Possible Job Interview - The Book-keepers Forum

Spamkebab · Guru

Possible Job Interview

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

You'll be fine matey.

Worst thing that you can do at the moment is to overthink what's going to happen as you'll only end up dissappointed when they don't ask you the question in the interview that you've spent hours deliberating over.

I find the best approach is to go in there assuming that you've already got the job. Make sure that you keep eye contact, firm handshakes, smile (but not inanely),try to speak confidently and keep the conversation as much as possible inside your comfort zone.

The interviewers don't want too be talking to you all day so the more you chat about the stuff you know the less opportunity they have to ask you questions about stuff you don't.

Oh yes, and always remember that unlike some other candidates you've got a couple of hundred qualified bookkeepers and accountants standing behind you.

... And if all else fails just photoshop a picture of the interviewer abusing small furry animals and extort your way into the position!

All the best for the interview,

Shaun.

Rhianrach · Guru

Shamus wrote:

... And if all else fails just photoshop a picture of the interviewer abusing small furry animals and extort your way into the position!

Worked for me.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

lol...

Can't read the small print on your Avatar Steve. What Manga series does your small furry animal come from?

Rhianrach · Guru

Vector by ManaAlchemist

Character : Eris

Series : Asobi ni Ikoyu.

I like her, but then I'm a deviant.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Rhianrach wrote:
I like her, but then I'm a deviant.

Me too now!

Rhianrach · Guru

Shamus wrote:
Rhianrach wrote:
I like her, but then I'm a deviant.
Me too meow!

Altered for you. wink

Spamkebab · Guru

Hey you guys, this is about me,

Arghh, i give up! lol.

(Them cartoon characters are just wrong in so many ways)

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Spamkebab wrote:
Hey you guys, this is about me,

Arghh, i give up! lol.

It was Steve, he made me do it....

Rhianrach · Guru

Don't blame me, it's the cat, it's a distraction.

Good luck Neil, I think it sounds from what you say, that they are after a purchase ledger bod with a view to taking on other ad-hoc tasks as and when, therefore a great opportunity to move through the company, so on and so forth. In this climate they may get applicants with 5000 years experience, they may want someone who they can train to do things their own way.

It sounds to me like they would be missing a trick if they didn't take you on, as you are obviously capable of more than the job would demand.

My only tip would be not to lie about your abilities, however dressing up your experience is never a bad move in my book.

Spamkebab · Guru

OK you meandering wallabies,

Interview on Monday. Apparently these people are looking for a bookkeeper, to work with an external accountant. They require bookkeeping upto trial balance. Surely i should know this much by now? arghhh can't think, i'm flapping like a flappy thing. Apparently they are interviewing 3 people of which i'm one, and i have been told that my CV specifically caught their eye. What will be expected of me to bring the accounts to trial balance stage, i know i know i know if i don't know this then i shouldn't be going for the interview, i'm sure i know the answers but honest to god....................blank.

arghh vat returns, only ever done them for exams.........

maybe this job is a stretch as i dont think i will have anyone to ask for help, and even i cant bum through a 37.5 hour week looking busy doing nothing. They might suspect something when they keep finding me sweeping up or brewing up.

Then again i have got to start somewhere, is it warm in the deep end?

This is a SME manufacturing firm, does anyone know what an average day will consist of?

Thank you for all the speedy replies, i will be awake until Monday dinner time to answer your questions lol.

Love Neil.

Sammy76 · Veteran Member

I would imagine most days will be spent processing supplier invoices, and creating customer invoices, processing payments in and out, chasing payments. At the end of the month you will most likely have to do bank recs, monthly reports, send out customer statements etc. Every quarter you will most likely have to process the VAT return, though if you check it on a monthly basis it should be accurate. As long as the monthly reports are all done then the year end to trial balance should be pretty straight forward too. I'm trying to remember all the things I had to do, bookkeeping wise for all my old work places as they were a double glazing company, a fashion company (involving imports, exports and concessions - very complicated), a sign writers, and a specialist paint spraying company, so I would imagine (apart from the fashion company) that a manufacturers would be pretty similar. Do they import materials and export goods for sale? If so it might be a bit more complicated, but is ok once you know what to do.

semsley · Guru

Ok Neil, here goes from someone who has over the years worked in many different SME industries. Looks like you'll be the sole person in charge of the "accounts dept" if you will be working with an external accountant. Sooo, you'll be dealing with all the purchase invoices that come in and entering the sales invoices coming from the sales department, looking after the petty cash, chasing up the debts, paying the suppliers, doing the banking, probably the payroll or they may have a payroll clerk. You'll probably be doing monthly management accounts and quarterly VAT returns and liaising with the external accountant (who may actually do the monthly management accounts with you providing a TB). You'll probably have to liaise with the purchase dept to confirm invoices match with orders and delivery notes. Really nothing to worry about. Regarding asking for help - there's us and we'll always give you a answer.

