* Public Relations

* Tourism

* Hospitality

* Operations Management

* Telecommunications

* Accounting

* Marketing

* Sales

* And a ton more!

Any organization whether it be a business, corporation, non profit or government operation needs people that have business administration degrees. Holding this great degree will help you land careers which will probably see you start as the manager of a specific unit of the business or operation in charge of a small specific area. After that, promotion will see you rise and accept more responsibility and managing larger departments all the way up to the overall operations manager. The operations manager will hold a supervisory role over all of the departments and can be one of the most significant positions in the entire business.

These types of positions can certainly see you reap a great salary and is another one of the reasons business administration jobs are so popular. In order to get access to the best possible positions you may want to join one of the business associations around the country. Joining an association will help you with networking and allow you better training that will give a significant leg up on the competition. Examples of associations in the United States include the Financial Management Association and the Business Professionals of America…

A degree in this field truly allows your future to be flexible. If you start a particular path and end up in a job you don’t like too much you can easily switch entire careers because your degree will apply to a wide cross section of fields!

Head over to career salaries for excellent detailed salary data, where you can learn about a bunch of excellent careers like: construction management salary.

One of the biggest causes of anxiety to graduate students is whether they will be employed after they go through all that toil over their course. They are uncertain about the prospects of the career. The economic times of today do not make the picture any rosier. The jobs will anyway continue to be on demand. People will continue hiring graduates as there are others who retire everyday. Vacant positions appear.

As long as you are focused, you can expect to get something out of it. You will not be empty handed.

If you want to land these jobs faster, you can do another degree once you get your Bachelor’s.

For what reason would you take a master’s degree? For one, when you present one to an employer, you have an appeal.

If you get your CPAs, you immediately increase yourself on the rankings of an employer, as compared to someone who did not do his CPAs. People normally have a casual approach towards CPAs. They see them as stuff that can be done later on in life. That makes them loose out.

To put you on the same wavelength, all you need to do is show that you are well prepared for the interview.

Take advantage of job search engines. You can register for free as soon as possible and you will be ready to go. All you have to do is be consistent with them. That ensures that you do not see an opportunity too late. You could be lucky the next time you log in. you can as well stumble on a company that’s recruiting currently.

See more articles created by this same author about areas such as entry level accountant jobs and help desk jobs.

Since you are aspiring for a job in the bank, it is important that you possess this trait because it is the one that they are looking for in an applicant. It is also essential that you know the duties and responsibilities of a bank teller.

Being knowledgeable in the duties and responsibilities of a bank teller such as the ability to balance large sum of money, accepts deposits and load payments, process withdrawals & cash checks is a big factor in your resume. So don’t forget to include this in your resume.

To be able to showcase your past job experiences, be sure to include them in your resume so that the employer will know that you are not new in the job, and that you can deliver the tasks well.

Choose the persons that know you so well for your reference and can attest for your good moral character. They are a big help in the interview process to get the position that you are applying for.

Highlight the highest degree of education that you took. The person, who took a management subject and has good grades, has better edge in getting the job for the company. But if you don’t have this, an Accounting and finance class is a good option.

The skills and interest section also plays a big part in your resume, if you are having a hard time in composing your skills and interest in the employment section. You can make use of the skills and interest section to express yourself better.

Your knowledge in the use of spreadsheet application, Microsoft applications, and your capacity to budget your cash on hand are the skills that are usually written in this section.

Check out more of this author’s tips regarding topics like bank teller job description and accounts payable jobs.

If you’re completely new to the idea of the online school process, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised as to how similar it is to a standard classroom setting. The big distinction is that you can study where it’s most convenient for you, instead of having to fight traffic, buy gas, or find a different way to go to a conventional classroom arrangement.

Getting your training from home has additional added benefits besides clearing away commuting time and expenses. Distance learning is also ideal for individuals who could have households to take care of, jobs to maintain, or merely favor working more by themselves, rather than being around other men and women. It’s also a unique technique to attend many of the prestigious colleges out there, without needing to move to that college’s town.

It’s commonly assumed that online learning only permits students to acquire a diploma and not a degree. While you can obtain a diploma, individuals could also earn an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or even a doctoral degree for their chosen study way.

The type of diploma you should aim for very much depends on the type of accounting work which they wish to attain. Generally, individuals who are going for an entry-level position such as accounting clerk or a bookkeeper position will do just fine with a one or two year associate’s degree. On the other hand, those who have set their ambitions higher are likely to follow a bachelors diploma, as they desire to focus on more profitable positions.

For those who are wanting to take their career to higher levels, most consider achieving the role of becoming a Certified Public Account, or CPA. In a few states, having an associate’s degree or higher will permit someone for participating in the CPA Examination; however, some states could require 150 semester hours in order to qualify to take the exam. Due to this, it’s often wise to check out your specific state’s requirements in order to identify the best education for you.

