Five ways a bookkeeping course could improve your career

Five ways a bookkeeping course could improve your career by Michael Cheary Looking for a balanced career? Bookkeeping might be for you… If you’ve got excellent organisational skills and a head for numbers, becoming a Bookkeeper might just be your ideal fit. All it takes is a good amount of drive and dedication â€" and the right professional qualificationWe spoke to the experts at AVADO, the UK’s No.1 online provider of professional qualifications, to find out five ways an IAB bookkeeping course could benefit your career:1. You’ll instantly be able to apply for jobsNo experience? No problem.Becoming IAB qualified means you’ll be ready to start applying for bookkeeping jobs straight away, without the need for additional training. And there aren’t any formal prerequisites required to start studying.What’s more, with all the courses available to take online, you can fit everything around your current schedule, meaning you won’t have to put your life on hold to become career qualified.2. You’ll have more choiceAll busi nesses, regardless of size, are required by law to ‘keep books’ â€" meaning qualified Bookkeepers are always in high demand.In fact, as of the beginning of the 2015-16 financial year, there were over 44,025 bookkeeping and accountancy firms in the country, a growth of over 6% in the last year alone*.Not only does it mean that you’ll have a greater choice of roles, but your professional bookkeeping certification will help you stand out from the competition and add to your employability.3. You could be your own bossAn IAB qualification allows you the flexibility to take control of your career, on your own terms.You could set up your own practice and work for yourself as a Sole Trader, or even head up your own Limited company further down the line. You could also work on a freelance basis, alongside a more permanent position.As a qualified Bookkeeper, working for yourself will always be an option.4. You’ll be up-to-speed with the latest softwareWith a professional certification you’ll be able to back-up your bookkeeping credentials with an officially accredited, and industry-leading qualification.You’ll also be able to prove to potential employers that you’re proficient in some of the key software needed to start managing their books straight away.So whether you want to add value to your CV, or just be able to go into a new job and hit the ground running, your IAB qualification will have you covered.5. You’ll earn more moneyFinally, if you’re looking for a bookkeeping job with a better salary, IAB is for you.Entry level salaries for IAB Level 1 qualified Accounts Clerk start at around £21,000. But as you progress through the different levels, you’ll have the potential to earn as much as £42,000 â€" or even more for those looking to start their own practice.If you want to learn (and earn) more, there isn’t a better way to get into bookkeeping than IAB.What is IAB?The International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB) is the leading UK and inter national professional body for those providing bookkeeping, accounting and payroll services to small businesses.They have three main bookkeeping qualifications: Foundation (Level 1), Intermediate (Level 2) and Advanced (Level 3).Why study with AVADO?AVADO is the largest online provider of professional qualifications in the whole of the UK.Not only do they offer over 26 years’ worth of experience in online learning, they also boast a 98% pass rate when you choose to study with one of their courses.Other benefits of studying with AVADO include:Live interactive classes, not just pre-recordedAll-inclusive exam fees and booking serviceFlexible payment optionsExpert personal tutors available via phone, email and onlineAn easy to understand, step-by-step syllabusFind out moreWant to learn more about how a bookkeeping qualification could kick-start your career? Enquire now.*Report published by EconomiaAVADO is the largest online provider of professional qualifications in the UK, with cour ses available in HR, Accountancy, Bookkeeping, Business and more. Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the

Writing Resume Cover Letter Samples - Why You Should Start Using Them

Writing Resume Cover Letter Samples - Why You Should Start Using ThemIf you want to make sure that your cover letter stands out, you should be searching for some good samples of what you can write. The job market is always changing and so is the need for a new cover letter every few months. There are hundreds of various styles of covering letters and so the perfect one may not always be in front of you.The chances are you will find several types of sample resumes and cover letters for you to study. Many of them will also have sample cover letters included in them for you to download and study. A quick search on the internet will likely bring up thousands of samples and it is important to use them.The reason they are valuable is because they make it easy to find and use sample resumes and cover letters. They can also help you hone your skills and if you use the right samples you can improve your chances of getting the job. For example, many people choose to use samples as a way to pra ctice writing different covers without having to put in the time to perfect the craft.Recruiters love the sample resumes and cover letters because they usually get results. This is because they are used over again by other job applicants. So not only do they look better and are more professional, they also give the recruiter a large number of great samples.When you are beginning to write your own resume and cover letter, it can be a lot of work to just go through them one by one. You could spend a lot of time looking at them and trying to decide which ones are going to work for you. This is something you will have to learn to do yourself.In today's world, there are many different ways to help you learn how to become an expert on anything. This includes applying the same method in writing cover letters. If you were to send out hundreds of cover letters and only some of them will get anywhere, then you would not get any work done.The advantage to using samples of writing resumes and c over letters is that it helps you understand and master the fundamentals of writing these kinds of documents. You also learn a bit about how to format your letters and your resume. Plus, samples are often free and easy to use.Resumes and cover letters are powerful tools in a job search. Because of this, you should be writing your own if you haven't already. By learning how to use samples you will create a resume and cover letter that will stand out. This can only benefit you because it shows the hiring manager that you have the proper training to handle the job.

