Blanche Ruth Arreola

I am a graduate of BS in Management Accounting in March 2011. As both business and accounting major, I worked as a part-time Student Assistant to help in the Assessment Unit of the school’s Finance Department. My major tasks were:

• Helping in the computation of students’ tuition fee balances
• Releasing of physical examination permits.

For my internship, I was hired to be an intern in the Administrative Department of a newly opened hotel in our city. I was assigned to do the ff:

• Data encoding
• Filing
• Monitoring of accountable forms
• Preparation of summary reports

Before the end of my internship, I was offered by the management to be absorbed as one of the permanent employees in that particular department.

In July 2011, I was hired as a Records Management Specialist in the leading rural bank in our country. Though the bank has then been operating for nearly 60 years already, that position was newly created under a relatively new unit. I was tasked to the ff:

• To conduct research on systematic and effective procedures and controls in the overall management of bank records - from creation, use, distribution, filing, maintenance until disposal. It covered both electronic and physical records even those dating 60 years back.
• To help in developing the unit’s operating manual which includes listing down step-by-step procedures on different request that the unit would cater and perform.
• To conduct the bank-wide implementation and monitoring which include actual visit to over 100 branches all over the country.

Overall, my task was to help set-up and operate the new unit.

After my regularization in January 2012, I was given an additional duty as a Product Assistant to the Product Manager (PM) of one of the major loan products of the bank who also happened to be the Head of our department. The major responsibilities were:

• To assist the PM in all product-related tasks such as monitoring of product’s performance and creation of reports.
• To oversee all the development processes for systems related to the product including request for new or modifications, risk assessments, quality assurance tests, UATs, pilot tests, bank-wide implementations and communication with other involved parties.

Note that my duty as a Product Assistant was simultaneous with being a Records Management Specialist since February 2012. Though there were a lot of stress and pressure to be able to perform effectively in both duties, I was able to manage it with prioritization, time management and most importantly, proper coordination with my bosses. Also, it was a form of promotion in the company.

Because of my experience in both duties mentioned above, in June 2014, I was promoted and transferred to the Product Development and Management Unit where the scope is now on all bank products and services offered which I have to be well-versed or familiar with. Here, my duties were focused mainly on the ff:

• System development for different products and services
• Creation of their related manuals
• Assistance when there is a need to troubleshoot the programs
• Answering queries on product parameters
• Communications not only limited internally but also to external parties such as partners and service providers
• Major product decision-making
• Speakership in trainings

After a few intensive years in the banking industry, I gave myself a few months to rest. In July 2017, I started to work as a freelance bookkeeper in our country’s capital alongside my aunt who has been in freelance accounting and taxation for almost 40 years. Though the transition from my previous office work to this was something I consider major, it was still smooth-sailing as I was able to learn and adapt to it fast. Also, since one of my majors in college was accounting, it was not hard for me to understand it more. If there were anything unfamiliar to me, I made it a habit to continue reading and researching to make myself updated. Below where the common tasks among all clients:

• Bookkeeping
• Reports preparation
• Trial Balance
• Financial Statements