Chartered Accountancy How to get started

Chartered Accountancy How to get started by Amber Rolfe Got a head for numbers? A career in Certified Chartered Accountancy could be for you… Whether you’re already working as an Accountant, or you’re looking to start from scratch â€" a career in Certified Chartered Accountancy is a great way to improve your career prospects. Not only will you have the opportunity to learn a variety of principles, you’ll also gain practical work experience.We spoke to the experts at  AVADO, one of the UK’s largest providers of professional qualifications, to find out some of their top tips on how to start a career in Certified Chartered Accountancy:What is Certified Chartered Accountancy? Certified Chartered Accountancy is a lucrative field of work, made up of people who have undertaken a specified level of specialist training.This level of experience makes members qualified to do a range of expert tasks and activities.They work in a variety of business and finance sectors, from audit and taxation to financial and general management, and focus on providing accurate financial records to organisations, through the preparation, reviewing, and analysis of company accounts.The best part? They’re in demand.What’s the difference between a Certified Chartered Accountant, a Chartered Accountant, and an Accountant? Both a Certified Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Accountant has carried out more professional training than an Accountant, making them able to find work in a wider variety of fields.Aside from having carried out a certain amount of work experience, training, and exams â€" chartered specialists also abide by the code of ethics set by their institute, as well as carry out continuous professional development (CPD) once qualified.Overall, the difference between Certified Chartered and Chartered status is minor, and both are highly respected and recognised titles in the world of accountancy.Each have the same level of experience, but Chartered Accountants had to secure a training contract with a company in order to study, whilst Certified Chartered Accountants were able to start learning anytime.Why become a Certified Chartered Accountant? Becoming a Certified Chartered Accountant opens up a wide variety of career prospects, giving you the skills to set yourself apart from other accountancy professionals.Here are a few of the key benefits of becoming a Certified Chartered Accountant:You’ll be highly respected.You’ll have more career optionsYou’ll be able to earn moreYou’ll always be learningWhat accounting bodies can give me Certified Chartered Accountant status? A Chartered Certified Accountant must be a member of the below body:The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (designated letters ACCA or FCCA)What skills do I need to become a Certified Chartered Accountant? Combined with the relevant qualifications and experience, Certified Chartered Accountants will need to have:Analytical abilitiesFinancial acumenAn understanding of accounting principlesExcell ent problem solving skillsGood organisational skillsA close attention to detailAn ability to work under pressureHow can I become a Certified Chartered Accountant? You don’t necessarily need a degree to become a Certified Chartered Accountant, as most of your learning is completed when you study for Certified Chartered Accountancy membership.However, an interest in the subject is absolutely essential.To become a Certified Chartered Accountant, you’ll need to take a course that’s accredited by a registered accounting body such as the ACCA.Why study with AVADO?AVADO is the largest training provider for professional qualifications in the UK with an active community of over 20,000 students studying to secure their next promotion, a higher salary or to take their career in a new direction.As a Gold Approved Learning provider of ACCA courses, AVADO offer a range of award-winning ACCA courses, all 100% online so you can study at your own pace around work and life commitments. Not only are all courses taught by expert tutors, but they also have a 95% pass rate* on their ACCA courses.Other benefits of studying with  AVADO  include:Live classes and  support from expert  tutors via email, phone and onlineAll courses are internationally recognised professional qualificationsPersonal and dedicated support from our specialist tutorsMultiple finance options and interest free finance plans*Interact with Tutors and 65,000 other students through our secure online Virtual Learning CommunityThe flexibility to learn from home in your own time and at your own paceThe freedom to continue earning while you learnFind out more*Based on results from the ACCA F1 paper at the March 2017 sittingWant to learn more about how a qualification could help your career?  Enquire now.AVADO is the largest online provider of professional qualifications in the UK, with courses available in HR, Accountancy, Bookkeeping, Business and more. 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Coach in Quiet Moments

