraine is considered one of the toughest places to pay taxes in the world and the new tax code makes the lives of businesses no easier, demand for such services is only to keep growing.

That means lots of work for Craig Richardson, head of the tax and legal department at KPMG, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms in the world. Richardson said the firm is planning to recruit at least 20 new employees, all of which he will interview personally.

In an interview with the Kyiv Post, South Africa-native Richardson shared tips about what he expects to see on a CV of a job candidate and what to avoid.

Kyiv Post: Let’s put things straight, how can you get a job at KPMG?

Craig Richardson: You need to have the skills, background and also you need to demonstrate the enthusiasm for your subject and demonstrate professionalism, first of all in how you dress.

But most importantly during an interview the thing I really want to see is a sparkle in the eyes. I like to choose people with the attitude that will help the business.”

– Craig Richardson.

If you dress inappropriately that either means you don’t realize that you a being interviewed by a partner, or you don’t care.

But most importantly during an interview the thing I really want to see is a sparkle in the eyes. I like to choose people with the attitude that will help the business.

KP: What about the CV? What are the key phrases you are looking for?

CR: The key words for me would be your achievements, what you have achieved in your career.

So often, you find that people don’t include that information on their CVs. They list what they’ve done and what they do, emphasizing their experiences instead of achievements.

A detailed resume is really very important in this field.

The other thing that I am paying attention to is changing jobs too often.

KP: Do gaps between jobs on a person’s CV make you suspicious?

CR: This is not an issue. I will ask why and listen. But with the financial crisis, people do have a good reason not to have a job.

KP: Do you ask about salary expectations? How should a candidate handle this issue?

CR: I ask two questions: what is your current salary and what are your expectations if we offer you a position here.

I am expecting from a candidate honesty and reality. If you are earning this much at your current job and expect a 20 or 30 percent increase there needs to be a reason why. I would follow the rationale behind the answer. This is very important to me.

But interestingly after the crisis, some companies are losing a lot of people, as the marketability of these employees is higher. So, as they decide to leave, their current employers try to retain them, offering them more.”

– Craig Richardson.

But interestingly after the crisis, some companies are losing a lot of people, as the marketability of these employees is higher. So, as they decide to leave, their current employers try to retain them, offering them more.

The big debate is what your reaction should be when your company wants to increase you salary as you resign. It’s a difficult issue, but perhaps you might ask that if you were worth it why you employer didn’t offer you the raise in the first place.

A smart employer, in my opinion, would catch this and look after their best people. Identify who they are and look after them.

KP: If you offer a person a job, how do you expect he or she leaves the present employer?

CR: While there is a statutory two weeks in Ukraine, we look to see their level of professionalism in how they wish to leave their present company.

If they say, I need more than two weeks to finish an important project, we really prefer such people. It shows their commitment and responsibility and tells what we could expect from them.

KP: But if your employee decides to resign and goes to your direct competitor, how would you react?

CR: It does happen. But it’s rare.

Even though I work very hard on staff retention and my attrition rates are less than 10 percent, if they decide to leave, I pretty much let them go.

KP: But what happens if it’s you deciding to fire a person. How do you handle this conversation?

CR: With care, I would say. I have been able to convince the people I fired that they are in a wrong profession, and helped them find an alternative. Identify for them what their skills are and why there is a mismatch with what a person is doing at our company.

I encouraged one person to understand than he was more a musician than he was an accountant. So he went off and became a musician.”

– Craig Richardson.

In one case I encouraged one person to understand than he was more a musician than he was an accountant. So he went off and became a musician.

Bust most difficult case happened in Russia when I had to fire an elderly person during the crisis. And next day he brought me a bottle of expensive red wine. So I was completely taken by surprise, when he came to me and thanked for handling a difficult job in a humane way.


Kyiv Post staff writer Vlad Lavrov can be reached at
[email protected].