Accountant and Bookkeeper Articles

Moving up the Corporate Ladder

Perhaps you’ve been working in your current position for awhile and are ready for a change including new challenges, an increase in responsibility and a higher salary. If so, it may be time for you to prepare for promotion.

While asking your boss to promote you is a great step, it shouldn’t be the first one you take to advance your career. Here are some things to consider before asking for that promotion:

1. Talk to your boss

It’s important that you know what your boss expects of you. Schedule a one-on-one meeting where you can ask him/her how you might improve your performance and prepare for new responsibilities. Not only will this provide you with valuable information, and from the individual who has the power to promote you, but it also demonstrates your interest in advancing your career while contributing more to your employer’s success.

2. Act professionally

Promotions are often lost around the water cooler. While you may be a fine candidate in your cubicle, your social behavior can cost you your career. Act professionally. This means you should avoid gossip, petty squabbles with coworkers, and loud, raucous behavior in the office.

Also be sure your attire complies with the office dress code and projects a promotion-worthy image. And never be late or develop a habit of leaving early. In fact, when possible you should arrive early and leave late-your boss will notice and attribute the long hours to a strong work ethic.

3. Go beyond the call of duty

Employees who fulfill their obligations, just barely, rarely receive promotions. Those who move quickly up the corporate ladder are proactive and do more than is required. Read through your job description and determine how you might excel at each of those requirements. Take the initiative and go beyond the call of duty.

4. Take on additional responsibilities

You’ll attract positive attention when you volunteer for additional responsibilities. This may be as simple as joining a committee, giving a short presentation at staff meeting, or acting as a liaison with another department. Whatever it is, volunteer wholeheartedly and fulfill the responsibility completely. Not only will this show your willingness to contribute to the company’s success but it will demonstrate your ability to manage additional responsibilities with ease.

5. Be a team-player

Never degrade a coworker. While you may view some as competition for certain positions, talking negatively about your peers will only make you look bad. Willingly join teams and contribute to the team’s success, even if that means praising a teammate for a job well done. Never try to commandeer a team, but when possible lead the team to success. Your positive role on a winning team will help you earn that promotion.

6. Acquire new skills

This is one tip where you can’t go wrong. Not only will acquiring new skills increase your value with a current employer, but it will make you more appealing to prospective employers. Acquiring new skills is a personal investment that will produce big returns in your career. It also displays a continual interest in self-improvement for yourself and your employer. What boss wouldn’t be impressed by the proactive employee improving his/her skill set?

If you’re interested in improving your skills and earning a professional certificate to go along with it, enroll in Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks. Not only could you earn a QuickBooks Specialist designation, but you will master a software program used by more than 85% of small businesses today. Talk about a resume-enhancing skill! Add QuickBooks Specialist and see what a difference it makes in your career.

We teach you how to do the basic transactions, how to reconcile accounts, where the data goes, and a basic understanding of fundamental accounting principles. We have also included about 18 hours of bookkeeping instruction and a complete, detailed presentation of QuickBooks fundamentals. You may as well call it a lifesaver. The newly released 2008 version of the PBG beats out other QuickBooks training programs by offering the following:

• Training targeted for all user types
• 16 CDs with over 30 hours of training
• 4 full-color manuals with over 800 pages of instruction
• Six months of follow-up email support
• Accounting 101 Review
• 30 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) in most states
• An iron-clad guarantee

A bright career is full of possibilities. Increase your possibilities now by enrolling in our PBG program!

Is there a company you would like to work for, however, every time you check they have no openings? Don’t let that discourage you. You can still court a prospective employer even when they haven’t hung a “help wanted” sign in their window. The following 5 tips will help.

1. Make connections

Career-minded individuals should always be networking. This can help you court a potential employer as well. Do you know anyone who works for the organization? If so, see if he/she might be able to introduce you to someone in the human resource or accounting department. If not, take measures to meet employees on your own. Sometimes businesses sponsor or frequent community events and participate in job fairs. The more you learn about an organization the more opportunities to interact with employees you will discover.

2. Write a letter of introduction

A letter of introduction is similar to the cover letter that accompanies a resume. However, a letter of introduction does not discuss a specific job opening but rather it’s an opportunity for you to introduce yourself to an organization and express interest in contributing to their success. As with a cover letter, you should briefly share your professional background and explain why you are a good fit for their business. And while the letter’s tone should be confident, it should not be pushy or overbearing.

