If you have been running lean on employees, now is the time to hire, and this guide explains why.

By Kay McFadden | 2011, www.inc.com

The Great Recession has bequeathed one of the oddest hiring markets in U.S. history. Despite lingering high unemployment, many businesses report difficulty finding skilled workers. Fears about a double dip make it doubly hard for companies to know when and how to fill jobs.

A good place to start is by getting a mental grip on the current landscape. The layoffs, freezes and wage cuts of the past three years have greatly unsettled management-employee relations. Just look at Madison, Wisconsin, where angry union members, students and sympathetic workers have occupied the state capitol building to protest proposed legislative changes to labor benefits and collective bargaining.

With so much at stake nowadays, owners may want to speed up the staffing process so they can “get back to work.” But hiring is among the most important, high-impact aspects of that work. Here are some important steps to consider as the businesses start to crawl out of the recession. (MORE…)

by Big4.com

A guest post by Kathryn Henry, a former account manager and recruiter for a Fortune 500 Company, and a writer for TeachStreet.

The Big Four are hiring! All the firms have made quite public pronouncements on their needs for large numbers of accounting, tax and advisory professionals over the next few years. Professional services, after going through a bit of slowdown over the last few years, is bouncing back again. And Accenture, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers PwC are all looking to hire in the thousands. Demand for professional services is increasing, especially in emerging countries as also in globalization initiatives. (MORE…)

Finance chiefs are more optimistic than they were last quarter and plan to increase their spending in 2011, according to the latest Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey. The survey, which polled 848 finance executives worldwide and concluded December 10, finds nearly 50% of CFOs more optimistic about the U.S. economy than they were last quarter, with only 14% less optimistic. Fifty percent of finance chiefs also report improved optimism about their own companies’ prospects compared with last quarter, while 18% are less optimistic. (MORE…)

Employers commonly trim their ranks when the economy turns sour, and low-rated workers are typically the first to go, say career experts. What’s more, poor performers often receive low merit increases or none at all. To enhance your job security and boost your odds of financial success, start preparing now for your end-of-year review, advises Jill Smart, chief human resources officer at Accenture Ltd., a global professional-services firm. “By the time you walk into that meeting, there should be no surprises,” she says.

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What are you known for? What do people say about you when you leave the room? (They are talking about you, aren’t they?) How can you burnish your reputation to win that promotion or land that new client? You’ve diligently focused on your personal brand for years — but what if you now want to reinvent yourself? (MORE…)

In business, it is often said that success is determined not by what you know but by who you know. Additionally, the level of your success is determined greatly by the quality of your relationships with others.

While for some, networking is something that comes naturally and effortlessly, for others it is an area where significant improvements are needed. Small, consistent improvements over time will open up far more opportunities and resources to you. (MORE…)