Online accounting schools can be a very good way for individuals who may well struggle with balancing their learning goals with their lifestyles, but they can be also a great option for those individuals who just want more selections when deciding on a university. In the end, you will want to carefully research each university, compare program choices against each other, submit an application to the one you believe is best fitted to your needs and then work hard in order to help make your new career achievable.

You could instantly identify a really good accounting school online and a short group of the best accounting schools online inside the country.

* Information systems security review and analysis * Customer satisfaction surveys * Internal audit outsourcing * Accounts receivable review * Quality control * Risk assessment.

The following are job postings for CPAs in Assurance Services:

Internal Audit and Controls Jefferson Wells Tampa, Florida Description Under the supervision of the Director, the Internal Audit & Controls professional completes assigned projects and maintains the appropriate level of utilization in one or all of the following areas:

* Construction Audit and Advisory Services * Contract Compliance * Enterprise Risk Assessment and Management Services * Financial Institution Internal Audits and Other Financial Institution Services * Financial Reporting Audits * Fraud and Forensic Investigations * Information Technology Audits * Internal Audit Co-Sourcing and Outsourcing * Operational Audits * Regulatory Compliance Audits * Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Work

Jefferson Wells is a unique, agile firm which delivers professional services in the areas of internal audit and controls, technology risk management, tax, and finance and accounting-related services including Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies. Requirements ● Bachelor’s degree in accounting, auditing, or finance * CPA preferred * MBA or other relevant advanced degree preferred * Minimum five (5) years’ experience required with at least one (1) year of internal audit experience and the balance of experience in financial statement auditing/preparation/reporting, operational auditing, internal controls and/or Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance * Willingness and ability to travel

Internal Auditor Siemens Miami, Florida

Description:

● Identify and communicate changes in the business risk profile to the engagement manager * Establish, maintain and leverage personal network / cross-regional relationship * Adhere to all performance coaching and development protocols, policies and procedures and insure timely adherence to program requirements * Actively plan and prepare the assigned engagement tasks for Financial Audit * Manage execution of your audit engagements in accordance with the internal global audit plan, methodology and guidelines

Requirements:

* Familiarity with Sarbanes-Oxley regulations, COSO Internal Control and risk management frameworks and internal audit methodologies is required. * Must have a minimum of 4 years experience as a Financial Auditor, preferably with the ‘Big 4′. * Must be willing to travel 70% – 75% to both domestic and international audit sites * Strong knowledge of US GAAP required. * Working knowledge of IFRS a plus. * Candidate should have experience with the execution of a risk-based audit engagement as well as a working knowledge of International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. * Spanish and / or Portuguese speaking skills are highly desirable

Internal Controls Manager Land O’Lakes Minnesota

The Internal Controls Manager will be responsible for working with Land O’Lakes’ five business segments to identify, test and evaluate key internal controls over financial reporting, while coordinating business continuity activities, participating in meetings of a designated committee that evaluates all identified control deficiencies, driving process improvement initiatives, and consulting on ad-hoc projects with the business segments. The Internal Control Manager is also responsible for handling inquiries from external auditors and mentoring junior staff and interns.

Requirements * College degree in Accounting or Finance * CPA, * Minimum of four years of public accounting experience; including experience auditing or implementing Sarbanes-Oxley compliance requirements in the manufacturing industry. How do you get there from here? To become a CPA in assurance services, you should have an interest helping businesses comply with complex governmental regulations. If you are still in college, consider taking courses in business risk management and information technology security. If you have graduated with your BA/BS, consider taking courses in these areas to bring your total coursework up to the 150 semester hours required by most states before you sit for the CPA Exam. How do you become a CPA? First, you need a bachelor’s degree with at least some accounting courses. Try CPAexcel’s Exam Planner to determine if you meet your state’s requirements. Exam Planner can tell you what courses you need before you apply to sit for the exam and Exam Planner gives you all the contact information for the testing agency in your state. By becoming a CPA, you expand your opportunities to:

* move into management, * travel the world, and * command a higher salary.

At CPAexcel, the countdown to 2011 has begun. Because CPAexcel is the only CPA Exam which never expires, you can order it now and study for the current 2010 CPA Exam. If you have not passed all four sections by the end of 2010, you will have access to the new 2011 CBT-e content and functionality for free!

IQEX is an acronym for the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination. This test is sometimes referred to as The U.S. CPA Reciprocity Exam. The exam covers U.S. taxation and other topics specific to U.S. practice, and thus probably not taught during the Canadian college program.

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) offers the IQEX to qualified international candidates each fall. If you are an internationally trained accountant, you may wish to sit for the IQEX exam and seek a reciprocal CPA designation, since the CPA is globally the most recognized accounting designation.

