Charting a New Course

Jeff had spent the beginning of his career in public accounting. After he decided to leave public accounting, he took a job as an employee with a Fortune 500  manufacturing company as a corporate entry-level analyst. However, he hadn’t found the rewarding career opportunity he knew was still out there and sought more strategic career direction. In search of his next chapter, he connected with the Elevate program to chart a new course.

“What really drew me to Elevate was the chance to get experiences in a variety of roles, so I had a point of comparison,” said Jeff. “Sometimes you know you need something different in your career, but it’s hard to know where to go next. Elevate carves a path forward through that uncertainty.”

Jeff’s first assignment was working in FP&A, filling in for a key role while a company was searching for a direct-hire employee. While he’d worked in FP&A before, this opportunity gave him welcomed exposure to some foundational aspects of accounting that he had never worked on before.

“This was an opportunity to put the things I learned in school into real practice,” said Jeff. “The real-world application was very beneficial and definitely bolstered my skillset.”

Jeff’s next move was to take charge of the account reconciliation process at a company. This assignment gave him a front-row seat to the month-end close process. Eventually, it led to a contract extension where he will take increasing ownership and responsibility of the process from start to finish.

While working for the same company, Jeff also had an opportunity to serve as interim assistant controller, piquing his interest in the controllership career path and something he plans to pursue in a future Elevate role.

“It’s been rewarding to have progressive roles with increasing responsibility within the same company,” said Jeff. “It gives you different vantage points and deepens your understanding of all the finance and accounting functions.”

Jeff says he appreciates the support from his Brillect coach, including their quarterly lunches, informal check-ins and the ability to reach out when he needs a resource to help problem-solve or talk something through. He knows Brillect cares about his growth as a professional and takes a genuine and active role in shaping his career goals.

“I love the quick pace of the Elevate program,” he said. “It accelerates learning and skill building and allows you to pivot quickly based on your interests. You get to try out different things to help you map out what you want to do in the long-term.”