Thomas B.
About me
| Thomas B. | |
| Physics | |
| Physics | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Vanbrugh | |
| 2012 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Senior Finance Manager | |
| Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Government and civil service | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2017 |
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A day in the life of a Senior Finance Manager in the United Kingdom
I would definitely say not to get disheartened if you don't find a job straightaway, it's the situation not you!
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
Local Governemt.
Shared service between Westminster City Council and The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
Working in the Finance/Accounting division area of work
What do you do?
I am a Senior Finance Manager in the BiBorough Children's Services team.
Responsible for graduates and other Finance Managers within the team.
I run central processes and do vital analysis work to help support decision making across the department.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
Being a science grad, I loved numbers and analytics. I was unsure as to what I wanted to do, and I thought accountancy and finance is something versatile and essential across all sectors. It's also quite varied and isn't simply adding up a few numbers here and there!
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
I don't envy anyone coming out of Uni right now.
When I graduated we all hoped that there would have been a bigger recovery from the financial crash in 2008 but it never really happened.
I would definitely say not to get disheartened if you don't find a job straightaway, it's the situation not you!
Describe your most memorable day at work
It's difficult to think of one standout day, passing all my accountancy exams first time was a bonus and a relief!
Not long after I started in RBKC, the Grenfell tradegy happened and it was a harrowing time to be working in the area and sector. The landscape has changed so much since then, and it's something I will never forget.
I've worked on some good projects, onboarding two new finance & HR systems, doing ZBB work whilst a grad, contributing to continual service improvement. At the end of the day working in the publice sector is about the public good and it's something I'm proud to say I do.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
I was quite the introverted, but having a part time job and doing volunteer work definitely helped. Some of the softer skills that you don't realise will help you get far. Having the technical knowledge will only get you so far if you can't explain things you're working on to others.
What would you like to do next with your career?
I am looking at improving some of my technical skills, for example I'm delving further into the field of analytics, something that my degree background can help with.
Currently learning to program in SQL & Python, but it's difficult to juggle a full time job with study!
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
I went into and came out of Uni not knowing what I wanted to do.
I would recommend doing thorough research and have more of a plan than I did!
I feel like I could have contributed more in different ways if I had a better plan or goal when coming out of University
As I mentioned before, don't be too disheartened by rejection after rejection, it's something I went through and many others did too! It's not personal, you'll find your place in the world soon enough :)
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