Archive for the ‘After College’ Category
Work on the inside, too.
Have you read about the story of my two pairs of jeans? If not, do so and tell me if you can relate. If you’ve been there at one point in your lives.
You know, I always tell my siblings that, yes, appearance is important. But what’s inside you, the determination, the burning desire, the passion. Those are more important in the grand scheme of things. You can wear all those designer clothes and accessorize yourself all over. At the end of the day, what gets you that job is what’s inside you. What the person in front of you sees when he/she looks in your eyes. Is there determination, passion, desire to do the best in this person? Is there a smart human being inside all the flashy ensemble?
Trust me, I’ve been there.
So work on what’s inside while you are busy with the outside. It will get you farther in time, believe me.
Two pairs of jeans
When I was still reviewing for the board exams after graduating in college, I only had two pairs of jeans. I alternately use these jeans going to review school. One of it was already shredded in some parts near the thighs but I had no choice but to use it because I had nothing else to use as an alternate pair.
I knew that my friend, whom I was with the whole time we’re reviewing, saw the state of my jeans. One was really faded, and the other torn one. But she never said anything about it because she knew that I had no other option but to go to review school and wear those jeans.
Looking back, I realized that those pairs of jeans became a tool for me to reach for my goal. To pass the board and then get work right away. I did get both. My license and a good job.
CPA Board Exams May 2009
Good luck to all those who are taking the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Licensure Examination on May 10, 11, 17 and 18, 2009!
A few tips for you to remember:
- Make sure you know your room assignment. You can find it here.
- Be punctual. Make sure you are at the school assigned to you at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before the exams.
- Make sure you brought the right pencil number. Bring at least three extra ones.
- Make sure your calculator is working. Bring the one you’ve been using during the review, the one you are most familiar with. Do not buy a new one for the board. Trust me, you will find it inconvenient and weird using a new calculator.
- Bring snacks with you. You don’t want to go hunt for food when you could be relaxing.
- Do not cram! Please do not do this. When you hear that a leakage is circulating, do not look for it! You are better off with what you have stored in mind than getting new information crammed to your head before the grueling exams ahead. Chances are, if you cram new information to your head, you will forget everything.
- Relax! Do not panic. Balance your nervousness. Do not stay with people who are cramming and panicking in a major way. You will be swept by their hysteria.
- During the exams, listen to the proctor. Be attentive. Fill out the forms properly and accurately.
- Do not panic if you see several pages of questions. Ask the proctor what you can use as scratch paper. But as much as possible, avoid writing down solutions. Compute or solve a problem directly using your calculator.
- Do not to panic if you see a question you are unfamiliar with. Move on to the next one right away!
- Do not waste time on a single question. Be quick!
- Do not dwell on your frustrations. If you really can’t answer Question No. 8, then so be it!
- After the exams, do not analyze every single question. Again, relax.
- And most especially, PRAY! Believe me, prayers make a whole world of difference.
Good luck everyone!
Tags: Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Licensure Examination 2009 Room Assignment, Reminders to the CPA Board Examinees, Tips to Pass the CPA Board Exams
After college work: Accounting Staff
In my class (UST, B.S. in Accountancy, Batch 1999), we all wanted to get in one of the Big Four auditing firms that time: SGV & Co., KPMG Laya Mananghaya & Co., Joaquin Cunanan & Co., and, Punongbayan & Araullo. Naturally, since that time SGV was the number one auditing firm in the country, every one was doing their best to get in.
But I have this really weird attitude… If every one is flocking in the right direction, expect me to go to the left side. So when every one of my classmates (and batchmates I think) were applying at SGV & Co., I was biding my time, checking my options. I applied at Punongbayan & Araullo and at KPMG Laya Mananghaya & Co. Those were my only choices. I ended up in Laya because they have an accounting firm there. I like Accounting more than Audit. Thus, my first work after college and passing the CPA board exams was an accounting staff position at the accounting firm of KPMG Laya Mananghaya & Co.
Tags: B.S. in Accountancy, Batch 1999, Joaquin Cunanan & Co., KPMG Laya Mananghaya & Co., Punongbayan & Araullo, SGV & Co., University of Santo Tomas
After passing the board…
What does one do after passing the CPA Board Exams? If you have enough money and your parents are willing, go get a vacation. You deserve it! But if you are keen on starting work right away or you badly need to start earning, go and build your resume.
How do you present a resume of a newly graduate person who has nothing really to boast of except his or her school? Just give a one page resume with your career objective, personal information (limit it to birthdate, father and mother and their occupation, interests) and if you were lucky enough to attend seminars, conferences and trainings, put it there as well. And remember this: you do not give out a list of references right away. Just put reference to follow upon request.
Resume ready? Go and create online profiles with your resume details in several headhunter web sites. Locally, we have Jobstreet.com, JobdsDB.com and so on. Avoid dropping resumes personally, unless you are expecting an interview right away. For one, it is costly. Plus, most companies prefer to receive applications online now. Go to job fairs instead. That way, you are shooting not just two but many birds with one stone.
Get my drift?