IQEX is designed to evaluate your professional competence as delineated by the U.S. International Qualifications Appraisal Board. The board will evaluate your education, examination scores, and experience to determine if you meet requirements which are substantially equivalent to United States CPAs. The IQEX exam will test you on your knowledge of U.S. business law, professional standards, and U.S. taxation codes.

In a later article, there is a list of the international designations eligible for reciprocity. If you do not hold one of those, you can still apply through one of the 54 U.S. jurisdictions, pass the exam, and become a CPA.

The testing window for 2010 has not yet been determined.

Applications for the 2010 IQEX will be accepted approximately 4 months prior to the examination window.

To have the best chance of scheduling on your preferred date and at your preferred testing center, schedule your examination early. Notices to Schedule (NTS) will begin to be released in July. Your application and Letter of Good Standing must be received before your NTS will be released.

Note: Testing centers fill quickly. Do not expect to be able to test at the end of the testing window. Testing space at the end of the window fills more quickly than space at the beginning of the window. Failure to schedule your examination will result in all fees being forfeited.

CPAexcel students pass the CPA Exam at nearly twice the national average. That power to pass can be yours when you study with CPA Review materials from CPAexcel. CPAexcel is the only CPA Prep materials which does not expire, you can order it now and prepare for the 2010 CPA Exam. If you have not passed all 4 parts by the end of 2010, you will have the new 2011 features for free.

1. Replacing the one long simulation in the current format with several short Task-Based Simulations (TBS) in Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), and Regulation (REG); 2. Deleting the testing of written communication from AUD, FAR, and REG; 3. Adding the testing of written communication to the Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) section; 4. Deleting 18 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) from BEC and REG; 5. Reducing the weight of MCQ in AUD, FAR, and REG by 10%; 6. Reducing the weight of MCQ in BEC by 15%; 7. Doubling the simulations in AUD, FAR, and REG; 8. Changing Content and Skill Specification Outlines (CSOs/SSOs); 9. Adding testing content on IFRS; 10. Deleting some of the testing content on IT; 11. Adding testing content on project management.

It was previously decided to add planned authoritative literature release and to introduce a new research task format into the CBT-e schedule.

AICPA has announced numerous changes to the content, structure, and format of the CPA Exam which will be given on or after January 1, 2011. These changes include:

Time Allotment Changes:

A shift between two sections occurred but it will not effect the total time to complete all four sections. While BEC will gain 30 minutes for its allotted time, AUD will decrease by 30 minutes. Total testing time for all four sections will remain at 14 hours.

AICPA allows 14 hours to complete the exams for all four sections: * Auditing and Attestation: 4.5 hours * Financial Accounting and Reporting: 4 hours * Regulation: 3 hours * Business Environment and Concepts: 2.5 hours. In 2011, the time allotments will change: * Auditing and Attestation: 4 hours (minus 30 minutes from 2010.) * Financial Accounting and Reporting: 4 hours * Regulation: 3 hours * Business Environment and Concepts: 3.0 hours (adds 30 min.) If you complete an exam is less time than allotted, you are not allowed to move those minutes to another test. For instance, if it only takes you 4 hours to complete AUD, you may NOT move your 30 minutes to BEC.

How Questions Will Be Weighted and Scored?

New scoring has been approved as follows for multiple-choice questions (MCQs), Task-Based Simulations (TBS) and written communication tasks:

Part Questions 2010 2011 BEC MCQs 100% 85% Simulations N/A N/A Written Comm. N/A 15%

AUD/FAR/REG MCQs 70% 60% Simulations 20% 40% Written Comm. 10% N/A

Simulations are condensed case studies about which you are asked specific questions which showcase how you would apply your skill set to solve a “real-life” situation. Your answers allow you to demonstrate your writing skills because about 30% of your score in 2010 depends on your ability to write out your answers, not simply select option a, b, c or d.

BEC has no simulations, either in 2010 or 2011.

For AUD, FAR and REG, simulations double from 20% of your score in 2010 to 40% of your score in 2011.

In 2010, about 1/3 of your simulation score is based on your writing ability.

