Email Interview with Jenifer Scuglik

1. Briefly describe your current position and responsibilities?

I'm currently a Sr Director of Systems Implementations. My
accounting and finance background, my experience with our
international groups, and my knowledge of our ERP system
(which is SAP) made me an ideal candidate for this role. I'm
currently implementing our ERP system at all our locations
worldwide and I'm also implementing additional tools that will
help our accounting function perform more efficiently than they
currently are.

2. What do your subordinates expect from you on the job?

My employees expect me to be an effective leader. I need to support them, earn their trust, and
ensure they have the skills and knowledge to perform their roles successfully. At times they
need a lot of guidance, and when I'm working on a lot of projects directly, it's hard to support the
team at the same time.

3. What are the major stresses and challenges you face on the job?
Multitasking and being able to effectively manage multiple projects at the same time. Managing
employees can also be stressful.

4. What, if anything, do you dislike about the job?

If my company is having a difficult financial year, there are typically more reports and analysis
required than in normal years, so this is a bit more painful and time consuming.

5. What do you like best about your job?

The best part about my job is the people I work with around the globe and the opportunities that I
have to travel internationally. If this is something you are interested in, I would highly
recommend minoring in international finance. Most large companies are multinational and look
to hire people with an international understanding. Spanish is also an important benefit to have.

7. Think about the skills and knowledge that you need to be effective in your job.
What are they, and how did you acquire them?
Most of the skills and knowledge are learned on the job. You need to understand the ERP
system that your company operates to be effective. You also need to work well with others in
order to be successful. Lastly, you need to have a good accounting and finance understanding.
8. What have been your biggest mistakes thus far? Could you have avoided them? If
so, how?
The only mistake that I believe I made was not becoming a more effective presenter/speaker.
I've developed a bit over the years, but this is a key asset to have in order to be in a leadership
role.

9. What advice do you have for me as I begin my college and career journey with an
emphasis in the accounting career field?
Be very selective in the schools you are looking at. Make sure you understand what the school is
like on the weekend - for example do most students stay on campus or do they go home each
weekend? Make sure you meet with professors and advisors to be comfortable in making the
correct decisions. Talk to other students at the colleges you are looking at - they should be open
and honest about classes, life outside the classroom, etc. I didn't do a lot of these things when I
decided on Eureka College and felt I made an uninformed decision. Luckily, all my credits
transferred to Loyola and I ended up having an awesome college experience the last 3 years of
my college career.

10. What steps did you have to take in order to pass the CPA exam?
I took a review course online and studied exceptionally hard. I think this was more difficult than
studying for normal college classes.

11. How many hours do you work in a typical week? When are you the busiest?
50-60 hours.​ ​During the first few weeks of the month, during the month-end close process.

12. If you could go back and do anything differently on the career path, what would you
do?
There's nothing that I would change. I've had an extremely successful career.

13. What steps did you take when thinking about college? What helped you decide where
you were going to go to college?
When I selected a college, I was a little more focused on athletics than on academics. I selected
Eureka College and played volleyball for a year. I ended up not liking the school and did not
want to continue playing volleyball. The school and the town were too small and I wanted to
find something bigger and better. I ended up transferring to Loyola University Chicago into the
business school. I absolutely loved the school and being in Chicago. I had a lot of great mentors
and successfully finished by BBA in Accounting. A few years later, I sat for the CPA exam, and
also finished my MBA.
 Reflection
This email interview was a great way for me to learn more about accounting in a more corporate
view. One of the biggest things I learned from this experience is that I need to be really selective
when choosing a college. She is a great example of how important it is to know what campus life
and athletics is before choosing a college as she didn’t like the first school she chose and had to
transfer. I also learned that accounting is going to be hard and I’m going to have to manage my
time wisely, but I’m so excited to continue my career in this field. This interview made me
realize that the next time I go on a college visit, I should ask to speak to professors to see how
classroom life is like, versus just campus life or athletics. Something I would like to change in
the future would be to maybe find another internship that is a little more accounting based. I’m
enjoying my internship but don’t feel as though I am learning as much in the accounting
department as I would like to be. Overall, this interview was a great way for me to talk with
someone in the corporate accounting field and ask any questions that I may have. I’m so glad I
got connected with Jenifer and got the opportunity to gain new insight on the field in which I
hope to continue my career.

Email Interview Evidence