For non-accountants, finances can be a scary and confusing subject. Ledgers and dividends and spreadsheets… oh my!

But just because you weren’t an accounting major doesn’t mean you don’t dabble in the subject. In today’s do-everything work environment, accounting for non-accountants is just a part of the job.

But don’t fret. Help is here! Check out these basic accounting tips for the non-accountant:

1.  Be Organized. The core of public accounting is organization. Keeping your proverbial ducks in a row can be the difference between a perfectly balanced ledger and a million dollar mistake. Don’t let receipts, charges, etc. pile up. Process invoices as they come in and reconcile your bank accounts on a monthly basis. Be detailed and ready to provide backup for everything. Sometimes a simple description or reference can save hours of looking through files.

2.  Be Resourceful. Accounting majors spend a minimum of 4 years learning this stuff, so don’t think it’s something you can jump into without at least a little training. Payroll training courses are a must for anyone taking on this role, even if only for a few months.  Make sure courses are American Payroll Association (APA) certified and cover the fundamentals e.g. concepts, administration and record keeping. The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education offers payroll certification classes in Tampa, QuickBook certification and even a course in the ABC’s of Accounting (for non-accountants).

3.  Be Patient. You can rush a lot of things in life but numbers aren’t one of them. Take your time and always double check your work. Technology is great, but typing still means human error can enter the equation. Have someone else review your work when possible. Remember that no mistake is too small. A penny can make a big difference over time.

Finance and payroll for non-accountants can be frustrating and overwhelming. Through organization, training and patience you can master the tasks necessary for added accounting work. From a management perspective, creating a better prepared workforce through training will ultimately foster better relations and an increased bottom line.

QuickBooks training, basic accounting training and payroll training courses are a must for anyone taking on these tasks. You can find all these and more at The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education. Register now for courses like Get Going with Quickbooks, ABC’s of Accounting (for non-accountants) and American Payroll Association: Pay Train Fundamentals and you will be on the yellow brick road to success! For more information go to www.TampaTraining.com.

You’re at a party and someone walks up to you. “Hi, I’m Dan and I work in marketing.” Immediately you have a pre-judgment about what this person should be. What skills they should possess, how they should act and even what they should look like.

For better or worse, our jobs help define who we are. They show our role in society, what we have to offer the world and where we rank on the socio-economic hierarchy level. Each one of us possess, or strive to possess, a specific set of skills to make us the top of our profession.

No matter what profession you are in and what level you’re at, there are four characteristics every professional should possess.

Time Management. Being able to get all your work done in a timely manner is vital to any job. Juggling last minute meetings, project deadlines and the everyday mundane can be a formidable task at any level. Studies show, those who really emulate efficient time management plan each day, prioritize tasks, delegate and know when to say no to nonessential task.  Learning to better manage your workload isn’t an inherent quality, but something that is developed. Even the most unorganized, inefficient worker can learn to manage time through practice. For more information on courses in time management go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Professionalism. A polished professional can do anything they set their mind to. Confidence, control and care are qualities that come together to create this vital characteristic. Believing in your ideas is just as important as knowing when to collaborate and listen to others. Above all, having control over your emotions and impulses can create a more stable environment not just for you, but for those around you. On the flipside, a professional shows care for their co-workers and their work environment. A tough, bully demeanor does not always equate to dominance and certainly not to work efficiency. Working through employee/customer relations issues through leadership and management can be learned. For information on this and other professional development courses, go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Effective Writing. The ability to take ideas, instructions and commentary from your head to paper (Microsoft Word, Outlook email) is an important trait in any job. A well written email, a to-the-point instructional doc, even a witty comment show fellow employees, clients, and friends that you know what you’re doing and are well qualified to do it. Effective writing means getting to the point in as few words as possible while still creating a polished piece.  Knowing your audience and the intended purpose are great writing preps for any developing professional. For more information on polishing your writing technique, go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Technology Knowledge. There’s nothing worse than meeting an executive who cannot send an email or pull data from an excel sheet. Having these basic skills are important, not just for appearances but also for time management and effective business practices. And it’s not just software. A working knowledge of what tools are available, e.g. social media, mobile technology is important to the aspiring professional. Staying up-to-date with advances will ultimately translate to your bottom line and workload. Courses are available to keep you up to date on the basics like Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint as well as new technologies. To find a course today, go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Time management, professionalism, effective writing and technology knowledge are all characteristics shared by every professional. And if you’re like most of us who were not born with these traits, help is available! The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education offers coursework in all of these and more. Just go to www.TampaTraining.com today.

