Working finally but casually

There is a nice little thing called tax. And thank god for it. What? No, not because we have to pay tax but because some of us required help in preparing to pay for it or maybe turning it into a refund. And that's where yours truly comes in!

Some tax companies conduct tax preparation courses in the year and if you take these and also score above the passing mark, they consider you to work for them in the given tax season. I decided to take one of these as it was a genuine opportunity for starting of in an evergreen tax industry. I have always been in finance and always wanted to work in the personal side of finance, hence this was the perfect opportunity.  This has been the most painless job acquisition for me.

I was sincere in my studies and got to learn so much about tax and ways to reduce it. A very recommended route for getting client facing experience in Australia. Sadly, it is a contract of only few months and I already need to figure out what next.

But it is a start, which I hope will lead to better things and opportunities.

Ciao

Job hunting in Australia

My transition from my home country (India) to this (Australia) one has not be a very smooth one. I have been enriched in many facets of my life but finance.


Picked up a couple of courses to 'bridge' the work skills and enjoyed the process. I just love studying. Only if I could make money of passing exams. Taking exams gives me a high.

With an MBA under my belt at a young age and a about an year of experience in middle office of investment banking, I thought job hunting would not be an uphill task here. But boy was I wrong!

Job hunt has turned tedious now. With not so encouraging global news on employment and many jobs getting sacked in Australia as well, it does paint a grim picture to a job seeker. Jobs are limited and applications are many. And by many I mean humongous.

I do empathize with the HR guys for sifting through the piles of resumes and still managing to send responses to the unsuccessful ones. But now, even those responses have stopped coming! My application procedure has established a routine. And that's what I want to break out of. I read a few job hunting techniques and tried some of my own. So, here are my two cents of how to approach the job hunt is a more proactive manner without having to pay someone:

Online:

1) Read the job description very carefully. Include the keywords on your resume/email/cover letter.
Make sure you don't apply to a job that is not for you or if you don't match up to the skills/experience required. A little out of the bandwidth is fine but you don't want to send your resume into a black hole.

2) Don't make the mistake of having an obscure 'Objective' on your resume or worse still have none. An 'objective' statement should concur with your studies, work ethic and the company that you are applying for. You might alter it for different industries/positions.

3) Preferably, target the advertisements from the hiring company instead of the agencies. This means that you get to talk directly to the person who might mentor/supervise you in your work. How wonderful is that!

4) It does not hurt to pick up the phone once in a while and dial that number on the job advertisement. Have a chat about the job, how you fit it or just how much you are interested in it. Generally, I at least received a screening call back from the agency/company where I called them up to chat and discuss the job.

5) Now this might be a bit far fetched, but I have also tried sending my resume to small / mid-size companies whose websites I found interesting and I thought I could add value if  I were working there. Here is what I do:

 - I select the industry that I am targeting, in my case accounting/financial planning/financial services, and just do a google search of the companies in this business in my city

-  I study carefully their website, their career section, their team, etc and see if I like something. Then, I just email the HR department/company (small companies just have one email id for correspondence) with a brief of myself and why I liked their company. I ask them if they have any opening at that time or in future.

- I might attach my resume or sometimes just ask them if they would like to take a look at my resume. It depends on what you are comfortable with. It also depends on the extent of your interest in the firm/position.

- You might receive an affirmative reply, a negative reply or none at all. But, if they have your resume, they might consider you for any future openings. And that doesn't hurt.

6) Other stuff you can do is strengthen your online presence like in LinkedIn and Twitter. This is more relevant for media/mass communication/graphic designers. They expect you to be outgoing and build contacts looking for projects and stuff. Honestly, I am yet to try this out.

Offline

1) Seriously consider volunteering.

I have read and read about how volunteering helps your to network and be job ready. It fills that gap on your resume and shows that you can work well with people.

What kind of volunteering you do is also important. Like, I am looking for an opportunity to work with a not for profit finance organization. It helps to work with a field close to your job search field. But, this is not always an option. Some sales/HR/marketing guys would consider volunteering for fund raising due to the people skills that you develop on your stint.

2) Consider unpaid internship

Yeah. I had that opportunity. But I made the fatal mistake of asking for a rescheduling of interview date as I was attending classes. Never heard back from them. And blew my chances of an interview :( It hurt!

You can find internship opportunities on http://www.gumtree.com.au/

3) I am also considering using the services of a recruitment agency. This one specializes in students with overseas certifications and experience. Check it out http://www.studyandwork.com.au/

They charge $1000 to get you an unpaid internship for 3 months with a chance to be offered a job at the end of internship. Otherwise, you qualify for a professional placement program where they guarantee you a 12-month paid employment and take a 10% of your annual salary in their fees.

Well, I don't like to short sell myself, but many skilled job hunters are taking this route and I am willing to consider this option too.

Good luck to all job hunters. My best wishes are with you. Shall keep you updated on my methods and results.

Would love to hear any suggestions!

Rachael Ray on Dr Oz.

Yesterday, I watched an interesting episode of Dr Oz. with Rachael Ray on it. She was explaining some wonderful ways to prepare budget meals. I enjoyed it mainly because with my husband currently winning the bread I am the cost cutting mastermind at home.

