Avoid 8 Common Newbie Mistakes

(Part One of a Two-Part Series)

Being the new kid in the cubicle can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. You want to make a good impression and fit in all at the same time. Annie Fisher, senior editor at Fortune Magazine, reported that according to research performed by the Employment Policy Foundation, one-quarter of new employees don’t last a year in their new jobs. 46%, nearly half, don’t last 18 months. Statistics don’t favor the newbie, but that doesn’t mean you won’t last in your new position. One way to increase your longevity with a new employer is to avoid common newbie mistakes. Take care to avoid the following four of eight common missteps:

1. Disrespecting corporate culture
The saying goes, “Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.” Every company has its own culture and often a new employee’s inability to recognize and appreciate that culture can get him/her into trouble. An article run by CollegeRecruiter.com discussed an Office Team survey revealing that 17% of employers named ignorance of corporate culture as the most damning new employee mistake. From talking too loudly on the phone to addressing colleagues inappropriately, if you’re not careful the little things you do can draw negative attention you way. The best way to avoid this mistake is to step lightly those first few weeks; watch and listen to get a good feel for that corporate culture so that you can respect its subtle nuances.

2. Not asking enough questions
A Chinese proverb says “He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” You’re new; people expect you to ask questions. You may want to shine by being a quick study, but blindly going about your job may jeopardize your standing. When you try to tackle new tasks and projects without getting the guidance and direction you need, you risk doing things incorrectly, causing more harm than good.

3. Lacking integrity
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A little integrity is better than any career.” And it looks like you’d be hard pressed to succeed in your career without it. A lack of integrity is a character flaw that quickly becomes an employability issue when a boss recognizes that a new employee isn’t trustworthy. There’s no need to employ individuals if their honesty and ethics are questionable. In the words of Alan Simpson: “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

4. Not following the rules
Mavericks make good movie fodder. They don’t usually make good employees, especially when they’re new. You may not agree with certain rules and believe the company would be better off without them, but until you’ve proven yourself as a stellar employee you have no place exhibiting rebellion in order to make a point or stand out.

Regardless of the statistics, you can make a positive impression at your new place of employment. And if you’re paying attention you can ensure that you avoid common pitfalls that could put your job in jeopardy. Come back next week to read the final four mistakes new employees often make.

References
—. “Rookie Mistakes Lead to Most Common New Hire Slip-ups.” CollegeRecruiter.com
Accountemps. “Top Five Mistakes When Starting a New Job.” July 2007. SmartPros.com
Fisher, Anne. “Fatal Mistakes When Starting a New Job.” 2 June 2006. Fortune. CNNMoney.com.

Self Employment:
A New Career In Four Short Weeks

As seen in The Salt Lake Tribune

Most students who attend the unique training courses offered by Universal Accounting Center are looking for a change. Perhaps they want to move u in their current job and take on new responsibilities. Possibly they are unemployed and want to enter a new career, or find better employment with a higher earning potential.

Or, perhaps they’ve decided the time has come to start their own business at home - and they need training and encouragement to take that first step toward greater independence and security. If you fall into one of these categories, in less than a month you’ll find the accounting and bookkeeping training and confidence you need at Universal.

For nearly 20 years, graduates of Universal have been thrilled as their income improved and their career opportunities increased. In fact, Universal’s exclusive courses have developed a nationwide reputation for providing an effective, fast-track education in accounting and bookkeeping.

What does it take to be a good bookkeeper? According to Allen Bostrom, CPA and president of Universal, it takes someone who likes to work with numbers, and who has a good mind for details. Bookkeepers and accountants should be people with high ethics - they’re the people who record and handle the finances for businesses.

Good bookkeepers always look for ways to help their companies improve financially, and are a great asset. Bookkeepers should like to help people, because they are the ones upon which everyone else in the company depends.

“Accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll are the areas that seem to be in particularly high demand in the Salt Lake area. We receive lots of calls and requests for employees with these skills,” says Bostrom. “All a person needs to do is look under the accounting and bookkeeping sections of the classified ads to see the multitude of jobs from which to choose.”

