My First Jump

I think I started my job search around November/December of 2013. I had so many phone interviews and face-to-face ones. I lost count of how many jobs I applied to. I think because I was so miserable at my job at the time, almost everywhere else seemed great. The company I was at was becoming toxic. No one liked working there. Everyone was short tempered, didn’t have patience. I remember some Sunday nights I would cry because I didn’t want to go to work the next day. Monday mornings I had to give myself a pep talk.

By June 2014 I still hadn’t found a new job but knew something was around the corner. I came across this one company. They were hiring for two positions.  One was a revenue accountant which I could easily do. It dealt with setting up leases, manual billings, bank reconciliations, AR. Easy. The other position was of the a property accountant. Cash flows, financial statements, budgeting. It was exactly what I was looking for. For sure I would get my work experience for my designation through this job. I applied for both because I noticed I didn’t necessarily have all the experience required for the property accountant role. But I knew if I got in, I would prove myself and the property accountant role would be mine. I also researched the company on LinkedIn and saw that people who started as a revenue accountant were usually promoted within a year to a property accountant. I was very hopefully.

After the two interviews where I stressed I needed a job that would give me the experience I needed to complete my accounting designation, I received an offer for the revenue accountant position the first week of July. I was so excited, I didn’t even negotiate (which I shouldve) . I was told that after my probation, I would have a review where I had a good chance of getting an increase. I took the offer and ran. Not to mention all the little perks I was getting. Cake day every month to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries (who doesn’t love cake) . A subsidized gym membership. Unlimited sick days (within reason), three weeks vacation, work from home access if needed, tuition reimbursement,  an employee assistance programs so I could be units of the company. I was happy. I walked into work the next day and happily handed in my resignation. I was off to better things.

The last two weeks of my job went by quick and we’re emotionally draining. They offered two positions to make me stay. One was for a maternity leave and the other for a position where there wasn’t much growth. I declined both because you never take a counter offer. You were looking for a reason. And if they really valued me they wouldn’t take so long to show it. Plus I heard my manager was going around telling people I shouldve left a year ago when I applied for a position in the company and they didn’t give it to me. Anyways that was that. During my last week there a coworker died. My last day with the company I attended the funeral for my coworker. It hit us all really hard. And made leaving even harder. I felt like I was walking away from my family. Some of them were like family. But I still talk to them on a regular basis.  The following Tuesday I started my new job.

*This post was written with the WordPress app on my phone. Please excuse any typos that may be present*

29 and feeling fine

Hi!  I know it’s been about two months since I posted. I entered a funk and didn’t really feel like posting negative things online. I figured taking a little break would be good.

Over the past little bit I had a couple more interviews (phone and in person) but still nothing yet. I’ve registered with another agency and I’m hoping it brings more luck.

A couple weeks ago I decided that I need to let go of all the negative stuff and be more positive. My life isn’t that bad. Actually it’s not bad at all. So I decided to stop sulking and move one. I stared reading a couple books and they’ve seem to be helping. I’ll try to do a review on those later. But besides that everything else is good.

On Tuesday (May 13^th) I turned 29. Oh boy, the last year before the big 3-0. My week was filled with surprises. I was finding my presents in my work bag, around my apartment. And then on Friday, my boyfriend and Lola threw me a surprise birthday party. To say I was shocked is an understatement. My reaction was so slow. I had no idea what was going on. I had a great time with my family and friends. Last night showed me how truly blessed I am. I have amazing people in my life, my health, a home, a job. There are no reasons for me to ever not be happy. I get that from time to time we get into moods. But going forward I refuse to take it the level I’ve been I the last few weeks. I have so much to going for me. Yeah I don’t like my job but something is coming and it will be here soon.

I’m going to try my best to come up with a schedule for this blog/journal. And hopefully it works this time.  I am back in school now so hopefully I’ll able to manage it all.

Oh and to help with my positivity I will start writing in a gratitude journal. I figured this would be a a way to remind myself things are actually pretty good.

Motions….

A lot has been going on over the last month and I’ll give you a quick rundown….

Towards the end of January I was having some pain in my tailbone and then I fell on it. After numerous doctor visits I found out I had a pilonidal cyst and when I fell I fractured my tailbone.  The cyst turned into an abscess that I had to get drained.  I ended up missing a week off work and now I’m being referred to a specialist to see if I have to have surgery to get the sinus that caused the cyst removed. Oh and during my wonderful week off, I received a call for an interview for my dream job. The interview was okay, the test was hard. I feel like the recruiter I spoke to completely downplayed the test. I felt as if I was doing my tax exam all over again. To say I wasn’t prepared may be an understatement. I’m still waiting to hear back.

