Every graduate who takes free career advice from a friend or family member needs to look beyond the advice to determine motivations. Your graduation from university will be accompanied by dozens of loved ones and colleagues offering free career advice without solicitation. Your desire to be polite to every career advisor should not lead to an acceptance of free career advice without some analysis. There are multiple criteria you can apply to career advice to determine the tips that are best for your young career.
The professional background of an advice provider is important as you consider free career advice. A lawyer offering advice on specific areas of legal studies to pursue in postgraduate education is a valuable resource. A retired police officer who provides tips on success in IT sales may not offer the best advice available. You should ask what an advisor does for a living to place free career advice into context.
The substance of free career advice may not be effective if the presentation style of your advisor is unorthodox. This advice does not need to be provided through a PowerPoint presentation but it should be provided with a certain sense of decorum. You should not take free career advice from an individual who is promoting a specific company, criticising a specific company and using inappropriate language during their advice. The quality of free career advice is only as good as the person presenting the advice.
The best free career advice comes from an experienced professional with anecdotes to back up his suggestions. Your recent graduation from a university should leave research and methodology courses fresh in your mind. You would not draw assumptions in philosophy, biology and other fields without sufficient evidence. You should apply this same standard to free career advice.
In contrast, the worst career advice comes from people who think that one-size-fits-all platitudes help in every situation. A relative who says that the secret to any job lies in a single characteristic or action cannot be regarded as a trustworthy source of career advice. There are few professions where one piece of advice is sufficient to guiding a professional toward profit and happiness. Your quest for advice on building a successful career should take into account multiple points of view. These tips can help you develop relationships with trusted advisors who can offer help throughout your career.
About the Author:
Mike Sandiford is the Sales Manager at JustClick, who are a leading source of Graduate Jobs and Graduate Careers, also offering a Graduate Lifestyles portal with news and reviews on current affairs.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Taking Free Career Advice with a Grain of Salt
Surmounting Challenges to Graduate Accountancy Professionals
There are many obstacles facing graduate accountancy professionals as they emerge from the classroom into the corporate world. The myth that accountancy degrees guarantee great wages and job stability needs to be dispelled before you pursue your postgraduate career. A graduate accountancy professional who is familiar with the challenges ahead in her career can prepare from day one to surmount every roadblock.
The competition has expanded from local to international applicants for graduate accountancy jobs. Accounting firms are able to recruit for graduate accountancy jobs on a larger scale due to the Internet. The use of online job websites along with virtual meetings and interviews means that firms can speak to a candidate from the other side of the world without much trouble. Your application and CV need to explain why you are the best-qualified person for a particular position.
Graduate accountancy jobs require navigation around multiple local, state and national regulatory roadblocks. There are various levels of certification needed by graduate accountants before the first spreadsheet can be reviewed. Your certification in multiple states and regions can help you expand the number of jobs available after you graduate with an accountancy degree.
The high standards set within a corporate setting provide an enormous amount of stress for accountancy graduates. Accounting firms require graduates to step in the first day and work long hours to complete massive projects. Potential employers are facing fierce competition from national and multinational companies for a finite number of clients. You need to be comfortable with exceeding corporate standards and learning new standards on the fly to succeed in graduate accountancy jobs.
There are extraordinary standards set within the accountancy industry on every professional by advocacy organisations. A multitude of non-profit watchdog and industry groups promote transparency as well as clean book keeping to help accountancy firms stay on the right track. Your individual projects as an accountant help your employer meet industry goals which increases public esteem and drives up the calibre of clientele.
The X factor for graduate accountancy professionals is the state of the economy in any given quarter. Accountancy firms use periods of economic success to bring in graduates and entry-level accountants for proper training. Recessions and other economic downturns force accounting firms to look for experienced accountants instead of graduates for efficient book keeping. You need to gear your search for graduate accountancy jobs based on the winds of economic change.
About the Author:
Mike Sandiford is the Sales Manager at JustClick, who are a leading source of Graduate Jobs and Graduate Careers, also offering a Graduate Lifestyles portal with news and reviews on current affairs.
Creating Good Quality Student Accommodations
Every student needs to approach apartments, dorms and other temporary accommodations with a creative eye. Good quality student accommodations that fit within your budget can be difficult to find in the United Kingdom. There are a few steps that can be taken to turn drab studios and boring dorms into good quality student accommodations without damaging your budget.
University students can turn a single-room studio into multiple rooms in a few steps. The use of paper screens down the middle of your studio can help create private areas between your work area and living area. These screens may be out of your reach during school which makes attractive curtains on a durable head rail an affordable option. You need to balance out material costs as well as the complexities of installing these materials before improving your student accommodations.
A schedule of chores, shopping and other activities around student accommodations can help your roommates turn a dingy place into liveable space. Your roommates may be busy with work and school but a few minutes each day maintaining accommodations can go a long way. Each roommate should share in cleaning, cooking and improving your accommodations to avoid resentment throughout the school year.
Good quality student accommodations are adorned with plants, trees and other green touches that serve multiple purposes. A greenhouse in your neighbourhood can supply plants that are appropriate for limited sunlight and interior growth. The combination of vines, trees and flowers create oxygen in your accommodations that keep the environment healthy for guests and roommates.
Money may be tight for students but an emergency fund with equal contributions from roommates can help maintain good quality student accommodations. You can save change from grocery purchases and other expenses in a jar to cover emergencies within your student accommodations. A token amount of money from student jobs can amplify this emergency fund without forcing roommates to use credit cards.
The simplest way to turn student accommodations into quality living spaces is to let air and light inside. It can be difficult to open small windows and patio doors in your accommodations when the weather does not co-operate. You need to let fresh air into your apartment to help reinvigorate plants and breathe new life into your accommodations. The limited use of curtains to block out the sun during fall and winter can help sun pour into your apartment and save electric bills.