3. Consider temp work

Often the best way into an organization is through temp work. This provides the perfect opportunity to wow an employer and is a chance for you to test drive the organization to see if it measures up to your expectations. You may find that upon closer examination it’s not quite what you had hoped. On the hand, you may determine that it’s just the place you want to rest your briefcase, long-term.

4. Ask that your resume be placed on file

You’ve sent your letter of introduction and some time has passed. Go in and ask human resources to place your resume on file. Chances are your letter of introduction was cause to create a file for you. Your resume will draw attention to that file and evidence your genuine interest in this organization. It’s good to present your resume in person; take advantage of every opportunity to become more familiar with the staff. And always be cordial and courteous. These individuals will likely be asked what they thought of you-you want those impressions to be favorable.

5. Follow up

It’s important that you not be pesky. Follow-up frequently enough to remind the organization of your existence, but not enough to irritate or annoy. You may choose to call or email in order to keep your correspondence subtle and unobtrusive.

Regardless of whether or not a company has posted the right job for you, there are things you can do to court an employer and make yourself a prime candidate as soon as a position does open. It may require patience and determination; but it can be done.

Often the best advice you can receive regarding job hunting is from peers who are experiencing the same struggles and achievements you are. For this purpose, Universal Accounting Center has created an accounting and tax forum where you can interact and network with peers both near and far. Join the forum today. They’re free and provide you with the perfect opportunity to widen your network.

So Can You!

You’re not the only one with a dream to start and manage your own accounting practice.  And as far as dreams go it’s not a bad one to have.  The US Department of Labor has long toted accounting as a lucrative career choice, predicting that the, “Employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014. As the economy grows, the number of business establishments will increase, requiring more accountants and auditors to set up books, prepare taxes, and provide management advice.”  In addition, Brent Inman of PricewaterhouseCoopers said, “It’s clearly one of the hottest markets (for accountants) that I’ve seen.”

Perhaps you’re currently working in the accounting industry but have yet to decide that starting your own bookkeeping practice is viable and profitable, all while being startup-friendly.  Authors of The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century, Paul and Sarah Edwards, have rated a bookkeeping service as the “Best of the Best” home-based businesses.   With little to no equipment, inventory, and software costs, and the ability to work from your home, an accounting practice is a business you can start easily.  Not to mention, you can moonlight as a freelance accountant until you gather enough clients to take your practice full-time.

Success Stories

Often it helps to hear from people who, like you, wanted to start their own practices but were uncertain whether or not they could be successful.  Listen to what they have to say about their experiences and how UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program provided them with everything they needed to know to build a thriving accounting practice.

It’s Quick

Scott spent a number of years working in corporate America, and after two company shut-downs he decided that he was ready to start his own business as a full-time accountant.  Because he lacked formal training he did something unusual; he went to a local university to get an associate’s degree in accounting and he took Universal Accounting Center’s 4 week Professional Bookkeeper course.

Scott explained, “…from the get-go with Universal Accounting Center, their training was fast and simple. In looking at both, it was actually more comprehensive than the 18 month class. We had to do the entire extra general education thing, and they broke the training up into little pieces, where in Universal Accounting Center you got the whole picture and you got to do it all in four weeks. It was great.”

It’s Realistic

Victoria was looking for a position that would afford her great flexibility.  She had two young children and needed to arrange her schedule around their needs.  She also needed to make at least $60,000.  And because traditional employers weren’t interested in meeting her unique demands, she decided to take a serious look at starting her own accounting practice.  And when she found Universal Accounting Center’s website she was surprised at the wealth of information about starting and managing her own bookkeeping service.

Victoria said, “…It made me realize that this was something that was an achievable goal.  …So that was very, very encouraging for me. And the other thing that I had walked away from that with is this incredible realization that not only did you provide this incredible gamut of information on how to run your own business, but you also had the programs so that I could continue my education.  …The gem of all of that was the confidence that I had at the end.”

It’s Profitable

One of the most important things entrepreneurs hope to discover is that their venture is profitable.  Rebecca The became frustrated when she realized that her dream of moving up the corporate ladder wasn’t being realized.  She was working long hours and not making the money she desired.  Rebecca finally decided it was time to quit and start her own accounting practice.  After graduating from the Professional Bookkeeping Program she started her own business and has seen fabulous results.