Coach in Quiet Moments (This is the first of many posts inspired by Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In. I suggest you just give up and buy the book now.) In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg discusses how important feedback has been to her career.   She understood, for instance, how important her relationship with Mark Zuckerberg would be to her work at Facebook, so she asked that they sit down every week to talk over anything that bothered him so they could settle it quickly, face to face.   Zuckerberg agreed, and insisted that the feedback be mutual.   They kept up the weekly meetings for quite a while before they moved the feedback into real time â€" just telling each other when they have an issue that needs some discussion. In my experience, it’s rare to find people who are willing to risk being that open with each other. “Feedback” is a euphemism for many things, but almost never for anything positive.   If you have something good to say, you never preface it with, “Do you mind if I give you some feedback?” We avoid telling each other fierce truths for many reasons. Conflict is not comfortable for most of us, and delivering unpleasant feedback is hard in the moment and creates lingering tension in the relationship afterwards. It’s not surprising that we avoid it whenever possible.   Here are some other reasons I might avoid giving feedback. The relationship is not that important to me. I can more easily shrug off the behavior of someone I see only occasionally, or with whom deepening trust and respect is not crucial to me.   I’d rather let it go than start a conversation that risks making the relationship worse. We sometimes call this “being the bigger person,” but I think it’s often based on fear rather than courage. After consideration, I think better of telling someone how I feel.   In the heat of the moment, someone’s words or actions may seem bigger (and badder) than they do after a good night’s sleep.   Sometimes, I even realize that maybe I should be the one to apologize or explain my behavior. I haven’t yet asked permission to give feedback.   Sandberg writes that one of her personal foibles is an extreme impatience with delays.   She says that one staff member can tell by her voice when she calls whether he should bother to complete a task or whether she is about to do it herself. Sandberg says that being the boss can put you in a tough spot; you may be driving people crazy, but no one has the courage to tell you so. If you’re in that situation, here is my formula for coaching, and it can work both ways: boss to staff or staff to boss. After an incident where your behavior (again!) caused a tense situation to become worse (again!) and created a bad outcome (again!), you can take some quiet time to talk it over when everyone has cooled down.     “I realize that I did (the thing again that makes everyone crazy.) First, I apologize â€" my behavior made it harder for us to do what we needed to do.   Second, I’m asking you to tell me when I start to do it again.   Remind me in the moment, before I get started, so I can rein it in.” Sandberg writes a great script for that: “Sheryl, you asked us to remind you when you get nervous and started to push the teams too hard.   I think you’re doing that now.”   This speech has it all right: it reminds the boss (or the staffer) that she asked for feedback; it’s specific about what’s happening in the moment; and it states the case softly enough to be heard: “I think you’re doing that now.” This real time feedback can save a situation, but it works best if the parties agree to it in advance.  So find a quiet moment after the crisis, when everyone is calmer, and set down the invitation to talk openly about what didn’t work. Repeat if necessary; remember that very few people have the courage to take honest feedback, even if they have asked for it.   Your patience and unflinching acceptance when people actually tell you what they think will pay off during the next crisis.

