Personal Development in Accounting and Finance - Essay Example

Assignment # 2: Job Analysis Log Introduction: The purpose of this report is to explore my own skills and abilities and to use this analysis to find opportunities for myself that I might not have thought of otherwise. I have investigated the many possibilities that exist for me in my line of expertise and the many job opportunities I could delve into. Through this assignment, I have compared the requirements of the various jobs and my own capabilities and I have arrived at the best possible job for myself. The Group Presentations: Belbin: A summary of my Belbin Team Skills Inventory scores is presented below. Figure 1: Summary of Team Skills Inventory It appears I am a person assigned more of a work-focused person in my group. My group members’ assessment of my team skills indicates that I am more of a “shaper”. It shows that I am more focused on doing and acting. My second greatest strength appears to be my networking capacity and my ability to explore new ideas with others in the role of a “resource investigator”. I have the capacity to bring people together and move them in the right direction. Perhaps my most significant weakness is that I am very attentive to details and don’t tend to take an overall picture of everything. My focus is less on being a slave-driver and more of acting in a supportive role and helping other deal with the challenges of their work in an effective manner. Motivation My interests lie in the field of finance and accounting. This is why I have acquired a professional accounting qualification and participated in seminars and workshops that focused on developing finance and accounting skills. Parallel to this, I have also tried to enhance other business skills and knowledge in order to have a leading edge in the current business environment. I have always been good with numbers and have felt that I can apply logical reasoning with much more comfort to decision-making than abstract ideas. The three values that are most important to me in my career are my flexibility, disciple and people-orientation. MBTI My MBTI scored indicate that I belong on the ESFP category in the personality inventory. This means that I am a person who is outgoing and friendly. I am realistic about the information that I intake and analyze is rationally. I also tend to focus more on people than on the basic logic of the situation. I am a flexible person, adapt my judgment to the specific situation and am mostly not judgmental. I am also open to new information and ideas and appreciate creativity. This kind of a personality allows me to build an encouraging and supportive environment for the people who work with me. The pitfall of such a personality is that I sometimes face is that I sometimes fail to act on my instinct until that instinct is reinforced by supporting information. Overall, I tend to have good relationships with my team workers because of my ‘extroversion’ and ‘feeling’ personality type. Also, I am able to coordinate everyone’s opinions and strike a fair balance in order to achieve optimal results. Job Ideas My greatest strength lies in my logical reasoning. I have a knack for anything mathematical and can process information effectively. I also have the ability to separate the useful information from the unwarranted one so that I organize all details effectively to arrive at a decision. I also have a strong aptitude for problem solving. I am much focused and do not tend to get distracted easily by peripheral activities and information. I believe such skills are the core strengths of a finance professional. Some job types that were suggested by the Prospects-Planner (UK) to be a good match with my skills and interests profile are: Financial manager Management consultant Recruitment consultant Insurance account manager Logistics and distribution manager Freight forwarder Retail manager Customer services manager Financial adviser Cash and carry manager Retail merchandiser Job Adverts These advertisements illustrate one common factor required in most jobs identified by our job ideas segment – work experience. In all the managerial positions, work experience is a key indicator of successful job placement. This could be an issue in industries where I have no experience. I understand that most of my work experience so far has been concentrated in jobs in the finance department. So if I wish to move to a different department, I might have to start at a lower level in the organizational hierarchy than I would expect to. One of the weaknesses of the job of a finance manager for me was recognized during this job advertisements search. The job of a finance manager requires intensive and continuous work on written reports and other written communication. However, I feel that paperwork is a part of every job, especially at the managerial level. I might have to alleviate my weaknesses in order to climb up the organizational ladder in my career. I have also noticed during my research that most of the employer groups and organizations have emphasized people’s skills. This is because in all organizational jobs, the key is to work through and with people. I feel that this goes in my favor as I can prove my soft skills in any personality tests I might be required to clear and in the job interview which will take place once I prove to have the necessary qualifications for the job. Draft CV When I set out to first draft my resume, I had to make several choices about what formats to select and what parts of my education and professional experience to emphasize in my applications. This required intensive research on my part, exploring all the different available formats. I read up on what makes a