Two weeks ago I went to a CGA event and received some information about the merger to CPA. I’m feeling a more confident about my future. Now just to full enroll into the program and find a job.  Speaking of, at the CGA event the discussed using a recruiting agency to help you find a job.  So I took the advice and signed up. I’ve already met with them and I’m feeling good about my decision. Something tells me something great will be happening soon

A December to remember…part two

Do you ever have a dream, wake up and think ‘what the hell does that mean?!’ Well that’s what happened to me. I had a dream I went out dancing with my dad and sister.  We were having a good time until I looked down at my feet and noticed I didn’t have any shoes on.  I thought it was weird because who dances without shoes and in my dream I had the memory of wearing shoes. As I looked ahead of me I saw three brand new pairs of shoes waiting for me. I walked up and chose a pair…then woke up.

As soon as the sleep is out of my eyes I head over to Dream Moods (there’s an app) to see what the dream meant. I look up dancing and it states ‘To dream that you are dancing signifies freedom from any constraints and restrictions. Your life is in balance and in harmony. Dancing also represents frivolity, happiness, gracefulness, sensuality and sexual desires. You need to incorporate these qualities in your waking life….To dream that you are attending or going to a dance indicates a celebration and your attempts to achieve happiness. Consider the phrase the “dance of life” which suggests creation, ecstasy, and going with what life has to offer you.’ Okay, not bad. Next I look up the number three.  It tells me the number ‘three signifies life, vitality, inner strength, completion, imagination, creativity, energy, self-exploration and experience. Three stands for a trilogy, as in the past, present, and future or father, mother, and child or body, mind, and soul, etc. Dream of the number three may be telling you that the third time is the charm.’ Okay, so far so good. Next I look shoes.  ‘In general, shoes represent your approach to life. Wearing shoes in your dream suggests that you are well-grounded or down to earth. It also represents your convictions about your beliefs. If you are changing your shoes, then it refers to your changing roles. You are taking a new approach to life. If you forget your shoes, then it suggests that you are leaving behind your inhibitions. You are refusing to conform to some idea or attitude. To see old and worn shoes in your dream indicates that you will find success through hard work and diligence. You have come to terms about who you are….To dream that you are not wearing any shoes indicates that you have low self-esteem and a lack of confidence in yourself. You are dealing with issues about your self-identity.  Alternatively, to dream that you are not wearing shoes represent your playful attitudes and relaxed, carefree frame of mind. You have a firm grasp and good understanding on a situation. If you dream that you lose your shoes, then it suggests that you are searching for your identity and finding yourself.’

So what did I take from this…Um, I’m soul searching, sometimes I’m too hard on myself and a change and good things are coming :). Anyways time to get ready for work.

At work that day we had a pizza lunch with cake to celebrate the work anniversaries. My manager gave a little speech and thanked us for all of hard work and said how much she appreciates us. She also told us that changes are coming…joy.  My mentor (who happens to be my manger’s boss) gave a speech as well thanking us for our hard work but also told us to get out while we still can lol. Just as everyone was finishing up their cake, my phone rang. It was a private number. I don’t usually answer private numbers but something told me to. I dismissed myself from the party and found a quiet corner in the lunch room to take the call. I answered it and was ecstatic to find out that it was a HR rep from a company I had applied to. I had a phone interview right there on the spot. Although I was prepared for it, I felt like my personality came through a lot more. She told me I’d hear back from her in the next couple of days. I went back to my desk smiling and feeling confident. That was two phone interviews in two days. I was on a roll and then I humbled myself. No need to get overly excited because I still had a ways to go.

I spent the next few days studying for my exam. It was hard to focus because all I could think about was the second phone interview I had. Monday morning I was doing some last minute review for my exam when my phone rang, another private number. I started shaking, nerves. I just knew it was the HR rep calling back from my second phone interview. I let the call go to voice mail. She left me a message saying the hiring manger wanted to meet with me.  Good thing this was a message I was listening to because I let out a little scream.  As soon as I calmed my nerves, I called her back and set up a time to go in for an interview the upcoming Thursday. I couldn’t believe this was really happening. Once I was finished smiling my face off, I got ready and left to write my exam.

Once the exam was out of the way I spent the rest of the week preparing for the interview. What was I going to wear? What are they going to ask me? How am I going to answer? Thank goodness for Lola, she saved me and let me borrow a nice navy blue button down shirt to wear under my blazer.  Mr. Man would randomly ask me interview questions to help me prepare.  Shaunie and Aly were very supportive and told me not worry, I would knock them dead.  And there were was my family who told me the job was already mine and I just had to claim it.

