Are we a good match?
My number one criterion for my future job is fantastic office culture. I'm looking for a group of people who thoroughly enjoy accounting and who are kinda nerdy about it. I'm looking for a group of people who think their colleagues and clients are rock stars. I want to work in a place where asking questions and making mistakes is encouraged because it leads to a more solid and reliable end work product. I want to work with people who are adventurous in their thinking but who execute a plan carefully with precision and flexibility. I'm looking for a group of people who don't want to share all the same beliefs and who can share their differences respectfully. I want to work with people who do have a life outside of work that fills them up. I want to work with people who can be silly as well as super-productive. I want this job search to be my last and for that to happen, I need to find a place full of people I will enjoy working with for the next twenty plus years. Everything after that need is met can be negotiated.
Let's start with the strange stuff on your resume. What do you mean you don't have a GPA?
Western Governors University uses a Keller method system which they called "competency based." Students may test out of a class on the first day but the cut score for passing is set at the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA. Every single test must be passed at that level or above. Another way it was quite different from the "pass/no pass" method was that any time I needed tutoring, I could call and have a one-on-one session with someone who had a Master's degree or above, usually within 24 hours. About half my classes were test-based and the other half were performance based meaning I had to turn in essays and work papers. For performance based classes, those papers had to be perfect and would be returned to me if they weren't. It was exactly like preparing work papers in real life in that way. I passed all my exams with a decent margin above the cut score on the first try and I was on the Dean's List while completing my lower division work. Based on a bell-curve analysis of my excess-of-margin scores, my estimated GPA is 3.8.
Why are you just now getting a degree in your 40's?
Life got in the way of making plans. I know the standard package is to follow a plan and then wander after retirement, but most of the people I saw taking that route were bored and frustrated and had forgotten how to wander by the time they were "freed" (their term) from their jobs. I took a long time to make up my mind but I don't question my choice.
Why did you do a second bachelors in Human Resources/Are you sure you don't want to work in HR?
I am absolutely, positively sure I don't want to work in HR. I took the second degree because I have a strong interest in labor law but I didn't want to go to law school. I have a solid background in HR and I want to continue to study changes in labor management. Generation Y has introduced some rather impressive changes to mentor relationships that will change both the accounting profession and the general white collar culture. The field of biostatistics has made some astounding advancements that allow us to view and predict human behavior in bold new ways. Those things, and many others besides, are going to change the way we think about the costs of labor and the way it affects profits. We might be able to write more accurate formulas that allow us to better manage things like radical shifts in national health care policy and future recessions. Reconfiguring our thinking about how human behavior in the marketplace influences profit within the context of accurate reporting and quality forecasting is pretty exciting stuff but you need to pull both pieces together to see the possibilities.
What's with "company name withheld"?
Portland is a small area for a major U.S. city. In order to discuss the type of accounting work I did for this company, I don't feel I can also mention their name and practice client confidentiality.
What about that stuff we can't ask you about in an interview?
Go for it. (Just not in the actual interview, obviously.)
What kind of life is it you already have/want to have outside of work?
In my free time I prefer to be outside hiking, biking, backpacking, and in the worst of the rain, running. I celebrated completing my coursework by climbing Mt. St. Helens with my fantastic hiking buddies. I can be lured indoors most easily for a play at any of Portland's amazing community theaters but also for bad/cult movies and BBC period dramas. I am currently serving on the OSCPA Career Development Committee to make the Brown Bag series and the Career Showcase even better. I volunteer as a tax counselor through CA$H Oregon which assisted over 17,000 people filing tax returns in Oregon and got them 2.5 million in refunds!
Family?
I don't have any biological family but I do have some pretty amazing friends who I call family. They're great and lots of them are math nerds who may not share my choice in careers but certainly respect it. Currently, I am single but when I finish my qualifications, I will pursue adoption of a school-aged child. I am really excited about being a dad. If Mr. Right shows up, that's great, if not, the world will keep revolving.
So you're gay?
Yep. I've always been out at work because family is something we talk about there. I am not "active in the LGBT+ community" nor do I attend LGBT+ events usually. It's not that I am still struggling with some sort of internalized homophobia, it's just that being gay is not something I consider a major part of my identity. That said, I am kinda thrilled that same sex couples can file as married on federal returns now.
OK, we're in this now. How about religion and politics?
I am usually the last to put my thoughts on politics and religion out there. I do enjoy listening to debates and asking questions. I have a very high respect for people who think about and discuss these topics as well as a high tolerance for participating in discussions where the primary opinion is one with which I disagree. I don't need to agree with you or get you to agree with me. And if we do agree, I don't find that I necessarily bond more strongly with people because of shared religious or political beliefs so it's not really a thing for me.