How Not to be a Walking Billboard - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How Not to be a Walking Billboard - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career If youve been to a big city lately, theres a good chance youve seen someone standing on a street corner wearing a sandwich board.   Usually, theyre advertising a restaurant that is a little off the beaten path, or a sale, or even a place that sells gold cheap! And, if youve been to a networking event recently, theres a good chance youve met the sidewalk walking billboards slightly less conspicuous cousin: the job-seeking walking billboard. Unlike the walking billboards you encounter on the sidewalk, you usually cant spot a job-seeking walking billboard a mile away.   Instead of wearing sandwich boards, theyre camouflaged in suits and skirts. Instead of coupons, they offer business cards, and sometimes the resumes theyve brought with just in case. Most of the time, you wont even know theyre there until you ask them about themselves and they reply with a five minute long list of their accomplishments.   And then its too late: youre stuck there listening to them blab on and on about themselves while you desperately wish you had pre-arranged a get me away from this wacko signal with a friend. Luckily, most people arent that annoying by choice.   Those walking billboards are probably so desperate to get a job or make connections and so confused about how to brand themselves that they just spew every point on their resume in hopes something will stick.   Its a nervous reaction and it could happen to anyone. So, here are a couple tips to help you avoid becoming a walking billboard yourself: Be prepared. Think ahead of time about the type of people who will likely be at the event and identify a couple accomplishments that would be interesting/memorable to your target people.   Then youll have an idea about what you want to say, and will be less likely to turn into a gushing fire hose that scares everyone away. Keep it focused. Dont talk about your article in Fast Company in the same breath as your victory in the 8th grade spelling bee. Keep your answers short and focused on one accomplishment. Then youll do a much better job explaining why that one thing is important, and you wont bury the person youre talking to under a mountain of forgettable information. Be a storyteller. People dont care about boring bullet points on resumes.   When they meet you, theyd much rather hear about the interesting things youve done.   So, when youre networking, focus on whats behind your accomplishments.   If you can slip your bullet points into a memorable story, the person youre talking to might not even realize youre bragging at all! When youre networking with people at an event, the worst thing you can do is to spew everything about yourself to them in one great rush. When you do that, youre not branding yourself as an accomplished go-getter who would be perfect for any project or job they have in mind, youre branding yourself an annoying person they cant wait to get away from! Remember, you want them to stick around to get to know you If you dont go overboard and can tell people the most important things about yourself in an interesting way, however, you will have a much better chance of sticking in their mind. Plus, since theyre not constantly searching for an excuse to escape, you can actually get to know them! Then, when theyre looking for that perfect person to do a dream job, they will be much more likely to remember you and your accomplishments. Author: Katie Konrath writes about “ideas so fresh… they should be slapped” at getFreshMinds.com, a top innovation blog.

Is it Fun to be Your Brand Advocate - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Is it Fun to be Your Brand Advocate - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Much of the time we talk about ways to be connected, referred, recommended and advocated for.   From logistics, strategy and tactics, there are many valuable tips and posts!   Yet, there’s a basic question that we often fail to address and that is am I fun to advocate for? When someone speaks positively on your behalf, engages their contact sphere, and lends their credibility to you to move and inspire their connections to action, do you make it fun for them? I don’t mean gifts, contests or giveaways or even a ‘happy dance’ on their behalf.   What do I mean by fun?    I mean do you make it enjoyable to them.  Does advocating for you shine a light of positive energy on them?   Do you make it easy?   How do you make them feel?    After all, they are the one risking everything on your behalf. The following goes for career transitions, too.   It’s not just close friends and contacts â€" being fun to advocate for also applies to those who recommend you or approve of you in one step up to a promotion, position or project. It is fun? Be timely.  If someone opens a door for you, then you must be ready to go through that door swiftly.   Delays or, worse yet, just plain forgetting to follow through only stops someone from advocating for you again. Be genuine.  Someone advocates for you on Twitter with a great  #FollowFriday  shout out and so many of their followers begin to follow you and as they do they receive a  spammy auto-response  direct message stating  â€œthanks for the follow â€" check out my ebook at http://somepromostuff”. Or, on LinkedIn, someone advocates and connects you with one of their connections â€" so you send an invite to that person with the wording  â€œsince you’re someone that I trust.   I would like to connect with you”  and  you have not even met this person.   Those all feel false and will leave the contacts of your advocate with a negative feeling that will only reflect poorly on the person who spoke positively for you. Be on brand. Be who that person who advocated for you said you are.   Do not change for someone else yet  be the best version of your personal brand.   Someone advocating for you is looking for their words to align with their contact’s experience with you. Speak positively about who advocated for you.  This is not the time to tell stories of embarrassing moments or to express “finally he connected us together â€" I’ve only asked for this for months now”. When someone advocates for you, it is your job to make sure that the entire experience makes them look good to their connection â€" after all they are risking their reputation for you. Provide feedback. Let them know how the connection is going or how everything turned out.   Not knowing how something is going or feeling excluded, can leave someone feeling devalued or even taken advantage of.   If you have made contact with their contact, let them know.   If their contact is traveling and unavailable, let them know that, too.   Keep them in the loop and they will feel right about advocating for you again. No stalking.  Do not stalk who they are connecting you with nor stalk the person who did the advocating for you.   If their contact is unavailable, for any reason, let the person who advocated for you know just in case they might have additional information or can intercede in your behalf.   Then, the ball is in their court.   Do not stalk them by leaving them with the feeling of obligation or regret that they wish they would have never advocated for you. Be grateful. Not enough people say thank you and there is so much to be thankful for when someone advocates for you. The feeling you want to leave them with is that it was fun to advocate for you, it made them look and feel good and it’s most definitely something they would do again.

