Differentiating my corp fin work profile

Hi Folks!
I recently started working in corp fin (FP&A specifically) after my MBA (was a software engineer before). The work is mostly much what I expected: predictable hours, decent pay, excel work, writing macros, preparing presentations, ownership of certain periodic reports.
The one area where my expectations have not been met is my involvement in the "strategic" aspect of the company. I assumed that since my work is analysing the numbers a natural part of my role would be to figure out (or at least contribute to) the answers to the "so what?" question. Unfortunately, that is not the case. As you may have imagined my company is not exactly the vanguard of our industry but we are doing ok.

I would like to know the following from you, i.e. people who have spent a decent number of years doing corp fin work in one or more companies:

1. How representative are my duties to typical post-MBA roles in corp fin? I feel like there is a lot more I could be doing.

2. In your opinion how would a kick-ass corp fin resume stand out from the crowd? OR What do F500 companies look for while reviewing resumes for corp fin positions?

3. Is the ability to write complex excel macros (condensing a couple of weeks worth of excel grunt work to 2-3 hours) anything worth highlighting when I try to make a transition down the line?

 

Not in industry, but some thoughts...

Can you define strategic? Almost no positions up through middle management will be strategic, with the exceptions of corpdev, corpstrat, and product management roles. That's how big (and oftentimes mid-sized) companies are, everyone is passing the information up the ladder for decisions to be made.

Another thing to keep in mind is, if you're new, people are going to want to see a track record before they start trusting you. As for the questions...

1) Sounds about right from everything I've heard, but you didn't really give much to go on

2) No idea, at the experienced, post-graduate level. The things that I generally hear are along the lines of increasing responsibility, brand recognition (either the MBA program or company you're at - preferably both), and a variety of experiences in corpfin

3) I highly doubt it, based on everything I've heard/read. It seems like the macros are something you use when you get into the job to help make you look good

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

Thanks D M..

By strategic I mean actually tying the analysis I do to specific next steps to improve the relevant metrics such as asset utilization rate, etc.

I get your point about having a track record. The hurdle for me doesn't appear to be me proving that i am good enough. Instead it is about getting others to do more than the min possible. Given this situation it is difficult to get buy-ins for anything beyond fires-that-absolutely-must-be-put-out.

I understand that increasing responsibility is a good sign but I am curious how increased responsibility is quantified in corp fin resumes given that someone else is typically responsible for day-to-day decisions for all identifiable biz lines for a company.

 
Best Response

Increasing responsibility is shown by a jump in position title. FA -> Senior FA is an increase in responsibility not necessarily because you're doing more, but because the company has greater faith in the work you're producing. Manager -> Senior Manager would be similar, though you'd probably also have more staff reporting.

I'm not 100% sure how to get into more of a strategic position because you can't really give me any information that would help without giving me too much info about yourself. And even then, I wouldn't be the best person to help you out. I'd go through this forum (corp corral) and try and find one of the Certified Users (gold star) that's listed as a manager or higher. Shoot him a PM and ask if he wouldn't mind giving you some thoughts on what to do/what are the actual possibilities within CF.

Additionally, if you have any friends that have been in corpfin for a while (maybe from MBA program or previous company), you might want to get some input from them. If you have a mentor at the company, try and see if you can get some info from him. I'd use that as a last resort though. I'd approach your mentor (if you have one) after you have more info about your situation.

Also, create an anonymous account on Quora, make sure you use an email that doesn't have your full name. Ask there. I'm sure someone in corpfin would answer.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

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