Construction business accounting tends to differ from general accounting when it comes to construction business. Therefore, hiring someone specialising in laws, regulations, and techniques is necessary. Understanding the financial technicalities is essential if you want to put accounting matters in the right direction and enhance your business growth. Hiring accountants for construction industry will help maintain the accounting records, understand the expenses, and grow the company. Benefits Of Hiring Construction Accountants Hiring a reputed construction accountants firm can be highly beneficial for a construction company. Here are some of the benefits of receiving their services: Taxes and regulations are something that a construction company cannot ignore. Every day the taxation laws and other regulations keep changing. In this light, having a team of experts working can be pretty helpful. Accountants are well aware of the taxes and everything related to the construction sector. They can guide and help meet the tax requirement, reducing liabilities’ risk. Various factors like equipment, tools, staff, crew, etc., are significant sources of company expense. However, not controlling the costs can lead to reduced revenue and profit. This can harm the finances of the company in the long term. Accountants can help keep the expenses in check and help plan the flow of money through various business departments. This will help keep the expenditure within the budget and help reach the long-term growth goals. When it comes to a business, different decisions are needed to be taken regarding capital investments. Accountants can help bring more significant financial decisions like capital budgeting and growth planning. They will help understand each asset’s risk and reward and the imminent tax implications of each decision. Finding The Right Accountant It would help if you kept in mind different factors while looking for an experienced construction accountant. Let’s see some of these factors: The first thing that you should pay attention to is the experience of the construction accountants. What projects they have worked in and their field of operations are two things you should pay attention to. Check the reviews and testimonials from past clients to get an idea about the satisfaction level of the services. Credentials, licensing, and certifications are factors that will define an accountant’s skill level and knowledge. An accountant should be certified by ACA or FCA. Also, they should be recognised by ICAEW, which monitors the ethics of the accountants in the field. One of the most crucial factors you need to pay attention to is the service provider’s tools and software. Most of the accountants for the construction industry prefer to work with cloud accounting software that can be easily integrated with the company’s IT framework. It is imperative to ask about the chosen software, its benefits, and how it matches the existing systems. Every construction accountant company tends to provide a range of services to their clients. It would help if you learned about their services and which ones align with the company objective and requirements. One should also check if the construction accountants company has indemnity insurance coverage. Every service provider will have its pricing. You should decide what your company’s current budget bracket is and where precisely the construction accountants fit in. talk about the cost of each service, the add-ons, and discounts you can get. Ask about their charges on VAT, tax digital, and CIS. Also, you should discuss the payment terms. Some companies ask for full payment, while others work around with monthly payments. Lastly, you should pay attention to the experts working on the accounting team. Talk to the accountants, and understand the flow of work and their communication skills. They should be open to communicating, sharing honest opinions, and having a fair way of judging a situation. Specialised accountants are trained to handle sector-specific taxation, laws, regulations, and financial requirements. You can pay attention to the business’s operations while taking the accounting part of it.

The oil and gas industry generates trillions of dollars each year, making it one of the biggest revenue-generating sectors. Therefore, it’s evident that this industry has numerous lucrative employment opportunities. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering oil and gas play a central role in the daily running of several other industries, from manufacturing to construction.   But, what reasons make a career path in the oil and gas sector viable?  Here are some enticing benefits to help you see why a career path in the energy industry is a wise decision: Great Earning Potential   Financial stability is one of the main reasons why people search for jobs in the respective industries of their choice. And, if you choose to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry, you’re guaranteed handsome compensation for your skills and troubles. On average, the salary in this sector is USD$76,883 per annum, making it one of the best paying industries. And, with a 23% rise in oil work in Alberta and other parts of the world, you shouldn’t miss out on the potential to earn such a lucrative income.   This high earning potential applies to your starting salary and even as your career advances. Therefore, you can make a six-figure salary in the long run after obtaining relevant experience and expertise. In addition, there’s the potential to earn lucrative bonuses.   