Six reasons you should start studying AAT right now

Six reasons you should start studying AAT right now by Michael Cheary How much do you really know about AAT?Whether you’re just starting out in accountancy, or you’re looking to move up the ladder in finance and find your next role, an AAT qualification could be the perfect way to move forward in your career and increase your salary. Still not sure whether it’s right for you?We spoke to the experts at AVADO, the UK’s largest online provider of AAT qualifications, to find their top six reasons you should start learning AAT today:1. Because it’s the industry leader for AccountantsAAT, otherwise known as the Association of Accounting Technicians, is the UK’s leading qualification and membership body for vocational accountants.In fact, they award around 90% of all vocational qualifications in accounting, officially making them the industry standard for proficiency in the profession.Because the qualifications they offer are internationally recognised, companies such as Sainsbury’s, PG, Morgan Stanley, the Ministry of Defence and many more continue to hire AAT professionals for their expert knowledge in the field.They also happen to be sponsored by professional accounting bodies CIPFA, ICAEW, CIMA and ICAS, showing that just about anyone who’s anyone in accounting knows it doesn’t get better than AAT.2. Because you can fit it around your scheduleNo matter what your schedule looks like, anyone can study AAT.You could choose to take one of their self-paced courses and start right away, or choose their group study method, which provides you with the support of a group of likeminded learners and structured deadlines to help keep you on track.In fact, AVADO pass rates prove that you’re more likely to pass first time when learning as part of a group. So whatever method you choose, there are officially no more excuses not to keep your career moving in the right direction.3. Because you’re practically guaranteed to passThe current pass rate for AAT courses taken with AVADO is a staggering 92%.And although we can’t officially guarantee that you’ll pass all your exams first time, you’ll be provided with the essential help and support necessary to keep the odds in your favour.If you aren’t able to ace an exam at the first attempt, they’ve even introduced a new Pass Promise scheme, offering you a free resit when you’re ready to try again.All the confidence you need to get qualified as quickly and painlessly as possible â€" no unnecessary stress required.4. Because you’ll be given face-to-face feedbackEven if you’re a big fan of online learning, sometimes you just need to talk to someone directly.With an AAT qualification, you’re given access to a range of handpicked specialist tutors, who are always available to answer your questions.Simply phone, email or message them online and you’ll be able to benefit from the years of experience they’ve built up in field.No more irritating FAQs to sit through or unanswered phone calls. Just the advice you need to help keep you going.5. Because you’ll actually save moneyNot sure you can afford to start studying right now? Don’t panic.There are a range of online discounts available to make things more manageable, not to mention flexible finance options to help you self-fund your studies.Payment plans can be spread out over a period of time that works for you, and company funding is available if your employer is willing to provide part of the bill. Exam fees are even included in all packages, so there are no hidden charges to worry about during your studies.  Plus you’ll even get a free Android tablet when you enrol.So whatever level of AAT you’re looking at, and whatever your budget, there’s something out there to suit you.6. Because you could earn up to £50,000The number one reason you should be considering an AAT qualification right now comes down to your earnings.Even entry-level AAT certified professionals, such as Junior Administrators, can command salaries of almost £20,000. How ever, once you’re fully qualified, your potential salary could rise to an impressive £47,500 â€" well above the industry average.And if you’re wondering what your colleagues are earning, research from Hays Accountancy and Finance found that achieving the full AAT Accounting Qualification can boost earnings by 51% more than unqualified colleagues, proving that careers in accounting really can pay off.Why study with AVADO?AVADO are 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.They’re proud to be the UKs No. 1 provider of online AAT qualifications and were also awarded Distance Learning Provider of the Year at the AAT Training Provider Awards 2018.Other benefits of studying AAT with  AVADO include:Live interactive classes, not just pre-recordedAll-inclusive fees and 0% finance optionsAward-winning Virtual Learning CampusExpert tutors available via phone, email and onlineAn easy to understand, step-by-step syllabusFind out moreWant to learn more about how an AAT qualification could change 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. Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the featured