How much may one expect to earn? Accounts receivable and accounts payable clerks’ salaries will generally range between $16,500 to $26,000 per year. Payroll clerks will range between $20,000 to $26,000 per year, according to the Robert Half 1998 Salary Guide.

There’s a great need for “full-charge” bookkeepers as well - those who can manage the entire bookkeeping process, including preparation of financial statements at month’s end. These highly skilled employees can make between $26,000 and $40,000 per year, depending on background, training and experience. No college degree is generally required for these great positions.

People who have decided it’s time to open their own bookkeeping and accounting business can make between $20 and $50 per hour, when doing the work on a contract (self-employed) basis. Since they usually work out of their own home, the start-up costs are low - often not much more than the price of acquiring a business license, calculator, business cards, stationary and sometimes a computer - although a computer isn’t mandatory. Bookkeeping can be done quite well by hand.

They can start their business while still employed at their “day job”, and do the bookkeeping on their time off, or they can jump into their new business full time and build it as quickly as they choose.

One of Universal’s students who opened her office at home had all the clients she and her husband could handle working full-time, within two months. In fact, many students have their first clients before even finishing the four-week class. This often happens when the students are excited about their new direction. Students who choose to start their own accounting and bookkeeping business are thrilled with the independence, freedom and income that working at home provides.

Universal has new classes starting soon that can prepare you to take charge of your life and find a new, rewarding career. You’ll find the classes are small and offer a lot of personal attention. Also, they consist of a variety of people: those with non experience: those with years of on-the-job experience: and those with various degrees of professional designations. Even CPA’s are enrolled in the classes almost every time they are offered.

No matter what your experience level, you’ll gain much from the classes. The information would take you years to acquire on your own. From debits and credits, to dealer financing, to construction, manufacturing and retail operations - you’ll gain hands-on, practical experience that you won’t find anywhere else.

Students’ satisfaction is guaranteed, or their tuition refunded in its entirety.

Get Started!

Why You Should Always Negotiate a Better Wage

While women have advanced considerably in the workplace, there still exists a significant difference in salaries when compared with their male counterparts. While gender discrimination may be one cause of this disparity, a lack of salary negotiation may be another.

In his article entitled “For Women, a Failure to Negotiate,” Pallavi Gogoi reports that while women represent nearly 50% of full-time professionals, including executives and managers, they only make 72% of what their male counterparts make. And while many may assume that’s gender discrimination residue, executive coach Lee E. Miller argues it may simply be the result of a lack of negotiation. “Most women hardly negotiate when they get a job offer,” says Miller, co-author of A Woman’s Guide to Successful Negotiating. “That’s because they look at the offer as the goal, not the beginning of a relationship.”

That 28% represents a significant difference that adds up over a career-time. Joann Lublin discusses this in her Wall Street Journal article “Paying the Nice Price.” She references Linda Babcock, a Carnegie Mellon University economic professor who calls it “the accumulation of disadvantage.” Babcock explains that a 22-year old professional who fails to get her first job offer of $25,000 increased by $5,000 will lose more than $568,000 by the time she reaches retirement.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, you don’t want to loose half a million dollars by failing to negotiate. It’s important that you acquire this valuable skill. Here are five things to remember when negotiating for a better salary:

Avoid desperation. No matter how badly you want the job, curb your enthusiasm. Employers can smell desperation and will use it to their advantage by offering you a lower salary. The more confident and self-assured you are, the more appealing you will be to potential employers. When they sense that you won’t settle for less, chances are they won’t offer it.

Be enthusiastic. When purchasing something, like a car or home, experts tell you to act like you don’t want it; you’ll get a better deal that way. This concept doesn’t apply to the job hunt. If an organization senses apathy on your part, they’ll choose someone else. So it’s important that you be enthusiastic and show your interest in the employer and their position.

Show them why you’re the best fit. To get the best salary you should illustrate why you’re the best candidate. When you shine above and beyond the other applicants you become the best person for the job, and as such, the person deserving the best wage.

Wait until you know they want you. Don’t start talking about salary before they’ve made it clear that you’re the candidate they want. Once they make an offer you can be assured that you’re their best pick and now that the ball is in your court, you can begin negotiations.

Keep looking. It’s important that you don’t become emotionally invested in one job. Regardless of how much you want a particular position, don’t stop searching. In fact, one good way to negotiate a better salary is when you’ve received competing job offers.