Current and 2011 Structure of the CPA Exam

Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Current Structure CBT-e Structure * 3 Multiple Choice Question Remains the same (MCQs) testlets with 30 questions each (total: 90) * 2 Simulations in long format 1 Testlet with 7 short TBS with a research question in new format * 2 written communication tasks None required Current Testing Time: 4.5 hours CBT-e Testing Time: 4 hours

Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) Current Structure CBT-e Structure * 3 Multiple Choice Question 3 Multiple Choice Question (MCQs) testlets with 30 testlets with 72 questions total questions each (total: 90) 3 Written Communication tasks on BEC topics Current Testing Time: 2.5 hours CBT-e Testing Time: 3 hours

Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) Current Structure CBT-e Structure * 3 Multiple Choice Question Remains the same (MCQs) testlets with 30 questions each (total: 90) * 2 Simulations in long format 1 Testlet with 7 short TBS with a research question in new format * 2 written communication tasks None required Current Testing Time: 4 hours CBT-e Testing Time: 4 hours

Regulation (REG)

* 3 Multiple Choice Question 3 Multiple Choice Question (MCQs) testlets with 30 (MCQs) testlets with 72 questions each (total: 90) questions total * 2 Simulations in long format 1 Testlet with 6 short TBS with a research question in new format * 2 written communication tasks None required Current Testing Time: 4 hours CBT-e Testing Time: 4 hours

Changes in Question Distribution (Weight):

Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) Regulation (REG)

Type of Question Current Weight CBT-e Weight

Multiple-Choice Question 70% 60% Simulations 20% 40% Written Communications 10% 0%

Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

Type of Question Current Weight CBT-e Weight

Multiple-Choice Question 100% 85% Simulations 0% 0% Written Communications 0% 15%

The greatest amount of accurate information is from the AICPA itself. For the letter from AICPA detailing the changes, click here:

The letter explores the changes to the structure and the content of the 2011 CPA Exam.

During 2010, a team at AICPA has been creating and testing new questions which will appear on the 2011 exam. For this reason, you may see a question which you have not studied. Don’t panic. In 2010, those new questions will not be added into your score or detract from your score. The writers are testing to see which questions cover the scope of the material and give an accurate picture of whether or not you have mastered the material.

In 2011, these new questions will be graded and will count, either for or against your score.

As an accountant, the career track which progresses upward at a faster rate is labeled “CPA.”

In many firms, you hit the ceiling and progress no further if you do not become a CPA. Progressing from being an accountant to becoming a CPA offers greater opportunities for promotion to management and higher salaries.

Here are three examples of career paths for an accountant and for a CPA with the same education and experience:

Scenario 1: Two people in the same situation Location: Austin, Texas Graduates of/Degree: University of Texas, BA Employer: Public Accounting in Austin Size of firm: 50 Years of work experience: 2 On average, the CPA makes $10,000 more per year than the accountant.

Scenario 2: Two people in the same situation Location: Los Angeles, CA Graduates of/Degree: UCLA, BA Employer: Public Accounting in Westwood, a suburb of Los Angeles, CA Size of firm: 50 Years of work experience: 5 On average, the CPA makes $18,000 more per year than the accountant.

Scenario 3: Two people in the same situation Location: Boston, MA Graduates of/Degree: Harvard, BA Employer: Public Accounting in Boston Managing a team of: 25 Years of work experience: 15 On average, the CPA makes $25,000 more per year than the accountant.

Difference between top salary for CPA and for accountant: $45,000+.

Each of the 54 jurisdictions (including US states and territories) which offers the CPA Exam has its own qualifications for sitting for the exam. In California, the requirements are: * A bachelor’s degree; * 24 semester units in accounting-related subjects; * 24 semester units in business-related subjects; * 150 semester units (or 225 quarter units) of education; * Passing the Uniform CPA Exam; * One year of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA with an active license; and * Passing an ethics course.- * How do you become a CPA? While you could buy books and study on your own, but you’d be missing several key learning modules featured in CPAexcel, a CPA Exam review course.

CPAexcel students pass the CPA Exam at nearly twice the national average. That power to pass can be yours when you prepare with CPA Exam Review materials from CPAexcel. CPAexcel is the only CPA Prep materials which does not expire, you can order it now and study for the 2010 CPA Exam. If you have not passed all four sections by the end of 2010, you will have the new 2011 features for free.

The same cannot be said about the following designations which are very specific to certain niches and do not translate to career cache’ in other fields within accounting. The Institute of Management Accountants confers the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation. As of fall 2009, you must have at least a bachelor’s degree to qualify to sit for the exam. (Previously, a good score on the GMAT or GRE graduate school exam was permissible as well.) After you pass a four-part examination on financial statement analysis, working-capital policy, capital structure, valuation issues, and risk management, you must agree to meet continuing education requirements and comply with standards of professional conduct to be a CMA.

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) offers the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation. You must: * Have at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. * Have worked for two years as an internal auditor. * Have passed a four-part examination. The IIA also offers the designations of * Certified in Control Self-Assessment (CCSA), * Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP), and * Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA) to those who pass the exams and meet educational and experience requirements.

The ISACA, formerly known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, confers the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) designation after you pass an examination and have five years of experience auditing information systems.

