As many professionals know, the malleable nature of the accounting/finance field naturally leads to shifting hiring trends. At the beginning of last year, hiring within the financial services industry was leaning in favor of hedge funds, private equity, and asset management firms. Now, well into quarter two of 2014, The Execu|Search Group’s Accounting/Finance division is seeing a strong uptick in demand for accounting professionals specifically with Business Development Companies (BDCs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) work experience.

Small BDCs, which invest in debt or equities of private businesses, have been popping up across the industry and are looking to bulk up their staff.  In addition, larger private equity conglomerates are now becoming registered in compliance with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and launching BDCs to give them access to public capital, and are therefore hiring professionals with similar backgrounds.

Candidates especially in demand are those qualified to take on high-level positions such as Chief Financial Officer, Controller, and Accounting Manager, as well as other important roles within operations and administrative support. In fact, The Execu|Search Group’s Accounting/Finance division has observed a 30% uptick year over year in open positions within BDCs thus far; at the beginning of quarter two, there were already 70% as many jobs open as there were in all of 2013.

However, BDCs aren’t a job seeker’s only options. “The benefits of this candidate-driven market include the ability to be more flexible with your options. There are other opportunities out there—especially in real estate,” says Michael Cooke, Executive Vice President at The Execu|Search Group. “Real estate is quickly recovering from the hit it took during the financial crisis. Now, we are observing a jump in hiring, especially for high-level accounting and tax professionals within the REIT space.”

In fact, The Execu|Search Group’s Accounting/Finance division is observing a surge in demand within the real estate industry in general. Positions in demand within many REITs are specifically calling for high-level executives as well as tax professionals.

Of course, as was predicted at the start of 2014, accounting professionals in general are in high demand for this year as the market recovers from the financial crisis. Especially within BDCs and REITs, candidates can now enjoy a wider range of flexibility with their job search and take their careers in new directions. If you’re looking for the next step in your career, this is an excellent opportunity to take hold of a burgeoning, candidate-driven market!