What makes a good employee? Intellect? Communication? Organization?

The best employees are more than just qualified to do the job. They carry a deep institutional knowledge, have solid relationships with clients through years of work and influence co-workers. All of these qualities together impact your company on a local level that ultimately guides the direction of your profits.

Keeping a good employee in today’s market is more important than ever. The cost of training a new hires, the gamble you take with personalities and work ethic (things not always easily spotted in resumes/interviews) and the opportunity cost of the institutional knowledge gap all take their toll.

Keep your A team with these 5 tips.

1. Flexibility. The best employees know what needs to be done and when. Trusting them to manage their own schedules (to a degree) shows that you have confidence in their performance and trust them as an employee.
2. Training. Investing in key employees through education and professional training is vital to taking your business to the next step. Many colleges offer a variety of options, ranging from online courses to 6 month long certification programs (go to www.TampaTraining.com to learn more) with varying prices. A great way to determine how much you should spend per employee is to “benchmark” career training with others in your industry. While the national average is around $706 per year, that number can vary from $200 to $3000 depending on the market sector. Remember, there’s nothing more expensive than employees who do not have the skills set to do their job.
3. Ownership. It’s all about trust. Once an employee has shown they can be a top performer and can ethically manage themselves, letting them take ownership is key. Trusting their decisions and allowing them to take on a project without direct supervision will create better time efficiencies and allow the employee to continue to grow and develop in the position.
4. Appreciation. The little things add up. Showing employees they are valued through company lunches, vacation time, small gifts and one-on-one meetings can really go a long way. A frustrated employee will not reach their maximum potential and end up costing your business money in the long run. Just taking the time to talk and hear-out any problems or barriers they might face on a daily basis will make the best employees better and bring under-performers to where they need to be.
5. Earnings. You can throw out freebies and pep-talks all day long, but paying employees that perform is what will ultimately keep them there. Yearly increases are ideal, but when an employee has (consistently) gone above and beyond so should you. Again, the cost savings of hiring, training and all the unknowns are much more expensive than a well paid top performer.

The best employees understand your company, know what needs to be done to accomplish big picture tasks and really take to heart the business’s long term goals. Keeping the A team through trust, training and pay will lead your company to a brighter, more profitable future.

The Institute for Corporate & Continuing Education at HCC offers a wide variety of courses to help you identify, develop and keep your best employees. For information on classes like Retaining Talent, Developing Others, Behavioral Interviewing/Targeted Selection and Coaching others, go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Getting into the right career path can open doors you never thought possible. The booming pharmacology industry often gets overlooked by students just starting out but has the most opportunity with higher than average job growth expected through 2020.

This week we are highlighting Pharmacy Technicians. These jobs are the gateway to a wealth of opportunities in pharmacology, public health and even business administration.

So what exactly is a Pharmacy Technician? Here’s the rundown.

Duties. Pharmacy technicians fulfill a variety of administrative tasks in the pharmacy setting. Duties include collecting the necessary information from customers to fill a prescription, counting and measuring tablets and other medication, preparing ointments and fielding phone calls from customers. Technicians work closely with pharmacists and gain valuable on the job training that can lead to greater career opportunities down the road.

Work Environment. Technicians primarily work in pharmacies, including those found in grocery and drug stores, hospitals and independent locations. Over 50% are hired at pharmacies and drug stores. Hospitals typically pay the most, followed by grocery and drug stores. Hours vary depending on the location, but many can be long including overnight hours.

Outlook. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the field is expected to grow by 32% from 2010 to 2020, considerably ahead of other occupations. As the baby boomer generation continues to age, the need for pharmacies at convenient locations will rise as will the need for trained technicians.  In the Tampa Bay market alone, pharmacies have expressed a need for trained technicians. Some businesses will also help cover the cost of the national exam.

Pay. The average salary in 2010 for a Pharmacy Technician was $28K. The number rose to $32K at hospital pharmacies. Experience and education also pushed the average up to almost $40K at various locations. While the pay does have a lower starting point, the opportunity to gain real world experience and work towards the next level in your career is invaluable.

