The Small Business Forecast

A Great Time to Start a Small Business

Brian Tracy, Chairman and CEO of Brain Tracy International, a personal coach and motivational speaker, has called 2006 another extraordinary year. He goes on to say:

The US economy has grown 30% in the last three years, since the tax cuts, and has leaped from $10 trillion dollars to a $13 trillion dollar economy, the biggest in the history of the world.

The OECD in Paris has rated the US as the “Most entrepreneurial country in the world.” Fully 42% of people working in America are working in businesses that were started in the last three years. The small and medium business sector is creating more than 90% of the new jobs in America , and in other countries throughout the world.

More people are making more money today than has ever occurred in human history. Economists are calling the 21st century the “Golden Age of Mankind.”

And the forecast looks great for the upcoming year! What better time to start your own small business and see it succeed. Now’s the time, when so many other small businesses are getting off the ground to provide a service and product each and every one of them need? If you’ve been waiting for a good time to move forward on your own dream of becoming an entrepreneur, today’s the time!

Bookkeeping and Accounting Services
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2008 accounting jobs will increase by 20%! In addition they state, “Demand for full-charge bookkeepers is expected to increase as they are called upon to do much of the work of accountants. Those with several years of accounting or bookkeeper certification will have the best job prospects.”

Perhaps you currently offer tax services to a handful of clients in your spare time, during tax season. Perhaps you run a tax service full-time, year-round. Whatever the scenario, you can grow your business by offering accounting services, thus becoming a full-service financial provider. If you’ve found it difficult to keep busy year-round, adding accounting services to the menu will immediately change that. Some of your current clients will want you to perform accounting tasks as well. And when your new clients realize you also file personal and business returns, they’ll also enlist your tax services. If you were looking to grow your business in the upcoming year, now’s the time and accounting’s the way!

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program
Not only would you ride your own small business wave by opening your own accounting and tax service, but you could also ride the waves of other small businesses in your community. How? By offering small business accounting!

Over 85% of the opportunities in the accounting field are within small businesses. Universities prepare their students for corporate accounting which doesn’t address small business needs. More than 50% of small businesses fail, and much of that failure can be attributed to lack of accounting expertise. That’s where you step in. With expertise in small business accounting, you can help small businesses succeed.

At Universal Accounting, we understand the needs of the small business like nobody else. We’ve helped people like you advance their career in small business accounting for over 25 years. 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 a professional designation in less than one month!

UAC Can Also Help You Get 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.

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 just 48 hours!

The Universal Practice Builder is a 2-day workshop designed to teach you the art and science of getting clients. Top your Professional Bookkeeper Designation off with this guaranteed program where you’ll walk away with over 12 marketing strategies that you can implement immediately.

It Is The Year of the Small Business
Don’t wait another day to realize your dream. If you’ve always wanted to run your own business, today’s the day to start. But don’t go blind! If you want to be fully prepared, then enroll in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program and the Universal Practice Builder Workshop! There’s no better investment to make than in yourself! This next year promises to be a banner year for the small business owner. Will you be one of those basking in the success?

10 Start-up Tips: How to Get Your Business Up and Running

(Part II of a II Part Series)

Sometimes a lack of knowledge is paralyzing. If you’ve waited to start you accounting practice because you’re unsure how to go about it, this article is for you. Last week we discussed the following five startup tips:

1. Name Your Business
2. Choose Your Business Structure
3. Get to Know Your Competition
4. Be Legally-Minded
5. Tread Lightly (financially, that is)

This week we’ll finish our discussion by addressing the final five startup tips.

6. Pick a Business Location (even if it’s just in your basement)
In real estate they say what matters most is location, location, location. The same applies to your business. The most important element in picking the right location is finding a place that will allow you to be productive and focus on your work. If you’ve decided to lease an office, take the time to research an appropriate area. Can you find a business district that compliments your services? Can you realistically afford to lease an office space right now? Is there a room in your house that could be dedicated to your new business? Weigh out the pros and cons and pick a place that works for your current situation and budget.

Your office should be a conducive work environment, well organized and professional. For more information on setting up your office, read our two-part series on office organization.