Work-Life Balance vs Work-Life Integration - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Work-Life Balance vs Work-Life Integration - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Everybody has heard the term work-life balance before but now there is a rising trend called work-life integration. What do you think is the difference between work-life balance and work-life integration? For those of you who do not know the answer, let’s look at what these terms actually mean and then, you can decide which one works better for you. Work-Life Balance: Work-life balance assumes that you have a fine line between your work responsibilities and your social/family life. People who favor this trend suppose that you work from 9am to 5pm at the office leaving your other responsibilities behind and after 5pm, you stop replying work related messages or stop taking calls from work and only spend time with your family and friends. Therefore, you have a balance between your work and other responsibilities. Also, when you take time off for vacation, you really make a vacation and do not answer anything work related so your mind can refresh. Work-Life Integration: Work-life integration assumes that you integrate your family/social life into your work day. For example, instead of going to the gym after 5pm, you go to the gym in the lunch time and after gym, you make a lunch meeting or you make your meeting first and then, eat your lunch at 2pm on your desk. Usually entrepreneurs prefer this type of flexible working schedule or innovative and high-tech companies generally offer their employees the option to work in flexible hours. Another example of work-life integration may be you wake up early to reply your emails for an hour and then leave your kids to school and get to work around 10am to work until noon and then, you have a meeting. After your meeting, you go to gym for a quick work-out and then, eat lunch. Then, you take the kids from school and leave them home. Afterwards, you can get back to work around 4pm to catch your other meeting. After your meeting, you can come back home again, cook dinner, play with the kid s a little bit and around 9pm, you can take your laptop to do some more work and you can do your work until you go to sleep. This means that you integrate your work schedule around your life. Both the work-life balancer and the work-life integrator have time to do their work and to spend time with their family and friends. They just do these in different ways. Now, you have understood the differences of both, it is up to you to decide which one will work best for your daily schedule.

Assumptions in Recruitment They Will Bite You in the Butt!

Assumptions in Recruitment They Will Bite You in the Butt! The biggest cause of placements going wrong is the recruiter making assumptions. Assumptions that are flawed. Information is what drives success in recruitment. And that is why our industry will never die. Because the craft of managing the process still determines whether a candidates is offered and, crucially, accepts a job. Successful recruitment is not all about ‘sourcing’. It is about matching too. And then consummating the deal, usually by finessing the attitude of both client and candidate. So next time your ‘dead cert’ placement goes belly-up, resulting in tears all round, there is a good chance you assumed something that is not the case at all. One of these, probably: You assume your client actually has the authority to hire. Often they dont. Check that early in the process. Has this hire been authorised? Given sign-off? Are we good to go? You assume your client actually knows what they really need in their next hire. Often the client sets out simply to hire the same skill set and profile as the guy who just left. Meanwhile, the business has changed, the role has changed, and the skills required has changed. You need to ask the questions that expose that, because if you dont, you will spend time looking for the wrong person. And the client will only realise that late in the process. And then they will change the brief, and ask you to start again. Sound familiar? You assume the client you take the role from is the decision-maker on who gets the job. Often not the case. Who gives the final nod?   The line manager? HR? The line manager’s manager? The CEO? You assume that your client is briefing only you on this role. Yeah, right! And every person, in every marriage, is faithful too. Always. You have to ask the question! And you need to try to get that exclusivity. You assume that the ‘critical’ skills, qualifications and experience that the client described in the brief as ‘essential’ are indeed “must haves”. They rarely are. Usually there are just 2 or 3 total deal-breakers. You have to dig until you find out what they are. A client will forgive a multitude of missing skills, if your candidate has the two key things they really want. You assume your clients ‘top salary package’ for this role really is the ceiling. It almost never is. You have to find that out before you start your talent search. You assume your client is not considering internal candidates. They are. You assume your candidates are as interested in the role as they tell you they are. You also believe them when they say they are not looking at other roles, and they will not accept a counter-offer ‘under any circumstances’. You assume your candidate knows how to sell herself in an interview, knows how to highlight why she is suitable for the role, and won’t do dumb things like bring up money and benefits in the first five minutes. You have to coach your candidates how to interview well. Even role-playing questions and answers. Too hard? Well prepare yourself for many disappointments then. You assume your client knows how to interview and sell their company and their job. They usually dont. Subtly, via feedback, suggestion and sometimes outright counseling, you need to make sure your client knows that they are being assessed too â€" and need to “perform”, or miss out on the top talent. You assume your candidate is as fixed on their ‘salary floor’ as they tell you they are. Sure. And thats why a better recruiter than you will ‘sell’ the opportunity better than you do, and get the candidate you overlooked because they ‘wanted too much money’, to go for an interview, get the job, and accept it at 10 grand lower than they told you they would ever accept! This will help you avoid that mistake. You assume your successful candidate, knows how to resign and has the confidence to do that without succumbing to emotional or financial blackmail from their current employer. You have to manage that, prepare them for the resignation meeting, and follow up right afterwards. You assume that an offer, once accepted, is a done deal. It’s not. You have to keep in touch between acceptance and start date, every day if you must. There is many a slip between acceptance and the candidate actually turning up on day one. You assume your client will do a good induction job with the new hire. You must be in touch with both parties often after the start, smooth over difficulties, manage feedback from and to both parties. This is crucial. Many an early fall-out can be saved. You assume the candidate is making decisions on his or her own. Often wrong. The spouse or significant other is often hugely influential and sometimes actually driving the decision. Ask, “What does your wife/husband think about you making this move”.   If it’s a senior role, and maybe a geographical move, get the spouse involved. I have had the spouse meet the client before. Seriously. It worked too. If I had all the fees back that I have lost because of a spouse getting cold feet…I would be retired by now! Assumptions. Lack of knowledge. Overconfidence. Lack of attention to detail. Missing the signals.   Not asking the key questions. All poison to your next placement. Never ever assume anything in this business. Assumptions in recruitment will bite you in the bum. Hard. And it hurts!

