Most Important Skills for a Senior Associate at Riveron
Hunter, a Senior Associate at Riveron, emphasizes the paramount importance of developing a "problem-solver mentality," adapting skills and resources to overcome challenges and effectively present solutions to clients. This approach, combined with strong communication and organizational skills, becomes increasingly crucial as a career progresses, eventually surpassing the initial need for deep technical expertise in accounting and software.
Problem-Solving, Communication, Organization, Teamwork, Data Analysis
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Hunter Haas
Senior Associate
Riveron
University of Texas at Austin; 2016 and 2017
University of Texas at Austin; UCLA Anderson
Business Management & Admin
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Consulting
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Problem-solving mentality: Cultivate the mindset of a problem-solver, actively seeking information, collaborating with others, and presenting effective solutions.
2. Communication skills: Master both team communication (seeking help, sharing findings) and client communication (presenting solutions, addressing downstream impacts).
3. Organization and time management: Develop strong organizational skills to manage multiple tasks, track progress, and communicate effectively with team management about deadlines and deliverables.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
The most important skill I learned in my last role was to adopt the mentality of a problem solver. It's not just about being the one to figure things out, though being an expert is part of that.
It's constantly thinking about what needs to be fixed, if I'm approaching it the right way, what other inputs or data I need, and who else to talk to. Ultimately, you want to come back with what you've gathered, identify what's relevant, and determine what will solve the problem in a way that's presentable to clients.
The most important skill is to adopt the mentality that while I might not be an expert in a specific problem or area, I have the tools and resources to become an expert problem solver.
From there, other applicable skills you'll be showcasing are your communication skills, both within a team setting and with clients. This includes asking for help in meetings, synthesizing and summarizing your findings for team members, and presenting solutions to clients.
You'll explain here's the solution to the problem we discussed, what you've created, and how it will solve problems going forward. If there's any downstream impact, you communicate that as well.
Other high-level skills include organization. You're creating trackers, and if you're owning a team, you're monitoring progress towards deadlines and deliverables. You communicate this upwards to team management.
Those are probably the three most important skills. Technically, you do need to know the accounting lingo, different accounting standards, and how to use Excel for tools and analysis.
Early in your career, you want to be technically savvy. As you progress, you want to become a good blend, and eventually, your communication skills will become more important than your technical skills.