7. Create a Business Plan
It’s a cliche’ because it’s true: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Robert Krummer, Jr., chairman of First Business Bank in Los Angeles says, “The business plan is a necessity. If the person who wants to start a small business can’t put a business plan together, he or she is in trouble.”

A business plan is a must for those who are seeking funding from investors or loan approval for their small business; it should convince readers of your business’s validity and profitability. It also helps you articulate your business goals and objectives; later you can use your business plan to assess your progress.

Business plans generally include the following:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Descriptions of products and/or services
• Market and sales analysis
• Strategy and implementation of your products and/or services
• Management summary
• Financial plan

That may sound overwhelming, but you’ll be surprised at how creating a business plan will help you better define your business and give you the plan necessary to succeed.

8. Create a Marketing Plan and Get to it!
If you don’t have a marketing plan, chances are you won’t get many clients, and if you don’t get many clients, your business will fail. Even if you’ll be marketing on a shoestring budget, you need to know what marketing strategies you will use so that you can begin using them! A marketing plan should define or address the following:

• Target market
• Marketing objectives
• Market analysis
• Marketing strategies
• Budget

9. Hire Well, Fire Quickly
If you’re hiring a staff, even if it’s small (one or two people), you’ll want to get the best employees possible. Don’t settle for an average applicant simply because you’re anxious to get started or doubt you can find someone better. Hiring superior support staff makes for a superior business. Ask the right questions, call their referrals, and perform background checks if you feel it’s necessary. Finding the right employees will save you a lot of time and money in the end.

If you realize that you’ve hired the wrong person, don’t wait for things to work out. While giving employees the time to adapt and “learn the ropes” is appropriate, giving them the time to drain your energy and resources is not. If your gut says it’s not going to work, chances are you should let the employee go and start looking again.

10. Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst
It’s good to be positive; it’s fatal to be blindly optimistic. Positive thinking will get you far; the more you envision your own success, the more likely you’ll be successful. On the other hand, while it’s great to hope for, and even expect the best, it’s important to prepare for difficulties with contingency plans. What will you do if your loan doesn’t fund? What will you do if your spouse can’t pick up the financial slack? What will you do if you lose bread and butter clients? You can’t anticipate every obstacle, but by preparing for the most obvious you won’t be devastated when problems arise. Just be sure you also celebrate your successes.

Information is power and we hope that by learning more about starting your own business you feel empowered to get busy and see it happen!

Financing a Small Business

Applying for a small business loan can be daunting, but we can literally walk you through the process and explain every step along the way. Universal Accounting Center’s book entitled Financing a Small Business is packed with clear-cut instructions and terrific resource materials that will make creating a loan application package easy. It even includes a sample loan package that you can use as a model. This book is a must-read for people like you interested in financing options. Order this opportunity today!

You may believe that your career is all about accounting; therefore, you aren’t expected to perform any marketing tasks. That’s simply not true. If you want to advance your career you must continually market yourself. This is often a difficult task for accountants who are typically described as introverted and numerically driven. But even it is uncomfortable, the success of your career depends on your ability to promote yourself to current and potential employers.

In order to help you accomplish this, we’re devoting two newsletters to this topic. This week we’ll touch on the first five of ten tips on marketing yourself:

1. Focus on your soft skills

In order to make an impression on people, you must develop your soft skills, specifically the way you communicate with others. You need to practice being yourself, interacting in an inviting and personable manner that says you would be easy to work with. This may not be easy at first. Consider topics of conversation that draw people in. Just about everyone likes to talk about themselves. Ask about their families, what they do for a living, what they do for fun, where they live, where they’re from. It’s important that you show interest in what they share; often this encourages people to keep talking and helps them feel more comfortable with you.

2. Develop an elevator speech

An elevator speech is like a quick infomercial about you and your skills that can be delivered in the time it takes an elevator to carry its occupants to their floor. It’s something you hone and practice so that at opportune moments you can network effectively, explaining what you do and why you do it so well that everyone deserves to hear about it. A good elevator speech should be under 30 seconds long and should accompany your business card, which you must carry with you at all times. You want to provide your listener with just the right amount of information without overloading them or appearing overbearing.

3. Leave your comfort zone

Sometimes you must leave your comfort zone in order to truly excel and meet those individuals that will strengthen your professional network. Get in-the-know regarding professional community events which might expose you to different businesses and opportunities. And often the most rewarding events are those that are completely unrelated to business. Sometimes you meet the most valuable individuals on a flight, at the gym, or in the line at the grocery store. Always be willing to step from your comfort zone in order to take advantage of these chance meetings.

4. Keep your resume current

You never know when or where opportunities might present themselves. You are best prepared with a current resume. It’s important that you continually note your achievements and add them to your resume; you don’t want to be caught unprepared without having noted the specifics of your career accomplishments. You may think that you would never forget, but put enough time and experience between you and those achievements and they’ll be difficult to recall. Record them now before you forget.

5. Develop a 5-year career plan

You don’t know what the future will bring, but a 5-year career plan will give you something to shoot for, enabling you to make wise choices that will bring you closer to your goals. Many accountants would like to someday own their own accounting practices, where they call the shots and determine just how high their own salaries are. If you’re one of these individuals, now is a good time to think beyond marketing yourself to consider what it would take to market your own business.

Universal Accounting Center, with over 25 years training individuals in small business accounting, knows just what it takes to effectively market those skills. For less than ten dollars you can learn more about the Art and Science of Getting Clients! This will expose you to proven marketing techniques that will not only teach you how to better market yourself, but prepare your to market your own accounting practice. If this is something you’ve included in your 5 or 10-year career plan, learning more about this now will only help you reach that goal. Order your copy today!

Join us next week when we’ll talk about the final five tips in developing an effective marketing campaign, for YOU!

Been Thinking of Starting Your Own Business?

Here are 10 Start-Up Tips That Will Help (Part One of a Two-Part Series)

Are you hesitating to start your own accounting practice simply because you’re not sure where to begin? We know how intimidating starting a new business can be. You may feel like you’re forever sitting on the shore of your real life, too timid to leave your beach towel to test the waters. Often a little knowledge can empower you with the confidence to move forward and get started. Here are five of 10 start-up tips to help you do just that. Come on in - the water’s fine.

1. Name Your Business
Some suggest that when starting a diet, you should start by fasting; seeing pounds come off quickly inspires dieters to continue. Naming your business can be like that dieter’s fast; creating the name of your business could be just the inspiration you need to move forward (and it’s less painful than food deprivation). Will your name be part of the business name? Will you include a motto or slogan?

Recognize that naming your business is just the beginning of creating a brand for yourself. Before you brainstorm a business name, ask yourself the following questions:

• What are your competitors calling themselves, and how can you differentiate your services and stand out? (see #3).
• Who are your potential clients and how do you want them to view you?
• Will you limit your ability to expand by localizing your name?
• Will your name be memorable and easy to refer?
• Will your business name excite and inspire you?

2. Choose a Business Structure
There are many business structures to choose from when starting your own business. The entity you choose depends on your objectives. If you’re partnering with a friend or family member, you’re looking at different structures than those going into business by themselves. There are many factors to consider when deciding which structure is best for you. To learn more, read our article on “The Pros and Cons of Different Business Entities.”

3. Get to Know Your Competition
Knowledge is power. This is the perfect example of how a little knowledge can catapult you to the front of the race. Find out what your competitors are calling themselves, what services they offer, and who they’re marketing to. You can only stand out from the competition when you know who your competitor is and what they’re about.

4. Be Legal-Minded
This is somewhat related to number 2. It’s important to start your business off on the right foot. File the proper papers and pay the required fees. It’s also not a bad idea to consult with a lawyer to ensure you’re headed in not only the right direction, but a law-abiding one. Also, as you begin working with clients, document your correspondence and save your files.

5. Tread Lightly (financially, that is)
Perhaps you’ve been saving money to use when you start your business. Perhaps you’re on a shoe-string budget and don’t have much wiggle room. Regardless of how fat your pocketbook is, you should be frugal, especially at the birth of your startup. Prioritize your spending, and avoid buying things you don’t need.

Don’t overwhelm yourself. Take your time and do it right. If you get anxious and move too quickly, you might miss an important and crucial step. But remember, procrastinating your future, procrastinates your success.

