Volunteering is not only good for the soul but also holds enormous benefits for yourself, your family and your community.

 

Benefits

1) Connects you to others – one of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to an activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you’ve located to a new area. Volunteering also strengthens your ties in the community and broadens your support and social network. You are meeting ‘like minded’ people with common interests.

 

2) Good for your mind and body – provides both mental and physical benefits. Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self confidence, self esteem and your overall life satisfaction. Your role as a volunteer can give you a sense of ownership, pride and personal identity. The more positive you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a more optimistic outlook on life and plan and achieve your future goals. Volunteering also combats depression. A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. Volunteering helps you keep in touch and engaged with people. Volunteering is good also for your physical health, in particular older adults.

 

3) Advance your career – If you’re considering a new career, volunteering can assist you gain experience in the area you’re interested in. Not only does it allow you to gain new skills in your new career, however it can connect you to people who are experienced and could provide you with an insight before making a commitment. Volunteering allows you to further develop your team work, communication, time management and organisational skills. If you’re unemployed at present, volunteering also looks fantastic on your resume. Check your local volunteer organisations as they cater for numerous industries and professions. You may also be able to get someone who supervised you whilst volunteering to act as a referee.

 

4) Brings fulfilment to your life – is fun and easy to explore your interests. Doing meaningful work can be relaxing and can also allow you to escape from the day to day routine that you may be currently experiencing. Maybe the timing is right to re-invigorate and re-invent yourself – possibility re-invigorates your creative flair, motivation and zest for life. A lot of people make time for volunteering outside of work as well ie people with desk/indoor roles may want to assist with an outdoor project to ensure that maintain balance in their life.

 

How to find the right volunteer opportunity

The key is to find a volunteer position that you would enjoy and are capable of doing. It is imperative that your commitment matches the organisations needs. Ask yourself the following questions:-

• Would I like to work with people or would I rather work in solitude?

• Am I better behind the scenes or would I prefer to take a more visible role?

• How much time can I commit?

• How much responsibility am I willing to take on?

• What skills can I bring to the volunteer job?

• What causes are important to me?

 

Why not look at volunteering?

 

Resumes are your marketing tool, therefore your resume needs to ensure that you stand out from your competitors!

 

In today’s competitive market taking the time to construct your resume is paramount.

Remember your resume needs to be tailored to each job you’re applying for . The ‘one size fits all’ resume simply does not work.

 

• Career Objective – unless extremely targeted to a specific industry, avoid! People do make the mistake of making career objectives too wordy and irrelevant. My tip is to avoid.

• Irrelevant Employment experience – minimise work experience of over 15 years . Highlight and emphasise the skills that match the role.

• Physical description of yourself including photo – this is not relevant on a professional document. People make judgments whether good or bad, avoid this all together.

• Interests – although ok, make sure list is short and concise.

• Inappropriate contact information – I am referring to non-professional email addresses which are a complete ‘no no’ on a professional document.

• Creative fonts – your resume needs to be clear. Avoid the use of fonts that are difficult to read. The standard font size is 11. Suggested fonts – Times New Roman or Arial.

• Poor use of grammar – avoid slang and complicated acronyms.

• Achievements – make sure they are actual achievements. People do make the mistake of highlighting achievements on their resumes, however fails to impress when the reader is reading.

 

When you’re attending a job interview, first impressions are critical.  It actually takes someone approximately 7 seconds to make an opinion of you, when presenting at a job interview.  Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the first impression you are giving off.  Are you coming across as human and likeable?  Do you exude professionalism and charm?

Find below some pointers that may assist you give a ‘knock out’ first impression –

Dress to impress – You want to go to an interview looking sharp, articulate and extremely well groomed.  This includes well ironed clothes, polished shoes, hair washed and neat and tidy.  You need to research the people who may be interviewing you.  For corporate roles, you need to wear corporate attire (tailored business suits).  If the position, for example is more of an artistic, creative role, dress as though you look creative (yet still give a professional appearance).   It’s always better to be over dressed as opposed to under dressed.

Give an impressionable handshake – a critical element in creating a good first impression.  Must be firm.

Eye Contact and Body Language –good posture, shoulders back.  Body language is under-estimated.  Maintain good eye contact with the interviewer.  If a panel interview maintain eye contact with all panel members.  Don’t over use eye contact and make people uncomfortable.

Communication – speak clearly and at a moderate pace.  Avoid slang and jargon not associated with the job you’re interviewing for.  Always use proper grammar that reflects a higher level of education.

Charm – When attending an interview always appear very interested in the business.  The interviewer will always like to talk about the business and its acheivements.  It’s advisable to direct the attention away from yourself and on to the other person.  Avoid talking too much about yourself.  Try and get the other person to talk about themselves and the business

 The goal of every first impression is for you to stick in the interviewer’s brain.  Instead of being the 4 cylinder model, you want to be the V8 model.

 Don’t forget to thank the interviewer at the conclusion of the interview – a thank you goes a long way……remember it’s the little things that make the difference!

According to the Readers Digest, the professions that are dependable, honest and reliable have earned the public’s trust.  The top place is shared  jointly between fire fighters and paramedics.

1. Fire fighters and Paramedics
2. Rescue Volunteers.
3. Nurses.
4. Pilots.
5. Doctors.
6. Pharmacists.
7. Veterinarians.
8. Air Traffic Controllers.
9. Farmers.
10. Scientists.
11. Armed Forces personnel.
12. Police.
13. Dentists
14. Teachers.
15. Child Care Workers.
16. Flight Attendants.
17. Bus/Train/Tram drivers.
18. Locksmiths.
19. Hairdressers.

The bottom five

       45.   Real Estate Agents

46.   Sex Workers.

47.   Call Centre Staff

48.   Insurance sales people

49.   Politicians

Definition – maintaining and enhancing the skills, knowledge and experience related to your profession following completion of formal training. It also involves development of personal qualities which are required for carrying out professional and technical duties during a professional’s working career.  It is imperative that both technical and non – technical skills  be developed.

Most professions do have set requirements for ongoing ‘continued personal development’ so demonstrated competence in a chosen field/profession can be maintained.  The ultimate outcome of continued professional development is that it safeguards the public, the employer, the professional and the professionals career.

Benefits of continued professional development

• Keeps your capabilities relevant and  up to speed in an ever changing and competitive market as well with the current industry standards in the profession.
• Maintain and enhance the knowledge and skills you need to deliver a tailored, professional service to all stakeholders.
• Assists you contribute positively  to your team which builds stakeholder confidence and confidence in the profession as a whole.
• Keeps you interested.  Continued professional development can open up new possibilities and opportunities.
• Can create a deeper understanding and an appreciation of the profession.

 Public Accounting includes any accounting work that a company performs on behalf of or for another company. Examples include:-

• Tax
• Compliance
• Auditing
• Business Growth and Consulting.

Private/Corporate Accounting is work that is done for your own company.  Each company has its own form of an internal accounting/finance department and those employees would be considered as private accountants.