Kent Burns Blog

We live in a culture of immediate gratification.  We’ve been trained to expect everything now.  And  when I say “now”, I mean NOW.  Success and career are no exception.  Blame (in large part) the technology industry.  From a historical perspective, the emergence of technology giants Facebook, Amazon and SpaceX happened fast.  Careers were made, and [...]

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” has historically been a popular interview question.  Perhaps at one time, it was considered clever and forward-thinking.  Now it’s just tired, overused and perhaps irrelevant.  Does anybody really know what they’re going to be doing in five years?  Employees don’t work for organizations for extended lengths of [...]

One of the best things you can do to advance your career is to adopt this mindset that you’re always interviewing.  Conventional wisdom says that we interview in order to get a job, and then we’re done...until, for some reason, we’re looking again for a job.  But the most successful people don’t think that way.  [...]

RIP work/life balance.  You had a great run.  You were a great phrase, a catchy phrase, and a convicting phrase.  You caused people to check themselves and you put employers and corporations on their heels.  Many still call on you, but you’re not where the action is anymore. Work/life balance is dead.  Work/life alignment lives. [...]

I was recently in Costa Rica with many of my friends from the recruiting industry.  One evening over cocktails, my friend and colleague Scott Samuels told me what is now one of my favorite recruiting stories. Scott owns Horizon Hospitality, based in Kansas City with offices in West Palm Beach and Scottsdale.  He was contacted [...]

Learning how to synthesize information and make good decisions is very important in life.  My assessment is that not many people these days do it well.  Consider my latest example...we’ll call this person Anthony. Anthony completed a three-step interview process with my client.  After each step, he communicated his interest and desire to move to [...]

I recently worked with a candidate who had received simultaneous job offers.  His assessment was that both were equally good options.  When I asked him to differentiate the two, he immediately focused on salary, as it was an obvious, quantifiable difference.  (One offer was five thousand dollars more than the other.)  I pressed him for [...]

Working with Kent was a great experience! Kent is very energetic, knowledgeable, and made the recruiting process as easy as possible. Kent truly wants to help candidates find career opportunities that align with their career aspirations, which is a quality I really appreciated. He put me in the best position possible to succeed in the [...]

I recently used Kent’s services and with his help, was placed at my current job. Throughout the entire process of looking and screening through job postings, interviewing, negotiating the offer, and accepting, Kent was diligent, responsive and with me every step of the way, offering advice from his many years of experience and answering any [...]

Deflecto Corporation Vice President of Finance/Accounting Jay Bray is a busy guy.  He rolled into Four Day Ray Brewing in Fishers with a big smile, immediately after wrapping up a monthly operating call.  A few days prior, he was in India; one of several trips there for him in 2017.  When he’s not in India, [...]

I recently sat down with Herff Jones Chief Financial Officer John Oblazney to discuss his career and learn more about how he has become arguably one of the top CFOs in Indianapolis. Although it was late afternoon, Oblazney had already worked close to 12 hours, and was planning to squeeze in nine holes afterwards before [...]

There are many reasons why I am a Recruiter.  The glue that holds all those reasons together, however, is my sincere desire to help people improve their lives.  I view every interaction as an opportunity to make an impact.  Occasionally, I get reminded   of that by someone I have spoken with.  I recently received [...]

By Kent Burns, CPA I continue to have solid dialogue with CAE’s all over the U.S. on hiring and retaining internal auditors.  Last month, I focused on acquiring talent, sharing insights and best practices from eight world-class Chief Audit Executives.  This month, we turn our focus to retention.  Given that it’s so hard to hire [...]

Here’s the career (and life) perspective your Firm isn’t giving you By Kent Burns, CPA Well, you made it.  Or, perhaps you’re not done, but you’re close.  At some point over the next few days or weeks, you’ll ask yourself if you want to do it again next year.  Perhaps you already know the answer.  [...]

By Kent Burns, CPA This topic generated an over-the-top amount of buzz…I have spoken with dozens of Chief Audit Executives from all over the U.S., with more calling as I write this.  This is clearly a top-of-mind issue.  CAE’s responding to PwC’s 2016 State of the Internal Audit Profession study said talent shortages were the [...]

This is the third and final piece (for now) on creating a Collaborative Audit Culture. Part I addressed the art of verbal communication. Part II described some ways to move from concept to practical application. We conclude here by discussing how to operate in a collaborative environment without impairing independence and objectivity. Independence and Objectivity [...]

My last piece was focused on the art of verbal communication – the day-to-day interactions that (like it or not) influence the level of collaboration that actually happens. Let’s look now at some critical elements necessary to create a Collaborative Audit Culture. Getting Past Ambiguity The phrase “Collaborative Audit Culture” is one that makes people [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: President of Simply Driven Executive Search A member of the Sanford Rose Associates® network of offices, Kent Burns, Featured in Quinlan, Does the Choice Day Make Dallas, TX 1/13/2017 By Maureen Minehan Ask a bunch of employers which day of the week they think is the right one for firing an employee [...]

The challenges facing Internal Audit are formidable, and we all know what they are: increasing outside regulation, higher internal expectations from Boards and Audit Committees, and demands from operational leaders to provide insight that adds value to the business. And if that isn’t enough, there’s a shortage of people who want to do internal audit. [...]

By Kent Burns, CPA Communication is one of the Chief Audit Executive’s most important navigational tools, and the role of the CAE as a communicator has never been more critical.  What, how and how much you communicate can mean the difference between success and failure on many levels.  What’s working?  Here are insights and perspectives [...]