"We have deep insights into the industry, including regulatory and governance issues, which makes the recruitment process much smoother and more professional, both from a candidate and a client perspective," says Georgina Barrick, MD of Cassel & Co, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
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In the coming weeks and months, we will be chatting to all the Indaba partners, asking them why they are joining the event and what their most important message for finance professionals is.
Do you want to hear more about how Cassel & Co can help you meet your staffing requirements? Do you want to be informed about the latest and greatest in finance? Then don't miss the Finance Indaba Africa 2016.
Why will you be present at the Finance Indaba?
"Cassel & Co is a specialist in the finance and accounting recruitment sector. We are nearly 30 years old and fanatical about finance - we don't do any other form of recruitment. We felt that the Finance Indaba was a fantastic platform for us to showcase our services and meet clients and candidates who would squarely fit into the work we do."
What will you be talking about?
"I will be giving a talk about how to select a headhunter or recruiter on behalf of your company or if you're looking to make a career change yourself. What are some of the things you should consider as a candidate in your search for a new opportunity? I will be providing tips and hints, examining the role of LinkedIn and potential pitfalls and covering how to engage professionals on your behalf."
What are the challenges you can help finance professionals with in 2016?
"Cassel & Co is well positioned to assist finance professionals in particular because that is all we are focused on. It is not like we work on a PA position the one day and a warehouse manager the next and then a CFO after that. We only focus on finance and accounting professionals, which means that the networks and company we keep are dedicated to that sector. The result is that we have deep insights into the industry, including regulatory and governance issues, which makes the recruitment process much smoother and more professional, both from a candidate and a client perspective. We also have a strategic partnership with SAIPA and a focus area going into 2017 will be the education of non-CAs into the continuing professional development process at SAIPA. There are some exciting things on the horizon in 2017."
How has the current economic maelstrom affected the recruitment sector?
"There is an up and a downside to it. Inflation was down slightly in the last quarter and the monetary policy committee maintained the interest rate, but the average South African is paying their creditors more slowly and organisations want to hold onto their money longer. In that particular space, there is probably going to be an uptick for us. It becomes more difficult to collect money and organisations are looking for slicker, better people to help them do this. The downside is that there is the possibility in big financial teams that the financial manager will take on more responsibilities so they don't have to increase heads. Largely, the financial and accounting sector is more recession-proof than other sectors. When economy is tough, organisations tend not to spend money on things like HR and marketing."
What do firms need to bear in mind when incentivising their workforces?
"There are positive and negative incentives in term of being able to achieve quality within a given timeframe. The penalty for not achieving targets might simply be not getting the incentive. Sometimes incentives, when not properly thought through, drive the wrong behaviours, because ultimately, particularly for ourselves in a sales environment, you've got to be selling a candidate or service to a client that is in the best interest of the candidate or client. If you incentivise people incorrectly, sometimes they will act in their own interest and there will be no point to it. It doesn't matter how good your product is, even if Elon Musk designed it, don't sell me a Kreepy Krauly if I don't have a swimming pool. It doesn't matter how good the incentive is, it always has to meet the need of the client. If you over-incentivise people, sometimes this objective is met, but things fall apart. If you incentivise a salesman to sell photocopiers, for instance, he will do all he can to do so, but it may not be what a particular client needs, and it is the same when it comes to recruitment or services. The need of client is paramount."
