Category Archives: Career & Jobs

Accounting Career Options

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If you are a detail-oriented person with an aptitude for numbers, the field of accounting is a good career choice with many opportunities. Accounting offers many areas in which you can specialize. Additionally, someone in the accounting field can work in mostly any industry. Hospitals, banks, manufacturing, or service organizations as well as most other types of companies big or small all require someone with accounting skills.

One noble profession in the accounting area is that of bookkeeping. A bookkeeper is an accounting professional who keeps track of the financial records for an organization. A bookkeeper can be involved in one or all of the following areas: payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, taxes and cash flow tracking. In many small companies a bookkeeper is engaged in all accounting matters. The educational requirements for bookkeepers can vary. You may qualify to work as a bookkeeper by gaining experience and receiving on the job training. Some companies may require an associates or bachelors degree in accounting.

Another career option in the field of accounting is that of an auditor. An auditor’s job is to audit the records of an organization to make sure their financial records are accurate and factual. An auditor can work as an internal auditor in which they are employed by a company to evaluate and examine financial records to ensure that the company is being run efficiently as well as honestly. An external auditor is usually an independent contractor hired by a firm to examine financial records for that same purpose. Auditors are usually required to posses a degree in accounting, and in some cases are required to be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

A tax accountant is another area in which accounting career opportunities exist. A tax accountant is a specialist in the area of taxes. This area requires a lot of knowledge in tax laws and economics. A tax accountant can work in preparing both personal and corporate tax statements. In addition to a degree, tax accountants may be required to undergo specialized training in local and federal tax laws or be a CPA.

Other job titles in the accounting field include financial analyst and accounting clerk. As you can see there are many different career options in the field of accounting. Despite stereotypes that portray accounting as an unexciting line of work, accounting is actually a very challenging, and varied field.

Careers After 50: The Value of a Temp Job!

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Careers after 50: developing appropriate experience to qualify for a planned career.

You’ve researched and studied a variety of proposed new careers. After speaking to others working in the field you’ve narrowed your list down to one or two possible new careers. However, you’ve found both require specific experience that you need to acquire.

Other qualifications for a new career after 50, for example, can be learned through self-study, distance learning, formal education and working with mentors. However, now you have the dilemma of getting the necessary experience to qualify for new career.

Let’s suggest a way to put you in a position to successfully compete for job in the new changed career. You might want to consider working for a temp agency, to get some desired experience or to discover if the suggested career is right for you.

Ask around for referrals to the right temp agency. Some temp agencies are specialists only working with specific careers and industries.

Re-draft your resume to put your best foot forward depending on the career and job. For each career you might want to restrict only signing up with two or three temp agencies. As you progress and learn more about specific temp agencies you can adjust your focus so you are only working with the best agency relative to the planned career.

Make it a point to see the temp agency recruiter, have a face-to-face interview and learn all you can about their services. Don’t forget this is a job interview and you want to show the recruiter how you would present yourself to a prospective employer.

Find out in advance if you are required to show specific technical skills at the temp interview and spend some time brushing up on the required skills prior to the interview.

Do some research regarding prospective wages you might expect. You’ll probably be asked what wage range you would accept. Also, you should learn what possible benefits might be available.

Many times temp assignments can last six months or longer. Be sure to tell the temp agency the length of assignment you would accept.

If the temp job is in a career you wish to qualify for, you may leverage yourself into being offered a full- time position. Or you gain enough relevant experience to qualify for a full-time career with another employer.

Don’t expect that you’ll be immediately moved into a desired temp position. Continue to contact the temp agency, at least once a week, to let them know you’re available for placement.

So the value to you using a temp agency in qualifying for a new career after 50 is: (1) Gaining required work experience, (2) Possibly being offered a job in the desired new career, (3) Bringing in some income while you prepare to change careers, or (4) Finding out the new career is not for you so you can research additional opportunities.