I found some of her suggestions interesting, such as:

-Buying in bulk the items like broccoli  cauliflower, carrot, when they are at a discount (or in season), blanching them at home and creating your own frozen veggies.

-Poaching the whole chicken in the same way and freezing it. Whole chicken is always cheaper than the thighs/legs/breasts.

-Buying rice, lentils and even nuts, apricots and stuff in bulk.. That's what we used to do back in my country (India) but here in Australia, it is difficult to find lose stuff because mostly we shop from Woolworths/Coles and they always have the packaged items. These are branded and expensive.

Rachael made an important point about food. She said that having a meal to sustain yourself for a week at the lowest cost is a great thing. It gives your security and peace of mind. Well, I never gave food more thought than just a fuel. And now, with my marriage and in the position of the proverbial homemaker, food seems to assume a lot more importance.

I look forward to dining with my husband and it certainly is one of the most important times of the day for me.

So, kudos to you Rachael and keep up the good work! Use the link below if you wanna watch this episode,
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/rachael-ray-healthy-budget-pt-1

There are four parts in all. Its all very interesting. A little effort and creativity will keep you wallet-happy!

Busy busy

The blog demands a post and I have to give in... I know it deserves better!

But hey! I have been busy. Thrown back into the daily grind of college life (sorry working folks, I know you fare worse!). Still, its been quite some time since I attended classes and wrote exams!

But spring is here and so is the college break. Things in life seem to be picking up pace now. I am being pushed to become a doer rather than a thinker! Meanwhile, things are not neccessarily looking up yet, but they are moving at least. So, I am satisfied. Satisfied with what life is and but not what it will be if it continues to be this. I wish my luck would push itself just a little bit harder.

Learnt a few things about myself outside classrooms though. I know now that life is not just about results. I love it when I see myself not bothered with that one mistake I made in the test. It might be too early for me to see the wholesome picture of my life before me, but I think I can see it now. I no longer just see the task ahead of me, but also how it fits into my 'wholesome' life picture. I know happiness is my priority. Life is not about doing my 'duty', it is doing what I can do with satisfaction. It might take a while to reach that balance, but I know the kind of mindset I want to be in when I start my day, when I take that cup of coffee on the way, when I finish my work day, when I go to sleep. So, pretty good.

Just hope my mind does not make it too hard for me. No offense dear mind, but sometimes you talk too much!

Interval time

It is one of those times when life takes a break. Nothing much is going on in my life. Though my efforts are on, nothing seems to be going according to my will. Well, actually nothing seems to be going anyways!.. It can be frustrating sometimes but that's the way life is!..Just need to get through without compromising my daily routine. Continue doing stuff and as my dad says, one day the results will come.. and you won't even know what happened.

Its a good time to introspect as well but deep down I know I work better with less time on my hands. Its just good to be busy as it keeps us from thinking about what the hell we are actually doing with our lives.. Its just that how pointless life can be starts to catch you when you have a lot of free time of your hands, like I do now!!..

Can't wait to start that new course I am thinking of pursuing.. Will have a lot on my hands then hopefully. And when I again start to think that I need more time for myself, I will know I have moved on and not learned my lesson for this boring interval time! .. See ya! 

Does life always have to PUSH us?

Why is it that only when we get that jolt, do we snap out of it? Does life have to push us for us to consider where we are going and what we want to do next?..

How about taking that privilege in our hands? Why not push ourselves before life has a chance. Though it is not possible to learn ourselves all that life wants to teach us through the experiences that we have to go through, we can minimise the instances.

For example, you know that your smoking could cause an irreversible damage to your lungs. Are you going to wait for your lungs to let you know that they cannot take it anymore or you are going to take an action now to avoid that push. If we push ourselves to stop smoking won't it be more pleasant than life pushing us to do so in a threatening circumstances. Here we are in control and the feeling of triumph, if we are successful is immeasurable. I know that because I know someone who did it.

How about that habit of getting up early that you have been meaning to cultivate? Would you have to wait till you get late for that important meeting or for kids getting late to school to jolt yourself up everyday? Or it may be some other thing you have been meaning to do like reading a book or learning that new sport?

You never know the possibilities that would open for you once you take control. Life might push you in very pleasant ways after that ........

When enough is really enough

How many times have we thought our resources are scarce, how many times have we let opportunities slip right through our hands, how many times have we belittled the difference we could have made. I am sure the instances were many... Realised or un realised..

It is our natural tendency to fall back in routine, to go on doing what we did yesterday, to keep resisting change.. Though avoiding risk helps us in causing actual harm in our lives, there are certain changes, certain new things or new ways of doing things that we must consciously keep learning to keep the fun alive.

Never belittle any opportunity available or underestimate the impact you can have. On our own level, with what we have available, we all are somewhat better or somewhat worse than other people. Hence, comparing with others is an endless exercise. Better to get out of that rut and believe that we have enough to make our life wonderful. As is always the case with nature, the feeling of abundance attracts abundance. If you feel lucky, well, you attract luck.