How to Get a Freelance Job in 1 Week CareerMetis.com

How to Get a Freelance Job in 1 Week Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comMost people regularly ask themselves the real reason as to why freelance writing attracts a huge number of individuals, having the potential to manage their own time.In most cases, having a boss who dictates and controls your every move does not go well with most people. This pushes many to look for other sources of income such as freelancing.However, the biggest problem faced is the lack of a fixed wage limit and time management skills, the resulting factor being people giving up on freelance writing altogether.evalAs you all know, any profession comes with its various advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is necessary to grasp some few tips to a successful freelance writing experience.Getting a Freelance JobBeginners in the world of freelance writing often wonder how they can acquire clients, how to set up a website, and lastly, how to find well-paying clients. The answers to these questions are quite simple. Through the following methods, writers o r bloggers, in this case, are sure to gain the much-needed guidance and encouragement.1) Establish a NicheevalFor your freelance writing job to kick off on a high note, it goes without saying that you need to decide on a narrow niche. For example, choosing to write copy for information and technology service providers.The importance of taking hold of a new niche is that clients instantly recognize you as a writer who is well acquainted with the subject matter or content. Bloggers should, therefore, remember that most customers, if not all, need writers who put more emphasis on the required content. Generalization here is greatly discouraged.Options available while picking out a narrow niche:Content Specialization â€" Let us take the case of three categories of people. An individual who has specialized in the writing of white papers, calling himself The Whitepaper Expert, one who concentrates on case studies, and lastly a generalist. The first two groups of people are sure to earn mo re money because of their professionalism as compared to a generalist.Specialize in assisting a given type of customer â€" Experienced writers recommend that one only needs to look at the opportunities which lay behind avenues such as insurance companies, marketing agencies, and real estate agents.Concentrate on writing a particular topic for a given client â€" Here, you may decide to pick a niche that focuses on marketing for agencies, crafting newsletters for online writers and entrepreneurs.2) Establish a Freelance Writer WebsiteA question that is usually raised by most bloggers is whether all you need is a blog to start freelance writing. The move is not discouraged, and writers are free to use their blogs as websites. However, experts note that you stand a greater chance of success if you opt to come up with a site dedicated to the sale of your services to a targeted audience.A website doesn’t have to be too complicated. It should include aspects such as some few samples that are crucial for your audience and your niche. Carefully define your topic of specialization, and writing samples should at least show your professionalism and expertise in the process of writing.Therefore, to set up a personal website, you will require first to purchase a domain. A domain is the site’s URL.evalThe best areas to choose from are custom fields. By doing so, you broaden your brand as a professional as compared to picking something such as “mysite.wordpress.com.”In addition to creating an improved brand perspective, clients also tend to consider your business of writing as the real and actual business.Cheap domains are available on sites like Bluehost and Namecheap.3) Come Up With Eye-Catching and Significant SamplesSimilarly, if you have already decided on your niche, you have also defined a target group or audience.evalFor example, if you opt to concentrate on writing blogs based on medicine, then your identified audience will consist of medical personnel. Also, if you decide to write whitepapers, your target group undoubtedly lies in B2B companies.During the onset period, most, if not all of your samples should be properly