good curriculum vitae and which parts were unimportant and should be omitted. From my research, I discovered some common points. I learnt that a resume should be as simple and neat-looking as possible. Cluttering a resume with too much information can make your resume unattractive to a recruiter. This is because most recruiters do not have much time on their hands to read each and every line in each and every CV. Therefore, a good resume should be straightforward and should give the look of an organized and disciplined person. The texts I went through emphasized that one should have a professional summary at the beginning of the resume which should be like a snapshot of a person’s entire career and personality profile. This snapshot should be short but should make use of keywords that will catch the attention of not only the naked eye but also a computer which may be used to scan resumes for preferred keywords. This was the thing that I had most difficulty with. Another problem I encountered in the drafting of my CV was that I did not know how much personal information should be included. Gender, age, religion, political views and other personal details are often perceived negatively by many experts because they think these promote discrimination. On the other hand, some recruiters still require us to provide this information. However, in the end I decided to do away with this information in order to make my CV as simple and attractive as possible. SAF I also needed to complete my Standard Application Form (SAF) because it is a requirement for many job applications. I downloaded the format but faced several dilemmas on what information to include in my SAF. I had to investigate and ponder over my achievements deeply in order to adapt them to the unique format of the SAF. In a number of sections of the SAF, I had to elaborate on achievements or skills that I had mentioned only on a single line in my CV. Therefore, here I had to rethink on how to present my achievements in order to make them most appealing to the reader. Here again I faced the issue of including keywords. The SAF is a detailed form and most recruiters would not read through it thoroughly. I needed to include such words that would make my application most noticeable in the eyes of the recruiter. Furthermore, I realized in this process of preparation of my SAF that I needed to not only regularly update my SAF but also to adapt it according to the different positions I was applying for. Job Study The alternatives and the chosen job advertisement: I selected the following job advertisements for consideration: Finance Manager Management Consultant – Business Strategy / Financial Services Communication and Distribution Support Manager Of the above three jobs, I have chosen to apply for the job of a finance manager. The reasons for this will be explained in the next few sections. Features of the desired job: Responsibilities: Lead and manage the Finance Department Responsible for the full range of finance and management accounting functions Ensure timely submission of financial and management reports with recommendations Manage cashflow and implement annual budgets Ensure compliance of accounting and tax regulations Entry Requirements: Degree in Accountancy Minimum 5 years of related experience Good working knowledge of accounting and taxation requirements Excellent interpersonal and communication skills How the job fits in with my career and personal profile: The job fits in with my career profile because I have a degree in accountancy and because I have had experience as a finance manager and further experience in similar jobs in the finance departments of various organizations. I feel I am well fitted because I have good knowledge of the accounting practices in this country, especially with my CAT qualification. I also have a knack for working with numbers and quite enjoy such work. This is why this has been my line of work during all this time. My obsession with numbers goes far back in time. I feel my early education had much to do with establishing this interest. As I moved on into the professional world and saw the role a few numbers could play in the success or failure of a project, my belief was reinforced with much vigor. I am adaptable and try to mold my work attitude in order to accommodate the changing environment of my workplace. Holding the job of a finance manager means that I will have to prioritize my work projects in a way as to optimize my output. This has always been one of my strongest values. I always keep myself disciplined and organized. I have always tried to be consistent in my preferences for field of study. I tried not to get distracted by my peripheral interests and remained focused on what was the foremost priority in my life. Furthermore, I feel any person in any job requires strong peoples skills. I don’t feel comfortable working on a project until I can enhance the passion for it of my co-workers to match mine. This value has often led me into a leadership role in teams and in my workplace. Such a leadership role on my part is inherently a result of my continuous participation in events and activities that have enhanced my communication skills. I have always displayed confidence in my own capabilities and acted as a motivator for others. One of the primary tasks of a finance manager is to manage people in her department as she acts in a supervisory role in this case. These characteristics present an added advantage in my favor. My job as manager has not only demanded of me to exhibit team-working capacity, but also to empathize with others and motivate them to work alongside me with the same passion and motivation that I have for my work. People find it easier to talk to me. I also tend to take everyone along in decision-making and make sure that I obtain the input of all those who will be affected by the decision. This often leads me into a leadership position as people feel that I will take care of their needs if they put me in that position. Also, I am able to coordinate everyone’s opinions and strike a fair balance in order to achieve optimal results. Therefore, I feel my experience is valuable not only because of the stated requirements of the job but also because it has allowed me to polish my skills as a communicator and as a disciplined manager. Assignment # 3: Job Application Job Advertisement: The advertisement for the job I wish to apply for is presented below: Cover Letter: HR Manager Mannsfield Shamrock Pte Ltd February 16, 2010 Sir/Madam: I wish to get a Finance Manager position in your firm mentioned in your advertisement on the website monster.com.sg. I am an experienced accounting professional who has worked with several firms since 1994 to gain high-quality first-hand experience of the finance field. I believe your organization can help me sharpen my skills and enhance my knowledge of financial working in corporate environment. I would love to be part of a futuristic and dynamic organization like Mannsfield Shamrock. My studies and work choice have been focused on my one goal in life, which is to attain a position in a finance department. I have worked with several organizations in the past and I feel I want to grow in the field of accounting. I am dedicated and motivated. I want to apply my leadership skills and my undergraduate specialization in accounting courses and my work in finance departments, to create and lead an innovative and progressive organization. I have spent ten years in the finance field with the past two years concentrated in the position of a finance manager. I have strong leadership and communication skills and can head teams. I am an organized and disciplined person and am able to work under pressure on short deadlines. I adjust easily to my circumstance. I am proficient with the use of several computer business applications including MS Office, Foxpro, Quicken, PeachTree Accounting, MYOB and Time Pay. Moving around in the pursuit of knowledge and attending various workshops and seminars has also given me a flexibility and ability to work with a diverse group of people. I am bilingual and can understand and communicate in Chinese and English quite well. Enclosed is my resume which will provide a detailed account of my qualifications. I believe that I have the determination and creative insight to make my place in the competitive business environment of today and your organization can help me move up in a successful career. Thank you for considering my application. I hope I fit your recruitment specifications and wish to hear from you soon. Sincerely Jenny. Curriculum Vitae: Jennifer Address: Mobile No.: Email: Self Description Excellent leadership skills A supportive and cooperative team-player A proficient problem solver Good organizational and communication skills High flexibility and able to prioritize work across wide job scope Educational Background Bachelors of Accounting, , 2008-Present. Certified Accounting Technician, , 1998. Certifications: Diploma in Supply Chain Professional Development Program, 2008; Compensation and Benefits Management, 2008; Seminar on Logistics Execution Systems, 2007; Seminar on International Trade & Effective Handling/Processing of Letter of Credit, 2006; Seminar on Cash Flow Management, 2005; Internal Auditor Training, 2000 & 2003; and Certificate in General Insurance, 1996. Employment History Finance Manager, , April 2008 – present. Responsibilities: Manage and supervise the finance and administration department; Ensure accuracy with accounting policies and procedures; Perform Financial Analysis; Monitor, assess, report and ensure effective controls over financial and business risks; Liaise and build positive work relationship with internal and external parties (bankers, tax agents, lawyers, suppliers, government agencies etc); Work closely with business units as part of management team providing professional expertise and advice on financial related matters; and Supervision for entire spectrum of HR processes for recruitment, compensation & benefits, performance management and learning & development. Assistant Finance Manager, , Feb 2004–Mar 2008. Responsibilities: Preparing annual cash flow forecast to assess monthly cash flow requirements; Handling and resolving ad-hoc operational and financial matters/issues; Financial and management reporting; Developing and coordinating financial related audits; Reviewing quarterly GST filing; and Reviewing journal entries posted by staff. Finance Executive, , Dec 1994–Jan 2000. Responsibilities: Achieving hands-on experience in handling full set of accounts; Assisting in the successful implementation of Foxpro accounting system and Boon Software (Logistics Execution System); Handling corporate secretarial matters and managing all board & shareholder matters; and Liaising with auditors for audit and tax annual filings. Computer Skills MS Office, Foxpro, Quicken, PeachTree Accounting, MYOB and Time Pay. References Standard Application Form Standard Application Form Candidate ref: (SAF) Employer applied to: Preferred functions: 1 2 Personal Details (please print this section) Title Surname First Name(s) (indicate (*) the one you are known by Ms Gen Jenny Home Address Term Address Postcode Postcode Telephone: Telephone: E-mail: E-mail: Dates at above: Dates at above: Nationality Date of Birth: Do you need a work permit for permanent employment in the UK? YES  NO  Do you have one? YES  NO  Do you hold a full UK driving licence? YES  NO  Education - Professional, Postgraduate, First Degree/Diploma Please list all degrees/diplomas/professional qualifications etc held at or currently studied for, whether at first degree or postgraduate level. List most recent first and give all results known whatever the outcome. From - To Month/year Higher Education Institution Award and Title of Award (HND/Degree/Dipl/Msc/ PhD etc) List main subjects below title Results (expected/awarded) Jan 2008 Dec 2008 Supply Chain Management Diploma Passed Jan 2007 Dec 1998 Certified Accounting Technician Diploma Passed Education - Prior to Higher Education Please list date (year)/qualification/subjects (grade) of all of the highest level examinations that qualified you for your Higher Education course(s) (A/AS Levels/Scottish Higher/Irish Leaving/Access/GNVQ/Baccalaureate etc). Include all examinations taken at this level whatever the outcome. Number of GCSE/Standard Grade passes (Grade C & above) Date(s) gained Grade for Maths Grade for English Language Number of A/A* grades NIL Employment and Work Experience Please describe briefly any work (whether paid or unpaid) which you have undertaken. Highlight(*) the two most relevant and note what you achieved.. From - To Month/year Employer Job Title/Responsibilities Achievements 1994 2010 Finance Manager Working closely on the development of system application. Possess good skills in Project Management. Quality System Management (ISO 9000) Implementation of Logistics Execution System including Transport and Warehousing modules. Geographical Location Do you have a strong preference for a particular location? If so, give details. No. Personal Interests/Achievements Use the space below to describe with dates (year) any part-time activities. Include organising, leading or group activities. Those requiring initiative, creativity or giving intellectual development are also of interest. During my job as Finance Manager since 1994, I have carried out extensive Business Networking through business function. Specific Evidence The following questions are designed to encourage you to provide specific abilities. Your examples can be taken from your education, work experience, placements or spare-time or other voluntary activities but do not write solely about course-work. Planning, implementation and achieving results: Describe a challenging project, activity or event which you have planned and taken through to a conclusion. Include your objective, what you did, any changes you made to your plan and state how you measured your success. A major challenge in my job that I faced was when there was a substantial change in work process. The entire department was required to move from old retention of physical copies of paper records to conversion to images. I dealt with this by leading the people under me to understand the importance of this project and what we would gain from the movement to an efficient system. Influencing, communication and teamwork: Describe how you achieved a goal through influencing the actions or opinions of others (perhaps in a team context). What were the circumstances? What did you do to make a difference? How do you know the result was satisfactory? I truly believe in team building. The ability to collaborate the work as well as to give importance to each other’s feelings is very important for achieving the team goal. There must be a mutual respect among members. I have always try to encourage positive behaviors among my colleagues and to dissuade negative sentiments and interpersonal issues. I always remember that unhappy employees will have difficulty in keeping customers happy. Therefore, it is foremost priority to keep people happy in the department. Analysis, problem solving and creative thinking: Describe a difficult problem that you have solved. State how you decided which were the critical issues, say what you did and what your solution was. What other approaches could you have taken? A major problem I faced was in the setup of Total Quality Management (TQM). The implementation required that there be a continual effort for improving process efficiency. To get through this, we targeted on-time delivery, cycle time and scrap reduction. I maintained focus on delivering customer satisfaction. Training and changing the mindset of employees was the toughest part of this process. Therefore, employees had to be empowered at the lowest possible level to perform effectively. For this, some level of mindset had to be changed among the department workers. Additional Information Please write here any additional information, not covered elsewhere which will strengthen your application. I am an organized and disciplined person. I am also quite flexible to any environment. I encourage creativity among my co-workers. I also try to reduce tunnel vision among people and to inspire them to work for the common benefit of the organization. Where did you hear of us/see an advertisement? The website: http://jobsdb.com.sg Specific Skills 1. List any languages that you know indicating level of proficiency (basic/working knowledge/fluent/mother tongue). English – Oral: Excellent; Written: Satisfactory. Chinese – Oral and Written: Good. 2. Specify your experience with any generic computer packages/programming languages (limited/working knowledge/extensive). MY OB, Logistics Execution Systems (WMS, TMS and OMS), MS Office, Foxpro, Quicken, PeachTree Accounting, MYOB and Time Pay 3. Indicate any other specific relevant skills (laboratory techniques, graphics skills etc). Career Choice Explain why you have applied for the job function(s) that you noted on the first page. Offer evidence of your suitability (e.g. courses undertaken, work shadowing, skills, strengths and experiences). Emphasise why you consider yourself to be a strong candidate. With my qualification and work experience in diverse business functions such as logistics, finance and manufacturing fields, I feel I have the necessary skills to fit this job. I have experience at managerial level and have proven to be a good leader in the past. I can adapt to any given job environment and take up responsibilities quickly. Health Declaration Please give details of any health matters of relevance to the work applied for (see note within Guidance Notes and Monitoring Data). NIL Referees Academic Referee Other Referee Name: Name: Position: Position: Deputy MD Address: Address: Telephone: Telephone: Availability Please give any dates when you are not available for interview Please give the date from which you are available for employment NIL Any dates Declaration The statements made on this form are true. I understand any false statements may jeopardise my application and may lead to an offer being withdrawn. I have attached the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Data. Jenny Gen 23 Jan 2010 Signed ………………………………….. Name (please print)…………………………………….… Date…………………… Equal Opportunities Monitoring Data The following monitoring information is used to ensure that recruitment procedures do not lead to discrimination and that legal and other requirements are met. It is separated from your completed form, so you cannot be identified, and will play no part in the selection process. Please put this form in a sealed envelope market 'Equal Opportunities Data' and attach this to your completed form. Date today? D D M M Y Y Y Y Male/Female? M F Single/Married/Divorced/Widowed? S M D W Date of Birth D D M M Y Y Y Y Ethnic Origin. Which of the following best describes your ethnic origin? Please tick one. The categories used are those recommended by the Commission for Racial Equality.  Arabic  Indian  Black African  Bangladeshi  Black Caribbean  Pakistani  Black - other (please specify)  White  Chinese  Irish  Other (please specify) Disability Status Do you have a disability? (The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines disability as ' a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.') YES  NO  If yes, please specify Reflective Report PDAF helped build my communication skills and enhance my team-working capacity. Through the exercises that we worked on, the team members developed mutual respect and understanding. Working in teams was a good idea as it helped us understand each other and ourselves better in team roles. It drastically changed my perception of myself as a team member. Before going through these exercises under PDAF, I thought of myself as a completely people-oriented person. My team members’ feedback made me realize that one of my greatest strengths lay in getting the work done and in guiding people to do it right. Therefore, my people skills came out in a better light for me and I gained a different perception of myself and enhanced confidence in my own abilities. As a group, we learnt to accept and give constructive criticism with the help of the exercises that involved evaluating each other. PDAF instilled in us the significance of interpersonal relationship for the successful working of any good team or organization. We also realized that taking offence at feedback is a bad thing and since this was a two-way feedback, we were not extremely harsh in judging each other. Despite this, we managed to deliver the feedback in a positive way and to accept it in a positive way. At this point, one weakness I recognized in the PDAF activity was that our feedback was too upfront. I personally feel that a more anonymous method of evaluation of group members should be developed in order to make it even more effective. Although the lack of anonymity did not affect our group relationships, this could be a problem with some people who are not used to taking criticism directly from peers. In PDAF, I learnt to communicate not only with others but also with myself. I learnt to evaluate myself in an objective way. I also learnt how other people perceive my various actions. This will help me develop my own personality in a way in order to become a better communicator. I also discovered the areas in which I lack expertise and which I should develop in order to be successful in my line of work. I polished my personality through such connection with myself. I also gained enhanced self-confidence because I realized my strengths and the areas in which I have an advantage over other applicants. Through the job search exercises, I rediscovered my strengths and weaknesses. So far in life, I had always assumed that my future jobs would have to be in the accounting arena. Through taking a proper skills inventory and doing my own personality assessment, I discovered that I could explore many other arenas of work because my personality and my continuous attendance of workshops and certificate courses in diverse topics allowed me to keep updated in all genres of the business environment. Therefore, I need not limit myself and I can explore many different opportunities for myself. I have also developed a clear future outlook for myself now. I have realized the importance of keeping my skills up to date and the significance of staying in touch with a learning environment. In the dynamic business environment of today, it is very important to continuously upgrade your skills in order to stay competitive. I also realized that I cannot afford to let my weaknesses in some areas stop me from progressing to the top of the organizational ladder. Therefore, I plan to be proactive and even more flexible in the future. Read More