All professionals, men and women, need to be able to negotiate a better salary. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but we promise that it will pay off in the end. Literally.

References
Gogoi, Pallavi. “For Women, a Failure to Negotiate.” 22 April 2005. BusinessWeek.com
Lublin, Joann S. “Paying the Nice Price.” The Wall Street Journal

Joining Professional Organizations Can Help Your Job Hunt

Professional professionals: If you’ve ever for one moment thought that joining a professional association in your field would not help increase your chances of finding a job, consider this:

A whopping 79 percent of 1,300 hiring managers and executive recruiters nationwide believe that ”applicants who belong to professional organizations are higher-quality candidates. Those who belong to such groups tend to have more experience and education.”

That’s the finding of a recent study by the American Marketing Association, based in Chicago. And the membership of the marketing association itself encourages the supposition that such networks attract top performers:

Eighty-five percent of the organization’s 40,000 members worldwide have at least five years’ experience and 59 percent have a graduate degree, according to Lynette Rowlands, the association’s interactive marketing manager.

For its own membership, and other marketing and public relations professionals, the association has introduced the Marketing Career Network, an online hiring job board.

For more information, go to www.marketingpower.com/postjobs. Or call the association at 800-262-1150.

Salary statistics: Most of us don’t need anyone to tell us that salary increases are at a record low this year, averaging 3.3 percent for salaried nonexempt employees and nonunion hourly workers, 3.4 percent for salaried exempt employees and 3.7 percent for executives.

Hewitt Associates, a global human resources outsourcing and consulting firm headquartered in Lincolnshire, Ill., says the salary boosts of 2004 “represent some of the lowest increases ever recorded in Hewitt’s 28 years of gathering and analyzing this type of data.”

However, the firm says its study of 1,185 companies nationwide shows that “salary increase projections for 2005 are slightly higher.” By “slightly,” the consulting firm means that “no increase will be higher than one-tenth of a percentage point.”

Deadly resumes: Too many resumes read like obituaries, and “that’s why they get buried,” observes Irv Orenstein, president of Orenstein Advertising, which gives job hunting guidance to job seekers worldwide.

Orenstein, whose offices are in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., has been giving advice on resumes for more than 30 years — and he says the deadly resumes he has seen could fill a giant trash bin.

“An obituary is merely a recounting of past accomplishments, which might be quite wonderful, but a resume, much like an advertisement, should point up what you can do for the company,” Orenstein explained. “That’s a significant difference.”

So if you don’t want your resume buried in a pile of other dull resumes, make it proactive, positive and geared to what the hiring company needs.

In other words, advertise yourself.

Just a job? “Either you view your job as simply a way to make money . . . or else you turn your work into something that somehow enhances your life,” observes Alexandra Robbins.

Robbins is the author of “Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis: Advice From Twentysomethings Who Have Been There and Survived” (Perigree, $14.95).

And if you’re in a job that makes you “feel dead inside eight to 10 hours a day,” Robbins has this advice: “If you want more from your job than a paycheck and your current position isn’t providing that, then it’s time for a change.”

Improving Your Image and Your Job Prospects

To get the respect that leads to better jobs and promotions, one must stand out from the crowd. The Professional Bookkeeper program gives you a distinct edge with its emphasis upon learning by doing and the practical application of the Accounting process. Knowing that you have done the full range of Accounting tasks gives you the confidence to apply for a job with confidence that you will get it.

Learn More About Accounting Training With the Professional Bookkeeper Program

A Successful Job Interview:

A Checklist for Interview Success

It can be the most exciting and excruciating meeting ever: the job interview. How do you prepare to dazzle and amaze a potential employer, or at least manage your nerves long enough to sell yourself? Here’s a checklist that will help you not only survive the interview, but rise to the top and leave a lasting impression.

•Expect to be nervous

It’s pointless to try to avoid the interview jitters. Accept that you’re going to be nervous and even jokingly acknowledge it with the interviewer if you feel that will help. Know that just about every job applicant has felt just like you at one point or another.