created to attract and integrate your services to the audience in question. The world of freelance writing requires a real deal of humility. In that, if you are starting out, experts recommend coming up with some few targeted samples.Bring out these samples through guest blogging, or you may even go a step further in publishing them on a section of your freelance writing blog. Also, after you have included connections through targeted clients, use the LinkedIn publisher for the purpose of sharing them.At this point, it is essential to realize that working for free is not a fruitful habit. However, for beginners trying to build client trust, it is a wonderful decision. Always bear in mind that identifying an appropriate topic of discussion to concentrate on is the sole reason that makes customers believe in you. Even wit h little to no experience, the power of a strong niche is sure to do wonders for the success of your freelance writing career.4) Cold-Email CustomersIf you are a writer, committed to making the best out of the art that is freelance writing, go ahead and set up your site and include it with appropriate samples in less than three days. It is after you have completed this that you may now transform into a ‘pitching machine.’For beginners, aspire to send over twenty customer pitches in a day. It is fundamental first to have realistic expectations in the efforts of creating a business-oriented email.Rejections here are the order of the day. For example, you may get the attention of only three clients after sending seventy-five to one hundred cold emails. Through this, beginner writers are required to persevere and above all, not give up.However, writers already bearing with them appropriate and captivating niches should face fewer challenges in attracting clients. Additional advantag es come if a writer has also established a well-run and maintained freelance writer website, and chosen an effective method of coming up with a cold email.The practice of cold emailing does not necessarily mean that it should go for continued periods. Experts in the field of freelance writing add that it is important for first-time bloggers to do this so as to identify high-paying customers. As time goes by, a blogger can do this through social media that is Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and also via the use of websites.evalA question which most writers often ask is, although cold emailing sounds like an intelligent idea, where do you then obtain client email addresses?Expert bloggers recommend using LimeLeads because the leads received here have the possibility and capability of causing an increased cash flow.Other avenues where writers can obtain contact information regarding targeted clients include Google, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. For example, if you’re targeting co mputer service providers, you may search for ‘Dallas IT Service Providers’ using the social media platforms, or just a simple Google web search.eval5) Increase Your Social Media PresenceFacebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn consist of businesses requiring a dedicated set of writers. All that is needed is making yourself known to them and going even further to craft relationships that transform into operational requirements.Methods in which writers can improve their social media presence are through:Using a lot of Keywords â€" to create an easy way for clients to find you, use of keywords is fundamental. However, do not place a lot of keywords but use those terms that carefully define your topic of concentration.Share your samples on a regular basis with clients who are interested in the services that you have to offer.Be friendly with those people who choose to interact or engage with you.ConclusionFreelance writing requires time, commitment and dedication. Through the tips mentioned above, writers go a mile in ensuring increased jobs and opportunities within a very short period.evalMaking mistakes is good because afterward, you learn something new. You also get to build up on motivation and become better at your craft as you indulge more and more in it.Strive to provide great content, keep time, and continuously seek more clients. You’ll soon be on your way to freelancing success!