Go for it and good luck.

Sheila

Rhianrach · Guru

At least it's only bookkeeping, I do the above and then some smile

You'll be fine Neil, if you get the job make it part of your morning routine to log onto this forum. You'll probably find that you are worrying over nothing and everything you have learnt will come flooding back and make lots of sense.

Good luck

pDm · Senior Member

Good luck, Neil! You'll do fine, just keep in mine that you're also interviewing them. I've always gone into every interview with loads of questions about the job and the expected work. Shows your keen and interested in the company. Scour their website too - there might be useful titbits to bring up in the interview. All the best!

Spamkebab · Guru

Well that went well.

Amanda · Guru

lets us know how you got on Neil.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Spamkebab wrote:
Well that went well.

more details matey...

We've all been on tentahooks all morning!... What is a tentahook?

Spamkebab · Guru

I really can't decide whether i did ok or they are comparing me to something they stepped in lol. I stuck to my manufacturing background, giving the (true) reason for wanting to progress into accounts, which is thus:- for me to gain employment in manufacturing at the level i have worked my way up to i would not be able to have a decent relationship with other maufacturing staff as most supervisory and managerial roles are achieved through career progression. I would like to be able to work alongside the maufacture staff and gain an in depth understanding of the process and having dealt personally, building very solid relationships with customers and suppliers i consider an accounts role the next step. I told them i had a million bookkeepers and accountants backing me too lol. Actually i said i had friends in bookkeeping i could question reliably. Told them i was comfortable with bookkeeping even though not 100%, i would be confident as long as i could question without worry. My AAT cert has stood me in good stead, that seemed to go down well. Alas they are interviewing more people than i was originally told as more and more CVs have popped up so i won't be holding my breath in this current climate. One question was "have you tried getting here via the motorway at 7:30 in the morning?" since my interview wasn't scheduled for untill 11:30 why would i have? I replied by saying that i would definitely be leaving earlier than that even if it means finding somewhere for a cup of coffee..................the rest is a blur. Oh yeah, i haven't had dealings with foreign currency or internet sales..that seemed to be a worry.

Ah well, I came, i saw, i returned home.

Neil.

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Monday 13th of February 2012 01:42:37 PM

kjmcculloch83 · Guru

I have my fingers crossed for you Neil.

Kris

Spamkebab · Guru

Cheers Kris

Tentahooks, Baited breath............it's a fishermans world.

Sweetpea · Veteran Member

Neil I hope you get the job. But if you don't, look at it as an experience. You will do better at your next interview :)

Good luck.

Laura

Peasie · Guru

Shamus wrote:
Spamkebab wrote:
Well that went well.
more details matey...
We've all been on tentahooks all morning!... What is a tentahook?

tenterhooks.jpg?w=500

EDIT : tenterhooks

-- Edited by Peasie on Monday 13th of February 2012 01:57:33 PM

kjmcculloch83 · Guru

What do they do Peasie? They look like they could cause some damage.

Kris

Peasie · Guru

Spamkebab wrote:
Cheers Kris

Tentahooks, Baited breath............it's a fishermans world.

And it's "bated" breath - which means there is no fishing connection.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Ouch, well certainly don't fancy being on one of those!

You're certainly a bit of a fountain of all knowledge Peasie.

Actually, took my boy to Warwick Castle last year and we got shown the hooks that in the middle ages they used to hang people from the walls with... Eye watering stuff.

Amanda · Guru

Trust you peasie, have you found them in your flat?.............

Peasie · Guru

kjmcculloch83 wrote:
What do they do Peasie? They look like they could cause some damage.