Enough of the big no-no's. If I caught you on the internet at work on something not work-related, what would you be doing?
I save Facebook and personal emails for home time. I keep my phone off at work and when I'm out with friends. When I read the internet, I read One Minute Physics, The Idea Channel, The Brain Scoop, The Workplace Professor, Order of the Stick, Captain Awkward, or Racialiscous. Usually I take brain breaks by walking around for a bit and chatting (briefly!) with other people who are doing the same. I save most of my internet reading for the early morning before work. Taking a break almost always means NOT staring at a computer screen.
What do you do for lunch?
I have always packed my lunch and a good book. I eat outside if I can and at my desk while on deadline because that happens in real life. It's a tossup on eating with company or just the book depending on how stressful my morning has been and how sore my eyes are from staring at a computer screen. I'd rather eat outside unless it's too cold or too wet.
Do you plan to hang out with people from the office after work?
That would be really cool...eventually. I have a one-month boundary on hanging out when I first start a job because my brain gets overcrowded and I need to get a handle on the work first. Dual relationships are tricky and they need to be built carefully. I prefer going out with groups first and then, if things go well, building personal friendships with colleagues is great. I do have a no dating at work rule regardless of the company policy. I also will go on every company event I can because I enjoy spending time with people I enjoy spending time with and that's my main criterion in this job search.
You mentioned silliness. Are you silly at work?
Often. I can also do the super-productive thing too.
Are you going to admit to that shameful secret we'll be sure to notice or shall we use a clever interview question?
No need for subterfuge. I am a morning person. I can and will tone it down until everyone is fully caffeinated. Also, I hate shoes with a vengeful spite most people reserve for malevolent dictators. I do take off my shoes under my desk but I know better than to walk around without them on my feet. Ten years of being a massage therapist spoiled me.
And now the most important question: do we entice you with light or dark chocolate?
Dark. The darker the better, actually. I found a raspberry ice cream with dark chocolate chunks this summer and it has been lovely. White chocolate is inherently evil and should be reserved for those who can bear to look upon it.
Let's start with the strange stuff on your resume. What do you mean you don't have a GPA?
Western Governors University uses a Keller method system which they called "competency based." Students may test out of a class on the first day but the cut score for passing is set at the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA. Every single test must be passed at that level or above. Another way it was quite different from the "pass/no pass" method was that any time I needed tutoring, I could call and have a one-on-one session with someone who had a Master's degree or above, usually within 24 hours. About half my classes were test-based and the other half were performance based meaning I had to turn in essays and work papers. For performance based classes, those papers had to be perfect and would be returned to me if they weren't. It was exactly like preparing work papers in real life in that way. I passed all my exams with a decent margin above the cut score on the first try and I was on the Dean's List while completing my lower division work. Based on a bell-curve analysis of my excess-of-margin scores, my estimated GPA is 3.8.
Why are you just now getting a degree in your 40's?
Life got in the way of making plans. I know the standard package is to follow a plan and then wander after retirement, but most of the people I saw taking that route were bored and frustrated and had forgotten how to wander by the time they were "freed" (their term) from their jobs. I took a long time to make up my mind but I don't question my choice.
Why did you do a second bachelors in Human Resources/Are you sure you don't want to work in HR?
I am absolutely, positively sure I don't want to work in HR. I took the second degree because I have a strong interest in labor law but I didn't want to go to law school. I have a solid background in HR and I want to continue to study changes in labor management. Generation Y has introduced some rather impressive changes to mentor relationships that will change both the accounting profession and the general white collar culture. The field of biostatistics has made some astounding advancements that allow us to view and predict human behavior in bold new ways. Those things, and many others besides, are going to change the way we think about the costs of labor and the way it affects profits. We might be able to write more accurate formulas that allow us to better manage things like radical shifts in national health care policy and future recessions. Reconfiguring our thinking about how human behavior in the marketplace influences profit within the context of accurate reporting and quality forecasting is pretty exciting stuff but you need to pull both pieces together to see the possibilities.
What's with "company name withheld"?
Portland is a small area for a major U.S. city. In order to discuss the type of accounting work I did for this company, I don't feel I can also mention their name and practice client confidentiality.
What about that stuff we can't ask you about in an interview?
Go for it. (Just not in the actual interview, obviously.)
What kind of life is it you already have/want to have outside of work?
