Ethel Caceres

I attribute my success mostly to being consistent. I was fortunate to have the skills to be analytical, detail-oriented, and a problem solver, and I think that helps me to be in this career. It's something that I like to do also. When you work in accounting, being analytical and detail-oriented are the main qualities that you have to have in order to work in the department, and companies always ask you for that before you get in the department. So having those natural abilities combined with consistency has really helped me succeed in my field.

The best career advice I've received came mostly from previous supervisors, and it was to be consistent and accurate. The accounting profession requires accuracy above all else. I learned that you have to be very analytical, organized, and detail-oriented. Some companies also require zero error tolerance, which means you cannot make any mistakes. These qualities are what supervisors and companies always look for before you get into the department, and this advice has guided me throughout my career in finance and accounting.

In the accounting field, there are different paths you can take, like auditing, fraud, and general accounting. My advice is to try to focus and pick out a path that you really like, that you're going to enjoy. Use your passion to get into the field that you want to be in. Just because there's all that diversity doesn't mean that you're going to like all of them. For example, in my career, I like more to work in the fraud department, in general accounting, and auditing. So try to move around in different industries and pick up the one that you like most. Find where your passion lies within the field.

One of the biggest challenges I've faced is working in a department where the work is very manual and requires extreme precision. In my current department, for example, you have to be very, very detailed because they don't allow you to have errors. Some companies give you a percentage of mistakes that's acceptable, but this company doesn't give you any margin for error. That was a real challenge for me at the beginning in order to get to that performance level, and it's a standard for the whole department. On the opportunity side, I see that working in accounting gives you versatility to work in different industries. For me, it's not complicated to switch from one department to another as long as it is in finance or accounting. I have the versatility to move around in any industry, which means I never have to feel stagnant and can always pivot to new opportunities.

I like to work in a fair environment with professional people, where the company cares about how you are doing. It's important to me to have a good team where you can help them and they can help you. That mutual support and teamwork is the most valuable thing in a company for me. I value professionalism, fairness, and a collaborative environment where people genuinely care about each other.