•Dress the part

Now maybe it’s okay to wear jeans and a Gap t-shirt to a Baskin Robbins interview, but you’ll want to dress the part for a more professional job. Shop around for tailored outfits that you would feel comfortable wearing to interviews, realizing you may not be expected to power-dress all the time after you’re hired.

•Bring copies of your resume

While your interviewer should have a copy of your resume on hand, it’s good to carry your own copy as a reference.

•Maintain cordial, not creepy, eye contact

Eye contact communicates confidence and ease. Smile and look your interviewer in the eye when appropriate.

•Don’t interrupt

Sometimes a bad case of nerves and the desire to impress can make applicants a little skittish and quick to answer interview questions. But be patient and wait for the interviewer to complete the question before you jump in. And there’s nothing wrong with waiting a second or two to compose your thoughts before answering. A pregnant pause or two is expected, and can even communicate thoughtfulness.

•Answer briefly

Job applicants are often so anxious to impress that they’ll go on and on about their achievements, hardly letting the interviewer get a word in edgewise. Keep your answers brief, and ask follow-up questions if necessary to ensure you’ve provided enough information. A good gauge is to talk 30% of the interview.

•Ask questions

Come prepared to ask 4 or 5 questions. A few are bound to be answered in the course of the interview, so that should leave you with one or two to ask at the end. A standard interview question is, ‘Do you have any questions about the company or the position?’ It’s always good to respond with at least one inquiry (and be sure to ask about more than just salary).

•Don’t be shy, sell yourself!

This is your chance to shine. Don’t be afraid to praise yourself when appropriate. A job interview is a good place for self-promotion, but be sure it’s directed at what your skill-set can contribute to their success.

•Know their business

Do your homework. Study their business and their competition. Know their objectives and what helps them be successful. This will not only impress your interviewer, but it also helps you better frame your responses to interview questions.

•Say ‘thank you’

Good manners never hurt. Thank your interviewer for the opportunity to talk about the position and their business. In fact, sending brief thank-you notes or email messages can be a polite gesture and a reminder of the time you spent with them.

Universal Accounting’s Professional Designations Can Boost Any Applicant’s Sell-ability

If you want to increase your skills and add a professional designation to your resume, UAC has two certifications for you: The Professional Bookkeeper, and the QuickBooks Specialist. Both programs will increase your confidence as they increase your abilities, and will act as good speaking points in any interview.

March Your Career Forward This Month

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. - Demosthenes

Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death. - James F. Bymes

Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Alva Edison

I refuse to make New Year resolutions until all the hype has died down. Something about the New Year frenzy makes me uncomfortable about setting goals simply because everyone else is. I like the time to really assess my life before determining where I would like to steer it. And now is about the time I do that.

If you’re anything like me you used to dream about all you could do with your life. The road ahead seems long and endless when you’re twenty-years young. It only takes a few years before you realize just how quickly time flies, and how quickly you can get stuck in a career your don’t like, moving further and further from those dreams. The more complacent you become in your current position, the more impossible those dreams appear. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There’s no time like the present to start your own accounting practice. Perhaps you have fantasized about being your own boss, working as little or as much as you’d like, calling the shots, and catapulting you and your family into a new and improved lifestyle. And luckily, you’re pining over a very profitable business opportunity. Of all the home business options, a Bookkeeping and Accounting practice is considered by some to be one of the best. In fact, Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century, rate a bookkeeping service as the “Best of the Best” home-based businesses.

The Benefits of Having Your Own Accounting and Bookkeeping Practice

There are many reasons why an accounting practice makes so much sense. Here’s a list of some of those reasons:

• Every business is required by law to keep books
• You can earn a good living (the average client will bring in about $300 per month)
• It’s an inexpensive business to start (you probably have most of what is required right now)
• No expensive equipment is required
• You can work anytime, any place
• Rented office space is not required
• Inventory is not required
• You can make money doing what you enjoy

But where do you start?

Since Alf Bostrom founded Universal Accounting Center in 1979, UAC has trained countless financial professionals in the practical application of small business accounting. The field is wide with opportunity. Consider all the local small businesses in your area. They need a competent professional, a Profit Expert, to help guide their businesses to success. And with over 50% of small businesses failing within the first five years, it doesn’t take much to convince these business owners that your services more than pay for themselves.