Maybe my dream was right, maybe I’d be changing roles….

A December to remember…part one

I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time now but kept on getting distracting with life.  This post is late and long so I’ll be doing it in parts, sorry.

In December I celebrated my five year anniversary of working full time with my company.  I started working there on a student contract in July 2008 but for some reason they use December as my start date because that’s when I became a regular full-time employee.

December was hectic for me because I was getting ready to write my exam for that blasted class.  I was applying to more jobs than ever and making sure to take the time out to personalize my cover letters for the position I was applying for. I had friend and family gatherings to attend; to say I was tired and almost burned out is an understatement.  What I really needed was to take some days off but I was saving my vacation (and sick) days in case I got a call for an interview.

I remember sitting at my desk and seeing the email notification light on my smartphone go off. I checked it and saw that there was an email from one of the companies I applied to right after I did a resume makeover. The email asked if I was still interested in the position and asked about my salary expectations. After the last email I received asking about salary expectations I decided to ask around a bit and asked my mentor for some advice.  After speaking with her, I realized that I was in the right range the whole time.  Actually her range was a bit higher, she told me not to sell myself short.

The next morning I replied to the email and said I was still interested in the position and gave me salary expectations; within the hour she called me for a phone interview. Because I had just walked into the office I asked to reschedule for 1130.  In the meantime, I started preparing myself. I did some quick research on the company, printed my resume so I could follow along and prepared some questions to ask the HR representative. I went to a Tim Hortons close by and called the HR rep back. I found the interview to be very weird. She started by telling me the current company I worked for was in trouble and asked why I wanted to leave considering I’ve been there for long. She told me I was a ‘lucky one’. I corrected her and told her my company wasn’t in trouble, we had just purchased a company overseas for over $1billion. I told her I’ve been working for the company for five years and was looking for an industry change.  Her next question was why I wasn’t pursuing my accounting designation.  In my cover letter and resume it clearly states that I working towards a designation, so I’m not entirely sure where she got this from. The whole interview threw me off and it didn’t help that her phone kept chipping in and out. She told me I would hear from her in the next couple of days but I felt like I wouldn’t.  I went into this phone interview prepared and left feeling like I wasn’t at all. I brushed it off and looked at it as experience.

A little change never hurt nobody…

After deciding to finish my accounting designation, I realized that I would for sure need a new job. I’ve previously stated how unhappy I am at my current job.

Over the past couple of months nothing has changed.  I don’t feel like part of the team.  I feel that my surroundings aren’t very professional. I’m not saying I’m all work and no play because I like to play. I just feel that the lines are frequently blurred. Also with my five year work anniversary approaching, the clock in my head has been getting louder; it’s time for me to go.

Working for this company has taught me a lot but it seems like the last two years have kind of been a waste. And for where I see myself going, I have to make a change and leave. So the first step was looking at my resume.

The resume I had been using wasn’t getting me any bites.  And after sending it to a recruiter and not hearing anything back, I realized I really needed to change it.  It was all over the place. Yeah it’s good that I had some experience but what good was it if it didn’t apply to the job. Now I know what you’re saying…’Tee come on now you should know better’..and I did. But looking back, I think me not putting any real effort into my resume was me sabotaging myself and hold myself back. So I re-did my resume and got it down to a nice eye-catching 1 page. As soon as I did it, I applied for a job. That same day I heard back from company.  Well kinda. I received an email asking salary expectations and asking if I was willing to travelling to another part of town, which I was definitely up for because it was right on the subway line.  Well I guess the HR representative didn’t like my answer for salary expectations because I didn’t hear back from her. But I didn’t let that stop me. I applied for two others jobs that week and felt confident about them.

I know job hunting can be a long process; it can take months. But I’m willing to put the work in because I I know it’s time for me to move on.

Third time is most definitely the charm…

Back in September I discussed my pain joys of taking my corporate finance class for the third time.

Well I am pleased to say I finally passed the class with 70%, actually 78% to be exact.  I’m so happy and relieved.  I’ve learned my lesson that accelerated classes are really not for me.  I need a regular semester to observe all the information. I’m so glad that it’s over and I don’t have to open that textbook again.

So now what’s next? I planned on taking the advanced management account 2 in January but honestly my brain needs a break and truly shits expensive.  I could manage and pay for the class ($800 plus the textbook) but there are other things I want to put that money to.  I want to finally enroll with the Certified General Accountants institute so I’m not in jeopardy of losing all the transfer credits I’ve received over the years.  The transfer application alone is $380 plus when I do pay my membership fee that’s another $400-600. And I also have Aly’s wedding coming up.