Return in two weeks when we will cover the final 5 startup tips:

6. Pick and Prepare a Business Location (even if it’s just in your basement)
7. Create a Business Plan
8. Begin Marketing, NOW!
9. Hire Well, Fire Quickly
10. Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Universal Accounting Center Can Help You Prepare

Are you ready to start your small business today? Consider how earning $80,000 a year with your own accounting practice might contribute to a wonderful and bright future for you and your family! Would you like to learn how Universal Accounting Center can help? Order our video, “Start Today, and Have Your Own Bookkeeping Service” for just $9.95 and discover what your future could hold! For less than $10 you can change the course of your life and start living your dream, today!

Gain a Solid Reputation:

Building a Solid Reputation in the Workplace

The best way to impress your boss and coworkers often comes from being a stand-up person. Showing good character generates trust and will help you build a solid reputation in the workplace. Here are ten tips on making a lasting impression with your colleagues, supervisors, and those you come in contact on a daily basis:

1. Take responsibility for your mistakes.
You’ll waste too much energy trying to defer blame when you’ve made a mistake. Stand tall and admit responsibility where it’s yours. Apologize if necessary and take steps to repair any damage. It is always better to admit the mistake and take care of it quickly, instead of letting it fester and become an obstacle for you to do your work properly.

2. Share responsibility for achievements.
Nothing can be more frustrating for coworkers than when you grandstand. If you’re willing to admit when you’ve made a mistake, you must also be willing to give credit where it’s due; when coworkers contribute to a success, proudly state their contributions.

3. Never gossip.
Talking about coworkers when they’re not present can feel oddly satisfying, but in whatever form, gossiping is never a good thing. It usually gets back to the person in the end, hurting their feelings. And gossipers, regardless of how they might justify their behavior, never appear honorable in those sad, water-cooler moments. In addition, try to avoid those conversations that go into the grey area of propriety and tact. Show that when you guide your brain power to a positive influence you can also do that with your tongue.

4. Don’t say, “That’s not my job.”
It’s good to know when to say “no,” but that “no” should never come in the form of “that’s not my job.” Team players are always valuable, so when a coworker or supervisor asks for your help or wants you to contribute in some way, never reply, “That’s not my job.” Employees who only stay within the strict confines of their job descriptions are unable to learn and grow (and add new skills and experience to their resumes). They can also become annoying cubicle hobbits who don’t work well with others. Be amenable to assisting your coworkers when you can and they will take note of it.

5. Help coworkers with crucial projects.
This is another way you can be a team player. If there’s something you can contribute to a coworker’s success, do it. Be willing to share some of your time and energy in order to help coworkers succeed. Usually that type of favor comes back your way when you least expect it and need it most.

6. Ask for help when you need it.
Admitting that you need help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of your willingness to do whatever’s necessary to succeed. And because you’re not sloughing responsibility, usually those whose help you enlist will be proud of their ability to contribute. One mistake that is made is that you ask much too often of those around you. Make sure the time you ask, it’s something you absolutely can’t do by yourself.

7. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
We’ve all met people who apparently know everything and have done it all. Chances are many of those people are insecure and afraid to admit when they’re uncertain or don’t know. Sometimes pretending to know can get you into more trouble than admitting that you don’t.

8. Give compliments.
The workplace can often seem a competitive place where everyone is trying to get the edge on everyone else. You may be surprised at how good it feels to celebrate in the success of others. A well deserved but unexpected compliment either in the cubicle or in the conference room goes a long way in great to keep that good vibe in the office. When genuine, compliments always create good feelings.

9. Graciously accept compliments.
This tip is as simple as they come. Don’t minimize your achievements by explaining how easy the task was. But also don’t take the opportunity to ooze on about how difficult it was and how equal to the task you where. Say “thank you” and move on to your next great achievement.

10. Don’t let others give you their monkeys.
I once had this great boss who told me never to leave someone else’s office with their monkey on my back. When you’re a team player and are willing to contribute to others’ success, some might think they can take advantage of you by passing unpleasant tasks your way. Don’t let that happen. You are benefitting them nothing when you don’t allow them to have the responsibility that the project calls for. To do so requires that you look at what a coworker or supervisor is asking and measure whether or not they want your help or see you as an easy target. Good character is also shown when you know your responsibilities and can say “no” when others try to unload their difficulties onto you.