In my free time I prefer to be outside hiking, biking, backpacking, and in the worst of the rain, running. I celebrated completing my coursework by climbing Mt. St. Helens with my fantastic hiking buddies. I can be lured indoors most easily for a play at any of Portland's amazing community theaters but also for bad/cult movies and BBC period dramas. I am currently serving on the OSCPA Career Development Committee to make the Brown Bag series and the Career Showcase even better. I volunteer as a tax counselor through CA$H Oregon which assisted over 17,000 people filing tax returns in Oregon and got them 2.5 million in refunds!
Family?
I don't have any biological family but I do have some pretty amazing friends who I call family. They're great and lots of them are math nerds who may not share my choice in careers but certainly respect it. Currently, I am single but when I finish my qualifications, I will pursue adoption of a school-aged child. I am really excited about being a dad. If Mr. Right shows up, that's great, if not, the world will keep revolving.
So you're gay?
Yep. I've always been out at work because family is something we talk about there. I am not "active in the LGBT+ community" nor do I attend LGBT+ events usually. It's not that I am still struggling with some sort of internalized homophobia, it's just that being gay is not something I consider a major part of my identity. That said, I am kinda thrilled that same sex couples can file as married on federal returns now.
OK, we're in this now. How about religion and politics?
I am usually the last to put my thoughts on politics and religion out there. I do enjoy listening to debates and asking questions. I have a very high respect for people who think about and discuss these topics as well as a high tolerance for participating in discussions where the primary opinion is one with which I disagree. I don't need to agree with you or get you to agree with me. And if we do agree, I don't find that I necessarily bond more strongly with people because of shared religious or political beliefs so it's not really a thing for me.
Enough of the big no-no's. If I caught you on the internet at work on something not work-related, what would you be doing?
I save Facebook and personal emails for home time. I keep my phone off at work and when I'm out with friends. When I read the internet, I read One Minute Physics, The Idea Channel, The Brain Scoop, The Workplace Professor, Order of the Stick, Captain Awkward, or Racialiscous. Usually I take brain breaks by walking around for a bit and chatting (briefly!) with other people who are doing the same. I save most of my internet reading for the early morning before work. Taking a break almost always means NOT staring at a computer screen.
What do you do for lunch?
I have always packed my lunch and a good book. I eat outside if I can and at my desk while on deadline because that happens in real life. It's a tossup on eating with company or just the book depending on how stressful my morning has been and how sore my eyes are from staring at a computer screen. I'd rather eat outside unless it's too cold or too wet.
Do you plan to hang out with people from the office after work?
That would be really cool...eventually. I have a one-month boundary on hanging out when I first start a job because my brain gets overcrowded and I need to get a handle on the work first. Dual relationships are tricky and they need to be built carefully. I prefer going out with groups first and then, if things go well, building personal friendships with colleagues is great. I do have a no dating at work rule regardless of the company policy. I also will go on every company event I can because I enjoy spending time with people I enjoy spending time with and that's my main criterion in this job search.
You mentioned silliness. Are you silly at work?
Often. I can also do the super-productive thing too.
Are you going to admit to that shameful secret we'll be sure to notice or shall we use a clever interview question?
No need for subterfuge. I am a morning person. I can and will tone it down until everyone is fully caffeinated. Also, I hate shoes with a vengeful spite most people reserve for malevolent dictators. I do take off my shoes under my desk but I know better than to walk around without them on my feet. Ten years of being a massage therapist spoiled me.
And now the most important question: do we entice you with light or dark chocolate?
Dark. The darker the better, actually. I found a raspberry ice cream with dark chocolate chunks this summer and it has been lovely. White chocolate is inherently evil and should be reserved for those who can bear to look upon it.
Tom's Magical Benefits Reconciliation Workbook
Creating Excel workbooks is both art and science. This workbook is one I've used over and over and over again throughout the years. It's saved multiple employers money and time and now it is open sourced just for you. Take it and make it your own. If you have download issues (which are common), please just send me an email at [email protected] and I will happily send the workbook to you as an email attachment.
What does it do?
It reconciles benefit invoices and payroll deductions and then automatically creates the G/L journal entries.
What does it do?
It reconciles benefit invoices and payroll deductions and then automatically creates the G/L journal entries.
toms_magical_benes_gl_reconciliation_workbook.xlsx | |
File Size: | 57 kb |
File Type: | xlsx |
My blog - Human Profits
I have plenty of opinions and I put my thoughts and opinions on a blog. It's at humanprofits.wordpress.com. In August I wrote on test anxiety and in September on hiring secrets for accounting majors who are also seeking jobs. The remainder of this fall will be split on a mixture of LGBT workplace issues and how to find safe workplaces.
An article from the Oregonian
Betsy Hammond, Educational Reporter for the Oregonian investigated the ability to cheat on online exams. I was a part of the investigation and was included in the article.
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