Finance Manager
(Female, Age 42) from Sparks, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 42 who works as a Finance Manager in Sparks, NY. 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 | Finance Manager |
|---|---|
| Salary | $102,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 50 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Sparks, NY |
| Years Experience | 9 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.
I work for the largest IT company in the world.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
My job is to provide guidance on large, financial deals with Fortune 500 companies.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
5 weeks vacation, health, dental and vision insurance, 401K, pension, flexible work hours
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Somewhat under-compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes – however, my work is mostly done by phone, as I work world-wide. I do enjoy working with others, although I mostly lead the teams.
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.
I work both from home and from an office. I prefer working from home, because I have my home office set up perfectly for me. I also have my dogs, a fireplace and kitchen in my office area.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 6
Benefits: 7
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 2
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 | I do not start work until 8AM. |
| 8am to 9am | Due to the highly confidential nature of my job, I cannot provide complete details. I started today the same as most days. Since I have worldwide responsibilities, I normally have at least 50-100 emails when I log on in the morning. I spend the first 1-2 hours reading and responding to emails. |
| 9am to 10am | Today, the emails took a full two hours. I was still responding and making decisions about many smaller deals. I look at the finances of each deal and decide what I want to approve or disapprove. For larger deals, I will do conference calls which will start soon. |
| 10am to 11am | Today, my first call is at 10 and is to discuss our newest planned product. We only introduce a major product every 18 months, so this becomes a very large project. In this case, the next product will be for the part of the market that I generally handle, so I was asked for input on what is happening in the market today. Since I tend to handle the finances for this area, I was the key participate in the discussion. |
| 11am to 12pm | Time for an “Operations Call”. Most of our team works remote now. We used to all work on site, but we have expanded to remote to allow the company to hire and retain the best. Our area consists mostly of multi-million dollar deals, so the best finance people are extremely important. During this call, we discussed the types of deals and contracts that each of us are working. We do this weekly to make sure that we are reasonably consistent in our decision-making. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Since we are nearing the end of a financial quarter, there are many more deals on the table, so the operations call has taken an extra hour. This quarter, as in the past few, we are seeing significant impacts of the economy, so creativity is absolutely necessary. As a team, we are working to solve many open issues. |
| 1pm to 2pm | I’m working from home today, so I am taking lunch and a long walk with my dogs. If I don’t do this, the stress level gets too high, and I have only recently learned to make my health a top priority. |
| 2pm to 3pm | This hour, I am on another conference call. I am part of a team making decisions on a $200M contract in Europe. This deal will really help to make our 3Q numbers. We are discussing some highly technical information. Fortunately, my years of experience help me to understand and translate the engineer’s and technical sales team’s discussion into relevant details for the finance team. |
| 3pm to 4pm | This hour is spent discussing partnerships with other companies and vendors. We are very much into what we called “co-opetition” in business school. We must cooperate with our competitors or we will never survive. This is always a very tricky balance. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Today, I have a personal appointment and am ending a bit early. In the summer, my employer tries to get everyone to take off on time or a bit early on the last day before the weekend, because many people commute at least an hour or two for these jobs. We tend to work very long hours in the winter and spring, so this is an attempt to add a little balance to our lives. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Over the next few hours and days, my mind will be actively considering the decisions that I need to make and trying to form potential solutions to customer problems. In this field, there is no true downtime, because there is nearly always someone in the world working. My team generally has my home and cell numbers to contact me when needed. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 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?
Resume, social functions and persistence
What was the application process?
Resume, interview, plant trip, internship and then full-time hiring
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes – The initial interview was with a member of management. Then, I was flown out for a full day of interviews with multiple individuals, including lunch with the person who held this position at the time.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I don’t really recall. I had very few interview questions, because I interviewed with the same manager that I had worked for in my internship.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not really, but I now have nine years of experience in similar jobs.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
On the job only
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes – an MBA is a degree that really helps with understanding the business atmosphere.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Yes – I worked in a very similar position in my internship as the initial position I took as full-time.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
My job requires a minimum of an MBA. I highly recommend an internship and some work experience that does not necessarily have to be in the same field. From there, be very proactive about taking on work and learning about the business.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
I believe that organizational skills are key to any job. For this job, you will also need leadership, social, technical and decision-making skills.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Absolutely – the MBA is important here, because it helps you with valid decision-making skills.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be proactive in learning as much as you can. However, also plan for your personal and family life or you will have none.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
I would like to stay in this position due to the fact that I do have a lot of flexibility.
What are your current career goals?
Again, I would like to stay in my position. I had previously planned to “climb the corporate ladder”, but I found myself working day and night, often 7 days per week. I was climbing rapidly, but I decided I wanted a personal life and family.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
No
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | ||||
| Prior Job 2 |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.9 | Purdue University | Financial Planning |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
4 | Purdue University | MBA |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.