We Help You Develop the Skills

The Professional Bookkeeper Program is designed specifically to address the needs of small businesses, and Universal Accounting Center’s small business accounting course is the most complete of anything else offered today. And depending on your schedule and situation, it will only take you 60 hours to complete. Imagine earning professional certification in less than one month!

We Help You Secure the Clients

One of the greatest challenges for many small business owners comes in the marketing. You may love working with numbers but groan at the thought of promoting your services and expertise. Universal Accounting Center understands this struggle and can help you eliminate it with the Universal Practice Builder Program.

UAC has developed a turn-key marketing solution which will enable you to grow your business with our proven system. You could work for years on a marketing plan, hitting and missing, only to find your business growing at a snail’s pace. Imagine learning which marketing strategies work in less than 60 hours. Top your Professional Bookkeeper Designation off with this program where you’ll walk away with over 12 marketing strategies that you can implement immediately. Not only that but we guarantee you will earn more than $30,000 in increased annualized billings in just 12 months!

How Bright Is Your Future?

The older we get the more dreams tend to fade. Fortunately we can find hope in something as simple as two Universal courses. The price of these courses is a small investment in a future that will more than pay for itself within the first year. Don’t hesitate to make your dreams happen. Imagine yourself earning the income you deserve from the comfort of your own home. Now make it happen! Order today.

Brighter Days Ahead? Rise in temporary jobs may suggest a pickup in hiring

By Andrea — CBS MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. job market is beginning to show signs of life through increased hiring at temporary employment agencies - often a precursor to a job-market turnaround.

While the U.S. jobless rate hit a nine-year high last month, temporary employment rose 2 percent, adding 44,000 jobs in May, the biggest one-month rise in seven years. In June, employment rolls gained another 1.7 percent, with 37,700 new jobs, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

About 2.2 million Americans worked as temp workers in June, according to the preliminary, seasonally adjusted data.

Economists often consider temp hiring a leading indicator of overall job-market improvement.

“The hiring of temps can be a sign that, even though there’s still some shedding of jobs, firms rather than hiring people back on a permanent basis are looking to meet increased demand with temps,” said Matthew Martin, an economist with Economy.com.

Hiring patterns are following a typical recovery scenario, some temp agencies said, with companies adding clerical and blue-collar jobs to fill out ranks thinned by cuts during the recession, but temp hiring of professionals such as accountants gaining more slowly.

Some false starts last year in which temp job gains were not sustained are leading some to express a cautious outlook for permanent employment.

“We’ve definitely seen an uptick,” said Linda Paulk, president of Snelling Personnel Services, a staffing agency based in Dallas. However, “we are anticipating, based on what employers have told us, that it will be a more gradual approach to full-time hiring” than occurred after the recession of the early 1990s.

The unemployment rate peaked at 7.8 percent 15 months after the recession that ended March 1991. It’s been 19 months since the end of the most recent recession in November 2001, as dated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

July’s unemployment rate likely will drop slightly, to 6.3 percent from June’s 6.4 percent rate, according to the consensus estimate of economists recently polled by CBS MarketWatch. The Labor Department releases the July data on Friday.

Current job-market signals are mixed. Even as tech-industry giant Microsoft announced last week it plans to hire 4,000 to 5,000 workers, job layoffs continue at other companies, and state budget crises may pull down employment numbers.

For instance, California’s budget, likely to become law by the end of the week, eliminates 16,000 jobs.

In previous recessions, blue-collar and clerical hiring exceeded professional jobs, at least initially, experts said.

“You often see the light industrial and clerical sectors of the temp industry come back first,” said Reesa Staten, vice president of research at Robert Half International, a global staffing agency that focuses on professional positions. “Then you might see, following that, the professional sector,” she said.

Unskilled light-construction workers are finding temp work because of some retailers’ desire to revamp their stores, said Paulk, of Snelling Personnel Services, which fills jobs in light labor, clerical and light technical work.

One client has plans to remodel 750 stores in the year starting September, while their previous remodeling plans averaged about 200 stores a year, Paulk said.

Another retailer has upped remodeling plans by about 50 percent, she said. These firms “are talking about changing, about positioning their companies to take advantage of the economic recovery,” she said.