Information systems experience, financial or operational auditing experience, or related college credit hours can be substituted for up to two years information systems auditing, control or security experience. The Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation, a satellite organization of the National Society of Accountants, confers four designations: * Accredited Business Accountant (ABA) You can apply if you specialize in tax preparation for small and medium-sized businesses and you pass the ABA exam. * Accredited Tax Advisor (ATA) You can apply if you have five years of experience in sophisticated tax planning cases such as qualified retirement plans, complex estates, and the ownership of closely held businesses. ACAT is developing a test consisting of 140 questions for this designation. * Accredited Tax Preparer (ATP) You can apply if you specialize in tax return preparation for individuals and the self-employed. * Elder Care Specialist (ECS): You can apply if you have three years’ experience in accounting or taxation and specialize in estate and trust planning, and retirement planning for senior citizens.

The National Society of Accountants provides three tracks which must be completed, and you must pass a test at each level. Candidates for the other designations must complete the required coursework and for certain designations and licenses, pass an exam as well. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners offers the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation for forensic or public accountants involved in fraud prevention, detection, deterrence, and investigation.

To obtain the designation, you must have a bachelor’s degree, two years of relevant experience, pass a four-part examination, and abide by a code of professional ethics. Related work experience may be substituted for the educational requirement. The Association of Government Accountants grants the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) designation for accountants, auditors, and other government financial workers at the Federal, State, and local levels.

You must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, 24 hours of study in financial management, two years of experience in government, and passing scores on a series of three exams. The exams cover topics in governmental environment, governmental accounting, financial reporting and budgeting; and financial management and control.

Each of these certifications is highly specialized and does not necessarily translate into being viewed as an expert in another field. For instance, simply because an accountant is an Elder Care Specialist does NOT mean that the accountant is viewed automatically as an expert in fraud examination. However, there is one license which garners credibility in every niche of accounting and that is the Certified Public Accountant (CPA). The most globally recognized designation for an accountant is the Certified Public Accountant (CPA). It opens the greatest number of doors around the world for those who have it. For accountants, the career path upwards requires becoming a CPA. Progressing from being an accountant to becoming a CPA offers greater opportunities for promotion into management, greater career opportunities, and higher salaries.

In many companies, you must be a CPA before you are promoted into upper management and especially at C-Level such as CFO (Chief Financial Officer).

At CPAexcel, the countdown to 2011 has begun. Because CPAexcel is the only CPA Exam which never expires, you can order it now and study for the current 2010 CPA Exam. If you have not passed all four sections by the end of 2010, you will have access to the new 2011 CBT-e content and functionality for free!

How can you build personal chemistry during an interview? First, you have to realize the opposite truth: interviewers, by and large, do not seek to hire during an interview but rather, they seek reasons NOT to hire you.

Why? Every single job posting garners more than one rsum and therefore, a certain number of applicants are eliminated at the rsum stage. Often, more than one person will be interviewed. It is in this scenario that the interviewer usually has a mind set to exclude, rather than include, the candidate in front of them. Why? The parallel is dating: you may date many people before you marry just one.

As a result, certain interviewers have opted for a type of question called “behavior based,” “wild card,” or “psychological.” Why? Books and counselors can help you prepare to answer the standard questions for an interview, carefully rehearsing with you how you would delineate your finest accomplishment at your previous workplace or which personal flaw you would change but books and counselors can’t prepare you to handle wild card questions. What is the interviewer seeking? 1. That you DO NOT respond with a “deer in the headlights” reaction or let the room fill with five minutes of deafening silence. This is the absolute worst thing you can do. This can get you eliminated from the job, even if you aced the rest of the interview. 2. The interviewer wants to see if you can think on your feet. If you can think creatively on your feet, you get bonus points. 3. Your answers will help build personal chemistry with the interviewer if you show your ability to handle a crisis-like this question.

Here are several actual questions which were asked in different interviews and the candidate’s answers:

Interviewer: If you could help one of Snow White’s Seven Dwarfs, which dwarf would it be and what would you do?

Candidate: I’d help Sneezy by getting him an allergy medicine to handle that runny nose of his.

Interviewer: Do you remember those crossing jokes which were so popular? Like, “What do you get if you cross an elephant with a rhino? Elephino!” OK, describe yourself in terms of one character from children’s literature and one other image.

Candidate: That’s easy. I’m Tigger crossed with a racehorse. Tigger is always happy and joyful but he does not have a goal or a purpose. The racehorse has a definite goal: cross the finish line ahead of the other horses and win. As a college textbook sales person, my goal is to win-to cross the finish line and exceed my sales goals but to accomplish that infused with as much joy as I can gather. (The interviewer laughed for several minutes-and offered the author that job on the spot!)

Interviewer: If you could have dinner with any famous person in the world, living or dead, who would it be? What would you want to find out from them?

