Financial Analyst II
(Female, Age 34) from Norman, OK
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 34 who works as a Financial Analyst II in Norman, OK. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Financial Analyst II |
|---|---|
| Salary | |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 50 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Norman, OK |
| Years Experience | 2 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Diversified global company in three segments – building efficiency, automotive and power solutions. Size = 130,000 employees and apprx $28 billion sales.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Division accounting intercompany accountant. Execute monthly and quarterly close processes including in depth general ledger work. Prepare various balance sheet account activity analyses and research and resolve related issues. Reconcile and resolve intercompany imbalances. Work with various department heads to review historical activities, trends, and future obligations.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Paid = 2 weeks (10 days), 401k ($.50 to $1.00 match on 6%), life insurance, short & long-term disability. Available = health, vision, flexible savings plan, addt’l life.
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under compensated for work & job performed.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes. Work with other intercompany entities to resolve balance discrepancies. Also, work with IT on system projects. Other team members in own dept. contact me often regarding operational questions as well.
Enjoy working with intercompany entities very much. Part of job that keeps me with job.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Office in manufacturing plant. Two sections – plant & office areas. Due to work schedules (30 min lunch vs. less structured) & pay (hourly vs. salary), clear separation between plant employees and office employees. Interesting at times.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 3
Hours: 6
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 4
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | |
| 8am to 9am | Begin (8:45am) – Brought donuts for dept co-workers. Settled in. Discussed with co-worker Controller’s request regarding #’s of journal entries (JE’s) & active G/L (general ledger) accounts in accounting systems. |
| 9am to 10am | Contacted IT to confirm best way to pull above data requested by Controller. 10-15 min phone call. Follow-up with co-worker regarding similar question. Begin pulling queries. Answer emails. Inter-company month-end emails. Emails consist of manual journal entry postings. Postings include charges or credits that need to be booked by either our intercompany entity or theirs. |
| 10am to 11am | Informal discussion with supervisor about appreciation gifts for supporting depts. Check on queries referred to above. Taking time to pull out of software system due to volume. Continue working on intercompany emails. |
| 11am to 12pm | Intercompany entries – prepare & organize. Rebate credits (purchasing credits). Prepare for month-end accounting accruals. Coop advertising spreadsheet submitted. Download and check g/l account. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Continued working on accruals. Advertising vendors sent statements of outstanding invoices. Check SAP system to see what invoices have yet to be posted & what should be accrued for. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Confirm new member attendance for Women’s Resource Network Meet N’ Greet date. Call from IT support regarding year end close process for certain software system. Discuss AP closing process. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Intercompany problems – Preliminary statement balance received. Duplicate invoice received for $159,000. Research where amount originated & why there. Phone call with supervisor and IT person for other accounting system regarding year end closing process. Concerned the AP system does not close automatically. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Find account & cost center for co-worker to post charge. Re-send emails regarding intercompany journals (payroll & employee rebates). Need response & people not confirming they will book the entry or if adjustment will be made. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Late lunch. Worked on Toastmasters club. Not a work club but for work employees. Meets during lunch time twice a month. Prepared Treasurer book to turn over to next Treasurer. Co-worker request entry be made to intercompany entity. Scanned to email in order to coordinate with intercompany accountant with other entity. |
| 5pm to 6pm | |
| 6pm to 7pm | 6-8pm: Career Management Workshop – Voluntary. Sponsored by company’s learning & development as well as company’s Women’s Resource Network. |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Referral from third-party. (Robert Half)
What was the application process?
Robert Half Finance set-up interview
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. Resume on file with Robert Half. Robert Half contacted me about job. Once I expressed interest, Robert Half pursued obtaining interview. Interview scheduled. First one with Director of department. Second with Accounting manager and HR rep. Then job negotiated through Robert Half.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Can’t remember. 4 years ago!
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
No. Feel like self-taught mostly.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No. Yet, I don’t mind “on the job” training. At times system training was needed.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
No. Accounting in classroom is not accounting as work. Concepts needed. Yet, different from work performed in good way.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Must have college education – either finance or accounting. Can enter in my department at entry level with bachelor and strong internship.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Accounting skills – at least basic concepts. Detail oriented useful but not totally necessary. Above average Excel skills as data is analyzed. V-lookups and pivot tables are used. Software knowledge in SAP is helpful as well.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. At least undergraduate degree in Accounting or Finance. Or, long background in field.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Same as above.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Not sure. Really like company but do not want to be in current position in another year.
What are your current career goals?
Still to be determined. Wish someone could tell me what they need to be for me.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Accounting is not as bad as it sounds. It also is NOT what it seems in school.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Finance Manager | 5 years | ||
| Prior Job 2 | Child Protective Services Specialist | 2 years | Assessed and analyzed home environments for dangers and risk of harm to children. Investigated reports of abuse and neglect of children by interviewing parents, children, and others. Identified problem areas and developed treatments plans. Initiated appropriate legal action and testified in court. Developed effective working relationships with law enforcement officials, judicial officials, legal resources, and other community resources. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4.02
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
4 | University of Central Arkansas | BBA-Finance |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
? | University of Oklahoma | MBA |
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