HR Management Paper on Career Planning

HR Management Paper on Career Planning

Introduction

Effective carer planning is critical in attaining the intended career goals (Henderson 2009). This paper evaluates the fundamental aspects that will be considered in my career planning process. The paper focuses on a number of areas that include sourcing an internship program, writing an application letter and resume that will be used in seeking for a position as an intern. The paper also presents an updated action plan and career development plan.

Sourcing for an internship program 

In addition to pursuing my degree course in financial accounting, I will also engage in extensive career planning. One of the career planning approaches that I will focus on entails seeking the opportunities offered by internship programs offered by different companies. Turkington (2006) accentuates that internship programs improves the likelihood of progressing through the desired career path by presenting interns an opportunity to learn different skills and knowledge that might not be covered in the  university. The knowledge gained from the internship increases enhances the interns’ creativity hence improving their future employability (Henderson 2009).  The internship program further increases the likelihood of accessing job opportunities because the job intern is able to establish networks with individuals in the job market.

To enhance my capability of progressing through the desired career path as a Financial Accountant, I appreciated the importance of joining a graduate internship program. The rationale of joining the internship program is to enhance my financial accounting skills and knowledge. As an intern, I will have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience on the application of different financial concepts and techniques learnt during the course study. This will arise from working side-by-side with experienced financial accountants.

Recognition of the need to join an internship program motivated me to search for relevant internship program. Subsequently, I undertook an extensive online research on graduate internship programs offered by different companies. The search for the graduate internship program was based on an effective criterion, which entailed limiting the search to programs offered by renowned firms in the financial services sector. The online research process led to identification of the graduate internship program offered by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, which is a renowned global firm that offers diverse financial and consultancy services. A comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of Deloitte’s graduate internship program was undertaken in order to determine its appropriateness. The analysis revealed that the internship program would culminate in acquisition of the required financial accounting skills.

To secure a position as a graduate intern, I will that I apply for the position as required by the company offering the program. In the application, I will state my in qualifications in financial accounting and other relevant areas that I have performed exemplary. In additional to academic qualification, I will also state my rationale of joining the graduate internship program and what I intend to gain from the program. This will be achieved by stating my strengths, values and interests. The purpose of stating my strengths, values and interests is to illustrate how the internship program is aligned with my quest to achieve personal and professional development. I will also outline my commitment in complying and ensuring that the assigned roles and responsibilities as an intern are duly completed in accordance with the organisation’s requirements. By outlining my skills, knowledge, personal strengths, values and interests, I will be able to increase the likelihood of succeeding in securing the job position. This assertion is supported by Cottrell (2015) who opines that employers seek on assessing the degree to which the job applicants’ qualifications fit with the organisations’ needs.

In applying for internship programs in the future, I will follow the above process. This will not only increase the likelihood of being selected as an intern but will also ensure that the internship program applied for contributes to my personal and professional development.

 Application for the internship

After identification of the desired internship program, I will commence on applying for the position. This will be achieved by writing and sending the application or a cover letter to Deloitte. Turkington (2006) opines that the cover letter is intended at impressing a potential employer by articulating the skills, knowledge and qualifications of a potential employee. Thus, it determines whether an intern or job applicant accesses the job opportunity.  In addition to the cover letter, a resume outlining my professional and personal qualifications will be presented. These documents will outline my competitiveness and suitability for the internship program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover letter

Below is a sample cover letter that will be presented in seeking to secure the internship.

Name

Deakin University, Melbourne

75 Pigdons Rd, Waurn Ponds,

Email address;

7^th September 2016

Deloitte LLP Recruiting Team,

2 New Street Square, London, EC4A 3BZ.

Dear Sir/Madam

I hereby write to apply for the position of an intern at Deloitte LLP in accordance with the requirements of Deloitte’s Global Internship Programme. I am a senior student at Deakin University pursuing a degree course in financial accounting. The degree program has led to development of strong foundation in financial accounting. Joining the internship program will not only be a source of knowledge and skills but will also benefit Deloitte’s financial accounting team with important accounting and analytical skills and knowledge.  I will be able to share my technical skills in financial accounting hence enhancing the productivity of Deloitte’s financial accounting team. Moreover, I will positively contribute in ensuring that the institution’s accounting department successfully completes the assigned accounting projects.

