Araño,Rhica M.

BSIE-1B

Industrial Engineering Alumni Informational Interview

An informational interview is a brief conversation between a person with a goal of exploring

a career and a person practicing that career or profession. The purpose is to learn the
nature of the profession and discover if they fit your interest and personality. An
informational interview will also help in confirming one’s career goal and choosing a desired
occupational specialty.

Alumni Profile:
Name: Maureen Carlos
Year of Graduation:2018
Current Employer: Al Sarh Recruitment
Job Title: Account Specialist

Interview Questions:

1. Why did you choose to study Industrial Engineering?

-Originally, Mechanical Engineering was my first choice.I spent 2 years of studying M.E and it
gave me time to know the difference of every engineering course.I knew then that my
strength is to speak in public and above all engineering courses,only industrial engineering
deals with more people and enchances public speaking.Thats my primary reason.
2. Provide a brief summary of your career as an Industrial Engineer since graduation.
- I didn't rest after college and even before I graduated, I worked rightaway (I regret that
decision, I should have rested). For the first 7 months I worked as a continuous
improvement engineer/ Outbound IE at Fast Services Corp (Nestle North Distribution
Center). I was passionate about my job there. I felt like a real IE using Lean six sigma for
improvement. My knowledge and confidence boosted up in that field and it was a great
experience to work in my field of study. But then I have a weak body and I became sick
working in a warehousing company for 7 months, thus I resigned. Now I am in UAE, working
in a recruitment company. This is a whole new job field. From a real IE to an accounting
specialist. I work under the finance department which deals with all the transactions about
money (including all accounting principles). Although, accounting was taught in IE course, I
am still in the process of learning each day. What I've noticed is that, though I am in a
different field, being an IE is still with me and that's an advantage.
3. What are your main responsibilities on our current job?
-In my current job, under financial department, I work in a system called ERP wherein i
process all transactions such as petty cash, income statements, balance sheets, statement of
cashflows, journal entries, bank transfers, workers' salaries, enquiries, quotations, and
contracts.
4. How relevant to your work is your undergraduate major (BS Industrial Engineering)?
-As a graduate of IE, I can prove that this course encompasses a broad area. I experienced
working from the field of IE to a different field. In a work environment that is not purely IE,
principles of being someone who improves and make everything easier is still being an IE. In
dealing with financial transactions, I can easily provide reports and recommendations to our
GM because IEs are trained in research studies, not just to pass every subject but to
enhance our way of thinking, how we think fast and slow in different matters. (I don’t regret
all the theses in College!)
5. On a typical day in this position, what do you do?
-In my current job as an Accounting specialist, I handle the petty cash in the office and in
the camp where the workers stay. So, typically, I handle money, payment and receipt
vouchers, other receipts and invoices I make sure that debit and credit are always balance,
and I provide reports for the company's receivables from clients each day.
6. How many hours do you work in a typical week?
-In a week, I work for 54 hours or more.
7. Which seasons of the year are toughest in your job?
-In our field, there is no seasonal peak. We are a recruitment company that provide
manpower (skilled or unskilled workers) for contracting companies in construction sites.
Toughness comes on the first week of the month due to the 7000 workers' salaries (payroll
week).
8. What training or education is required for this type of work?
-For this type of work, knowledge about basic accounting is very much needed.
9. What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?
-Being smart and organized at all times are important when you are handling money. Also,
the ability to analyse numerical outcomes is necessary.
10. What part of this job do you find most satisfying? most challenging?
- I find it satisfying when I balance the Balance sheet and provide recommendations to
increase our income or reduce our expenses
On the other hand, the most challenging part is when there are discrepancies in the payroll
and invoicing. Being able to figure out the cause in between numbers is also fulfilling.
11. What opportunities for advancement are there in this field?
- In this field, you will learn how to run a business. Since, we focus on cash transactions, we
can forecast how good/bad the company is doing. Thus, we can track what went wrong and
what went right and we can decide right away which step to take. This field is an
advancement towards pursuing a personal business based on my opinion.
12. Is there a high demand for IEs in this occupation?
-The demand is not too high because in finance they prefer accountants.
13. What would be a reasonable salary range to expect if I entered this field? What is the
long-term potential?
-For the salary, I don't think it is reasonable to disclose it here since I work abroad.
14. From your perspective, what are the problems you see working in this field?
-Problems come from people. Just like IEs, accountants are the "enemies" of other
employees because we don't say 'yes' to everything. We are tight handed when it comes to
all kinds of expenses and other employees find it frustrating.
15. If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself?
Why? What would you change?
-I would not change my path because in this field, I learned how to handle money. It is a
different world from an IE job but learning everything about finance made my knowledge
broader.
16. With the information you have about my program, what other fields or jobs in IE would
you suggest I research further for my future profession as Industrial Engineer?
-First, to practice and broaden your skills in IE, I would recommend a continuous
improvement engineer position. It may have a low salary but you will surely learn from it and
it will open doors for supervisory positions. Next in my list are procurement and purchasing
jobs because those jobs have high demands in the ph and even abroad.
17. Describe your research experience during your college years.
-If we will talk about research, I/all have many experiences from it because being an IE
student is not complete without researches. At the beginning it is frustrating, but every
research studies that we finish, I discover that I learn a lot from it. Doing researches makes
you think, makes you hungry for information and I think it sharpens us.
18. When choosing which jobs to apply for, what were your criteria for choosing?
-When I applied for my first job, my only criteria is that it is an IE job. The reason is that, I
want to make sure I practiced what I studied. Now on my second job, I considered the
environment because I want an office based job and salary, of course.
19. What companies or industries do you think I should target?
-Your target depends on your preference, but here are my picks: Oil and gas, supply chain
and logistics.
20. What special advice would you give a person entering this field?
-Don't rush. This is the number 1 advise I could give. Manage and spend your time wisely in
every project, every thesis, even in working in the future. Make sure that you put in every
best effort you can give in everything. This is not a race, so match your own pace.
Part II :Reflection on the positive and negative aspects of the informational
interview response.

