Ileana Meraz

I attribute my success to many factors. I began my career working for a Global Engineering and Construction Company. Opened the door to introducing me to the world of providing Clerical and Administrative support to Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Professionals. I've been blessed to work with a large diverse group of people and have learned and taught so much along the way. After supporting engineers and receiving my first trainings in data entry, mapping and technology in the making. I've always had people who have liked me, believed in me, and provided me with the education and training needed in order for me to grow and succeed. I moved on to California's largest utility company. Human Resources Specialist for 4 years. Becoming educated in resume writing and reviews. Executive and College recruiting were my specialty and assigned to only my HR manager and I. Coordinating drug and alcohol testing. Hotel and travel accommodations for the candidate to come in for interviews. Summer Technical Intern Programs for college intern engineering students. Coordinating field trips to power plants, barehand training centers, pole climbing and Linemen events, wind power fields, nuclear power plants, electromagnetic fields. I coordinated the trips, and I was included in the trips which gave me opportunity to not just administer the office but to see first-hand what we do and how. Supervising and teaching administrative staff and providing them opportunities for their career growth. Education was key at this company, and I attended and soaked it all up and held each certificate with pride of accomplishment. Next level of transition. Moving onto Professional Business Consulting, hired as a Senior Executive Assistant in the Communications and High Tech, North America office. Standards and expectations were high. Prestige was defined through appearance, work ethic, only the best of technology and professional consulting services. Quality Assurance surveys were reviewed, and action was taken to provide the highest of service. I began traveling as Senior Executive Assistants do in the big firms teaching processes and tools to our professionals in other offices. Meeting them face to face and building those long term and trusted working relationships. I received the best of technology, management, compliance and business practices training receiving certificates and recognition awards as I had in my prior job. Carried myself professionally and positively, helping others build, learn and grow. I stay current on my Microsoft productivity skills. English is a love that has stayed with me since childhood. I enjoy writing, proofreading, spelling and delivering that perfect letter, report, email or presentation. I have built databases used by myself, my peers and my executives in Access for Applicant Tracking, Meeting Attendance Tracking. I build a database in Lotus Notes used by myself, my peers and used by my senior executives to track Dynamic Middle Market clients, their key contact information, sales details and even included links to yahoo finance ticker to review at the click of a mouse. I tested, created user trouble reporting forms, and rolled out the 1st firmwide SAP Opportunity Management System within a in less than a year while receiving my SAP OM Administrator training certification from my employer's training center. Portfolio Administrator and Operations Support Professional growth and title changes. I believe that training, education and people who like and believe in me is what has been key to my success. I work hard and set high standards. I believe in being accountable for your work and decisions and confidentiality at work is a must. Most of all, I love what I do. The travel, meeting people with such high energy and intelligence, learning new skills. I look forward to my next work journey and where it will take me, the people I will be meeting, helping and perhaps even leading. I have had to switch companies a few times. What I have learned from that is "Everything happens for a reason. We live it, love it and learn from it". We do not wake up to be mediocre, we wake up to shine.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to always proof my work carefully and to ensure accuracy in everything I do. I’ve also learned that strong project management skills are essential for success, as they allow me to organize tasks efficiently, meet deadlines consistently, and deliver high-quality results. By combining attention to detail with effective planning and execution, I am able to maintain professionalism and consistently exceed expectations in my work.

Be honest about your skills and use them from day one; remain calm and professional; adopt a management mentality these roles are senior-level support; request training when you need it to meet expectations.

The biggest challenge is that so many people want into this wonderful field. There are not enough jobs for the number of people who are applying and skilled. There are also new tools out there. It's so important for us in management and administration to be on top of the game when it comes to using the latest tools. There is Monday, salesforce, workday, anaplan, AI, GPT chat. The good news is that once you start using the productivity tools, with the right training, it is not too hard to learn. And, I love learning new software.

The values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life center on authentic communication, persistence, and loyalty. I place a strong emphasis on communication skills and believe that some matters are best resolved through in-person meetings or phone conversations rather than texting or email. My approach to problem-solving often described as a “velvet hammer” combines calm persistence with thoughtful engagement. I deeply value fostering long-term relationships, bringing the same level of commitment and loyalty to my professional connections that I have maintained in my personal life, including a forty-year marriage. Being authentic, dependable, and relational is at the heart of how I work and interact with others.