Education. Pharmacy technicians are certified through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s (PTCB)  National Certification Exam. Courses can last anywhere from a few months to a year depending on the frequency of classes. Courses cover subjects like medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmacology, anatomy, federal and state laws that govern pharmacy and prescription/billing procedures. The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education currently offers a 2 month course to prepare students for the national exam.

Future Endeavors. Working in the pharmacy setting helps technicians to get a better understanding of the field. Many go on to get Pharm.D. programs which take an additional 4 years to finish after undergraduate studies. Salaries for pharmacists average around $100K and go up from there based on experience.

Finding the right career is a big decision and many times there’s not just one answer. If you are detail oriented, organized, enjoy challenges and have an interest in healthcare then becoming a Pharmacy Technician may be right for you. For more information on training please go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Our lives are hectic. Picking up kids, friends, family members; running errands between work and dinner; managing a personal life while leveraging a career.

Live is by no means simple. BUT you can ease the stress in the office with a few modifications. Here’s how:

• Create Calendars (Outlook) No one can remember everything all the time. That’s why Outlook has the marvelous Calendar tool. With the simple click of a button you can create an event, invite attendees and send out updates if things change. It’s important to understand that this tool isn’t just for big meetings. You can use it for everything from a doctor’s appointment after work to a reminder to ask Jane about that deposit.
• Use Formulas (Excel) Why do the math when it can be done for you? The Excel formula tool can be one of the most useful, yet complicated features out there. Knowing how to quickly find the sum, average, difference or percentage of a set of numbers will cut down on hours of paper work. Formulas can be added under the “Formula” task at the top of your excel sheet. Just select the cell where you want the information displayed and the type of math you want done e.g. sum, average, etc. Make sure the appropriate row or column is highlighted and press enter. It’s that simple!
• Run Merges (Word) Why type letter after letter when you can run a mail merge! The only catch is that the raw data (address, name, etc.) must be in an excel database. To begin, type your letter. Select “Start Mail Merge” under “Mailings” at the top of your Word doc and choose “step by step mail merge wizard.” Once you’re there just follow the prompts and you’ll have an entire mailing done in no time! Be sure to format your excel sheet with the right headers e.g. Address, Zip code, City, State, First Name, Last Name. Dividing the information out will save you time in the merge.
• Love Templates (PowerPoint) Why re-create the wheel when it’s already been done? PowerPoint is loaded with backgrounds perfect for your next presentation. This gives you several options for a cool, classy or funky fun presentation.   
• Work Together (Excel & Word). Sometimes you need to create a template that has the components of an excel sheet but requires the consistency and design capabilities of a word doc. So why not combine them? For example, if you need to create a pricing sheet but want to include graphics  and textual information try importing it from excel to a word doc. Just create your template in Word e.g. header, footer. Then take your pricing information from excel and import it into the document. To do this, simply highlight and copy the cells in Excel and right click in the word doc >> Paste Options, and choose the table style.
• Master Distribution Lists (Outlook). Don’t manually type in everyone’s name in Outlook when you can create a distribution list in a few easy steps. By grouping people in lists you can disseminate information quickly and efficiently. Just go to File >> New >> Distribution List. Name your list and select who you want included. Now you can email the office, sales force or just your group of friends in one easy click!
• Highlight Graphics (ALL) Pictures are a great way to translate information quickly or just support data already displayed. Images can be inserted in every Microsoft Office program including data heavy Excel. No matter where you are, the “Insert” option will get the image where you want it. Just remember to use jpegs that have larger copy and brighter colors. Both can get lost in the data.

These points are just the tip of a wealth of knowledge that will simply your life. The Institute for Corporate & Continuing Education at Hillsborough Community College offers several courses in Microsoft Office program like Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Most run for less than $40! To get on the fast track to efficiency today, go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Always be prepared. This Boy Scout motto has been the groundwork to launch presidents, CEO’s and leaders in innovation.

Being prepared means taking specific actions to ensure that you are prepared for the now, short term and long term. Many of us put this into motion on a personal level by eating healthier, setting up a 401k, creating a savings account, etc. But translate this motto to your workforce. How well prepared are they?