Building a solid reputation is a matter of consciously making the best choices you can for yourself and your coworkers. When you do that you’ll find that people trust your work and look to you as a leader.

Have the confidence to take on anything within your “circle of influence”. You will be surprised in what you know and the talents that you inherently have when you but forth the effort. Universal Accounting is all about supporting those who are looking to gain that confidence, solid, comprehensive training brings to a person’s career. Today is that day when you gain access to the training that will make the difference in your career path. Click here to find out more about Universal’s Professional Bookkeeping training.

Interest in Older Employees Rises as Seniors Confront the Need to Work

By Brad Foss — AP Business Writer

After her husband’s death, Doris Pease needed time to grieve and piece together her life as a widow.

She sold her house in Nevada, paid off her husband’s medical bills and bought a mobile home in Pocatello, Idaho, to be closer to her brother. Pease, now 68, dug into her hobbies — reading, gardening and embroidering — but after about six years the funds from the home sale, and her peace of mind, began to run out.

“I was getting so depressed sitting around the house that I needed to get back to work,” she said.

For many older Americans, retirement is not a viable option; many are postponing retirement, while others are going back into the work force, driven by personal or financial reasons.

The trend is evident in the number of older workers — the number of people 55 and above in the work force rose to 22.7 million in May, up from 22 million in 2003 and 20.7 million the year before that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The increase in older workers coincides with a shift in employers’ attitudes — while there has long been an aversion in corporate America to hiring seniors, who were deemed expensive or difficult to train, that view is changing somewhat at a time when the government is forecasting a significant labor shortage by the end of the decade.

The need to work can be explained in part by money problems — AARP estimates that 1 in 10 Americans age 65 and over lives below the poverty level, explaining at least part of the phenomenon. Though most seniors aren’t technically poor, many nonetheless struggle to make ends meet because of limited savings, expensive medications to buy or the loss of a spouse.

Others find employment critical to their mental well-being — contrary to how they expected to feel in their golden years.

“The money helps, don’t get me wrong, but that wasn’t the ultimate goal,” said Ray Clark, 68, of Springfield, Mass., who took a part-time job at the Basketball Hall of Fame because he found retirement boring.

Clark, who spent much of his life as a machine operator for a company that makes corrugated boxes, said he would stick with his current gig — a minimum wage job — “until I can no longer do it.”

While older workers are well-known for such commitment, there is also the perception among would-be employers that they require considerable training, particularly in the area of technology, according to labor experts.

That’s why organizations that advocate for the elderly sponsor job training and placement services through a federally funded program called Senior Community Service Employment.

It was through this program, authorized by the Older Americans Act of 1965 and funded by the Labor Department, that Pease landed a job at Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare, gaining experience in health care and general computing skills.

Today she is employed by the American Red Cross, where she works scheduling blood donations and organizing events in the field.

“Basically, I think they wanted somebody reliable that they could depend on,” Pease said.

That, it turns out, is what many U.S. employers are looking for these days and, to help find it, they’re turning more frequently to the growing pool of older workers, according to human resources executives and job-training specialists.

Home Depot Inc., CVS Corp., Anheuser-Busch Cos. and dozens of other major corporations have partnered with or contacted AARP, which recently started a program to identify job-seeking seniors and match them up with the right employers.

This effort came about because executives identified a dearth of younger workers, particularly in the areas of retail, health care and transportation, according to Jim Seith, national director of the AARP Foundation, a sponsor of the Senior Community Service Employment program.

Moreover, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there could be a 3 million-person shortfall in the labor force by 2010 — when the oldest boomers could conceivably begin retiring.

At Toys “R” Us Inc., executives are eager to bring more older workers for two key reasons, according to Jim Gorenc, director of staffing for the company in the United States.

The first is the aging of the U.S. population. Having older workers “opens up a channel for customers to be serviced by someone like them,” said Gorenc, noting that 10 percent of Toys “R” Us employees are currently 50 or older.

The other factor, Gorenc said, is that “there is a work ethic from a mature worker that is very strong,” and not as easy to find among younger generations.

Charlotte Lee, the director of Senior AIDES in Springfield, Mass., a municipal job placement program for older workers, said such private sector interest in the senior labor force couldn’t have come at a better time.

