Eventhough you're past the SAT and ACT stage of life, the testing doesn't end. Besides your regular tests in class, many of you will start studying for the CPA exam, GMAT, or maybe even the GRE. As technology's influence on test taking increases, so do the "fail safe" methods/tricks for studying and test taking.
What foods are best to eat before a high-stakes test? When is the best time to review the toughest material? A growing body of research on the best study techniques offers some answers:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204644504576653004073453880.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read
Hope this is helpful!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Catch Up on Some Reading
I ran across some really great articles today, and wanted to share:
The first one is great and timely since you accounting students are winding down interviews and getting back into your hectic school routine: "Five Tips to Manage Your 'Overwhlem' Level"
http://cpatrendlines.com/2011/10/16/five-tips-to-manage-your-overwhelm-level/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPA%20Trendlines&utm_content=2011+10+19%3A+RU+vFF
Good news: "CPA Firms on Rebound"!
http://cpatrendlines.com/2011/10/04/rosenberg-survey-2011-cpa-firms-on-the-rebound/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPA%20Trendlines&utm_content=2011+10+19%3A+RU+vFF
Even better news: "2012 Starting Salaries Set to Rise 3.5%"!!!
http://cpatrendlines.com/2011/10/15/2012-starting-salaries-set-to-rise-3-5/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPA%20Trendlines&utm_content=2011+10+19%3A+RU+vFF
Happy Wednesday!
The first one is great and timely since you accounting students are winding down interviews and getting back into your hectic school routine: "Five Tips to Manage Your 'Overwhlem' Level"
http://cpatrendlines.com/2011/10/16/five-tips-to-manage-your-overwhelm-level/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPA%20Trendlines&utm_content=2011+10+19%3A+RU+vFF
Good news: "CPA Firms on Rebound"!
http://cpatrendlines.com/2011/10/04/rosenberg-survey-2011-cpa-firms-on-the-rebound/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPA%20Trendlines&utm_content=2011+10+19%3A+RU+vFF
Even better news: "2012 Starting Salaries Set to Rise 3.5%"!!!
http://cpatrendlines.com/2011/10/15/2012-starting-salaries-set-to-rise-3-5/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPA%20Trendlines&utm_content=2011+10+19%3A+RU+vFF
Happy Wednesday!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
3,300 New Accounting Jobs!
For all you accounting undergraduates, it looks like you picked the right profession! Things in the accounting world are looking up: http://cpatrendlines.com/2011/10/07/accounting-sector-adds-3300-jobs-in-september/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPA%20Trendlines&utm_content=2011+10+12%3A+RU+v1
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Looking for a Life? Look Past the Big Four
Looking for a Life? Look Past the Big Four
Vault.com ranks accounting firms by “quality of life” issues.
Leading the way was Elliot Davis, which took the top spot in four categories, with WithumSmith+Brown and Deloitte each earning No. 1 rankings in three categories.S&G Financial Services took the lead in two categories, and Armanino McKenna, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Rothstein Kass each grabbed one top spot in this year’s rankings.
Vault.com calculates the “Accounting Quality of Life Rankings” by 15 areas, ranging from overall job satisfaction to diversity.
“Combined, Elliot Davis and WS+B ranking number one in almost half the categories underlines how strong some of the smaller accounting firms are when it comes to workplace issues,” said Vault Senior Finance Editor Derek Loosvelt.
“Although the giant Big-Four firm Deloitte is the industry leader when it comes to diversity, non-Big Four firms are leading the way in firm culture, job satisfaction, training, manager relations, and business outlook—important categories on which students and young professionals are increasingly basing their employment decisions.”
In the survey, accountants were asked to rate their own firms in a variety of categories on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. A firm’s score in each category is simply the average of accountants’ ratings of their firms in that category. Vault’s rankings indicate the top firms in each area, offering jobseekers in this industry a tool to aid in their career search.Based on their votes, the Top Ranked Firms in each Quality of Life Category are (along with quotes from employees at the firms):
Overall satisfaction: WithumSmith+Brown
“I have been with four CPA Firms, and the culture, caring, and professionalism at Withum is by far the best of the bunch. It truly is a great place to work.”
Firm culture: WithumSmith+Brown“The firm really believes in creating a solid work environment for the employees. It is more of a laid back atmosphere while still remaining professional and focused. I believe it helps creating efficient and effective work.”
Hours: Armanino McKenna“Armanino is very flexible regarding hours. As long as you get your work done we can take personal time as needed. Some days I leave early to be with my family and I make up the time on the weekend or by working a bit longer another day.”
Manager Relations: Elliott Davis“The relationship between management and juniors is great. That’s the aspect I love the most about Elliott Davis. Our shareholders will stop by our offices and joke around all the time. They never seem to show their power and push anyone around.”
Formal Training: Elliott Davis“We constantly look to improve our technical and professional careers. We have scheduled training for different levels. We provide in house and external training. We try to cover topics that are pertinent to our profession. We have formal coaching and mentoring programs to help develop our people.”
Informal Training: Elliott Davis“People are always willing to sit down and show or explain how to do something.”
Office Space: Elliott Davis“Very nice first-class office space in a very prominent and convenient area of Charleston.”
Compensation: SS&G Financial Services, Inc.“I believe that I am compensated very well for what I do.”
Selectivity: PricewaterhouseCoopers“In my opinion, the interview and callback process is very effective. The HR department keeps candidates updated on interview dates and times, and any changes on those. They are with you through the entire process and keep you informed of any updates on the interview results. The ideal candidate my firm is seeking is a responsible, straight-forward, hard working, and outgoing individual.”
Green initiatives: Rothstein, Kass & Company“The firm is striving to develop more environmentally friendly policies and is implementing new initiatives fairly often, such as offering recycling drives for different materials like magazines, batteries, electronic devices. Often the firm couples these initiatives with contests that offer prizes to the winner.”
Overall business outlook: WithumSmith+Brown“Company morale is high, as employees are excited to work for the firm and passionate about their work. Reports from management concerning competition seem to be positive and the company is constantly gaining new clients.”
Overall diversity: Deloitte“Deloitte fosters an extremely diverse community with many internal groups, outreach programs, as well as other types of support.”
Diversity—Women: SS&G Financial Services, Inc.“About one-third of the director group is women, which is amazing compared to where I’ve worked in the past and other firms I know about. Everyone is treated equally here.”
Diversity—Minorities: Deloitte“Deloitte seems to definitely go out of its way to hire a diverse mix of employees, including women and minorities. Additionally, promotion is not affected by race or gender.”
Diversity—GLBTs: Deloitte“I’m a gay employee and everyone I’ve dealt with has been completely accepting. The environment today at Deloitte is what we dreamed of 15 to 20 years ago.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)