"I like the structure of the job as I like repetitive things and I like order. Also, when you get those nice customers they can be really nice to deal with."
What led you to work at PETA?
I was working in retail and had been trying to get into accounts for 5/6 years but was getting pushed back because I didn’t have the required level of experience or qualifications. I was at a college open day and saw the Level 2 Accounts qualification, it sounded interesting and fairly straightforward so I thought I would do it so I could get out of retail. I did the qualification not thinking much of it but ended up really enjoying it. I heard on the off chance through a colleague that they were hiring here, my current manager gave me a chance, so here I am.
What is your role at PETA and what drives you to do what you do?
I’m a finance clerk/credit controller within the finance department. I chase payments and create invoices etc. I like the structure of the job as I like repetitive things and I like order. Also, when you get those nice customers they can be really nice to deal with.
What knowledge and experience do you draw upon for your role?
Keeping within the patterns and learning them, I’m currently going back over the Level 2 Finance Apprenticeship at PETA, I’m going to be doing the Level 3 too later next year. It’s so easy to forget things when you don’t use them because accounting is not about numbers, I’ve also been learning about different processes such as the differences between Americanisms and British terminology for my work at PETA compared to the AAT standard. It’s important to be able to understand those differences otherwise it makes completing my role a lot more complicated.
How do you approach your role on a day-to-day basis? What skills are required?
Recently I’ve started making lists a lot more, rechecking and going over things, and speaking up because I have to keep asking people things to make sure there’s no confusion. A lot of people duck out of the way when I come down the office because of my role, but I’ve been trying to open up more communications with people I haven’t spoken to before. Checking things, double triple checking and making corrections to make sure everything’s accurate. I was organised beforehand, but now I can find I go through 1 or 2 lists per day, keeping that organisation keeps me focused and sometimes you need to realise that other people have their lists too but it’s just doing what you can to get things done.
What are you passionate about outside of work?
I enjoy reading and I really like animals, give me a library full of books and a room full of cats and I could be lost for days. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats, they all keep me busy in different ways. With reading, I like reading absolutely anything and like things that catch my eye, particularly the Foxtrot Oscar fiction series that are based on a true story.
What are your personal values, and what is important to you?
I can’t have mess all over the place so I really respect cleanliness and order. I like to have my routines and keeping in check with things. I also value truthfulness, I do believe there are ways to say things but I do think you should be truthful, from experiences in the past I’ve realised that things would be a lot better if people were just honest. If you don’t understand stuff then just say, if you don’t want to do things then just say, it’s the best way to be.