Other employers are hiring temp workers to ease the burden on their permanent workers. Employers are “running so lean that a lot of the existing employees are burned out,” Paulk said.

“To help retain those employees when the economy does come back, we’re providing a lot of supplemental staffing just to pick up the slack on the work that’s coming in,” she said.

Some industries have been busy enough to continue hiring all types of temp workers throughout the slow economy.

“Health care, biotechnology, real estate are still strong,” said Staten, of Robert Half International (RHI: news, chart, profile), and “may have accounting openings, marketing openings, technology openings.”

She noted that technology firms’ hiring outlook was up in the second quarter, while accounting companies’ outlook remained flat, according to a quarterly Robert Half International survey of chief financial officers.

Investment firms have increased their requests for temporary sales assistants, said Marianne Moore, president of Portland, Ore.-based Action Employment Services, LLC, which places office workers in a variety of industries.

Overall, sales in June reached their highest point in two years, she said. And, the mortgage industry continues to play a big part in temp hiring activity.

“If you’ve been an experienced loan processor, we can place you in four different companies,” she said.

The growth is beginning to be seen at small to medium-sized firms, as well as large companies, said Christian De Conti, a senior vice president for Adecco (ADO: news, chart, profile), a global staffing agency based in Switzerland.

“Especially during the last couple of months we’ve been noticing an increase in medium- and small-sized accounts. They’re coming back,” said De Conti, who oversees the company’s U.S. Northwest region. In that region, Adecco saw a 35 percent increase in sales from May to June, De Conti said.

Insurance companies have increased their demand for workers’ compensation processors, he said, while warehouse distribution also is seeing an increase. General laborers, manufacturing workers and receptionists, were also among the most-requested positions.

Still, De Conti hedges his enthusiasm.

“I wouldn’t say that the economy is coming back or turning completely, but (the growth is) for sure a very positive signal.”

Networking Opportunities Abound

One of the very best way to find opportunities is to expand your network of contacts in your field. Our forum gives you a place to find others that are doing the kinds of things that you are and to leverage from what works. Employers in accounting look at our forum. Get involved and increase your chances of getting a better job.

Visit the Forum

How to answer ‘Tell me about yourself’

By Carol Kleiman — Chicago Tribune

A highly popular job interview question that really stumps job seekers - and it’s second only to being asked why you left your last job - sounds quite innocuous and even user-friendly on the surface.

It’s: “Tell me about yourself.”

And if you’re not prepared to answer it clearly and briefly, it may be the end of your chance to get the job.

“The question is very common and employers can ask it in various different ways, but it’s still the same question,” said John Karras, director of career services for Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University, headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.

“They might ask, why should I hire you rather than the next candidate I talk to? And what they’re really saying is, I’m going to give you a little bit of time to tell me anything you want.”

Karras, who has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in organizational communication and has been at DeVry since 1989, acknowledges that most job candidates hate this question, but it’s really a friendly one: “They’re allowing you to say anything you want - and I would love that opportunity in a job interview.”

The career counselor, who previously was director of a state-funded dislocated worker program and also was an executive recruiter, emphasizes that you should be able to answer the question in “30 to 60 seconds.”

In that time frame, he adds, you have to “concisely convey your interests, abilities, character, personality and what you’re looking for.”

When Karras coaches job applicants to prepare for that moment, he encourages them to use that short time to emphasize their “soft skills” in their brief opening statement. “List your personal points of marketability, your organizational and leadership skills, your dependability and flexibility — you as a person, rather than your job experience,” he said.

But what will separate you from the others, the director adds, is “proofthat you indeed have the skills. The proof will get you the job.

“If you say you have excellent time management skills, your next words should be: For example, I held a part-time job while taking college courses.”

Ascertaining your soft skills is a necessary step to take so that you can use the time you have to your advantage. “Think back on your life experiences,” advised Karras. “Do a brainstorming exercise and pinpoint your personal points of marketability.”

If you’re applying for a sales position, the director suggests the one soft skill you most likely would want to emphasize is your communication skill; an accounting job, that you are analytical and detail-oriented; and for most entry-level jobs, that you are absolutely dependable.

