What IS the Best Way to Study???

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!

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!

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

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.”

Posted September 30, 2011
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Interview With a Vampire??

Interviewing is the most important aspect of the job hunting process.  It is also one of the hardest parts to master because it is a very subjective thing.  No matter what anyone says, there is no science to recruiting- just ask NFL scouts!  The fact of the matter is, you have to make your interviewer like you (or at least not DISlike you!).  The good news is interviewers are generally trying to get you to like them  too (or at least not DISlike them!), so that makes your job a little easier. 

The next couple of weeks are on-campus interviews for you accounting undergrads, so I hope you find this blog post timely.  I want to keep it short and sweet, because I know you are busy and because I’m actually between interviews at the moment.

Keep these things in mind for your next interview:

1.       As we have talked about- you are interviewing all the time, not just when you’re wearing a suit.  

2.       You need to “package” the experiences you have listed on your resume.  If an interviewer asks, “So tell me about your time at XYZ?” they don’t want a laundry list of duties and tasks.  Prepare ahead and “package” your experience with a pretty bow- a couple sentences about your role, but focus the most on what you learned and how you can apply that knowledge to a future role.

3.       Be genuine and enthusiastic.  It is important to be yourself; interviewers have seen it all, so they can spot a fake personality a mile away with their eyes closed.  With that said, studies show that people favor others who are similar to them; therefore, it is also important to take your interviewer’s temperature.  If they are a more laid-back person, you might consider taking your style down a notch and mirroring their energy level.  The same is true if your interviewer is high energy- you want to keep your true personality but take your energy level up a notch.   

4.       Some companies ask behavioral questions (we never do, because you have a canned answer and I don’t want to hear it!) so be prepared.  Take advantage of the fact that you already know what the questions will be and polish your answers. The idea is to appear effortless in your response- polished but not canned (even though it really is).

5.       Interview your interviewer!   With accounting firms, you will be doing pretty much the same work no matter where you go.  You will also be spending the majority of your time with the people you work with (especially during tax season) so be sure that you are comfortable with and like the people you meet during the interview process!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Don't Pay More Than You Have To!

Here is a great article about how to save money on those pricey textbooks!
http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/how-to-cut-your-textbook-costs-in-half-or-more.html

AICPA Student Competition

AICPA Launches Second Annual Case Competition for Accounting Students

Undergraduates will test their fraud and forensics skills and compete for $10,000 top award

08.30.2011– New York – The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants today launched its second annual case competition, challenging college students across the country to test their fraud and forensic accounting skills in a complex scenario that will earn the top performing team a $10,000 award.

The 2011 AICPA Accounting Competition, which unfolds in three stages, focuses on a fictional Texas company looking to expand its business into the Nigerian oil fields. The competition is open to undergraduate students at 2-year and 4-year degree institutions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“The competition is an opportunity for students to get a hands-on, real-life understanding of one of the fastest-growing interest areas in accounting: fraud and forensics,” said Jeannie Patton, AICPA vice president for students, academics and membership. “Those who participate will hone their teamwork and leadership skills, deepen their understanding of financial risks in international business strategy and potentially bring national attention to their college or university.”

Teams may register and find complete details on the 2011 AICPA Accounting Competition section of the This Way to CPA website.

Contact:
Jonathan Cox
jcox@aicpa.org

 See Whole Story:

http://www.pitchengine.com/aicpa/aicpa-launches-second-annual-case-competition-for-accounting-students/169383/