Writing Resumes For Interview - Use Another Language and Be Creative

Writing Resumes For Interview - Use Another Language and Be CreativeWriting resumes for interview will enable you to find out what the language skills of the employer is and the company that you want to work with. It is a common misconception that every employer is looking for someone who speaks Spanish. One has to know that there are plenty of jobs in this country, for example, that are written in English.There are quite a few companies that are all based in the United States and this does not include English. In fact, it can be more like one hundred percent of the companies that are in the United States or in Canada. The majority of those businesses have started the process of upgrading their English versions. Therefore, the language skills of the employees in these companies are different from a company that only uses English.Writing resumes for the interview that are written in English will not help you when you try to apply for a job in that industry. Instead, it will just make you appear unprepared. In order to convince an employer that you are prepared to take the job, you need to prove that you are bilingual. This is where creativity comes in. Once you know how to communicate in other languages and you can do it, there is no other option left.The first thing that you have to do when you want to become a good candidate is to have a well-crafted resume. This can either be in the English or in Spanish. In some cases, it will also be in Chinese.It is important to not copy the wording of a resume that was written in English. You have to make it unique. It should show that you can speak or write in other languages so that employers can easily communicate with you.It is also important to consider what you will be communicating in your resume. It is one of the best ways to tell the world that you can adapt to different languages. Your writing resume will reflect your talents and skills that can help you succeed in a particular field.It is also very important to ensure that your resume does not contain any mistakes. They might just get lost and throw your chances of getting hired. Try to correct your mistakes as early as possible so that you can avoid making them in the future.Your ability to write resumes for interview will help you in a lot of ways. You will be able to improve your knowledge about your chosen career field and you will also be confident in whatever the employer asks you. As a result, you will be able to focus on being creative in other languages. As you can see, writing resume is a great way to learn a new language and a creative way to impress the employers of your choice.

Possibly The Worst Cover Letter Ever (Must See)

Possibly The Worst Cover Letter Ever (Must See) 114 Flares 114 Flares Theres no other way to title a post like this.  The problem Im having here is that no matter how close to the edge a possible title comes off, it fails to compete against the unexpected, and somewhat terrifying shock of the actual subject of this blog post â€" which is the Cover Letter soon to hit your eyes. The following cover letter was received yesterday (1/16/12) by a Houston area creative agency.  Quick warning, if the C word bothers you, then I suggest you stop reading now. The more I read this cover letter, the more it resembles a mullet.  The front/beginning is all business and appears to be professional.  However, youre quick to realize by the middle and surely at the end that this email is quite possibly the most unprofessional and ridiculous job search document you youve ever read. Initially, I would have bet my money on an incredibly angry and frustrated job seeker who had been burned by the agency in the past.  I was quickly proved wrong by my contact at the company. Ive never met this person, and I searched my inbox to see if I had any previous interaction with them hadnt. The agency is known for being a bit different than the other kids on the block.  If the job seekers goal was to gain the agencies attention by being different in their cover letter approach, then they succeeded, but not all attention is good. I was appalled. As a creative agency that purports a rebellious and non-traditional approach, Im used to irreverence and humor even in cover letters. I didnt find anything funny or clever about this message. So, by now you are probably wondering a few things Yes, the job seeker is a real person.  A Google search led the agency to find their job seeker. No, the job seeker didnt supply their resume and writing samples as promised in the letter. Yes, the job seeker really did use the C word, AKA the most offensive word in the English language Believe it or not, this story is yet to unfold.  The company DID write back and ask for a resume and writing samples.  Why?  Well, Im not completely sure, but if they are anything like me, then Im sure theyre just curious to see how long this wildly inappropriate mullet grows. Can a cover letter get any worse than this?  Would you phone screen or interview this person?  

Im off to speak in Chile - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Im off to speak in Chile - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog OK, my bags are packed and Im headed to the airport. I have two speeches in Santiago, Chile on June 26 and 27 and that will officially make it 30 countries weve spoken in. That is a major, major milestone. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related