She said those seniors who most need to work face stiffer competition than ever before as retirees — stung by recent stock market losses — return to the workforce and many baby boomers make plans to work well into their 60s and 70s.

Billy Joe Brady, 60, of Norton, Va., never intended to leave the labor force. But he lost his job in 1998 when the local coal company moved out of town and the thought of hunting for a job for the first time in 25 years frightened him.

Instead, Brady collected $1,300-a-month disability checks for a couple of years, while his wife, Linda, went to work for a nearby Holiday Inn. “We were doing pretty good,” he said, referring to their financial needs.

But gradually Brady’s self-esteem began to deteriorate. “I kind of felt like I was sliding into nothingness and that didn’t sit well with me,” said Brady, who works at a non-profit organization that assists people with disabilities to live independently.

“It feels good to get up every morning to say, ‘Well, I have to go to work,”‘ Brady said. “I have a purpose every day. Not every day when I get up do I feel the best in the world, but I feel that if I get up and get started, that kind of goes away.”

Better Jobs = Better Retirement

It is a fact that one of the best perks of working in a successful career is a good retirement plan. Especially for companies that want to attract employees with more experience, a rewarding retirement plan remains one of the best hooks to get the most seasoned workers. However, many of the positions with the best retirement benefits are far from entry-level jobs. The more that an employer pays you, the more that they will match in 401k programs, so getting the top jobs really pays off when you retire.

The Professional Bookkeeper program will give you the practical skills to compete for Accounting and Bookkeeping jobs that may have passed you by in the past for lack of certifiable training. If you are one of countless workers that have concerns for their own retirement, the job security that the Professional Bookkeeping program will help you to secure will be of great value to you now and when you retire.

Learn How Professional Bookkeer Certification Is the Fastest Way to Advance Your Accounting or Bookkeeping Career

News Flash: Resume Length No Longer Set in Stone!

Once upon a time, the golden rule of resume length was one page: no more, no less. Recently Accountemps, a temporary staffing agency for accounting and financial professionals, reported on two national polls showing that not only is resume length increasing, but a large number of executives expect resume length to be longer than one page. In fact, of the 150 executives surveyed, 53% said they prefer to receive one-page resumes from those applying for staffing positions; 44% prefer two pages. Just ten years ago 73% of executives preferred one-page resumes; only 25% preferred two pages. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Accountemps.

While this may appear to offer applicants more freedom in their resume writing, it really requires more thought and craft, because length should be determined by both the position you’re applying for and a combinations of your background and experience. Marnie McCown-Guard of Profile Career Services explains, “I have written one-and-half-page resumes for senior-level people with 20+ years of experience, and I have written a three-page resume for a recent college graduate.”

So how do you determine the length of your resume? Here are a few things to think about:

Consider the One-Page Resume if . . .

• You’re applying for an entry level position.
• You have less than 10 years experience.
• You’re changing careers, and past experience doesn’t apply to the position.
• You’ve only had a couple jobs with one employer.

Consider the Two-Page Resume if . . .

• You have more than 10 years experience.
• You’re applying for an executive-level position (the above survey showed more than 60% of executives, 10 years ago and presently, expect two-page resumes for executive-level positions).
• You’re applying for a position requiring technical skills and need the space to prove your expertise and experience.

Consider the Three-Page Resume if . . .

• You’re applying for an executive-level position and have a long history of crucial leadership roles and experience.
• You’re applying for an academic position and must include a list of all your publications and presentations (generally applicants are asked to submit a vita rather than a resume).

Accountemps offers more advice on resume writing, asking applicants to remember the following:

• List significant contributions you made to employers and how they impacted the bottom line.
• Include specialized certification or training you’ve received (for example, the Professional Bookkeeper Certification, the Professional Tax Preparer Certification, and/or the QuickBooks Specialist Designation).
• If possible, use the same terms included in the job posting.
• Detail software expertise.

Don’t:

• Write an autobiography. (Do: Keep personal information at a minimum, and avoid lists of hobbies, unless they apply to the position in some way.)
• Embellish your educational or job history. (Do: Be honest and accurate in everything you include on your resume.)
• Include a long list of your references’ names and addresses. (Do: Include a note that “references are available upon request.”)
• Include a lengthy objective. (Do: Be concise.)
• Use long, complete sentences. (Do: Use bulleted statements.)