Broad Range Of Opportunities   The oil and gas industry provides you with an unparalleled range of opportunities, be it technical or non-technical roles. Therefore, you’re sure of finding a career path that suits your skills and expertise, and a niche that fascinates you. You also get the option to work in a broad range of environments besides heavy machinery or around oil rigs offshore, which is what most people assume. Instead, you also get the option to work in the office or lab. This range of different work surroundings is something jobs in other sectors don’t offer.  Travel Opportunities   Another advantage of working in the oil and gas sector is that you get to enjoy immense travel opportunities. This is a privilege you’d only dream of in careers across numerous sectors. So, if you enjoy traveling, a career path in this industry will undoubtedly be perfect for you. This is because the oil and gas sector is global and in every country across the globe. Therefore, you can be required to travel for short-term assignments, business meetings, training, or work projects in any country in the world.   During these many travel opportunities across different areas of the world, you’ll have the chance to interact with lots of people, with different mindsets and perspectives. You’ll also better understand the industry by learning of the unique challenges and conditions in these different countries.   Environmental Sustainability   Many companies have put in great effort to make the environment more habitable, including those in the oil and gas sector. And, if you’re passionate about curbing environmental degradation, a career in this industry is the right way to go.  Companies in this sector have done this by developing innovative ways of making their operations more environmentally sustainable. These include the use of advanced software and modern equipment to help safeguard the coming years for the wellbeing of future generations.  Room For Professional Growth   No one person enjoys career stagnation because this results in a loss of morale and, consequently, reduced productivity. If you also share such a concern, a career in the oil and gas sector is the best route to take. You’re guaranteed to go up the ladder and career mobility in this industry regardless of your initial job role.   The career progression in this industry is thanks to the numerous trainings that allow you to learn skills, such as time management, effective communication, business basics, and conflict resolution. Learning such skills will help propel your career to greater heights rather than remaining in the same position for several years.   Technological Innovation   Companies in the oil and gas sector have allocated considerable sums of money to develop innovative technologies that can help improve efficiency and cut operation costs. If you enjoy access and working with advanced technological equipment, this industry is a perfect fit. Besides being up-to-date with the latest technological innovation, you’ll also gain invaluable knowledge on how to use such technology, which can help you later on as you progress with your career.   Takeaway   It’s easy to be on the fence on whether a career path in the oil and gas industry is advisable due to the changing market dynamics toward electrification. However, you shouldn’t have any such concerns as this sector is here to stay. But, if you need further convincing, this guide has detailed reasons to consider a career in the oil and gas industry.  

Machine downtime can be a severe threat and crucial problem, particularly for the manufacturing industry. A longer manufacturing time caused by downtime may equate to extensive financial loss for any company. On the other hand, if product manufacturing is maximized and takes minimum time, more profit can enter the business. With that said, it is necessary to find ways to maximize manufacturing productivity and reduce machine downtime. To help you, take a look at the seven ways below in reducing machine downtime in manufacturing. Create A Technology Plan And Adapt Modernization Creating an updated and strategic technology plan for your manufacturing plant allows you to integrate new technologies and implement modernization. A step-by-step plan is vital to have a clear outline and plan of action to achieve your goal in adapting and implementing modernization.  Having a technology plan and adapting modernization will help your company achieve increased productivity, better automation which improves production performance, and better machine and equipment performance, which reduces unplanned machine downtime. Overall, this increases your company’s manufacturing rate.  To explore more about high-quality equipment and machinery with added technologies to help your company implement modernization, you can visit onemotion.info. Improve Staff Communication Communication between departments, supervisors, and personnel should be at its peak. Every team member must be informed and provided details concerning downtime and business profits. The supervisor must provide details on what should be done, at what time, and what shouldn’t be done. This makes every team member feel part of the team in making important decisions which implements an increased sense of urgency and efficiency. More importantly, having good, quick, and efficient communication between departments helps appropriate personnel address issues faster, minimizing downtime.   