Never Negotiate for Yourself - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Never Negotiate for Yourself - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There is a simple reason for why you should never negotiate for yourself. It’s too hard to be objective. I’m suggesting you think like an agent. It’s much easier to ask for what you want when you are negotiating for a 3rd party. Even if that third party is your pet goldfish. Why a 3rd Party? When you take a step back and think about an offer being made or an offer you are making it’s easier to do so when YOU are out of the way. You can be more objective and you can more easily negotiate in good faith. And you can confidently say (or at least think) that offer is not in the best interest of my client.” You may only want to think this specific set of words and come up with a more realistic reply that matches the situation at hand. Again, this is true whether your client is your spouse, your kids or even your pet goldfish it’s easier when you can take yourself out of the conversation and negotiate for a 3rd party. Never Negotiate for Yourself. This is something I have told many people over the years. Why? Because it’s true. When you can frame the negotiation from the context of your stakeholders your spouse, your kids, or event your lowly pet goldfish you can maintain your objectivity. Think About It Have you ever wondered: Why do professional athletes have agents? Some may think it’s because the professional athletes aren’t smart. I don’t think that is true at all. No one makes it to the pinnacle of their profession by not making a lot of critical decisions and taking a lot of calculated risks. Sure, many have a lot of help along the way. But there is a lot of intelligence required to make it to the top of any profession. One big difference an agent can make is that they can take a step back and make a rational, objective decision without getting all the emotions tied up in a personal 1:1 negotiation. Also, an agent can look around corners and think about the bigger picture. Most athletes are extremely good at their chosen sport. Yet, they are not versed in the nuances of the industry that supports their sport. An agent can look for external options that may be not be obvious to the athlete. Along this same line of thinking: Why do professional business people have agents? CEOs of large and small corporations have people working on their behalf to get the best deal. Im not arguing if this is right or wrong. It just is. In much the same way a sport agent negotiates for a shoe deal a business agent may negotiate for a percentage of the profits when specific objectives are met. Again, I’m not arguing if this is right or wrong. It happens all the time. You can negotiate for anything. This post is primarily about acting like an agent in the negotiations for things related to work. I have provided a few examples of work negotiations below. I have also provided some ideas for acting like an agent at home and in volunteer work. WORK At work you can negotiate for hard or soft benefits. Where a hard benefit has real dollars associated with the acceptance of said benefit. Soft benefits may not have hard dollar values associated with them, but may have huge psychic benefits. I have found over the years that people will work even harder for soft benefits. This is not to say people dont like to earn more money. They do. However, many people would be just as happy with a soft benefit. This is something that should be kept in mind when negotiating. Some gives are very easy to offer … especially when they are win-win. Some examples of hard and soft benefits at work are below. Request for you: Please drop a comment on this post for the hard and soft benefits that you have asked for OR offered. Im curious to know what you value. Hard Benefits Company Car An extra week of vacation Soft Benefits Work from home one day a week (or full time) A week of UNPAID vacation (because you are committed to a specific cause you may be willing to take an unpaid leave) HOME You can, and likely already do, negotiate for chores and tasks around the house. Things like taking out the trash, loading the dishwasher, paying bills and so many more seemingly trivial yet critical tasks. Does this mean the person that owns a particular task ALWAYS has to do it? Of course not. Thats part of the relationship. There is a natural give and take. Sometimes its by skills. Others its by (perceived) available time. The home is probably the most dynamic place for negotiation to happen. Because things that dont (typically) happen in a business environment often happen on a regular basis at home. Complaining, whining and perhaps even crying can be employed to great effect. Im not saying this doesnt happen in the workplace, but I can say its not very common. You can act like an agent at Home: It may not be as obvious but there are 3rd parties to consider in the home. The obvious one is kids, but the less obvious examples include friends and family. I’m not suggesting pitting kids or friends and family against each other or your spouse. I’m suggesting that as an agent you can put yourself in their shoes and negotiate on their behalf. It can defuse an emotional situation when you realize youre not arguing for yourself, but for your 3rd party. Non-Profits On all of the non-profits I work with (Social Media Club Seattle, IAMCP Seattle, Chris Elliott Fund, and a few others) all of the roles are voluntary and unpaid. Someone needs to manage the dollars and donations; someone needs to control the meetings timing, pace, content, etc.; someone needs to coordinate the marketing activities; and so many other things. How do they all get done? People volunteer for roles and responsibilities. When people dont want to work together … they negotiate with their feet and leave. Acting like an Agent at a Non-Profit: To me the easiest thing to do as an agent is to think about the constituents â€" the people you are trying to serve in your volunteer work. Think about who will be affected by your efforts. Think about why you ever joined this non-profit. Think about just one person you met at the last event. If that person was enough to make you keep doing whatever you agreed to do … continue on. If not, re-think it. Why you should Never Negotiate for Yourself Because it’s too hard to maintain your objectivity. When you work as an agent â€" you can negotiate better deals. Yes, you are still ostensibly working for yourself and on your own behalf, but when you put yourself in the role of an agent … especially if that agent  is representing  your spouse, your kids or your pet goldfish you can think better, asked tougher questions and be one step removed from emotionally charged negotiations. Think like an Agent and Never Negotiate for Yourself Again. Author:   Jeff   is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