A workforce is the lifeblood of any business. The better prepared they are, the better your company will do. Sadly, many business leaders overlook the component. Don’t fall into this habit and make a change today. Here’s how:

Now. The first step to any project is analyzing the current situation. How well prepared is your workforce for the current job? Do they properly manage time and resources? What gaps exist that could create a better, more efficient employee base? One quick fix is education. Sign employees up for courses in time management or software like Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint based on their position and skill level. A more comprehensive action would be to create a customized training program that appropriately evaluates your employee’s skills set and creates a solution based on specific company goals. The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education offers a fully customizable training program for businesses in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

Short Term. Your skills set as a supervisor has a direct effect on your employees. Knowing how to help them reach their potential by striving to increase your knowledge base is one of the best solutions to creating a better prepared workforce. We’re not just talking leadership here. We’re talking how to engage your employees on a daily basis through quotas, goals and team work. This doesn’t just happen overnight and it doesn’t just come from employee training. No ego is too big to learn and improve. The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education offers courses that will teach you proven methods with the end result of a more prepared workforce.

Long Term. Being the best means hiring the best. But the employees with the most potential don’t always have the most training. Taking an employee that has the components to be great (e.g. good work ethic, analytical mind, leadership qualities) and training them to be the very best through the appropriate certifications will translate to hard dollars over the long term. For example, if your distribution arm is showing a skills gap, certification courses exist that will take a warehouse supervisor or logistics manager and take them to a level that will trickle down to all staff. Empowering an employee through long-term education also creates a loyalty and a stronger feeling of personal responsibility for the company. The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education offers certification courses in a variety of trades including healthcare, logistics and human resources that range from a few weeks to a few months.

Always be prepared. No matter what type of business you’re in or where you are in life, this motto will help you to reach that next level. Like all the great leaders who learned the what is needed to truly be prepared, you too can find greatness by taking the specific steps we’ve mentioned above.

For more information on the Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education and how you can become more prepared through training go to www.TampaTraining.com.

Get skinny. Quite smoking. Stop watching reality television.

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, we seem to focus on the aesthetics of daily life; the things in life that affect our appearance, personal behavior or (in the case of reality television) our dignity. But how many of us actually look at what shapes so much of our lives and plays the biggest role in our future: our careers.

Taking deliberate, calculated steps to reach short-term and long-term career goals is the best way to ensure they become reality. Here are three steps to carving a career path to success in 2013 and beyond.

Current Job Performance. Look at your current position. How can you improve your performance? What skills are you lacking that would push you to the next level? If you company offers training, jump on it. If they don’t, speak with your boss and see if the possibility exists. Expanding your abilities to exceed expectations is not just a plus for you, but creates a better value for your company. If you can’t own what you do now, how can you tackle the next step?

The Next Step. Look at where you are in the company and see what comes next. What skills do you need to gain a promotion? Are you actively working to fill that skills gap? If you company does not offer training, then consider it an investment in your future. Years worked at a company doesn’t always equate to advancement and don’t expect your company to reward you in that manner. They want to hire the best person for that job, so if you aren’t furthering your knowledge base to meet the demands of that next position, you are just idling your time. Make it count!

Long-Term Career Goals. Where do you see yourself 10 or 15 years from now? Where do you need to be in 5 years to meet those long-term goals? Find development activities that hone skills that transect all positions like leadership, teamwork, organizational skills and communication. Are there places in your organization or community that nurture them? Volunteering, continuing education, even hobbies like team sports can fit into long-term career plans without being directly related to your current position.

Successful people don’t end up successful by chance. Some of the greatest leaders of our time have made calculated steps throughout their lives to get to where they are today.

Evaluating what skills need to be developed in your current position, future positions and overall career goals is vital to attaining the golden goblet of success. Activities to reach these milestones can be as simple as joining your community soccer team or as involved as taking a certification course.

No matter what path you see yourself going down, education needs to play an integral role. On-the-job training, e-learning, classroom instruction, coaching and project work are all options offered by the Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education that will get you to where you need to be now, tomorrow and 20 years from now.

Make a real impact on your life with a new year’s resolution that counts. For more information go to www.TampaTraining.com or call 866-253-7077.

We are a society of over-consumption. From food to fuel, we overindulge to the point of disaster… and our homes are no different.

