VISTA Today asks Tia Leonard, Director of Employment and Staffing at Vertex, to share what her company looks for in an applicant and a few tips on applying for an open position and getting hired in Chester County – Vertex style.

Vista Today: Tell us a little bit about Vertex, Tia.

Tia Leonard: Vertex is a corporate tax technology organization.  Since our beginnings in 1978, we have offered solutions that help companies of all sizes, small and medium sized businesses up to an including multi-national corporations, manage their taxes. About half of our 900 employees work out of our Berwyn office along 202 on Old Cassatt Road near King of Prussia.

VT: What makes Vertex a special place to work?

TL: Our unique collaborative culture across teams and partners, as well as our drive for results, are what differentiate us from other software developers.  At Vertex, we nurture an environment of continuous learning and employees are encouraged to take a stake in their career and development.

VT: What career positions does Vertex typically have open?

TL: Our openings are typical of any organization. At any moment, we may have open positions in accounting, finance, IT, human resources and sales and marketing, all positions that help a company like ours, run.

In addition to those standard functions, we have a consulting business tasked with integrating our solutions into our client’s existing accounting and ERP systems.

As a software company, we also have a development side of our business that creates our solutions.  For example, two positions in our development group are developers who write code and QA testers who are tasked with testing code as it’s developed.

VT: What qualities do you look for in an applicant?

TL: When we review an applicant’s resume and experience we’re looking for several things. We look for the functional and technical expertise needed in the specific role and the types of organizations they’ve worked for before. Finally, we’re looking for people who fit our culture and operate well in our flat organizational model, as well as have a track record of collaborating and delivering results.

VT: Must an applicant have a background in taxes to be considered by Vertex?

TL: It depends on the role. If I’m looking for a content specific role like tax research or jurisdiction, obviously the applicant needs to bring an in-depth knowledge and background of tax.

However, when we look at technical positions such as a JAVA developer or a consultant implementing our solutions at a client’s site, that applicant’s understanding of our technology and the client’s ERP system can override the applicant’s tax knowledge.

VT: Do you use job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder or recruiters to find people.

TL: We use job boards frequently and, depending on the role, we also leverage our relationships with search firms to help us find qualified applicants.

VT: Does knowing someone at Vertex help an applicant’s chances of getting hired?

TL: Naturally, knowing someone at Vertex can be an advantage.  However, we have found that applicants who submit their resume on our Career page are just as likely to be considered and ultimately hired as those who come to us through an employee referral.

VT: Is there a secret to getting a resume reviewed at Vertex?

TL: We review every application submitted. The most important aspect of making sure a resume gets noticed is when the applicant takes the time to include the specified skills, experience, and knowledge on their resume.

We also use the responses to online questions on our Careers page to screen applicants to determine if the person is a fit.  Some of those questions are YES/NO type of answers; other questions require a more extensive response. Applicants who do well in responding to our screening questions are given a higher priority than those who provide partial or cryptic responses.

VT: What should someone who visits your career page and sees a position that fits her skills and competencies do to express an interest in the position?

TL:  Apply!