“Just give the top one or two skills in your reply - you can get to the others in the rest of the job interview,” he said. “Know going in which they are.”

When Karras was interviewed for his job at DeVry, the first question he was asked was, ‘What’s your story?’ “I said I have excellent time management skills and gave examples,” he said. “And then I was given time to talk about the other soft skills I had listed. By the time I was done, I was sent to the next level. And got the job.”

Here are some suggestions I have about what to say in that less than one-minute window of opportunity:

“I am kind to my parents.”

“My dog loves me.”

“I donate blood.”

“I help people across the street.”

And most important of all: “I’m someone who really needs a job!”

Carol Kleiman is the author of “Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want”

Additional Interviewing Resources

Wouldn’t it be great to have someone to help you navigate the maze that is the interviewing process. Career Coaching is a very hot field right now, and for good reason: it works!

As part of the follow-up support for the Professional Bookkeeper program, you will be assigned a career coach to help you to put into place a strategy for finding a job. From creating the resume that gets noticed and avoids the “round file” to a step-by-step process for finding employers that are looking for your skills, your career coach will give you the resources and tools you need to get the job you want.

Learn More About the Follow-Up Support Included in the Professional Bookkeeper Program

Hiring By Committee

Many of us have gone through those type of interviews that have not been our best, as well as our fair share that we knocked their socks off. The reasons that we have received about getting the job or not getting the job can be as long as Shaquille O’Neal’s arm. However that happens, the hardest type of interview to “hit it out of the ballpark” is what is called Hiring By Committee. Those companies that operate under the idiom of - it takes a company to hire one employee - ask those who come in for interviews to be interviewed by several of their trusted employees all at the same time.

Early in my career I had one such instance where, without any foreknowledge I was interviewed by a committee set up by the president of the company for the position being hired for. Although I felt that I did a good job, I also felt that if I had been able to prepare beforehand for answering these, “Tell me about yourself..” questions in front of 7 or more people I could have done better.

There is a certain strategy you would take when you are interviewed by one person verses when you are being interviews by a committee, and the following tips are things you can use if you run up against a company that has this Committee-Hire philosophy:

• Do our homework beforehand - Research the company you will be interviewing with to the fullest extent possible. You will be able to find a lot through their web site, any trade periodicals, press releases, and perhaps even “googling” their name online. Try to get the department heads, their mission statement, and if they have it somewhere, their philosophy of doing business. These will help you to be able to stay clear and even in some instances go towards their company’s hot buttons and would give you the edge in the interviewing process.

• Get the gauge of the participants - When involved in a group interview process you need to be able to size up each participant in the committee. Never assume anything, it just might turn out the most quiet one in the room is the ultimate decision maker. You can get a sense of the authority by observing whom your interviewers make eye contact with as they speak. Show equal respect to each participant and let your professionalism shine through. One tactic that has been found successful is to have a question for each as they are introducing themselves to you. Make it specific as possible to what they oversee, and make the question a genuine search to understand their position better.

• Can’t be shy, toot your own horn - have prepared and at the ready three or four characteristics of the position and what you possess, have had experience with or want to concentrate some of your efforts on. Be prepared to demonstrate examples from your experience during the session. That question of, “What do you feel is your strength…” and “What do you feel is your weakness…” is almost assuredly going to come up. Be ready for it.

• Expect the unexpected - Sometimes in a group setting someone will say something that supports or takes away from the point you want to bring across to the committee, be ready to clarify your position and to bring that someone and supporting their position. Add to their comments, but be aware that you do not deride or belittle the person for their opinion, remember equal respect for all.

• Show patience and grace in the pressure cooker - You need to be collected and quick to the response because usually there are more being interviewed for the position in the process. Just keep in mind a poorly phrased answer can do more damage than saying nothing at all. Try to anticipate the questions and have your answers for those at-the-ready.

• Assert yourself - If you have something meaningful to say and someone else is speaking, wait your turn. Make sure your voice is heard, but avoid dominating the conversation, it could be a turn off to those in the process.