Americans waste hundreds of dollars a year on inefficient appliances, bad insulation and leaky windows. Even worse, many homes contain hazardous materials that create a dangerous environment for occupants.

But fear not! The federal government has created a grant program to help tackle this problem.  Weatherization training is creating a workforce of auditors who can find these issues and fix them, saving Americans money and reducing our carbon footprint. This hot new explosion of jobs in the workforce has a lot to offer. Here are 5 reasons to get into Weatherization.

1. Flexibility. Weatherization auditors have a number of employment opportunities upon graduation. Some go to work for larger agencies or the government while others create their own businesses. All three choices offer the flexibility to have a home life while still meeting client needs. See how working mothers are keeping the balance (insert link)
2. Outlook. The green energy market is exploding! President Obama has set a goal to lower energy bills on over 2 million homes AND U.S. government buildings. New technologies are making corporate and private buildings across the U.S. outdated, meaning the potential exists for owners to save major bucks through simple savings identified by those in the weatherization business. Check out a previous blog post about weatherization success stories (insert link).
3. Training. Getting a job in weatherization is easier than you might think. Thanks to a government grant, training can be FREE! The Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education at Hillsborough Community College was one of the educational facilities awarded with the grant program. Course training consists of 140 course hours over 3 months, much of which takes place in the field. Expert professors who have worked in their own practices in the industry offer valuable insight to what makes a great auditor and how to make it in the business.

Choosing a career path in weatherization is like opening the door to endless opportunity. With a flexible work load, exploding job outlook and the possibility of free training; there isn’t a reason NOT to get into weatherization.

For more information about weatherization go to www.floridaweatherization.org. To start your career at HCC today, go to www.tampatraining.com.

For anyone who has ever bought a pet, you know just how difficult the search can be. You look and look and look for just that right smile or friendly personality. You go into the hunt knowing that you’re not going to get exactly what you want. Sure it might pee now or cry too much; but these are all qualities that can be groomed to create the perfect pet.

So why do companies, in a job market saturated with potential, go out looking for the perfect employee? Some qualities will never change e.g. promptness, a good work ethic, eagerness to learn… but so much of what companies require can be taught through training programs.

Thanks to this mentality, we are in an American famine. A famine that only the 21^st century could produce.

No one is starving, well not yet, but companies are slowly draining themselves of revenues through lost potential and frustrated employees. The “skills gap” as some refer to it, is beginning to have a hard fiscal effect on companies in every industry, every region and of every size.  With that said, here are 3 good reasons a corporate training program works…. and pays.

1. A Clean Slate. Taking someone whose skills may not be up to par and molding them through training programs into the ideal candidate mean’s your dealing with a relatively clean palate. Bad habits learned at other companies just don’t exist because that skill set hasn’t been created. Working with a training program that knows your company’s current needs and future goals will create staff perfectly adept to bring your business to the next level. It’s like a scene from The Six Million Dollar Man, “We can build him (or her) better, faster, stronger…”
2. A Good Fit. Instead of focusing on finding the specific skills sets the position requires, you should be focusing on things that can’t be changed like worth ethic, the ability to work well with others and overall disposition. A hard worker will learn the right skills and still retain all the qualities you liked while someone with the right skills sets who may be consistently late or a trouble maker will only get worse.
3. A Better Bottom Line. The search for employees with the right skills set can be exhausting and last for months if not years. In many cases the right employee may never come along and your business simply goes without, costing you a better bottom line. When the high-end restaurant chain Cheesecake Factory hires, they don’t look for experience. They look for enduring qualities that make a good server. Measurable amounts of time and money are spent to create wait staff that know their job and how to serve the customer. While the cost associated with the training might be moderate, the amount of money they make with an excellent staff is far greater. The same can be said for your business. Investing in training will lead to a better bottom line.

Whether you’re a dog person, a cat person or even a parakeet person; finding the right pet isn’t something that’s taken lightly. It is carefully thought through and researched. The smart hunter knows that the best pets don’t always come house broken or with the ability to do tricks on command. The best pets have the qualities we look for in each other; compassion, eagerness, a friendly disposition – the rest is learned.

Do your company, your employees and yourself a favor; give up the hunt for the perfect hire and invest in training. It’s out there and ready. For more information on corporate training programs, certifications and consultations go to www.tampatraining.com.