Candidate: I would welcome the opportunity to have dinner with W. Edwards Deming. While I’ve read his fourteen key points for transforming management to make it more effective, I’d love to find out whatever he didn’t write down. That’s information I could implement to improve quality in my work for your company.

Garnered from other candidates, questions can cover the very obvious, “see if you are paying attention” queries, such as:

When did the War of 1812 start? When does the 10 o’clock news start?

And then there are the very unusual questions such as:

1. If aliens landed in front of you and offered you any job on their planet, what job would you want? Why? 2. If you could be a superhero, what would your super power be? 3. If you could meet with any character in literature, who would it be and why? 4. What animal in jungle would you be? 5. What food would you be? 6. If you were a salad, what dressing would you be and why? 7. If you had six months in which all your living expenses were paid, what would you do with the time? 8. It’s twenty years from now and you have passed on. The company newsletter runs an article about your career here at Wexford Widgets. What would the headline be? If you are in sales, an answer could be, “Bill Davis Is Top Sales Rep for the 20th.Year in a Row!” If you are in finance, “Rose Marley Finds a Way to Save $500,000 by Global Tax Planning!”

Should you prepare to answer all of these questions? Yes. Will you be asked all of them? No. Will you be asked some of them over time? Probably yes.

In the Tigger crossed with a racehorse answer, the candidate built personal chemistry with the interviewer. The interviewer was able to see that the candidate could focus that creativity to any work-related situation. The candidate was able to save herself from exclusion in the hiring process to become the one who was included in the firm. Quick thinking about Tigger and the racehorse helped that candidate be the fittest to survive in that hiring process. You can too.

CPAexcel students pass the CPA Exam at nearly twice the national average. That power to pass can be yours when you prepare with CPA Review materials from CPAexcel. CPAexcel is the only CPA Prep materials that does not expire, you can order it now and prepare for the current CPA Exam. If you have not passed all 4 parts by the end of 2010, you will have the new 2011 features for free.

In the professional world, there are several basic ways you can get hired: 1. Personal initiative: You send your resume in response to an online job posting or newspaper ad or hand it to a corporate representative at a career fair. 2. Personal referral: A friend or relative alerts you to a job opening with their employer. Employers often reward the referring employee when you are hired so make certain that you fill in the application line, “Referred by____” completely. 3. Personnel Agency, Personnel Counselor or Staffing Services: A personnel counselor recruits a job order from a company and then either matches the job order to an existing candidate OR advertises online or in newspapers for that candidate. A personnel counselor does NOT call you at work to recruit you for a job-that is the principle difference between a personnel counselor and a recruiter. A counselor has to wait for you to make the first contact while a recruiter does not. 4. In most states, a personnel counselor is NOT allowed to take a fee from you (the candidate) but always verify that BEFORE you go on the interview. Until 1982 in California, a personnel agency could charge the candidate as well as the company a fee for the placement and thus split the fee between the two. That has changed. In 2009, many agencies state up front in their advertising and on their web sites that they are 100% employer paid. 5. Personnel agencies, such as Shelling Staffing, Abbott Staffing Group, and Apple One, usually have both a store front and an online corporate web site on which they post jobs. You can search for jobs next door or in the next state. 6. Recruiters and Headhunters: “Recruiter” and “headhunter” are interchangeable terms for a person who not only recruits job orders from companies but also actively recruits candidates through personal phone calls and e-mails. Recruiters are 95% paid by the corporate client, not by you, but it is always wise to verify.

The Ground Rules:

A personnel counselor waits for you to walk in the door. He or she matches you up with a job order that he or she already has or finds a job that fits your specifications. If the person does not understand what you do now or what you want to do in your next job, it will be very difficult to make a job match. Therefore, be willing to educate this personnel counselor on your career field, the intricacies of your job, and the type of company you would like to join.

A recruiter or headhunter is hired by a corporation to find exactly the person the company needs. Most recruiters are hired for their sales abilities. A few agencies hire someone with extensive experience in a field (e.g., electrical engineering) and teach him or her how to recruit and place candidates (like you). Because recruiters know the field, they can tell whether the candidate is “blowing sunshine up their skirts” or if the candidate actually knows the subject.

