Advice please?

lynnemarie

Hi,

I've been studying the intermediate stage and have passed my final exam but i have had no luck finding a job in accounts. For the last 14 years i have worked in the licenced trade but decided to change careers last year. I have applied for 60 odd jobs and written to every accountancy firm in the phone book and registered with agencies but all with the same reply....i haven't got the relevent experience. I am toying with the idea of working for myself and wondered if anyone had any advice? I know that i would only be able to offer services that i am qualified for and i have limited experience but this now seems the only way forward. I have worked in practice but many years ago.
If anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated.
Lynne

lynnemarie

Really.........no one?

anniem

Hi Lynnemarie

Don't give up - carry on and finish AAT!

I used to work for a practice and their main line of work was actually pubs and restaurants; they had proformas to help the landlords deal with weekly cash inflow and outflow. Let's face it they're not always the best at keeping track of cash!

It was a few years ago, but I used to reconcile all the weekly movement sheets.

The sheets included;

Monday - Sunday
Bar takings, food takings, cheques banked, cash banked

Weekly totals
Exps:
Wages
Food purchases
bar purchases
disco/entertainment
licences

Additional Income:
Games machines
cigarette machines
condom machine

etc.

There was a weekly cash balance brought forward/carried forward and (hopefully) everything balanced by the end of each week/year!

I then reconciled everything back to the bank.

What I am trying to say, is that there are things you could do in an accounting capacity in the trade you already know about!

Have you thought about setting up and catering for the trade you already know and understand perfectly??

Anyway, it's just an idea.

Anna

lynnemarie

Thanks Anna for your reply

As a former licencee i know how difficult it is to keep track of your finances or budgeted allowances, one rainy day or an away match can seriously affect your forecasts. I used to have to watch my spending, keep wages within budget and record and reconcile all income and weekly stocktakes. I tried for 4 years in my previous job to progress my career but nothing every happened. I would love to work with the licenced trade but pubs are closing down faster than you can blink at the moment.
I will keep plodding on with it tho, i'm sure something will come along soon.
Thanks again for your advice.
Lynne

Bluewednesday

When you are writing to accountancy firms are you selling this part of your repertoire? Knowing pubs style of accounting might help you give a bit more appeal?

Have you had anyone independent look at your opening letter? Maybe there is a better way to phrase things or sell points.

lynnemarie

Hi Bluewednesday,

I've had my C.V. rewritten and i've tried really hard to sell those aspects of my previous employment but it doesn't seem to be working!
For 3 years I helped my manager with his weekly stocktake and saved his sorry arse 10 grand when the company tried to charge us again and I travelled out to other pubs to help them with stocks but my job title was still Bar supervisor.
I've had rejects within 20 minutes of applying for jobs and agencys just tell me i'm too difficult to place.
If it comes to it i'll stage a protest out side the agencys til they get me a job lol
Thanks Lynne

Bluewednesday

It's probably no more help to you but I wouldn't put your faith in the agencies, nothing against agencies but I believe they are more suited to finding positions when they have experience.

Are you in a position to do any voluntary work? Just to get something else on your CV?

Also one of our pub clients were being hunted by the accountant who had a deal with the brewery to do their pubs accounts, if you could target accountants like that, it may be a way in.

Sorry for the vagueries, just trying to think of a way in!

lynnemarie

It's no problem, thanks very much. This is the most feedback i've had since September. I don't think i will get any employment through a agency and i've looked through the voluntary positions on the jobcentre website but not looked into it any further.
Thanks for your help Bluewednesday, given me a few more options to think about.
Lynne

Crees

crees

Sorry ... tied up with revision

..... it is not easy to get work without the AAT ... even with experiance (as i found out a few years ago), so it does cut both ways.

Interview technique is important ... but it sounds like that you are not even getting to that stage. I had not been in accounts for 8yrs ... but the principle of book-keeping is always the same ... but every company has a different way of 'storing' their information. A little white lie does not hurt. You could say 'I had another type of job, decided i wanted to go back to accounts, but to do my AAT first'. That actually happened with me ... they still had to show my how to use the accounts software, and the way they filed their records.

If you can afford the time, try volunteer work for a charity or church ... they would be REALLY gratefull and another ....... volunteer to do the accounts for an assocciation, or even at a firm of accountants.

The best route that i also found was temp work. This gets you a bit of experiance, very, very quickly and actually is alot of fun. You do not get into office politics. Try and get work for big firms.... that way you can gradually gain experiance in each part of accounts.

Hope this helps - I'm off to do more dam revision!!!! :-) good luck.

Crees

crees

if only i had read all the other stuff!!!

Sorry .... it looks like agencies let you down ..... i also think it depends where you live. I lived in Hampshire .... that was MURDER trying to get work ... but as soon as i decided to commute to London and temp with agencies there ... i had jobs coming out of my ears.

Even when i moved from S.east to S.West ... because Bristol is such a big city ... i had no problem with agency work. The company i work for ... we have 30 employees and 25% of them commute from Wales.

So, don't be too hard on yourself - there are alot of contributing factors. Without knowing full about what, where etc you want to go with this (& please do not post it on here!!) it is difficult to give full suggestions. It really depends what kind of life balance you are after. Maybe you are young, but old enough to move or simply just commute.

Good luck anyway. I truly believe in life. :-))

lynnemarie

Thanks crees

I do feel like i'm banging my head against a brick wall but i have a tough nut. A few more ideas to think about

A-Vic

Hi Lynne

have you considered sending your C.V out to small accountants in your area offering a day a week volenteer work and like blue said sell the expereince you have as i work in practise we do a number of pubs (around 30) and someone with your experience would be tempting.

Best of luck for the future

Dont give up


A-Vic

lynnemarie

Hi A-Vic,

I've just sent my C.V. to 55 firms in my area practically begging for any work experience and to the ones that deal with the licenced trade I've sold the fact that i spent 3 years doing alot of work with stock control and stocktaking. Fingers crossed that will help make me stand out.
Thanks for the advice and if they need a volunteer at your place let me know

Lynnemarie

A-Vic

lynnemarie wrote: »

Hi A-Vic,

I've just sent my C.V. to 55 firms in my area practically begging for any work experience and to the ones that deal with the licenced trade I've sold the fact that i spent 3 years doing alot of work with stock control and stocktaking. Fingers crossed that will help make me stand out.
Thanks for the advice and if they need a volunteer at your place let me know

Lynnemarie

thats great let me know when you get replies everything crossed