At Deakin University, I have been able to achieve exemplary performance in financial accounting, which is evidenced by achieving a 3.6 Grade Point Average (GPA). Additionally, I have had the opportunity to work closely with the accounting department at Deakin University and other local profit oriented entities.  This has provided me extensive understanding and experience on the fundamental differences in accounting for profit and non-profit entities. Thus, I have developed adequate knowledge on application of different accounting standards in both profit and non-profit entities.  As a student at Deakin, I have developed adequate knowledge on how to be an effective team player. Subsequently, I have developed the requisite skills in becoming a team player. Thus, I am able to contribute significantly to completion of project activities.  As an intern at Deloitte, I present my professional values hence positively contributing to improvement in the effectiveness and efficiency with which Deloitte’s accounting department accomplishes the set milestone.

I will be excited to share my financial accounting skills and knowledge with Deloitte’s accounting department hence contributing to improvement in the department’s productivity. My broad academic qualification, ethics in applying accounting standards and principles, teamwork approach and leadership skills will be of great benefit to Deloitte. Therefore, I will be of great value to the organisation. I look forward to sharing more with you about my qualifications.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely

Student name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resume

The following resume will be presented in seeking for a position as a financial accounting intern.

Personal Information

Name

Deakin University, Melbourne

75 Pigdons Rd, Waurn Ponds,

Email address;

Objective

• Seeking an internship position as a financial accountant at Deloitte Touche. By joining, Deloitte Touche, I will share the financial accounting knowledge gained in pursuing my financial accounting degree at Deakin University. My contribution will enhance the productivity of Deloitte’s financial accounting department.

Personal profile

1. Extensive knowledge in financial accounting systems, detailed-oriented and highly organised.
2. Possession of effective problem solving and analytical skills and hence the ability to make decisions on the basis of extensive analysis.

• Effective verbal and writing communication skills.

1. Ability to multi-task hence improving my capacity to complete projects in time.
2. Trustworthy and ethical skills.

Experience

Assistant Financial accountant manager; ADCO Constructions (6 months)

1. Performed basic accounting duties to facilitate the company’s construction activities.
2. Formulation of company’s budget forecast to determine the financial needs of different departments.

• Preparation of the company’s quarterly and annual reports for purpose of evaluating its returns and tax obligations.

1. Participated in preparation of the company’s payroll.
2. Ensured that the company met its monthly financial obligations to creditors such as banks when due. This role achieved by managing the company’s account payable accounts.
3. Ensuring compliance with the stipulated accounting deadlines hence ensuring that the firm successfully publishes its financial statements.

• Preparing the company’s financial statements.
• Analysing the company’s financial statements by calculating diverse categories of financial ratios.

1. Performing general office administrative tasks.
2. Ensuring that the company’s financial accounting practices complied with best practices and applicable accounting regulations and laws.

Accounting Supervisor;

1. Preparing journal entries
2. Auditing the financial data entered in the company’s accounting books in order to determine its accuracy.
3. Keeping track of the company’s financial records.
4. Preparation of the company’s bank reconciliation statements.
5. Facilitating payment of over 30 of the company’s suppliers.

 

Assistant Project Manager; ADCO Construction (6 months)

• Working alongside ADCO’s Project Manager in implementing new Customer Relationship Management software.

1. Ensured that the stipulated project milestones were achieved. This goal was achieved by evaluating the quality of the project in order to identify deviations from the stipulated quality and recommend the necessary adjustments.
2. Ensured effective collaboration between the respective project team members by facilitating teamwork.

• Ensured that the project was completed within the stipulated project schedule and budget.

1. Ensured effective project termination and closure.

Educational qualification

• Bachelor of Commerce; Accounting – Deakin University (2012-Present)
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants – Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia 2008-2011.

Computer skills

• Microsoft packages; Word, Outlook Express, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Application of Accounting software, QuickBooks, software in undertaking accounting activities.

Updated action plan and career plan reflection

            Becoming a successful financial accountant will not only depend on acquisition of technical accounting skills gained from the degree program. On the contrary, my success will also be enhanced by ability to apply different human resource management skills. Despite the fact that financial accounting roles are largely technical, interaction with humans cannot be eliminated (Carmichael & Graham 2012). Therefore, it is imperative for individuals who intend to attain professional success to appreciate the importance of attaining holistic development.