Kris

Copied/pasted from Wikipedia (so it must be true)

Tenterhooks were used as far back as the fourteenth century in the process of making woollen cloth. After the cloth was woven it still contained oil from the fleece and some dirt. A fuller(also called a tucker or walker) cleaned the woollen cloth in a fulling mill, and then had to dry it carefully or the wool would shrink. To prevent this shrinkage, the fuller would place the wet cloth on a large wooden frame, a "tenter", and leave it to dry outside. The lengths of wet cloth were stretched on the tenter (from Latin tendere, meaning "to stretch") using hooks (nails driven through the wood) all around the perimeter of the frame to which the cloth's edges (selvedges) were fixed so that as it dried the cloth would retain its shape and size.[1] At one time it would have been common in manufacturing areas to see tenter-fields full of these frames.

By the mid-eighteenth century the phrase "on tenterhooks" came into use to mean being in a state of uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense, stretched like the cloth on the tenter.

-- Edited by Peasie on Monday 13th of February 2012 02:09:00 PM

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Keep thinking positive thoughts Neil. Absolutely sure that you've done fine.

Only issue you might have is if the next candidate through the door is some cute single 23 year old with a thing for older accountants... I know that would tick all of my boxes regardless as to her qualifications but then again I also think that I'm one of the last bastions of political incorrectness! wink

Spamkebab · Guru

Stop being so picky lol. It could have been baited breath after keeping them maggots under ones tongue.

Hey i can do cute.

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Monday 13th of February 2012 02:11:45 PM

Peasie · Guru

Amanda wrote:
Trust you peasie, have you found them in your flat?.............

It wouldn't surprise me if I had found them in my flat. At least now I know what they are for.

Spamkebab · Guru

Funny thing is, i doubt it would surprise any of us if you found them in your flat Peasie lol. At least you have the wool to use with them.

Peasie · Guru

Spamkebab wrote:
Stop being so picky lol. It could have been baited breath after keeping them maggots under ones tongue.
Hey i can do cute.

Had this been posted about 10 days ago I would not have pointed it out. I only found out the difference recently when one journalist was having a go at another journalist. One of them really hates the other on a personal level - the other couldn't care less.

I try and avoid pointing out spelling mistakes but it was kind of fundamental to the meaning. Maybe I'm just in a crabbit mood this afternoon.

Spamkebab · Guru

I see Shaun has somehow managed it again. A person posts a decentish question or bit of info and before long we are discussing the benefits of the red pill towards those of the blue pill and the rainfall in Kuala Lumpur.

Peasie · Guru

That's because nobody started a conversation thread for today so we need to hijack other posts.
If I go off an google "rainfall in Kuala Lumpur" then I have a serious problem.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

But once you take the pill there is no turning back Neo... Mmm, accounting qualifications twinned with entering the Matrix. Sad thing is that I really can see the link there!

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Weather in Kuala Lumpur is mostly cloudy, 27 degrees C, 12mph wind from the East and 84% humidity.... I'll go seek help now...

kjmcculloch83 · Guru

Shaun, how was Warwick Castle. We are thinking of making it part of our holiday this year. My boys will be 3 and 5 by then, not sure if they're still too young to enjoy it.

Kris

Spamkebab · Guru

There is no minimum age for boys and castles Kris.
Theres no maximum age either :)

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Hi Kris.

it's absolutely great. there's two jousts daily. Story telling on a hillside for the children. A new Merlin tower to tie in with the TV series. Full armour demonstrations, huge grounds to walk in. We spent all day there and didn't get bored at all.

One thing though. I wouldn't take your boys on the dungeon tour. It's done by professional actors and a couple of bits could be really scary for them espechially where they have a witch trial of a random member of the group at the end of the tour. When they are about to lop the persons head off all the lights go out there is the sound of the axe and everyone watching gets sprayed with a small amount of water simulating the blood splash... Not really for 3 and 5 year olds at all.

Spamkebab · Guru

I think i'd skip that one never mind 3 and 5 year olds.

kjmcculloch83 · Guru

It may help to make them behave, Shaun. The head chopping is actually the same thing they do at the Dungeons also owned by the merlin group.

I shall add it to the last with Flamingo Land, revisiting Thomas Land and maybe Digger world for me.

Kris

DaniellA · Newbie

Yeah! Goodluck to you Neil. I know you can be able to pass it just beleive in your self. Whatever the result just think positive always because it takes work and patience. Here are some career switching tips to get you started. Resource for this article: How to switch careers without losing your head

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