Engineering course is a highly coursed here in the Philippines. Many people said
that this course is a high salary when you finish graduated and you have an title
that many people respect you.This course is not easy we have a lot of pressure
who taking and what to take this course. That’s why I ask or interview a former
engineering wonder how hard or struggling taking up this course.
I have conducted an interview to ate Maureen Carlos,aformer student in
Industrial engineering.According to her being IE is not easy you should give your
effort,best and time management to achieving it. Intelligent,skills and knowledge
is the more important but you wont last having on it if you have not
determination and willingness to achieving this course all you need it being
serious for taking it. Just enjoy being IE student you will see your brighter side.
Just do our best and sacrifices to study hard but never forget to enjoy until this
course being worth it.
After the interview,I realize that I will do my best nor it is challenging to me with
a lot of sacrifices,failure but lets think that nothing impossible for achieving our
goals in life we just need to dream high that we will finish and graduated in this
course no matter what we have a lot of problems that we might faces theres a
light in every dark side.It is hard but if you willing to finish it you will never
giving up and to the people who supporting and cheering me when I am
down,failure thank you.

On the positive aspects being IE students is have a lot of opportunities after your
graduate and a lot of experience will come. Like ate mau said don’t rush, time management,
do a lot of effort in making thesis, project etc. and do our best to succeed for being an IE
student because someday we will have a beneficial on it. Going abroad to find a job being a
high salary. Broaded our skills being an IE discover more our potential on that skills. She
choose IE because she has a strength for taking this course. In the negative aspects her
dilemma on there payroll week due to 7000 salaries. When she entering working field she
have an enemies since she is an accountants they are not saying yes to everything because
of other employee said to her that she is strengthening to the boss she is frustrating of that
kind of problems because of the employee. She also regret for being not rested after her
graduating she find a job early she didn’t able to cope because she is have a weak body and
sick working on their warehouse company that’s why she resigned.
On the other hand on her research time she experience a lot and happy answering on
her thesis college days because every research you have a lot of learnings you adopt
although at first it is not easy but as long as you enjoy doing your research exploring and
discover new things that might you faces.