[Donster]

Well in my current role i have been promoted. But there is no harm in looking right? So i was kind put forward by an agent for a really good role elswhere.

I passed the first one with flying colours i was told. Pretty much the front-runner in the second round.

lol, this credit crunch is really seperating the men form the boys. I did three pyscometric tests for this role and one 2hr interview. I have noticed that companies are treating prospective candidates for interview like one would deal with a car that was being traded in.

They can really do whatever the hell they want. There is more supply than demand. i.e - fewer jobs and a lot of highly qualified people.

But ho hum...

SO...Any advice on the second round interview stuff????

[Porscha!]

Just want to say congratulations and also good luck! I've no advice I'm afraid though.

What sort of area of work is it?

[Donster]

Originally Posted by Porscha!

Just want to say congratulations and also good luck! I've no advice I'm afraid though.

What sort of area of work is it?

Cheers Porscha!

I'm a CIMA qualified accountant and the role is for a corporate finance area manager

Good pay, benefits, bonus, company car allowance etc.

The company is FTSE-25, so its pretty massive. Also the sector is energy and utilities, so i should be ok regarding job-security.

There is a bit of international travel to places like Nigeria, Phillipenes and Lagos (). But nowhere near as much as my last place.

Biggest benefit is it is 9 miles away from my house. This means no long journeys back and forth etc! Means i take the prospective 355D on more scenic routes instead of the M6 to Birmingham!

Been working since i was 14 years of age. Only really now starting to see hard work paying off etc.

[Porscha!]

Originally Posted by Donster

I'm a CIMA qualified accountant and the role is for a corporate finance area manager

Good pay, benefits, bonus, company car allowance etc.

The company is FTSE-25, so its pretty massive. Also the sector is energy and utilities, so i should be ok regarding job-security.

There is a bit of international travel to places like Nigeria, Phillipenes and Lagos (). But nowhere near as much as my last place.

Biggest benefit is it is 9 miles away from my house. This means no long journeys back and forth etc! Means i take the prospective 355D on more scenic routes instead of the M6 to Birmingham!

Very good luck with it all then

[NFS]

Originally Posted by Donster

SO...Any advice on the second round interview stuff????

Second round interviews usually mean that they already accept that you are qualified for the job. It's now a case of showing them what you would be able to offer to the organisation.

My advise would be to:

1. Find out as much as possible about the business and be ready to explain why you want to work for them and why you would want to give up your current position. They are bound to ask and you will need a good answer prepared.

2. You are also likely to face questions about your personality and management style. Again, have answers ready. My personal favourites are the old strengths and weaknesses ones. It's easy to present a strength (e.g. quick to identify the root cause of problems, but weaknesses are harder if you are not ready).

Good luck!

[TofuTurkey]

I like to try and make the interviewers laugh (with me, not at me ). I think this helps relieve some of the tension, shows that you're a nice person to work with, and especially when there are other well-qualified candidates, makes you stand out more. Ultimately, you'll need a "champion", someone who will bang his / her hands on the table and say, "I REALLY like this person, I demand we hire him!". Or something to that effect

[Gibbo]

Originally Posted by Donster

Cheers Porscha!

I'm a CIMA qualified accountant and the role is for a corporate finance area manager

Good pay, benefits, bonus, company car allowance etc.

The company is FTSE-25, so its pretty massive. Also the sector is energy and utilities, so i should be ok regarding job-security.

There is a bit of international travel to places like Nigeria, Phillipenes and Lagos (). But nowhere near as much as my last place.

Biggest benefit is it is 9 miles away from my house. This means no long journeys back and forth etc! Means i take the prospective 355D on more scenic routes instead of the M6 to Birmingham!

Been working since i was 14 years of age. Only really now starting to see hard work paying off etc.

There are plenty of good ACMA out there at the moment looking for jobs. The 3 areas in demand are strong commercial managers, systems intergaration skills and sarbox. You appear to be looking for a commercial job but would asssume from your age/salary band you are newly qualified.

Do you have sector knowledge from the area the company works in I assume oil industry probably based on the supply side Exon Mobile, Shell, BP or KBR??. Read up on the company, industry and competitors this is a highly competive area with Afica being an established growing market place. Lagos, Port Hardcourt and Warri are the key oil areas of Nigeria and you should know this going into a 2nd interview.

This interview will be with the hiring manager. They will assume you have the core financial skill so they are looking for your commercial experience and how you add value to the current team. Get examples of this experience, show when you have lead projects, teams, management skills in decision making and show you have all round business skills, a personality can explain financial issues to non financial managers and not just another bean counting accountant, but a business manager they can trust within their organisation. Don't be arragent with experience they don't expect you to know it all!!

I would expect you to be asking questions about the company, industry, team, Go through the job spec ask questions on terminology you are unclear of and ask what they expect you to do today, in 6 months & say 2 years down the line.

Good luck with the interview - sound a interesting job and with your qualification the rewards only get better with hard work.

P.S. I would understand how long you are expected to be in Nigeria each year. The western workers live in compounds and are transported to the Airport by armed guard. Make sure this is for you and your family.

[Donster]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

There are plenty of good ACMA out there at the moment looking for jobs. The 3 areas in demand are strong commercial managers, systems intergaration skills and sarbox. You appear to be looking for a commercial job but would asssume from your age/salary band you are newly qualified.

Do you have sector knowledge from the area the company works in I assume oil industry probably based on the supply side Exon Mobile, Shell, BP or KBR??. Read up on the company, industry and competitors this is a highly competive area with Afica being an established growing market place. Lagos, Port Hardcourt and Warri are the key oil areas of Nigeria and you should know this going into a 2nd interview.