Salesforce Ohana Attracting Talent with Corporate Culture

Salesforce Ohana Attracting Talent with Corporate Culture Tech companies and corporate culture do they mix? Uber, Google, Amazon seem to have a few issues. We decided to speak with Jennifer Johnston who is the Head of Global Employer Branding Recruitment Marketing at Salesforce. Have a listen below and be sure to subscribe to the Employer Branding Podcast. In this episode youll learn: What Jennifer does, how rapidly the company is growing and what that means for headcounts What the corporate culture is like inside Salesforce, the powerful concept of Ohana, and how it came about What the talent challenges are for the company, the specialized skills they are looking for and how they compete with other Bay Area tech companies What the employer value proposition (EVP) is, and how it is broken down into pillars How the company went about to define their EVP and how it evolved over time How Salesforce focuses on the candidate experience and have some excellent results to share How the employer brand is activated across web, social and employer review sites The impact of employee advocacy and the hashtag #SalesforceOhana How they measure ROI on employer brand, what metrics they use and why Jennifers top 3 tips for employer brand managers (and a pitfall) What other companies are doing talent attraction right Why the next big thing for Salesforce is to think about brand across someones career with the company and beyond. Check out the career site of Salesforce and learn more about Ohana. Connect with Jennifer on Twitter @JJJohnstonSF and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Summer Reading List

Summer Reading List I love hearing from other bloggers they offer great suggestions for reposts.    Many  people (including me) are taking time off this week, so I welcome the chance to offer a repost of a list of great reading for people in a job search. These 50 book suggestions come with short reviews and recaps, and all of them will be available at your local library.   Enjoy!

Career Options For Individuals Who Need a New Career

Career Options For Individuals Who Need a New CareerResume writing service careers can be a wonderful career path for individuals interested in a new career. There are many benefits to using the skills and talents of an experienced resume writer in order to craft the perfect resume.Many professionals in resume writing service careers also work with business owners and other professionals. This allows them to be sure that their services will benefit their clients in return. They will be able to communicate directly with their clients, as well as take the time to determine how they can help them.Resume writing service careers can also be extremely useful when individuals want to leave their resumes to others to review. These professionals know how to write successful resumes, and they know how to get these powerful documents into the hands of someone who will have the proper training and experience to use the information. In most cases, these individuals will do it all for free, or at very affordable rates.The advantage of hiring professional resume writers is that they provide high quality work and provide support in case of an emergency. This often occurs because the writing service is relatively new and is more likely to be helpful in case of an emergency. It is also easier to pay someone if it is necessary to pay.Resume writing service careers offer the individual the ability to make a resume, without having to worry about the actual process of putting together the information for the document. Many resume writing service professionals also do all of the legwork on a client's behalf so that they don't have to waste time on research. They can focus on getting the document completed in the most efficient manner possible.While this option might not be for everyone, there are many other career options that are available for those looking for more flexibility and independence. Some other options include affiliate marketing, freelance writing, and even becoming a t eacher or a lawyer. It is important to explore all of the career options that are available to you before making a decision.Resume writing service careers are also great for individuals who already have a high level of skill in writing a resume. By using the expertise of an experienced professional, individuals can improve their skills, increase their confidence, and become more confident in their abilities. Some individuals also find that using the services of a professional makes it easier to write an effective cover letter, which is one of the first steps in the entire job application process.These career opportunities may not be for everyone, but they certainly present a tremendous opportunity to help an individual to start a new career path. No matter what the career path, it is important to explore all of the possibilities that are available to you before choosing one. An outstanding resume will play a major role in whether or not you are hired.