Upgrade Manufacturing Equipment Upgrading your manufacturing equipment improves your production performance and often reduces manufacturing downtime. Unreplaced machinery slows down the manufacturing performance. Hence, making the company unproductive. Installing new parts in the machine allows your plant floor to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies. Set A Maintenance Plan  It’s always good to have a budget and a plan for upgrading machinery equipment to reduce downtime. Additionally, having a maintenance plan and carrying out machinery repair is critical to maintaining a high level of business productivity. A developed strategy should include preventive, predictive, and conditioned maintenance. Preventive maintenance is performed during planned downtime. It’s a regularly scheduled check-up done whether the machine is down or not. While on the other hand, predictive maintenance is the most important because it requires a specialist that checks on the machinery failure before it occurs and deals with it before the production process is disrupted. Conditioned-based maintenance is repairing equipment after failure has occurred. Unlike preventive and predictive, conditioned-based happens during the unplanned crisis, making it costly to solve the downtime. Track Your Downtime It’s advised to know where, when, and how downtime occurs. An easy way to track how and when downtime occurs is by recording all the maintenance, troubleshooting, and overhaul that have been done, including its costs. By carefully and accurately following these records, you’ll know when downtime is more likely to happen and which part to prevent it earlier. Properly Train Equipment Operators Human errors are one of the causes of downtime in product manufacturing. It’s advised to ensure proper training for production line employees to be familiar with the machine and what they’re doing in the factory. Also, the operators should be shown how to maintain all equipment and how to handle a breakdown. Personnel training must be one of a company’s utmost priorities. This is because aside from producing efficient results, it also helps to improve safety in the production line. Conduct Regular Risk Audits Risk audit is critical to be conscious about in the manufacturing business. You can experience losses due to unplanned downtime. Therefore, it’s necessary to perform risk audits, whether regularly or occasionally. This can help identify which equipment should be replaced or repaired. For the old machine, you can replace them with new ones because finding old replacements can be complex. A risk audit will help notify the problem before it happens, reducing frequent downtime in the manufacturing process.  Conclusion Downtime can cause damages to your business and is also known to cause hazards, especially when it is unplanned. Therefore, it must be managed and handled properly. However, it is significant to note that it can be reduced and prevented in many ways.  Remember to follow the tips mentioned above to help reduce machine downtime, avoid encountering losses, and ensure a high level of productivity in your manufacturing business.

Job interviews are loved by some and loathed by others but whichever category you fall into, a few tips to help you along the way never hurt. When it comes to real estate job interviews, it’s especially important that you do your best to communicate as effectively as possible, as this is going to be such a big part of the role if you do get it. Here we are going to explore some ways for you to nail your next real estate job interview. Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail… Preparation is absolutely key for most job interviews, but particularly so with real estate ones. The market is saturated so you’re likely to be up against a lot of other candidates. So, you’re going to want to understand the company that you’re having an interview with and how they work – for example, check out how Compass real estate makes money here. Oftentimes, you will be asked what you already know about the business and why you want to work for them, so make sure to have thorough answers prepared for this type of question. This leads us on to practice questions. Create a list of questions you could be asked and write down strong answers. There are so many resources online that can help you with possible questions and good answers to go with them. However, you do need to ensure you’re not just copying and pasting – make your answers personalized to you. You also need to consider the skills needed for the role, as specified in the job advertisement. Study this and ensure that you highlight how well you match up to the skills needed when prompted in the interview. Try Your Best to Relax Although it’s easier said than done, in a real estate interview you are essentially selling yourself, which is an integral part of the role you’re applying for – real estate roles usually revolve around sales. So, a few tips on how to feel as relaxed and comfortable in your interview are as follows: ●      Take long, deep breaths in through the mouth and out through the nose. This should lower your heart rate. ●      Take your time and think over your answers – this will show you’re taking care and consideration over your words. ●      Get a good night of sleep beforehand so that you wake up fresh and ready. Make sure to get a good breakfast in too so that you’re not distracted by a rumbling stomach. ●      Give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview (if it’s in person) so that you’re not rushed and stressed unnecessarily. Being punctual is also a desirable quality you want to be able to show off to your prospective employer. ●      Fake it until you make it – if you are nervous, try to channel that into excitement. Tell yourself how much you’re looking forward to the interview to try to trick your brain. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, if you don’t get it, it’s all good experience and you can learn something from it. Interviews get easier the more you have, so don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t work out straight away. You will improve and you will find a job that is right for you. Fingers crossed!