This interview will be with the hiring manager. They will assume you have the core financial skill so they are looking for your commercial experience and how you add value to the current team. Get examples of this experience, show when you have lead projects, teams, management skills in decision making and show you have all round business skills, a personality can explain financial issues to non financial managers and not just another bean counting accountant, but a business manager they can trust within their organisation. Don't be arragent with experience they don't expect you to know it all!!

I would expect you to be asking questions about the company, industry, team, Go through the job spec ask questions on terminology you are unclear of and ask what they expect you to do today, in 6 months & say 2 years down the line.

Good luck with the interview - sound a interesting job and with your qualification the rewards only get better with hard work.

P.S. I would understand how long you are expected to be in Nigeria each year. The western workers live in compounds and are transported to the Airport by armed guard. Make sure this is for you and your family.

lol. Wow Gibbo, are you an ACMA? Maybe an ACA?

Yeah my experience is pretty much SOX, commercial awareness and systems merger and integration (Oracle migration etc etc).

I dont really want the whole SOX stuff to be honest. The SOX stuff was beginning to piss me off a lot towards the end of my last job. I finalised all the management/statutory accounts and ther i am till 10pm ticking and boshing of checklists, journals and printing ream and reams of bolloxs of.

I know SOX serves a purpose, but i honestly think it can be made more robust etc. Anyway i digress.

I personally am hoping to get some decent post-qual experience under my belt and then see what happens etc. Hopefuly i will be doing ok and rolling in a brand spanking M3!!!

Gibbo you never ease to amaze me mate. Such a plethora of information, if only i was half as clever as you.

I have read some of your posts regarding financing/leasing/PCP. You most certainly know your shit to put it mildly lol. Credit to you..

[Gibbo]

I am an ACMA for my sins.

[Donster]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

I am an ACMA for my sins.

Hey bredren!!!

Christ i barely got through the exams lol!!!!

[RCUK]

ACMA here as well! Was made redundant from a top accounting firm in November, but start a new job on Jan 6th - car allowance has paid for the 335D!

For me finding a job was a little easier as luckily im a financial modeller and there is a shortage of modellers with commercial experience out there.

From what ive been led to believe 1st interviews are 'can this guy do the job' whils 2nd's are 'yes he can, but does he fit in with us'.

Best of luck .. its not nice out there at the mo job wise, but def no harm in pushing yourself a little more!!

[Speedtrap]

Good luck mate I was also thinking of changing jobs...been in this for a while.

[willhollin]

I'm sick to the back teeth of my boss at the moment.

[Speedtrap]

Originally Posted by willhollin

I'm sick to the back teeth of my boss at the moment.

I heard he is on the BMW forum these days

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by willhollin

I'm sick to the back teeth of my boss at the moment.

Didn't your misswah say something about him being an absolute ar*e, Will?

Viv

[BC4J]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

There are plenty of good ACMA out there at the moment looking for jobs. The 3 areas in demand are strong commercial managers, systems intergaration skills and sarbox. You appear to be looking for a commercial job but would asssume from your age/salary band you are newly qualified.

Do you have sector knowledge from the area the company works in I assume oil industry probably based on the supply side Exon Mobile, Shell, BP or KBR??. Read up on the company, industry and competitors this is a highly competive area with Afica being an established growing market place. Lagos, Port Hardcourt and Warri are the key oil areas of Nigeria and you should know this going into a 2nd interview.

This interview will be with the hiring manager. They will assume you have the core financial skill so they are looking for your commercial experience and how you add value to the current team. Get examples of this experience, show when you have lead projects, teams, management skills in decision making and show you have all round business skills, a personality can explain financial issues to non financial managers and not just another bean counting accountant, but a business manager they can trust within their organisation. Don't be arragent with experience they don't expect you to know it all!!

I would expect you to be asking questions about the company, industry, team, Go through the job spec ask questions on terminology you are unclear of and ask what they expect you to do today, in 6 months & say 2 years down the line.

Good luck with the interview - sound a interesting job and with your qualification the rewards only get better with hard work.

P.S. I would understand how long you are expected to be in Nigeria each year. The western workers live in compounds and are transported to the Airport by armed guard. Make sure this is for you and your family.

Carlos will be along shortly to correct your spelling errors.

[dxb335d]

how you all know wills boss?

[mjh93sa]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

how you all know wills boss?

Will brought him to the last meet.

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by mjh93sa

Will brought him to the last meet.

yes i realise that for peeps who where there, what about the others.

[marriedblonde]

Originally Posted by TofuTurkey

I like to try and make the interviewers laugh (with me, not at me ). I think this helps relieve some of the tension, shows that you're a nice person to work with, and especially when there are other well-qualified candidates, makes you stand out more. Ultimately, you'll need a "champion", someone who will bang his / her hands on the table and say, "I REALLY like this person, I demand we hire him!". Or something to that effect

Personally I'd say thats a very risqué strategy. I don't know what you do for a living but being an office clown isn't usually considered very professional in my line of work.... Colin Hunt springs to mind!

[squeezebm]

Originally Posted by marriedblonde

Personally I'd say thats a very risqué strategy. I don't know what you do for a living but being an office clown isn't usually considered very professional in my line of work.... Colin Hunt springs to mind!

Bullshit,treat work the same as life, work hard at it and have fun doing it and never take it too seriously you don't have to be a clown

[marriedblonde]

Originally Posted by squeezebm

Bullshit,treat work the same as life, work hard at it and have fun doing it and never take it too seriously you don't have to be a clown

Thats all very well and good but you need to get the job first! Go to an interview and try to make people laugh is not the best strategy in my opinion. They will think to themselves - if the guy is clowning around in an interview what's he going to be like if he gets the job...

J.