In the course of executing my accounting roles and responsibilities in my future workplace, I will be required to interact with different individuals at the workplace.  Therefore, I will be required to possess effective soft skills.  The rationale of developing the soft skills arises from the need to enhance my effectiveness in establishing and sustaining effective interpersonal relationship with different employees at the workplace. For example, as a financial accountant, I will be required to collaborate with employees in other departments. Establishing such collaboration will aid in developing adequate understanding on the financial needs of the diverse departments. Through this move, I will be in a position to make realistic projection on the department’s budgetary needs.

To succeed in developing the intended soft skills, I will consider working as a management accountant volunteer in small and medium sized enterprises established locally. Therefore, during the holiday vacations, I will actively seek to be enrolled to work as a volunteer.  Findings of a study conducted by Chen Fleisher, Svetlan Khapova and Mette M. Shipper shows that there is a positive correlation between corporate volunteering and acquisition of career capital (Vos and Heijden 2015).  This will create an opportunity to improve my competency in different aspects that will increase the likelihood of progressing through the desired career path.  For example, working as a volunteer in selected small and medium sized enterprise will provide an opportunity for development of diverse skills such as communication skills, problem solving skills, teamwork skills, leadership skills and organisational skills. Haroun (2016) asserts that soft skills are very critical in attaining the intended professional success because they enable an individual to effectively deal with the complexities associated with the contemporary working environment.

In addition to the above activity, my pursuit for career progression will further entail searching for a well qualified and experienced financial accountant to my coach and mentor. The mentor will be sought by presenting a request to the identified financial accountants in well established firms operating locally.  In the process of seeking mentorship, I will explain the purpose of seeking mentorship and the areas that I will require to be mentored on. To effectively identify the mentor, I will evaluate the profile of different financial accountants. This will be achieved by comparing the profiles of different accountants from the LinkedIn social platform. The choice of the LinkedIn platform is informed by the fact that it provides educational qualifications and job position of different professionals.

The rationale of seeking mentorship is based on the fact that I will be able to gain extensive insight on how to be competitive in the contemporary job market.  For example, the mentor will provide critical knowledge on the fundamental skills that I should focus on developing in order to be a highly valuable financial accountants.  The mentor will act as a supervisor and hence will aid in assessing my progression in acquiring the relevant skills. A series of meetings with the mentor will be held occasionally to discuss and share the challenges encountered. Brent and Brent (2015) accentuates that this move will aid in creating awareness on other areas of improvement.

On the basis of this approach, I will be able to make adjustment on the relevant areas identified by the mentor.  To benefit from the mentor, I will focus on developing and sustaining a strong interpersonal relationship with mentor by observing and complying with all the issues advised on. It is expected that the above skills will be acquired within 1 year prior to entering the job market. These activities will play a fundamental role in my holistic development as a professional financial accountant.

Reflection on the Unit

Pursuing this unit has led to acquisition of knowledge and skills on how to search and seek and apply for employment or internship opportunities by writing an application letter. By applying the knowledge gained, I will be able to write a competitive resume and application letter hence increasing the likelihood of securing a job or an internship position.  The unit has further contributed to improvement in my knowledge on how to undertake effective career planning in order to increase the likelihood of progressing through the intended career path. Prior to taking this unit, I had the perception that succeeding as a professional financial accountant solely depended on my ability to apply the technical accounting skills gained in the learning process. However, the unit has created my appreciation of the fact that career progression is not only dependent on skills and knowledge gained in the classroom environment but is also influenced by my ability in applying diverse personal skills and qualification in other different areas. In summary, the unit has been very valuable in enhancing my knowledge on how to achieve career development in financial accounting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Brent, M. & Dent, E 2015, The leaders’ guide to coaching and mentoring; how to use soft skills to get hard results, Pearson FT Publishers, Harlow, England.

Carmichael, D & Graham, L 2012, Accountants handbook, financial accounting and general topics, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

Cottrell, S 2015, Skills for Success, Cengage, Mason, Ohio.

Haroun, L 2016, Career development of health professionals; success in school and on the job, Elsevier, Missouri.

Henderson, M 2009, Career planning for gifted students, Epitome Books, London.

Turkington, C 2006, Ferguson career resource guide to internship and summer jobs, Infobase Publishers, New York.

Vos, A & Heijden, V 2015, Handbook of research on sustainable careers, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK.