Vaco on Fox 11 on Saving the California Dream

Studio 11 LA on Fox 11 recently featured Frances Moreno and Vaco Los Angeles (LA) on the Saving the California Dream series! Check it out here as producer Heidi Cuda interviews Frances Moreno, managing partner of Vaco, a consulting and search firm for accountants and IT professionals.

How’s the Market Doing & What Do You Do Exactly?

Frances Moreno, Vaco Los Angeles

2012 is in full-swing! I am often asked what sort of services I provide and also "how is the market doing?" This blog is to give you my 30 second (ok maybe five minute) elevator speech, and also share what we are observing about the marketplace in Los Angeles from my perspective.

A Message From Frances

Frances Moreno, Vaco Los Angeles

At this time of year, it's natural to reflect on the things for which we are grateful. I think about my family who taught me the meaning of love every day, and my thriving business that challenges me, inspires me and makes me grow. But one thing that really comes into my mind when I focus on my blessings is the opportunity to put people to work.

Recession-proofing Your Skill Set: The Dodgers Know!

Frances Moreno, Vaco Los Angeles

Vaco Los Angeles recently facilitated the career development workshop for the Financial Executives International members interested in the topic of hiring trends and how to make their skill sets "recession proof." We explored the past decade of hiring trends, observing that we are still in an all-time high unemployment rate today over anytime since 1999. However, unemployment for specialized roles in accounting and finance personnel remains lower than the overall national unemployment average. After breaking out into three different groups of executives for optimal participation, we competed on which team could create the most helpful tips and comprehensive list of "how to recession proof your skill set." Here's what they came up with ...

A Small Way to Impact the California Budget

Frances Moreno, Vaco Los Angeles

Financial Executives International (FEI) had an excellent dinner speaker at its monthly Los Angeles area meeting on 11/17/11 at the Downtown Los Angeles prestigious Jonathan Club. The State of California Comptroller spoke eloquently and with a commanding expertise on the financial issues facing our State's coffers.

I was a Stevie Award finalist on 11/11/11 in NYC ... woo hoo!

Frances Moreno, Vaco Los Angeles

Thanks for sharing in the excitement about the Stevie Awards this year with me, Frances Moreno. As managing partner of Vaco Los Angeles, I was a top ten finalist in the Best Entrepreneur category for the Women in Business awards. It has inspired me and has made me want to achieve greater heights for my company and clients, and for all the talented consultants we represent as well as for our major stakeholders.

The Role of Technology Professionals in Today’s Economy

Devon Zopfi, Vaco Los Angeles

Devon Zopfi here. I head Vaco's IT and technology consultancy and there is a lot going on in this sector hiring-wise. As the economy wavers with reversal and recovery, we asked leading IT professionals among our client base for their perspective on the current state of the market. What are the prospects and requirements for IT professionals and the companies that hire them? Here's what our IT experts had to say.

Vaco Partner Named CalCPA Women to Watch Award Nominee

Frances Moreno, Vaco managing partner, was one of a handful of Los Angeles-based nominees for the Women to Watch Awards in the category of Experienced Leader by the California Society of Certified Pub

A Reminder That We're Making A Difference

Joslyn Osborn, Vaco Los Angeles

Recruiting is a demanding profession, which frequently requires early morning coffee meetings, after-hours phone calls, and "putting out fires." Sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day aspects of our job and forget that we really are making a difference in people's lives. Here at Vaco, we are in the business of helping people with their livelihoods. And it's a good business to be in. Here are two recent stories of how we've impacted the lives of others, and in turn, have been reminded of how their appreciation is just as impactful to us.

Todd Sweat, the Finance Professional's Professional, Honored in CFO of the Year

We're delighted that Todd Sweat, the Chief Financial Officer and SVP of Administration of all our Vaco offices, has been named a finalist in the Los Angeles Business Journal CFO of the Year Awards. This comes on the heels of Vacos #1 Best Places to Work Award in Los Angeles, and we're very excited about these honors.

The Growth Path to the Top for CPAs

Frances Moreno, Vaco Los Angeles

This blog post is focused on CPAs and the skill sets that these professionals need to excel and get ahead in their careers. For those of you who aren't CPAs, we hope the post will give you guidance on capabilities and talents to look for when hiring or contracting a CPA and how to best manage your CPAs' professional growth. This post comes from VACO senior partner Frances Moreno, a former CPA herself, who obviously knows what it takes to get ahead in this profession.

VACO Named the Best Place to Work in Los Angeles. We Knew That!

Everyone at VACO Los Angeles is on cloud nine! For the second time in only three years, VACO has been named the Best Place to Work in Los Angeles by the Best Companies Group and the Los Angeles Business Journal.

CPAs Talk Current Market Challenges and Opportunities

As the economy slowly recovers, companies are seeking guidance from their accounting executives on how to best capitalize on possible opportunities, while keeping risks and threats at bay. Since VACO partners with the top CPAs in the area, we reached out to them to find out how their clients are managing and responding to the current market. Quite candidly, here's what they said.

CFOs Offer Insights on Current Market Environment

As economic indicators demonstrate cautious recovery and experts predict slow, steady improvement, no one is more at the heart of the economic twists and turns of the marketplace than CFOs. Because VACO specializes in recruitment of finance professionals, we have the privilege of working with some of L.A.'s leading CFOs. Consequently, when we wanted to know how companies are responding to and recovering from the economic downturn, we asked some of our clients.

Women Making a Difference!

Melissa Arnold, Vaco Los Angeles

Hi, I'm Melissa Arnold, and I'm so excited to announce that my partner, CEO of VACO Frances Moreno, has been named Finalist in the Women Making a Difference Awards sponsored by the Los Angeles Business Journal! From over 250 nominees, she was honored to be named among five other finalists in the category of CEO/business owner. I'd like to share her story with you because we're so proud of her around here!

Help Balance Work and Life by Giving Back

This week’s blog post is about VACO’s work with Kidsave, a fantastic organization that helps children in foster care get placed in to loving families. Not only is it a worthy cause, but we’ve found that providing opportunities for our employees to give back to the community is rewarding and fulfilling and an important aspect of creating a positive work/life balance environment.

Hiring in Today’s Market - Partner to Uncover the Less Apparent Choices

Joslyn Osborn, Vaco Los Angeles

When headlines declare that unemployment percentages are still close to double digits, employers with a need to hire sometimes feel that they should be able to pick and choose from dozens of highly qualified candidates. This is not always the case.

Contract Consulting as a Path to Success

This post is at times talking specifically to women, but guys find equal advantages as contract professionals in the financial arena, so don't stop reading if you have a "Y" chromosome.

Talent Acquisition Strategies in Today’s Economic Environment

Frances Moreno, Vaco Los Angeles

Hi, I'm Frances Moreno, managing partner at Vaco Los Angeles. Welcome to our Vaco blog. I will not always be the author of the blog; we'll be taking advantage of the expertise of all of our business partners as well as drawing on information from the marketplace. Today we're talking about unique hiring strategies for companies that really need top talent but aren't yet ready to take the hiring plunge.