• Play up your people skills - During a group interview, the decision maker may split the group into small teams and assign a hypothetical problem or case for each to ask those being interviewed about. In these situations, the groups asking those being interviewed are likely looking to see how the questions are answered and the approaches to clarify the circumstance of the question used by the interview-ee. How you tailor your answer to the right type of department head asking the question can be the determining factor on if you get the job or not. Be ready to have answers for those in IT and in Fulfillment, and Marketing Departments as well.

• Play up your professional experience - Especially if it’s extensive. Interviewers enjoy hearing examples of different aspects faced by a professional and how you tackled the problem, or resolved the concern, or saved money for the company you had worked for previously. Letting them know how expert you are in working with the day to day, as well with interacting with other staffers, managers, and employees gives them the glimpse you need to give for them to see you are the best person for the position they want to fill.

Preparing for a group interview is very similar to getting ready for a traditional one-on-one interview. The keys to succeeding is acknowledging there may be other applicants, but distinguishing yourself to the Hiring Committee as the candidate of choice. If you can do this in a professional and polished way, you may be chosen for a follow-up interview or the job itself.

Give yourself the edge in the interviewing process! Your formal training will give you the advantage that is needed to give you the step up among the others who are seeking the same position you are. Get the Universal Training as a Professional Bookkeeper so that you can go in with confidence to those you want to work for and further your career with without any reservations.

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The Headline to Your Resume

A cover letter is an attempt to sell yourself and your abilities, demonstrating how you are best suited for an employer’s opening. A good cover letter will capture an employer’s attention, sometimes securing an interview where a resume alone can’t. Each position you apply for should come with a unique letter; never send the same cover letter to multiple employers. This is your chance to stand out from the competition. Your cover letter should be the “hook” to your resume, headlining the skills and experience that make you perfect for the job.

Greeting
Address your cover letter to the person who is hiring for the position. Generally that is the person who would supervise you, should you get the job. If you don’t know who that person is, call the company so you can get it (and be sure to spell it correctly).

Introduction
State the opening you’re applying for and how you found it (newspaper listing, internet posting, friend, etc.). If someone within the company encouraged you to apply, ask for permission to include his/her name. Also express your interest in the job and the organization; enthusiasm for a position and the company is appealing to a potential employer.

Body
The purpose of the letter is to sell yourself, but it shouldn’t read like an ego trip. After the introduction you need to explain why you’re perfect for the job; this will require an understanding of what the position requires. Include education, experiences, and skills that align with the job requirements. And it’s important that you measure your achievements. “I manage a $400,000 budget, half of which I’ve secured through various educational grants” is much better than “I’ve managed large budgets and written successful grants.”

Don’t include irrelevant information. If they’re looking for a sales manager, they don’t want to hear about the sports column you wrote for the college paper. While it’s important to sell yourself, listing achievements that don’t apply to the job won’t get you an interview.

Closing
End the letter with confidence. “I hope you find my resume satisfactory…” sounds like you’re begging for approval. A firm handshake is better than a limp handshake, and a confident cover letter inspires confidence in a potential employer. “I’m confident that I would be a positive contribution to your company” is a great way to wrap up a letter. Suggest some sort of future contact: request an interview or tell them you will call in a week or so to follow-up.

Your cover letter’s tone should be enthusiastic, positive, and a good representation of your personality, and you letter should not be more than a page long. If you do these things, potential employers will be certain to read your resume. And if you’re a good match for the job, the cover letter and resume combined will be certain to get you an interview.

How Universal Accounting Can Bolster Your Cover Letter
A professional designation can enhance any resume and coverletter. If you’re interested in preparing taxes, Universal Accounting Center offers a Professional Tax Preparer Certification that will enhance your skills and give you the designation of Professional Tax Preparer (PTP).

Becoming a Professional Tax Preparer is a lucrative business with many benefits, including:

• Earn $100/hour
• Work when and how you want
• Reduce your own tax liability
• Be in demand for your skills
• Work from Home

Many Tax Preparers make more money in the months leading up to the April 15 tax deadline than many make all year long! Since all individuals and businesses, small or large, are required to file taxes, Tax Preparation is a respected skill that will always be in demand.

You can use the Professional Tax Preparer desingation to start your own business, or you can use it to supplement your current salary. Either way, PTP looks good on a resume and cover letter, especially if you’re already in the accounting field. Come visit Universal Accounting today and see what programs could benefit you.