I would have said bookkeeping as well.

But then Cashflow forecasts, stock valuations and product costing plus dealing with the auditors at period end get thrown into the mix which to my mind crosses the line into accountants territory.

All in all to me the additional requirements make me feel that this is MAAT/ PQ level proper assistant accountant work and if it pans out as it sounds could end up a dream of an opportunity for someone needing a fer boxes ticked on their performance record.

Are you going for it Neil?

Sorry Shaun, we were posting at the same time.

They are looking for an experienced bookkeeper/accounts assistant.

But you are bob on, they want an MAAT person. (or AAT qualified)

Hmmmmm. I get a bit frustrated with definitions. Bookkeeping is an accounting method. We account for transactions and we do that by 'keeping them in books'

Well not these days of course but do you get my thought process. Sonya

I always apply Amanda lol.

Sometimes i receive a reply too.

I've learned not to hold my breath.

Lol Sonya, if i had a boat race as pretty as Aimee, i'm sure i would win in every interview i gain.

Thanks for the heads up Sonya,

Neil.

 

Lol, just watched 'week 1'

Aimee says, you don't have any finance work experience but you do have a level 2 AAT qual, this shows me as an employer that you are doing this off your

own back and therefore commited. (or something along those lines)

If only this happened in the real world

NEXT............

I'll get me coat.

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Wednesday 31st of October 2012 05:57:18 AM

You're a closet hippy aren't you Sonya (says the guy with Jefferson Airplane playing in the background!)

I had a similar experience with my eldest boys CV which was just too generalised.

He wanted a job in finance but he wasn't bringing out the management skills from prior experience and he had qualifications that he was very proud of but from an employers point of view such might as well have been a degree in knitting.

Almost had him in tears with what I ripped out but he's now a bank manager so Dad was right :)

That aside though whilst the glass half full attitude is great there are only so many rejections that people can go through before even the most positive job applicants start seeing it being half empty.

Over the last couple of months there has been a marked improvement in the jobs market and a renewed positive attitude combined with a revamped CV geared to the job being applied for and an investment in an interview suit that isn't the cheap black one from the supermarket would be advantageous.

Probably best that you also don't tell an interviewer who asks "if you were a fish what sort of fish would you be" to stop talking rubbish and start asking proper questions (The word I used began with a B rather than actually saying rubbish. The other interviewer cracked up and I got the job!).

I've got no time to watch these video's at the moment but I'll put them on my Christmas break viewing list.

kind regards,

Shaun

It all sounds so easy. revamp your CV, change your attitude and outlook and off you go.*POP*..dream job.

I'm also getting the impression that age is a massive factor. The AAT website is aimed at young students, just look at the photographs. The videos give me the same impression.

I think you're on a slippery slope when people like the Police and your tutors are younger than you lol.

I'm going to work on my CV over Christmas, "AAT Qualified Auto Electrician" has a certain ring to it, but that's all i got lol.

Neil.

P.S. I suppose an abundance of cynicism won't help then? Whoops, looks like i am self employed material after all.

 

P.P.S  Has anybody got any real world samples of CV's that i could read, writing a CV is the hardest thing i have ever had to do.

I think mine is, as Shaun said, too generalised. I'm trying to fit 20 odd years of bumbling about onto a sheet of A4.

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Thursday 1st of November 2012 06:05:17 AM

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Thursday 1st of November 2012 06:22:45 AM

Hi Neil,

For ageism have a look at the underlying message in this thread from the Nov 11th posts :

http://www.book-keepers.org.uk/t46103013/outsourcing/

send me your CV and standard covering letter over the Christmas break and I'll take a fresh look at them (sorry, no time before then).

When I started looking at lower level roles to gain bits of experience that I didn't have I had to drop my CV from 16 pages to 3 as my understanding is that 3 is the absolute maximum (the 16 page CV is for higher level roles). More than 3 pages and my understanding is that the agent bins it straight away. Also, one page won't make the right impression.

There is no standard format for CV's but the accepted norm is :

- Heading

- Name

- Address

- Don't include date of birth (save that as a nice surprise for the interview!)

- EU citizen with right to work statement / Full clean driving licence / any security clearances you have

- Education (They don't want to know about one's CSE's / GCSE's/ what school you went to (unless you went to somewhere like Harrow). Its just degree's and professional qualifications / memberships)

- Specific relevant skill / tool set (for example, if applying for business analysis roles employers would be keen to see knowledge of SSADM, BPMN, Agile, etc. so these should be emphasised in a skills section to the CV). I wouldn't clutter the CV by including generic skills such as sales ledger, purchase ledger as that should be evidenced by you qualifications and given in the experience section.

- Career Overview (I have a matrix showing all the firms that I have worked with / dates / projects / position)

- Career Detail (each item from the overview gets expanded to detail responsibilities / successes / etc. They don't want war and peace but they do want to see a link to the role that they have.
For example from your perspective I would emphasise number of people managed, payroll responsibility, budget planning, financial reporting responsibilities, etc.).


looking forwards to seeing the draft over the xmas break.

As for the abundance of cynisism comment.... As shown from my response to one interview question (which was not an isolated incident), cynisism and a quick wit are definitely good weapons to have in your arsenal.

kind regards,

Shaun.

Lol Sheila, I've had those type of questions at interview. The best one was being interviewed by a very young brother and sister who i think were stepping into daddy's shoes.
They asked me if i was a red or a blue! well since i don't follow football, i stumbled a bit but thought 'well my oldest son is an avid Man Utd follower, so i'd have to be a red'

Red was my answer. I arrived home from the interview 20 mins later to an email letting me know how sorry they were, but they wouldn't blah blah blah.

I just replied to the email 'I knew i should have said blue'

Now, i have an abundance of cynicism, where will i get me a quick wit?

I was interested in what Sheila said about real world examples. Have you thought of a drop-box folder to skills you've acquired. V Lookups and Pivot Tables spring to mind and maybe create something that could be used in an auto workshop. I've no idea whether cloud-linked examples are commonplace or not on CV's nowadays.

I'm sure you'll get there especially with qualifications now allied to your experience.

Tim

Hi Neil, no expert but I like it. How about this? Same meaning, more punch.

An ambitious student, one exam away from becoming fully AAT qualified. A hard working, well presented individual with proven ability to build solid relationships with people of all levels and backgrounds. A loyal team member who can also fly solo. I hate to be late, cannot bear to wait, and can therefore be my own worst enemy. I have a cheery disposition which rubs off on others privileged enough to work with me! I intend to study towards a chartered qualification upon completion of AAT.

best wishes,
Tim

Hahaha.

Say hello to my little friend. Could come in handy at interview.

When you look at it though, after you cut out the fun parts you are left with 3 or 4 lines of drivel 

very much similar to everybody elses.

 

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Friday 2nd of November 2012 09:03:20 AM