About the Author:
Mike Sandiford is the Sales Manager at JustClick, who are a leading source of Graduate Jobs and Graduate Careers, also offering a Graduate Lifestyles portal with news and reviews on current affairs.
Computational Finance as a Professional Tool for Financial Graduates
One of the most important tools that financial graduates need for professional success is computational finance. This study combines computer analysis, mathematics and financial knowledge to assess the total risk of specific types of investments. Computational finance is used a variety of situations in financing to increase information available to clients who are concerned about a volatile economy. There are numerous jobs available for financial graduates conversant in computational finance.
The use of risk management and computer analysis in the financial industry can help investment professionals provide sound advice to clients. Investment funds are notoriously fickle during periods of economic growth and decline. These funds are favoured by financial advisors who arrange high-growth and high-risk retirement accounts for clients. Computational finance allows financial graduates to analyse investment fund histories as well as independent market factors to forecast returns for clients.
Another area where computational finance helps financial graduates is the murky market for derivatives and junk bonds. Derivative contracts allow investors to make significant profits off of upward and downward movements in other financial vehicles. Junk bonds are financial vehicles that are deemed substandard according to investment grades but offer large-profit potential for investors willing to risk large amounts of money. These investments become less risky when financial graduates use computational finance to map out the likelihood of market downturns. It is important to note that derivatives and junk bonds are never safe investments even though computational finance removes part of the mystique.
Financial graduates can use computational finance for successful careers in corporate planning and strategy. The detailed reports that can be produced by inserting corporate profits, expenses and other statistical information into finance programmes can help executives chart a course for future success. This specialised area of financial planning makes the job market lucrative for the right financial graduate. You can work as a consultant for multiple companies or work within a single corporate setting to use your analytical skills to help push quality products.
About the Author:
Mike Sandiford is the Sales Manager at JustClick, who are a leading source of Graduate Jobs and Graduate Careers, also offering a Graduate Lifestyles portal with news and reviews on current affairs.
Breaking Down the Costs of Foreign Student Health Insurance
A foreign student looking for short-term and permanent health insurance needs to know what she is paying for with her premium. The level of risk changes from place to place as you leave your home country for semesters abroad. You cannot afford to purchase foreign student health insurance that does not provide adequate coverage while you are away from the comforts of home. There are several coverage areas that should be included with your monthly premiums.
One of the virtues of foreign student health insurance is medical evacuation despite geographical barriers. Most health insurance providers who cover students abroad provide protection for emergency services in foreign lands. You need to know the level of medical evacuation available if you are injured in remote locations. There are some providers who offer coverage beyond basic ambulance services including helicopter and boat services.
Students who head overseas need health insurance with accidental death and dismemberment benefits to protect their limited assets. Most students who head to foreign lands to learn new cultures live on a narrow margin until they graduate. Accidental death and dismemberment benefits are necessary to protect your family from incurring the full brunt of student loan and credit card debt.
The problem of lost bags and luggage can be remedied with the help of foreign student health insurance. Insurance companies work with airlines to retrieve luggage for policy holders before providing funds for replacement clothing and items. You need to keep an eye on replacement luggage limits before you head overseas to determine if your foreign student health insurance covers the full value of your possessions.
Mechanical problems, airline delays and other problems make trip cancellation coverage a necessity for foreign students. Your foreign student health insurance should cover the costs of getting replacement airline tickets if your original flight is cancelled. You can get the most out of your premium if your insurance covers fares for buses, trains and charter aeroplanes in remote locations without major airports.
A final area that should be covered by foreign student health insurance is mental and psychological treatment during emergencies. The stresses of studying and travelling overseas can be difficult to students with pre-existing conditions. It is important to have access to psychologists, clinics and hospitals overseas that can treat these conditions in an efficient manner. This portion of your foreign student health insurance may require in-depth research in your policy documents because it is not a high priority for most insurers.
About the Author:
Mike Sandiford is the Sales Manager at JustClick, who are a leading source of Graduate Jobs and Graduate Careers, also offering a Graduate Lifestyles portal with news and reviews on current affairs.
Not Sure How to Design Your Own Tee Shirt? It’s Easy!
Today, everyone is custom making their own tee shirts, and with the wide variety of screen printing companies to choose from, it’s easier than ever. Popular screen printing companies make it feasible to design your own tee shirt or sweatshirt for a low cost. Easily design your own t-shirt and make it exactly how you want it. Stop browsing through shirt after shirt at the clothing store, and instead, effortlessly and quickly design your own tee shirt in no time at all from the convenience of your own home.
It’s easy to design your own tee shirt. Many shirt screen printing companies offer custom design options that allow you to design your own tee shirt or sweatshirt with custom logos, text, slogans, pictures, or anything else that you’d like. In addition, you get to choose the style of shirt, type of fabric, and color you desire. Are you drawing a blank when thinking about how to design your own tee shirt? Have no worries! Examples of creative designs can be found online or you can visit a few sites that offer screen printing services to strike up your creative juices. Choose from a variety of design ideas that range from sports to campaigns, organizations, famous sites, places and even performances.
One of the greatest things about being able to design your own tee shirt is that you can do it online. Therefore, you can design it, purchase it, and have it shipped to wherever you are in the world – all from the comfort of your home.
About the Author:
Kevin Uzelac, owner of TheShirtPrinter.com, is an expert on customized T-shirt printing. With years of industry experience, Kevin started his own website to offer high-quality, discounted screen printing on a nationwide scale. TheShirtPrinter.com specializes in providing shirt screen printing and custom silk screening services for businesses, teams, schools, organizations and more.