So far 2014 is looking very expensive but fulfilling.

I made a decision…

Over the past couple of months I’ve been having a war with myself.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.  Do I finish my accounting designation, do I move to project management, do I scrape everything all together and try something completely new? After looking at the type of person I am, I came to a decision.  I really dislike when projects are started and never finished.  So I decided to finish my designation. Like I previous said, I like numbers and helping people. I feel accounting will give me that balance.  And I once I finish my designation I can use it as a stepping to stone to do something else.  Having a designation can help me get into project management.  I also realized that no one regrets doing their designation but some do regret not finishing it.  So finish I shall. I shall put on my big girl panties, stop the crying about how hard and time consuming it is and realize that it will all most definitely be worth it all in the end.

Third time’s a charm..

So I’m taking Financial Controllership 2(pretty much corporate finance) for the third time.  Yes, the third time.  I passed the first 2 times, but I need a grade of 70 for it to count towards my accounting designation.  My prof gave us the option of reviewing our final exam to help us figure out where we went wrong. I had a feeling a messed up on the theory (I hate reading) but I just wanted to see to make sure.  I was wrong.

Turns out I was having a hard time with unit 3.  When I told the course during the summer it was accelerated.  Meaning it was a 15 week course crammed into 7.5 weeks, maybe not a good idea for my brain.  By the time we did unit 3, I had to learn all this material and be ready to be tested on it in less than 2 weeks; another bad idea.  After review my exam with my prof we had a little talk.  She asked me how far I was in my designation and what the next step was.  I told her how I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue with the designation. I explained I didn’t find it fun and I wasn’t sure if it was actually accounting or the organization I worked for.  I continued on and told her I was looking into project management .She (like others) told me that accounting isn’t the greatest but it pays the bills. She said I should finish my designation especially since I’ve passed the half way mark.  No one ever really questions someone with an accounting designation because everyone knows about all the hard work and dedication that goes behind it.  She went on to say I should finish it now, while I’m still young and if anything use it to open doors for me later, like getting my project management designation.

After listening to her, I kinda agreed.  Project management requires work experience.  If I continue with my accounting designation and see if I can work on some projects and work with budgeting a forecasting, I can build on the work experience I would need.  My prof also told me that the fact that I’ve been with the same company for 5 years is a good thing. It shows that I’ve proven myself to be a hard worker, especially in a time when it’s hard to get a job.  She continued and told me she’s knows I’m capable of great things and I should just have some patience.

I left the meeting feeling better and having a better idea of what to do next. I think I will finish my designation but I won’t rule out project management, especially since I’m supposed to be meeting up with Alex later today.  Can’t wait to see how that goes

I know, it’s been awhile

After staying late at work a few days, I started to think if me working in 2 divisions was such a good idea.  I spoke to my mentor and she told me if it was too much I could give something up. She also explained that if I were to work in project management that it too would be just as crazy.  I completely get that, I know that.  And I also know that every organization has its problems.  I told her I’d tough it out some more before I make a decision.  Everything else was fine, it was just month end.  Maybe if I adjust my schedule during that week, everything would be okay.  I went back to my desk and worked.  Time flew.  I finished an assignment I was working on.  I had to track some contractors’ cost see if it was within a certain budget.  I personally didn’t think it was a big deal until I received an email from one of the IT directors.  He told me he appreciated my help tracking the contractors’ cost and that it was a part of a $1.3M budget for his division.  I had no clue it was this big, I figured I was just doing my job.  He went on to say he looks forward to working with me on the remainder of the project and thanks for the support.  I was in shock. I told him he was welcome and that I look forward to assisting him. Sometimes when you feel like giving up, don’t.  The light is just at the end of the tunnel.

After dealing with the craziness of month end last week at work, I decided to take a little break.  Good thing I had a ladies night planned.

We stopped and got fish and chips from one of our favourite places.  Because I was so tired from my draining week (I think we all were) we headed home to nap before our night of fun.  After my nap, I got ready and headed over to Lola’s house for some predrinking.  We finished a bottle of wine (Ménage à Trois, a go-to favourite) in 20 mins and then off to the club we went.  As soon as we walked in we were dancing, the music was great.  However we noticed that our friend (Lola’s roommate) Nicki didn’t seemed like she was having as much fun as we were.  A visit of to the bar was needed.  After our shots Nicki was feeling great.  We had great night, no hassles.  The next day I woke up and my ears where ringing and I had a slight headache. I guess things change as you get older.

I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing because I knew that starting Monday I would be back to night school, something I wasn’t looking forward to. Speaking of which, I have some homework I need to get to