Angel Olajide, Musgrave

What does a typical day look like for you?

My typical day would involve various analysis reports and performance trackers. It would also involve budgeting, forecasting and doing real-time performance management and monitoring. This involves tracking sales and profits, flagging any issues that may arise and putting together reports for people in different areas of the business such as trading.

What are the main skills you need to be successful in your roles?

To be successful in the role you would need communication skills. I work a lot with different people in different departments.

You also need problem solving skills. It’s a role where each day is different, when problems arise, you’ll need to be able to figure out how to fix things and make things work.

Excel skills are also important. Being good at excel helps in the role too.

What was your career break?

I’m a TU Dublin graduate, I went to City Campus. I have a background in accounting and finance and a master's in accounting. You don’t need a master's in accounting to do this job, it’s having an interest in finance and accounting that helps.

It’s also important to develop soft skills in communication. Get involved in societies on campus or in clubs. Doing online courses can also help you stand out and land a role here.

What advice would you give to a student?

Go to all the taster days, go through all the different jobs and ask questions. It’s difficult to understand the types of accountants there are, what their roles are like and what role suits you.

Go to all the career fairs and talk to everyone, ask them questions about their experiences. Look at what subjects you do well in and understand best. For example, if you do well in management accounting, you might enjoy planning, forecasting and analysing information. It’s about looking at what suits your personality and considering other people’s experiences.

How have you adjusted to hybrid working?

When I started, we were working remotely. It was an experience getting used to being at home and joining a team that have met each other and are used to working together. It can be daunting, but Musgrave really helped with their induction plan. They were very encouraging and gave me the opportunity to settle into a team. They help you set up your home office and give you training and tips on working from home productively and avoiding burnout.

We started working in a hybrid way in May. I’ve been working one day a week in the office. On this day I do most of my meetings face to face which has been very good for developing personal relationships with the people in the office. It also allows me to ask my manager and my co-workers more questions and learn more from them. Being at home then gives me the opportunity to have that quiet time and get through my tasks more efficiently.

What do you like about your job?

I love that no day is the same. My weeks have a similar structure, but different things pop up. This gives me the opportunity to look at new information and learn about product performance and what we can do to improve it. It allows me to be creative with finance and work with other people. We work as a team, even though we may not be in the same location.