Rebecca boasts, “March 2005 was a banner month for me - I recorded over $10,000 in billings. I never would have imagined doing that well and that soon. I was never compensated that well by a corporation.  I am finally living the life I envisioned for myself. With the increased earnings and flexibility of being my own boss, so far this year I have been able to take 2 trips to Maui. I have planned additional trips to Las Vegas, New England, and Singapore throughout the year. I have already booked a 50^th wedding anniversary vacation with my parents to Maui next year on April 17. Universal Accounting gave me the practical skills to successfully reach my goals.”

Many more like Scott, Victoria, and Rebecca have started their own practices and are enjoying the results.  You can become one of them and have everything you need to know to start your own practice in just 60 hours.  Krista Farmer, a Professional Bookkeeper, says, “Since I am not a risk taker by nature, I eased my way into my bookkeeping and accounting practice. Fortunately, the marketing tips provided in the program are so adjustable that I could use them to help build my business as slowly or as aggressively as I wanted…  I would never have attempted to start a business had I not completed the PB course. It provided me with the knowledge and confidence to actually start my business.”

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

With 4 instructional manuals and 16 DVDs you will have access to training that you can review again and again until you feel you have adequately mastered the concepts.  You will learn how to perform small business accounting tasks and market those skills to a valuable niche market: local small businesses.  Not only will you gain expertise but the confidence to make your practice successful.  Follow those who have gone before and succeeded.  We’re confident that you’ll soon be adding your testimonial to those of countless UAC graduates.  Take your professional future into your own hands and enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program today.

When searching for a job it’s important to have everything you need to succeed, like a toolkit with all those items prepared that will enable you to secure the perfect position. That way, you’re never taken off-guard and required to throw something together for a potential employee. And everything from your resume to your email address communicates a level of professionalism and dedication. So you can’t wait until the opportunity presents itself to get your toolkit together. Now is the time to gather your job search gear.

1. Resume

It’s important that you update your resume periodically. If you wait too long, you will forget significant achievements and responsibilities that will appeal to potential employers. And while you should revise your resume to cater to the position for which you are applying, it helps to have current information to work with.

2. Application-at-the-ready

While filling out a job application isn’t rocket science, it does take a certain amount of time, energy, and recall ability to complete successfully. Depending on the application, this may require you to sort through old documents listing previous addresses, employers and their corresponding contact information, as well as starting and ending salaries. Save yourself some time by making copies of old applications to keep on file. That way completing an application becomes a matter of copying information from one form to another.

3. Cover letter template

Most jobs require you to submit an application package which requires a thoughtful cover letter stating your intentions. While each cover letter you write should be unique to the job for which you are applying, having a standard template will help you compose the letter more quickly.

4. Elevator speech

An elevator speech is like a quick infomercial about you and your abilities that can be delivered in the time it takes an elevator to carry its occupants to their floor. An elevator speech is 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.

5. Portfolio

Most professionals can demonstrate their expertise with samples of their work or specialized certification. All these things should be collected in one place for easy access. Then you have a portfolio prepared should a potential employer ask to see it.

6. Professional email address

While you may think smartdude28@email.com is a great email address, it doesn’t say much for your professionalism. When selecting an email address for the purpose of a job search it’s important the you choose one that will project a positive, professional image.

7. Power suit

When interacting with significant contacts and potential employers it’s important that you dress the part. You should have at least one power outfit to wear for interviews and networking occasions.

Add Universal’s DVD 4-Pack to Your Toolkit

Included in your toolkit should be strategies to increase your skills and expertise. Universal’s DVD 4-Pack is designed to introduce you to all the valuable programs we offer, each and every one of them intended to enhance your accounting career. This power pack includes:

Introduction to the Professional Bookkeeper Program

Learn how becoming a Professional Bookkeeper will improve your accounting skills, enabling you to expand your business and become a full-service financial provider.

Introduction to the Professional Tax Preparer Program

Learn how becoming a Professional Tax Preparer will improve your tax skills and help you earn a professional designation that will evidence your expertise.

Start Today and Have Your Own Bookkeeping Service

Learn how to make over $80,000 per year working from home while getting more clients than you can handle. Know how to charge your client so you can afford to take that next vacation while they get such a great deal they will be telling all their friends about you.

The Art and Science of Getting Clients

Learn how to get more clients by using our proven methods.

Not only will these programs enable you to bolster your resume and enhance your career, but if you’ve ever considered starting your own accounting and tax practice, these DVD’s will help you get started. Order now and complete your job search toolkit!