Remember that employers often have stacks of resumes they thumb through in order to pick interview candidates. In order to stand out you should make sure that pertinent and strong points are easy to spot and close to the top. And don’t drone on simply because the one-page rule is out. Employers are still looking for applicants who know how to market their skills in a succinct way. Good luck and happy job hunting!

New Year’s Resolutions

Five Tips for Giving Them “Sticking Power” This Year

I’ve made some; you’ve made some. Chances are we’ve made several over the course of our lifetimes. What am I talking about? New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, if you’re like most people, just one month ago you made a handful that you vowed to keep in 2008. How is it going so far?

Our ability to keep resolutions can change the course of our lives. Social scientists have been studying this for years, and many more wonder what the trick is to not only making the right resolutions, but in keeping them. Here are a few tips on making those resolutions stick this year:

1. Write It Down
Writing down your resolutions gives them a voice and helps you envision the actualization of those resolutions. When it comes to your profession, it’s a must to write those professional benchmarks down; it becomes the standard by which you can measure your progress and then celebrate your success.

2. Reverse Engineer It
Pretend that you have already achieved your resolution. What does that feel like, sound like, look like? When you visualize the achievement of your resolution you can often see the steps necessary to get there. As that image becomes ingrained in your mind, it feels more natural to follow the path necessary to achieve that resolution. In essence, you pave the way to success in your mind first, in your life second.

3. Search out Examples
This step requires you to find others who have achieved what you hope to accomplish yourself. Some call this “modeling.” Individuals in the business world find Lee Iacocca or Jack Welch to be good examples. But it doesn’t have to be a larger-than-life character; it could be a former employer or a family friend that you admire. It’s important that you come to know “their story” regarding how they accomplished what they did. It helps you to visualize their success as well as your own.

4. Find a Mentor
When you have a mentor who has achieved what you hope to achieve, you have access to someone who can give you direction and help you avoid some of the mistakes they may have made. They can also advice you on how to most effectively move forward and achieve the success of which you dream.

5. Positive Reinforcement
When you reach a milestone you have set, or achieved a point where you can move forward to your next goal, reward yourself: give yourself a pat on the back, a little reward or treat that shows you have arrived. The reward should be something special, something you don’t experience everyday; it should be a true acknowledgement that you have achieved something significant and deserve to celebrate it.

Resolutions with Built-in Rewards

The best resolutions are those with built-in rewards. When you enroll in Universal Accounting Center’s programs, you increase your earning potential, impress current and potential employers, earn valuable certification, and, if interested, can earn extra money on the side - all on your own time and from the comfort of your own home. Here are two resolutions you should consider:

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Bouncing Back is Key Skill in Workplace

By Carol Kleiman — Chicago Tribune

Resiliency: Ability to recover rapidly from illness, change or misfortune. Buoyancy. Elasticity.
- Webster’s New College Dictionary

Go with the flow. Thrive under pressure. Keep on keeping on.

All these terms describe someone who’s resilient — a trait especially needed in today’s stressful and rapidly changing workplace.

“Being resilient is critical today. People have come through the rah-rah ’90s — which were great for you, but also exhausting because you worked longer hours and had the relentless pressure of the global marketplace.

“Now you have to deal with the stress of economic conditions and uncertainty about employment. And, at the same time, the state of business today is that people have to perform optimally under consistently stressful and challenging conditions.”

That’s the observation of an expert on the subject, Karen F. Noble, senior consultant at WFD Consulting, a work/life consulting firm in Watertown, Mass. Noble, who has a master’s degree in psychology and has been in consulting since 1978, reports that a recent survey by her firm shows that only 52 percent of 1,249 workers said they are able to manage the daily pressures of their jobs.

Slightly more than half — 54 percent — asserted they can maintain their job performance during times of change; 25 percent reported being physically or mentally drained by the end of the day; and, only 42 percent responded that they “always have enough energy” to complete their responsibilities both at home and at work.

“Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from difficulties, to manage pressure and to adapt quickly to change while you continue to perform your work at a high level,” said Noble. “It means thriving in the face of challenge.”