Tricks to Landing a Job Before It Goes Public

Tricks to Landing a Job Before It Goes Public 14 Flares 14 Flares Going up against potentially hundreds of other candidates for a single position can often be a sobering process for any job seeker. Constant rejections and length interviews can sometimes mean that your face becomes just another in the pile. On these occasions, you need to stand out from the crowd with more than just a slick resume; it may mean that you have to get clever about seeking the position of your dreams. You have to be proactive and intuitive to get in there before anyone else has a chance.   Source: wikipedia Indeed, there are some tricks that job searchers can utilise in order to try and get themselves to the front of the queue for new positions. Read on for five ideas to use so you can get your foot in the door of your dream job before an ad is posted. Networking Networking, either in person or through outlets such as LinkedIn, can be another great way to find out about jobs before they are made public. Contact people in the companies you want to work for and ask them about how you can get your foot in the door. It’s amazing how many job opportunities can open up to you that otherwise might have been advertised instead. Simply put, if they know your face and know you are looking for a position, they may remember you when a position comes up. Indeed, the more people you know (and who know you and your skills and experience) the better your chances will be of hearing about a new role early on. Attend industry or networking events; build relationships; or catch up with alumni from your university or past workplaces to stay up-to-date with new job openings. Recruiters Just as networking with specific businesses can help you find your dream job, so too can networking with an industry recruiter. Often recruiters such as Robert Half have the inside scoop on possible new job openings before they are advertised. Take the time to approach recruiters who specialise in your industry and let them know who you are, what your skills and experience are, and what role you’re hoping to get. You can even mention some of the companies you’d most love to work for. Recruitment firms speak to new and existing clients on a daily basis and if they can place an ideal candidate early on, there might never even be a need to advertise the position at all. Be polite and respectful of a recruiter’s time and you never know what opportunities might be presented to you. Internships and volunteer work It’s often a good idea to volunteer your time or participate in an internship at companies that you’d love to work for. This is a clever way to get an intimate perspective on what the company is like behind closed doors. It also gives you a practical advantage over other potential candidates as you will have the chance to impress hiring managers or owners during your time there. The very fact that you have worked at the company in some capacity and have an idea of the way it runs will stand you in good stead when jobs open up. Indeed, many interns make the leap to full-time employment simply because they have learnt the companies systems and have excelled in the day-to-day working environment. Make sure to keep in touch with your contacts from the business even after your volunteering time finishes, as you never know when a new position will open up. Referrals Referrals are another great way to find out about jobs before they are made public. When searching for a new role, ensure that you let all of your family and friends know that you are looking, and give them an idea of the kind of role you’d like and a rundown of your skills and experience. Many people like to refer those they trust and admire as a way of helping others, and you never know what opportunities might come your way as a result. Furthermore, many companies may not be proactively looking for new hires but if they come across a potential employee who impresses them, they might accelerate their hiring timeline or even find a role to suit. Be proactive It never hurts to be proactive when it comes to a job search, so time spent studying businesses in your industry and the skills they look for can help you to jump the job queue. Even if a company does not have current vacancies it can still be worthwhile submitting a quality resume â€" that way, if a place does open up and hiring managers look through already-submitted applications, you have a better chance of being noticed early on. Find a way to submit an application or to introduce yourself to HR staff at your ideal employer as soon as possible. Use the information you’ve learnt about the business to submit a  resume that really suits the firm and its company culture.

Resume Writing Tips For Hiring A Professional Job Candidate

Resume Writing Tips For Hiring A Professional Job CandidateIf you want to start your own business, then you will need to know how to write a resume. Resume writing tips will help you make a better resume. It is very important that you have the best resume for yourself because you will have it when you do enter the job market and are hired.If you want to create a resume for yourself, you should be able to use a resume template or a well-written resume that you will modify according to your needs. You can simply make a basic outline of your life and the activities you have been involved in. It is up to you to format your resume so that it fits to the requirements of the employer. To make your resume really stand out, you will have to use resume writing tips.Making an outline on what you want to talk about in your resume is a good idea. For instance, if you have two years experience as a web developer and now you want to continue on your career as a professional web designer, then you s hould put this in your resume.On the other hand, if you have six years experience as a web designer, you should put this in your resume. You have to be very honest with yourself. If you want to prove your capabilities and skills, then you should include in your resume all the things you have done.The most important information that you should put in your resume is your name and contact details. You should give details about yourself including your educational qualifications, awards and titles etc. Include the whole profile. Also, mention any special skills that you have.For resume writing tips, you can use the resume template for personal skills. Use the words you have used in your resume when you were interviewed by different companies. You should make sure that your resume stands out from the rest because you are already applying for jobs.Use resume writing tips if you want to show your skills and abilities in a very convincing manner. Remember, you have to give all the details. W hen you find something, don't forget to include it in your resume so that you can be noticed.