Instructional design, or instructional system design (ISD), is the development of learning experiences and materials that result in gaining and applying knowledge and skills. The discipline is based on a system of assessing needs, designing a process, developing materials, and evaluating their effectiveness. ISD is a practical and systematic process for designing an effective curriculum. Instructional Design Models One of the most commonly used ISD models is Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation (ADDIE). In the past few years, the utilization of more agile, iterative approaches has come into play. Agile models, such as the Successive Approximation Model (SAM), involve shorter design sprints in which a prototype is quickly created, reviewed, and revised until the stakeholders are happy. The most common instructional design models include ADDIE, Cathy Moore’s Action Mapping, the Dick and Carey Model, the Kemp Design Model, Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction, SAM, and Agile or rapid prototyping. Part of designing models that inform and convey clear information is using the right visualizations. A line chart provides a clear graphical representation of time-dependent variables and is the best method of showing trends or variables over a period of time. This simple chart comprises data values plotted as points along X and Y axes and connected with line segments. The X-axis represents time while the Y-axis represents a metric of interest of the period being tracked. There are several different types of line graphs, including multi-series line charts, multi-axis line charts, step-line charts, zoom line charts, scroll line charts, and spline or fitted curve line charts. A line chart is a useful visualization tool when tracking a time-dependent variable, watching trends, and spotting and comparing patterns between variables. What’s an Instructional Designer? An instructional designer uses this methodology to design and develop content, experiences, and other solutions that support the gaining of new knowledge or skills. They conduct a needs assessment to determine the learning needs, including what the learner needs to know and do as a result of the training and what knowledge and skills the learner already has. Instructional designers then create a course design and all instructional materials such as presentation materials, participant guides, handouts, and job aids. They are also responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the training and determining whether the learning solution resulted in a measurable behavior change. Instructional design requires analyzing and selecting the best strategies, methodologies, and technologies to maximize the learning experience and knowledge transfer. The best way to achieve your career goals and earn the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed is to pursue higher education. The University of Cincinnati’s Master of Instructional Design and Technology degree is ranked among the best by U.S. News and World Report. The online program focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of instructional materials and programs, as well as the use of technology to deliver educational and training services. The education technology online program delivers an interdisciplinary educational experience with coursework in the fields of cognitive science, education, design, information technology, and computer science. Over 30 credit hours, students complete coursework in instructional design, multimedia studio use, designing online assessments for data-driven decisions, and trends and issues in learning technology evaluation. Upon completion of the online masters instructional design program, graduates are prepared for careers as online instructors, corporate online trainers, online learning content developers, e-learning consultants, educational technology specialists, and e-learning managers. Instructional Design Components The components of most instructional design models and processes are similar. A needs analysis includes understanding learners’ needs and why a learning solution is necessary. In some instances, a learning solution isn’t necessary and another type of performance improvement or non-training solution is more appropriate. During the analysis stage, the goals of the training are developed, including learning objectives and determining how the training will be given. Design and development include the design and creation of instructional learning materials and delivery methods. The evaluation process looks at how to determine whether or not the learning solution was successful. Popular evaluation models include Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation, Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method, Philips ROI Methodology, and the Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model. Use this information to decide whether or not instructional design is a good field for you!

Are you about to redecorate? If that’s the case, you need to know which floors are suitable for the ground floor of your home.  Dining room  For some, the dining room is the hub of the home. It’s a chance for family and friends to get together, and often encounter lots of food and drink. We understand accidents happen, so you need a floor that’s durable and water-resistant. Lucky for you, we have the perfect one. LVT flooring is a great floor to have in the dining room. Not only is LVT water-resistant, but it’s also scratch-resistant and durable, making it the no.1 choice for dining rooms. You can get it in a wide range of colours and textures too from smooth grey, to brushed white. The options are endless!  Hallway  Looking to make a grand entrance? Then you need solid wood parquet flooring. Hallways and stairs are areas of the home that encounter lots of foot traffic, so you need a floor that’s durable as well as practical. Solid wood floors are known for being strong. They can withstand heavy foot traffic while looking gorgeous in your home. Solid wood can last a lifetime too, so there’s no need to replace it. If you don’t like the worn look, just sand it down!  Bedroom The bedroom. A place where we go to sleep, relax and wind down. Bedroom floors don’t get much use, so you have the freedom to choose any floor based on your interior style. But if you’re a person who leads a busy lifestyle, you need a floor that can cope with heavy foot traffic. If this is the case, luxury vinyl tiles are a great option. Not only are they stylish, but they come in a wide range of colours, textures and finishes. Not to mention, they’re also really easy to install too!   Bathroom  If you’re looking to decorate your bathroom, then you need a floor that’s waterproof. SPC vinyl is a great choice for bathroom floors. Not only is it stylish and practical, but you can also get the solid wood look without the expensive price tag. So, if you want to create the spa you’ve always wanted, then vinyl flooring is the one for you. Living room If being warm and cosy in front of the fire in the living room sounds like your ideal Friday night, then you need a floor that’s warm as well as practical. Living rooms are often places where friends and family get together, and often come with accidental spillages. This is why engineered flooring is the best option for you. The beauty of engineered wood is that you can have a solid wood look, without the worry of water damage. Whether you’re having parquet in the hallway, vinyl in the bathroom or engineered in the living room, there is a floor suitable for every room in the home. We hope we’ve helped you make your decision a little easier.