What is your job about?
I am an assistant manager and a data management analyst at one of Citibank’s shared services centers (SSC). An SSC is like a centralized hub or “one-stop-shop” for business functions like accounting, HR, and IT services. Specifically, I am part of the team responsible for supporting the Asia-Pacific regions.
Some of our tasks include providing data-related services (such as data entry, data processing, data analysis, and data management), managing ledgers (e.g. accurately recording and reporting financial figures in the company’s accounting books), handling requests from teams across the region, and making sure company procedures and standards are followed.
What is your background? What did you do before your current job?
I was born in Quezon City but grew up in Cavite. I went to De La Salle University - Dasmariñas (DLSU-D) and graduated in August 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Management Accounting.
While I was in my last year of college, I did two internships. I interned at PwC Philippines as a Tax intern before the pandemic started. There, I handled taxes, tax filing, and customs, and worked with lawyers and auditors. I enjoyed it so much that I requested to extend my internship and got to stay for a total of six months periode. The second internship that I did was with Shopee where I was a corporate finance and accounting intern. I handled the daily reports and journals of the office. I think I enjoyed the PwC internship more since it was before the pandemic and I got to interact more with my colleagues.
A month after my graduation, I applied to multiple companies and was referred to Citibank by a friend. I got accepted in September 2020 and have been with them for three years and six months.
Could you describe a recent project that you had in your current role?
We completed a project that streamlined our process for handling requests from other teams. Before, both the processing and the request validation, or the checking if the requests are indeed needed and follow company procedure, were done by our team. Now, validation of the requests will now come from the requestors themselves and our team will handle the maintenance of the system.
It was challenging because we had to coordinate with the technical team to see how the system would be applied and how it would function. We had to test it multiple times to make sure the idea worked. I was so happy because I spearheaded the project and it was successful. There were fewer back-and-forth emails, it was time-saving and efficient.
What is the coolest thing about your job?
I think the coolest thing about my job is that I get to communicate with people from different walks of life and nationalities since we support a whole region. Your communication skills will be sharpened. You have to adjust the way you talk because of the diversity of the people that you meet and interact with.
What kind of tasks do you enjoy the most?
As an assistant manager, I’m responsible for checking the work of the junior officers. I like that it allows me to put my expertise to use and it gives me a sense of responsibility. I see myself as the last line of defence before the work of the junior officers gets put in the system.
What do you consider to be the challenges of the job?
The biggest challenges of the job would be the heavy traffic going to the office and being in a hybrid role, we still get to perform jobs usually done by junior officers when needed. It’s like being in two worlds at the same time. Sometimes we have to come in during weekends if one of the teams needs support for an ongoing project.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, I think so. In our field, there are a lot of people from different backgrounds. The key to getting a job is the trainability of the person. I would also say that focus and analytical skills also matter since we are talking about company financials.
What three pieces of advice would you give if you were a student?
Build healthy habits - They will help you in the long run, like a chain reaction. These small actions, like sleeping and waking up early, will result in a good performance.
Don’t give up on the things you love - The things you love are what make you, you. This allowed me to have a great support system and a good life-work balance.
Rest when you need rest - Don’t take life too seriously but do your job and do it well.