The consultant has observed an increasing need for workers to be resilient.

“The train’s been on the track for the last six to nine years,” said Noble. “And now workers are beginning to bottom out. At the same time, many companies are starting to recognize this phenomenon and the need for their employees to be fully engaged for the business to compete at a high level.”

Being able to survive change is such a necessity in the world of work/life balance that Noble’s organization has devised a “resiliency survey” and a briefer “resiliency scorecard” to help companies identify practices that “deter elasticity.” Often, a key cause of stress — the opposite of resiliency — is lack of employer support.

As a result, Noble reports that some businesses that are trying to train employees to be more resilient are focusing on “habits, health, diet and time for yourself.” And, of course, flexible scheduling.

“One executive even established a committee for employees that created fun activities in the workplace,”the consultant said. “As a result, employee satisfaction increased and business results went up.”

I asked Noble where she ranks on the resiliency scale. “I’m pretty resilient, because my company is there for me,” she said.

In 1993, for example, when the consultant was a single mother with two children, ages 8 and 10, Noble was supposed to go to California — the opposite coast — for interviews with executives and to run a focus group for hundreds of people.

“But my babysitter literally fell off this planet,” she said. “I called my manager and he told me not to worry, just to do what I had to do. His understanding made all the difference. I knew if I couldn’t work it out and the meetings had to be canceled, I would never be punished.”

That support freed her to be resilient: “I was able to get on the phone and line up friends to baby-sit,” said Noble. “If I had feared I would lose my job, my stress would have been off the map, I would have been less able to solve the problem - and I probably would not still be at this company.”

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Relocation 101:

How To Relocate Before You Find Another Job (Part I of II)

So you’ve decided that you want to work somewhere else. You’re tired of the local rat race and want a change of venue, new scenery, a fresh start. This article is for those who know exactly where they want to live, but have yet to find a job there. What’s the best approach to take in order to get the job you want in the city you’ve chosen?

First thing’s first. If you’ve already chosen a location, you should calculate its cost of living. Sometimes people find themselves in a bind when they haven’t done the math, and they’re in a new city with a higher cost of living without the salary to sustain it. Determine the impact cost of living will have on your move long before you pack the UHaul.

Which Comes First, the Relocation or the Job Offer?
It’s no secret that finding work in a city where you live is much easier than finding work in a city miles away. It’s easier to schedule interviews, research companies, locate job prospects, and network. But it can be difficult to fund a job search in your dream city when you don’t have a job, and the average job search can take anywhere from 3 to 5 months. So which comes first, the move or the job?

Funding Your Job Search
If you’ve chosen to move first, then here are three ways to pay the bills while you look for your dream job in your dream city.

Do temp work. Temp work has more advantages than you might imagine. First, you can earn money while looking for your dream job. Second, you can sample different organizations to get a feel for what you’re looking for in an employer while showcasing your skills. Third, you’ll have a greater opportunity to network. And fourth, you’ll have the flexibility to schedule work around your job search.

Freelance. Consider doing freelance work until you find a job. This could also provide you with networking opportunities while bringing in the money to pay your bills.

Study your spouse’s benefits. Sometimes employers offer employment assistance programs that help the spouses of relocated employees find new jobs. These programs often have access to exclusive job listings.

Tips for an Effective Job Search
Once you’ve figured out how to fund the hunt, you need to start looking. Here are three tips that will jump start your job search.

Establish local contact information. The first thing you should do after moving is obtain a local address and phone number to share with potential employers. It will be difficult for them to schedule interviews if they don’t have any contact information.

Find local accounting associations. Often cities will have accounting associations that can provide you will valuable leads.

Network. This should happen long before you move and the minute you pull into your first local gas station. Look for opportunities to meet with other accounting professionals so you can get those leads you’re looking for. Also be sure to tell your friends and family about your intentions; you’d be surprised at how many people know people in your dream city.

Once you figure out how to fund your job search, you can take the time you need to find the job of your dreams. Be sure to research local companies and hand-pick the employer you want to work for. And be patient; settling for a mediocre job may prevent you from the opportunities you would truly enjoy. Happy Hunting!

Come back next week to learn how to search for a job in cities outside your residence.

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