Guidelines: An interview by the tutor/teacher, on the candidates CV and future career. Duration 3-5 minutes, presented on audio tape.
Assessment Criteria:
Positive Listening, eye contact,
positive body language, seeking clarification (10)
Answers relevant to questions, contain information (15)
Expansion on answers (10)
Delivery – clarity, tone, confidence (15)
As a result of the increasingly competitive jobs market in 2011, one of the major factors in determining a successful interview regards how you push your strengths. What makes you different from everyone else? It is an employers market at the moment, where there are plenty to choose from. The same robotic answers just won’t cut it anymore. Make a list of your qualities, get a dictionary and look at different ways to present those qualities. What words can you use to best describe yourself?
What kind of body language do you want to demonstrate to the interviewer? Do you want to show confidence or shyness? How do you do this with your mannerisms? How can you engage the interview? How will you use eye contact? Here is a video of TV3’s Ireland AM, where Mairéad Fleming of Brightwater Recruitment discusses how 55% of the interview is conveyed through our body language.
There are acts such as the data protection act 1988 and 2003 are set up to protect the rights of personal data and to hold account of controllers of data .
Why should I know about this?
This is important to anyone who submits data about themselves on-line to the government, banks, and many other entities on the web. For example if a company obtained information of your personal details without your permission and used it for marketing purposes, you have a right to have your details removed.
OK, what are my rights?
These rights are obtained from the link below and go into more detail if you click on it.
1. A person has the right to have your data processed in accordance with the Data Protection Acts.
2. A person has the right to be informed.
3. A person has the right to object.
4. A person has the right where a future employer cannot force a future employee of their personal information.
5. Freedom from automated decision making.
6. There are rights under Data Protection and Privacy in Telecommunications Regulations
7. There is the right to have your name removed from a direct marketing list.
8. People have the right of rectification or erasure.
9. There is the right to have your name removed from a direct marketing list.
10. Everyone has the right of access.
Click on this link to learn abut the main parts of a data protection act i.e. a person rights:
The letter should be word processed, following current business conventions, consisting of 2-3 full paragraphs. The letter should reply on behalf of a supervisor/manager within a company to a letter addressed to the company (eg letter of enquiry, of complaint etc).
Assessment Criteria:
Structure – conventions of address, layout, word processed (15)
Content, correct use of grammar, spelling punctuation etc (15)
Youtube Video
Life Skills & Writing Letters : How to Address a Business Letter
This is how close the results or observations are accepted as being
true. For example if a bank had a glitch with keeping its records of people
accounts, which meant their customers accounts where giving false balance
figures. This could possibly mean their customers would switch to a different
bank.
Also money is an important factor when considering data accuracy. Since
money goes in and out of a business, the firm needs accurate accounts. If the
firm doesn’t have the accuracy in this field of work it could potentially ruin
a business. Take for example if an employee is entering figures into the
accounts and accidentally adds an extra zero to a figure of €10,000 for vat.
The figure would then be €100,000 and scare the owners of the business
wondering where this figure came from. While the problem would eventually be
picked up, it could cause mass confusion and annoyance for the firm as a whole.
There is also the importance of tracking expenses, debtors, creditors,
tax and other dealings which a firm could avoid penalties and might even save
some money. If there was a problem when processing of the accounts such as not
up to date accurate figures. It might cost the firm in the long run.
For any firm sales are the lifeblood of the company. No sales equals no profit which leads to the company being bust.
There are two types of sales. Credit sales and cash sales. With cash sales the company obtains the money right away. However with credit sales the company gets the money in theory. In other words it is recorded in the accounts yet actually obtaining the money might take 30-60 days or even longer!
This is the sales process in terms of interacting with the customer
How to process sales?
This starts of with the customer ordering goods/services of a company. At the end of the transaction the company receives the cash from the customer. This is how the process works below.
Here is the inputs of the sales process.
1. Sales Order. Also known as a SO. This is issued by the company to their customer.
2. Sales Invoice. This is a bill/document that is issued by the company to its customer. The document states how many products are ordered and the price for those products or services.
3. Remittance Advice. This is a document that informs the company that the customer has paid its bill/invoice. This is of course not mandatory but seen as a act of goodwill to the company.
4. Shipping Notice. This lets the customer know the goods/services are on there way. For example Amazon send emails detailing when the products should arrive to its customers.
5. Debit/Credit memo. This is issued for any sales returns. The debit memo increases the amount that the customer owes if the bill was incorrectly added. The credit memo is exactly the opposite of a debit memo. It reduces the bill of the customer.
Here are the outputs of the sales process.
1. Customer Billing Statement. This is sent to the customer who has received the invoice but has not paid it. This also includes customer activity and sales returns if there is any
2. Accounts Receivable Ageing Report. This is a periodic report that records how long an invoice has being outstanding.
3. Bad debts report. If the customer has not paid the invoice the company must report this as a bad debt.
4. Cash Receipts Forecast. Information is gathered from revenue transactions that will be put into this forecast.
5. Customer Listings. This will detail the customers contacts, billing address and customer codes.
Click on these videos to learn more about the sales process.
A purchase is obtaining goods or services acquired by the company to enhance or achieve the objectives of the business. Typically it involves money being exchanged for the good/services.
A diagram of the purchase transaction
What is the purchase process?
1. What does the company need? The company must identify what it need in order to achieve it goals on becoming a well run company. Purchases include machinery, land motor vehicles etc.
2. Research the product/service. The company will research the product/service they are looking for. Research might include on the internet, word of mouth, books etc.
3. Evaluate your options. The company will choose the product/service is right for them and which is not the best product/service. It might be the right product/service is the correct choice for them.
4. Chose which product/service to buy. Once you have chosen the product, there might be several suppliers. The company's job is to pick the right supplier. After this stage the company will put in a purchase order to that supplier. The purchase order will either be paper or electronic based.
5. Purchase the product/service. Once the order is sent, the invoice will be sent by the supplier.
6. Evaluate the purchase. Once the product/service has been purchased the company will evaluate if the choice was the right one or not for the company.
Check out this video to learn the learn steps of the purchase process:
To clear any confusion the word "trading" which is part of the profit and loss account. It is at the beginning of the profit and loss account when calculating the gross profit. Usually we tend not to say the word "trading" but it will be understood by anyone familiar with accounting.
