• What does a Sales Finance Executive do?

My day-to-day role mainly consists of clearing invoices received by customers by reviewing the volume of stock and the amount agreed per unit on their invoices and comparing this against the figures we have on our system. I will also have weekly meetings with the customer business managers who work in Sales to review what their spending is currently at for the month and call out any risks or opportunities they may have for this number.

• After you qualified, did it take long to find a job?

I’m currently CIMA Cert BA which means I’m a part-qualified management accountant. I completed this qualification on an Apprenticeship scheme with Nestle, so after qualifying it didn’t take me any time to find a new job as I was already offered one with Nestle. After doing a presentation to 3 finance senior leaders, Nestle is also currently funding me to continue my studies and complete the CIMA qualification.

• How did you end up in this job?

Whilst doing my A levels, I became aware very quickly that I didn’t want to go to university. I knew I wanted a professional career in a maths-related area which is when I started to look into accountancy. I found that I didn’t need a degree to become an accountant - I could just do the relevant qualifications whilst earning a wage at the same time. I then started applying to lots of different finance apprenticeships with help from my career advisor. When applying to Nestle, the process was quite straightforward. I applied online by answering some questions regarding my CV and did a basic English and Maths test. Once passing these I then had a telephone interview and an assessment centre interview. After this, I was then offered the position.

• How long have you been doing your job?

Since September 2019 (3 and a half years)

• If you could give your 16-year-old self some career advice, what would it be?

Don’t put yourself under too much pressure, work hard and everything will work out for the best!