Summary Sunday Rock Your Job Search and Career

Summary Sunday Rock Your Job Search and Career Isnt time you rock your job search and career? Get expert advice from this weeks roundup of cutting-edge tips.   Managing your career and carrying out a successful job search requires a set of skills. You may not have them allyet. But with a little help (reading these articles), you can get up to speed. CAREER 10 Things Every Team Leader Needs to Know by Jesse Lyn Stoner | Seapoint Center for Collaborative Leadership Leading a team is complicated. Here are 10 things that will help you design and develop a stronger team. PERSONAL BRANDING How to Build a Digital Reputation When You Have No Time by Dorie Clark | Entrepreneur If you feel like there arent enough hours in the day to invest in some healthy online self-promotion, then think again. These ideas are actionable IF you really want to build a name for yourself. You Probably Need a Public Portfolio Even If Youre Not a Freelancer or a Creative by Nick Douglas | LifeHacker Learn why you need to build a public portfolio. Yes, you! JOB SEARCH HR Professionals Explain Why You Should Always Follow Up (and When) by Levo League | YouTern The title says it all. YES, you must follow up during your job search. Learn why,  when and how! INTERVIEWING 16 Job Interview Tips and Hacks That Are Genius! by Jeff Gillis | The Interview Guys If you get interview  jitters or need to brush up on your interviewing skills, then these tips and hacks are sure to help. 6 Interview Tips Youve Never Heard Before by J.T. ODonnell on LinkedIn Try every single one of these easy-to-do  interview tips! HOT NEWS Here are some features that will help all job seekers and careerists! LinkedIn is rolling out Snapchat-style geofilters for events and conferences by Mashable Facebook tests LinkedIn-like resumes so you can flaunt work experience by The Next Web Strategies for Keeping the LinkedIn Feed Relevant by LinkedIn Engineering 3 Ways Johnson Johnson Is Taking Talent Acquisition to the Next Level by JJ MENTION 11 Must-Follow Career Influencers by Career Resource Institute If you are embarking on a job search or want to get ahead in your career, these 11 folks deliver information, tips, and advice to help you get where you want to go! PS: Im one of the 11 mentioned and Im truly honored to be included with these talented career influencers!

Whats Your Job Outlook for 2010

Whats Your Job Outlook for 2010 You may not know the answer.  You may have worries or fears about the answer.  But rather than worry, get the support you need to make quality career decisions.  Read below for a summary of recent podcasts, articles and radio shows to help you become more optimistic about what 2010 can hold for you:Download the podcast of my recent interview on Lite FM 106.7 with advice for job seekers and those considering starting a business.Read my advice in the February issue of Shape magazine on How to Love the Job Youre In and re-engage in your work.Call in to my live SIRIUS XM radio show Fridays at 4pm ET/1pm PT SIRIUS 112/XM 157.  All career questions are welcome at 1-866-675-6675.  This week, learn how to be a top performer despite the demands of 24/7 multitasking!Dont ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.  And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.   Howard ThurmanIf you are concerned about where your ca reer is headed, dont wait for things to change.  Share your comments and concerns here and contact me with your career needs and goals.  You dont have to go it alone!(Photo compliments of Wili Hybrid.)