Rule 1: It is really OK to talk to a recruiter, even if he or she calls you at work — just don’t… 1. Exclaim joyfully that you are happy to be recruited. 2. Denigrate your current boss or organization in any way. Do: 1. Give the headhunter your cell or pager number or your e-mail. If you have none of the above OR your only e-mail is corporate, then give your home phone number. 2. If you only have a work e-mail, get a personal e-mail at any of the free sites such as Yahoo. If your private e-mail address is not professional (such as fancypants@hotmail.com or alvinandthechipmunks@yes.com), then now is the time to register for an additional e-mail. Employers judge you on any number of levels and one is your e-mail address. Is it serious or flippant? Those who are perceived as flippant rarely get interviews. 3. The recruiter should ask for a good time to call you or may ask, “Is 7 PM a good time to call you?” You can answer by saying “earlier” or “later” until you agree on a time. The fact that this recruiter sought you out should be taken as a compliment. 4. A friend who has been placed by this recruiter may earn a referral fee of $200-1000 if they refer you to the recruiter and you are placed in a new job. If you like your recruiter, remember to ask after you are placed if there is a referral fee. If there is, refer your friends to the recruiter. Your friend will never know you referred them unless you give the recruiter permission to tell or you tell your friend. Rule 2: Never assume that the recruiter actually knows what you do — let alone the nuances of what you do. Explain what you do in small words and slowly since this person is probably taking notes.

Here is an example of the process of informing the recruiter. In 1999 during an Internet-based job hunt, Jerry, who is a UNIX systems administrator posted his resume , responded to job postings, and investigated technical job hunting web sites (such as DICE) on weekends. During the weekdays, he had the glorious opportunity to return calls to headhunters. (Quick side note: While it’s cute having your 5-year-old twins tape the outgoing message on your home answering machine, that message is not what you want a recruiter or prospective new employer to hear first. Record a professional message on your home phone as well as your cell phone. Once you’re hired, the twins can come back and record another outgoing message.)

At least half of the recruiters presented jobs that had nothing to do with UNIX in any way, shape, or form. Another 48 percent assumed that a UNIX systems administrator with AIX working on an RS/6000 was also absolutely brilliant on Sun Solaris right now. He wasn’t. The last 2 percent were willing to actually listen to Jerry, find out what he knew and didn’t know, and then — lo and behold — actually present him to jobs for which he was qualified. However, Jerry had to spend time educating each interested recruiter. One way was to send an e-mail cover letter of Jerry’s career and education highlights. (Why? Recruiters and personnel counselors present you to the potential employer by using three bullet points of your accomplishments. If you give the recruiter this sales pitch, it makes it much easier to place you.) Jerry sent six bullet points and let the recruiter pick the three most applicable to that job posting. This effort paid off: the recruiter knew how to present Jerry to his best advantage, and Jerry eventually got the job at a 25 percent salary increase over his previous job.

Rule 3: The theory on what to put into the cover letter accompanying your Internet resume is: 1. Keep the cover letter as short as possible so that it fits on one screen of a computer monitor without having to scroll down. 2. Use bullets. 3. Care for your personnel counselor or headhunter by giving them short sentences about your education and accomplishments which they can use as a sales pitch when they present you to the company. The easier you make it for them, the more they will be willing to work for you!

Here’s an example:

My name is Jerry W——.

I am responding to your job posting for a UNIX Systems Administrator. Briefly my career includes, but is not limited to: * M.S. Computer Information Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. * Ten years as a UNIX Systems Administrator in AIX, DG/UX, AT&T System. * Rapid learning curve as demonstrated by becoming literate on AIX in one week based on my earlier experiences. * Integrated an AIX UNIX system with an Ethernet TCP/IP Windows 95/NT network within 21 days of my hire. * Converted to PCs, which emulated terminals, thereby eliminating dumb terminals and having two systems on each employee’s desk. * Wrote and presented papers at international conferences on computer security issues.

Since I am employed, please call me at home at — — —- after 5 PM EDT or e-mail me at ———@—-. —–. My resume follows.

Respectfully,

Jerry W——

Rule 4: Realize how recruiters work and work with them, if at all possible. Similar to real estate in which you have a buyer and a seller, any placement process consists of the job order and the candidate. In real estate, the agents for the buyer and the seller split the commission. If one person represents both the buyer and the seller, that one agent gets the entire commission because they are splitting the fee with no one.

In personnel placement, the rules are the same: if one recruiter produces both the job order (a contract with Corporation A to find and hire Person B) and the candidate (the erudite individual taking the job), the recruiter keeps the entire fee. (The owner of the recruiting firm is probably retaining a huge percentage of this fee.) If you are represented by Recruiter A in Atlanta and the company is represented by Recruiter C in Concord, then the two recruiters split the fee paid by the company.

In a very few cases, the placement office may try to charge you a fee. If the recruiting firm plans on charging you, it has to alert you before your interview with the client company. Suggestion: run for the hills! You should not pay anyone a fee when thousands of headhunters are out there eager to do work for you for free.

Recruiter A will brief you before the interview and debrief you afterwards. Recruiter C will present your qualifications to the company and debrief the firm after the interview. Then the two recruiters will share notes and try to convince you to take the job and the company to give it to you.

That’s in the best of all possible worlds. What can go wrong? Recruiter C may turn up his or her own candidate and, in an effort to keep the entire fee, sabotage you. Is there anything you can do to prevent this sabotage? Not really.

How does a recruiter find a candidate? First, the recruiter gets a job order and a detailed description of the perfect candidate. The recruiter will look for companies performing the same type of work. A recruiter in El Paso, Texas had a job order for a person with experience in wireless communications. Knowing that Motorola developed garage-door openers (which need wireless communications to operate) and that the company was a bit vulnerable to imminent layoffs, he located a Motorola division in Arizona and the man who designed the communication system for garage-door openers. Quick as a flash, he was able to contact the man, present the job opportunity, arrange an interview, and the placement (hire) was made.

P.S. It’s not unusual for the job order to change after you are presented with the opportunity. If the recruiter doesn’t understand what the job requires, you may be presented for a job that does not exist. If you don’t fit the new and improved job description, don’t worry about it: there is a better job waiting for you.

Rule 5: Never send your resume to more than one person within an office or chain of headhunters (e.g., Management Recruiters, Inc.) Why? If you send your resume to Dave and Karen in the same office, and they both present you to Terry, who holds the job order, guess what happens out of your line of sight? A huge fight! Dave and Karen both want to represent you, the candidate. A recruiting fee usually runs 33-50% of your first year’s salary. Therefore, on a $60,000 salary, the fee is a minimum of $18,000. Can you see why they are fighting? What usually happens? One of three things:

1. If the boss is a Gandhi of the recruitment world, then Karen and Dave may split half of the fee, each getting 25% of the fee.

2. A neutral fourth person will check the incoming e-mails to see to whom you sent your resume first. The person to whom you sent your resume first will collect the fee when you are placed.

3. Most likely, if you don’t get the job, no one in the office will work with you. Why? To avoid another fight. Recruiters often snub candidates who appear to be so unconscious that they send their resume twice to the same office. Rule 6: Recruiters often trawl for resumes by placing job postings on web sites for very interesting jobs which may or may not be open at that moment. It could be that the recruiter already has someone lined up for the job and is taking this opportunity to collect qualified resumes. By law, a recruiter cannot post a job which does not exist, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Remember: the recruiter who presents the candidate gets half the fee when the placement is made so it behooves the recruiter to have as many resumes as possible. If this is the case, that is fine. Send your resume. You never know if this is an open job order or not. If it is, get in line. If it isn’t, then convince this recruiter of how exceptional you are and the recruiter will be motivated to find you a great job.

Rule 7: The recruiter or the personnel counselor may ask you where you have interviewed and/or sent your resume already OR where another placement professional has sent you to interview. Why?

1. The recruiter does not want to present you for jobs where your resume is already “in play.” For one thing, it makes the recruiter appear unprofessional to the hiring authority because they did not have enough candidate control that they garnered this piece of information ahead of time (or that the recruiter is greedily out to get a piece of the fee). 2. The recruiter seeks to contact those companies to which you have applied, obtain a job order, and make a placement.

What should you do? It is easier to tell the recruiter where you have interviewed than to have them embarrassed later on by the company. If the recruiter finds out that you are under consideration by the company, the recruiter is likely to stop working with you to prevent this from happening again.

Keep an accurate, up-to-date list of where you have sent your resume and where you have interviewed, whether the initiating contact was by you or a recruiter. Even if it is to a different division of the same company, ONLY reapply if YOU sent your resume in the first place.

If a recruiter or personnel counselor presented you for IBM Finance, then you cannot apply for any other division of IBM anywhere in the world. The recruiter may have a vested interest in you (and in collecting a fee), even if you are hired by a division to which the recruiter did not present you. Recruiters have successfully collected a fee from an employer when the candidate was hired not for the job for which they were presented but for another job somewhere else in the company.

If Recruiter Z presents you for a job at KPMG but doesn’t tell you who the hiring authority is, you are not responsible later on if Recruiter Y presents you to the same company. In that case, tell Y that you did not know. Recruiters often do not say who the hiring authority is. In this case, you are not at fault and both recruiters should continue to work with you.

If the recruiter contacts the companies you have interviewed with, that is fine. Even if the recruiter gets one job order out of this, it is not a problem. You will find the right job for you.

Rule 8: Keep in contact with the headhunter. If he or she thinks you want to work with him or her, the recruiter is more likely to make an effort to place you. E-mail any recruiter who contacts you at least once a week – unless the recruiter has an IQ less than 90.

Rule 9: Keep putting your resume out there. The right job is looking for you right now. You just have to be willing to look and keep looking until you find it.

If you care for your recruiter by feeding him or her easy bites of information (information that may be passed on by the recruiter to the client company with no modification, thus making the recruiter’s job that much easier), you have just increased your chances of getting hired.

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