I am an Accounts Payable Analyst and Support Specialist for Visa International. I am responsible for processing payments for invoices and giving customer service support for four different Visa entities such as Canada, International, Resources and Land Development I and II.

EDUCATION | I graduated with a degree from Global Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. I also did one year of my studies at the Universidad Compultense de Madrid in Spain.

HOW TO GET STARTED | Make sure that you start somewhere where you can learn a lot. For someone who is applying for entry level jobs, you want to start at the bottom and work your way up by learning about the company you're working for. For every position that you have, I believe that it is a good idea to stay in the same position for at least a year to let your employer know that you are a dedicated person and plus, so you can have enough time to learn everything and be really good at what you do and make your mark. You will get noticed that way. Don't be too eager to move up since it will come to you, but make sure you always are thinking about the future and making the connections with people because it is who you know that will help you along the way.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | You must be organized, efficient, and of course, patient. A big part of this job is customer service so it is crucial that you stay level headed as sometimes people and situations can get pretty intense. You also have to be confident in your decision making because no one is going to take you seriously if you are unsure of yourself. