Interview advice

[Pudney]

Got a phone interview tomorrow for the lesser paid job at the accountants.

It's a bit weird though. I originally applied for an Accounts Trainee role with them. They sent me a quick online test to do. Did that. Got feedback saying that although I'd completed the test fine, they would not consider me for the role because of my lack of experience. Instead they asked if I would be interested in a Client Admin role, for the same money (minimum wage).

Surely the point of an Accounts Trainee role (especially when advertised as including funding for AAT) is for somebody without any formal accounts experience?

The job spec they sent me for the other role includes:

Monthly payroll processing and year end filing, construction industry verification and monthly returns, limited company annual return preparation and filing, dividend preparation and filing, companies house changes, office admin and reception for client tax returns and annual accounts, client communication with regards to payments and dates.

Which sounds an awful lot like the kind of thing an Accounts Trainee would be doing whilst doing AAT, and matches the job advert that I applied for in the first place.

Doesn't inspire confidence in their organisation... or it could be a mix up with the recruitment agency handling it.

The job spec sounds very adminy and not really what you'd be doing if you were doing AAT. Depending on services offered I'd expect you'd be preparing management information, annual accounts, maybe some tax returns and auditing as an AAT trainee. Nothing complex, just the basic things, but still not the admin side of the profession.

As a side note I did AAT. It's by far the easiest thing I've ever taken exams for.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

The job spec sounds very adminy and not really what you'd be doing if you were doing AAT. Depending on services offered I'd expect you'd be preparing management information, annual accounts, maybe some tax returns and auditing as an AAT trainee. Nothing complex, just the basic things, but still not the admin side of the profession.

As a side note I did AAT. It's by far the easiest thing I've ever taken exams for.

It seems there's lots of ambiguity amongst recruiters/employers around AAT. I've seen plenty of other jobs advertised with similarly admin type duties for AAT studiers (with and without support), whilst others specifically state as only being suitable for those studying AAT Level 4 or equivalent (ACCA F1-F4) and reading more like an accounts assistant role.

Either way I'm not too fussed at the moment. I haven't started AAT or ACCA yet and won't be until I have a job.

I just figure it'll be easier to progress once I've got those qualifications if I have experience working in a full time role, rather than say, working part time back in retail.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

As an aside, have you gone any further than AAT with say ACCA or CIMA?

I fired off an email to my nearest centre (who happen to offer both), and they advised that for a non-finance graduate, I'd be better off doing AAT Level 4 and then ACCA (being exempt from F1-F3) rather than just ACCA, as well as any experience whilst doing AAT would count towards the PER requirements for ACCA.

But half of me thinks that's just because they charge more for AAT Level 4 (£2000) whilst they only offer home study kits (£120 a pop) for the first ACCA modules.

In hindsight, I would've been better off doing AAT originally instead of going to back to college then university from age 19.

 

[Pudney]

As an aside, have you gone any further than AAT with say ACCA or CIMA?

I fired off an email to my nearest centre (who happen to offer both), and they advised that for a non-finance graduate, I'd be better off doing AAT Level 4 and then ACCA (being exempt from F1-F3) rather than just ACCA, as well as any experience whilst doing AAT would count towards the PER requirements for ACCA.

But half of me thinks that's just because they charge more for AAT Level 4 (£2000) whilst they only offer home study kits (£120 a pop) for the first ACCA modules.

In hindsight, I would've been better off doing AAT originally instead of going to back to college then university from age 19.

Straight after AAT I did ACA. I work in corporate tax and have resisted doing CTA because I just don't want to do any more exams!

From a company offering training courses I believe the AAT qualified for government funding (at least it did for me). Ultimately it only cost my company one year of fees and that's only because I turned 25 and was no longer eligible for government funding.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

ACA, ah. That's the hardest out of the three, isn't it?

If I hadn't gone to uni, I'd be able to do AAT at college for free, but ah well.

Just had some feedback from the interview I had on Friday for the purchasing role, it's come down to me and another candidate, and now they're gonna do a phone interview... with the company VP in Hamburg. Bit odd, but I'm hopeful as it felt like a really nice place to work, good pay, plenty of opportunities to progress, easy to get to, etc, plus they mentioned about a forecasting project they want to try, which totally fits in with what I did for my dissertation.

 

[dowie]

Would assume you won't have to tolerate the BS HR style questions if it is an MD interviewing. More likely competency questions and then general chat etc... where he/she will just be trying to establish if you'd be a good 'fit'. Should go without saying that you ought to be prepared to answer questions on anything you've listed in your CV, that you should research the company and that you might want to look at the background of the person interviewing you(linkedin - though do so either without being logged in or with your privacy settings configured so they don't know you've looked at their profile).

Doesn't matter if it's the MD of google or some local family owned business.

Always wear a suit to an interview.

If it is google then no, don't wear a suit as you'll look and feel a bit silly.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

So I've had two out of the three interviews.

The purchasing role phone interview with the VP in Hamburg went well I think, but I haven't had feedback yet. This was my preferred role until today.

I interviewed today for the Accounts Clerk role at a school (which includes AAT funding) and they've come back and said I'm the preferred candidate and could I go back in tomorrow for a chat with the Finance Director. I got along really well with the all female finance team who're all really nice, and I completed their accounts exercise despite being told that nobody else completed it (I like a challenge).

I still have another interview for an admin role at local accounting firm tomorrow, but the school role is much better I think, and offers better prospects. It also sounds like a more varied role vs personal accounts admin, as it's a boarding school as well as a charity so deals with a lot of overseas invoicing and such. More money (starts at £2k more but they might offer £4k more - haven't had the offer yet), funding for AAT (not sure which level, but even level 2 is almost £1k), it's actually an accounts role (whereas the other one is admin with a view to moving into accounts), and the benefits are quite generous (pension is 6.4% contribution and they match 14.1%) as well as free school lunches.

 

[Rids]

AAT courses are not needed in my opinion. Even with no experience you'll breeze through them with just the study text.

Have you looked into whether you can jump straight onto ACCA or CIMA? I know if you have a degree or a certain number of points you can skip their foundation levels.

Personally I'd look at either starting ACCA / CIMA proper now, or if you're not eligible do either the ACCA Foundation or CIMA certificate exams. AAT is a lot of exams for a qualification that isn't valued a great deal, even though the exams are easy to complete.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

So I met with the Finance Director this morning, and they're gonna make a formal offer in writing for me to consider. I think I'll go with it though.

Sadly I didn't get the purchasing role - it came down to me and one other candidate, so I'm not too beat up about it - and the school role is much better overall I think.

AAT courses are not needed in my opinion. Even with no experience you'll breeze through them with just the study text.

Have you looked into whether you can jump straight onto ACCA or CIMA? I know if you have a degree or a certain number of points you can skip their foundation levels.

Personally I'd look at either starting ACCA / CIMA proper now, or if you're not eligible do either the ACCA Foundation or CIMA certificate exams. AAT is a lot of exams for a qualification that isn't valued a great deal, even though the exams are easy to complete.

That doesn't seem to be the impression I've been given by all of the accounts jobs I've looked at, applied for, enquired about. AAT is a minimum it seems.

I have looked into going straight onto ACCA or CIMA and I am eligible with just my degree, but it's difficult to get a role where that would be funded without any accounts experience. Most places (training providers and employers) I've spoken too would prefer someone without a finance background (experience or degree) to do AAT first. Experience gained whilst in a role combined with studying AAT also counts towards the practise requirements for ACCA.

With the school role I've been offered, breezing through AAT isn't a problem for me. It's another string to my bow as it were, and it'll be funded by the school. Then after that I can look at doing ACCA and moving somewhere else if necessary.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

So I've been at the school 6 months now and generally enjoying it. A lot of the work appears to come naturally to me and makes sense. Glad I accepted the offer as the overall package is great (particularly the pension). Whilst I'm doing a lot of essentially data entry work, they are giving me opportunities to do more engaging tasks like financial analysis on things like vehicle running costs, photocopiers, staff expenses, and capital expenditure. There are 5 of us in the office and the other 4 tend to stick to one thing (purchase ledger, sales ledger, purchasing, etc) where as I'm doing different things everyday which I prefer.

I've just agreed a start date with the Financial Controller for my AAT. Spoke with her, and visited the nearest training provider, and it seems like doing Level 4 and then ACCA is the best route for someone like me with no formal accounts training beyond GCSE Maths. Going to start the optional modules next month, Personal Tax and Credit Management, and the compulsory units from September which should mean I've completed it by April next year. The school are going to fund all of this, and it's convenient for me that the provider is local rather than having to do home study and go to Reading or Birmingham for the exams. Also helps that the lady who runs the training provider has a boy going to the school.

I'll have to stay here for 2 years after completing it otherwise I'll have to pay back some of the cost. I plan to start ACCA after I finish AAT next year with the exemptions from the knowledge modules. I don't think the school will fund that however, as it would probably result in me stepping on the toes of my line manager as I'd be more qualified than her technically.

I plan to stay at the school until I complete ACCA, so 5 years in total, which I think is long enough in terms of experience to start looking for a more senior position somewhere - or even at the school.

I was wondering however whether it would be worth me trying to negotiate an increase in salary after completing AAT Level 4, as I think the presumption was that I would only do Level 2.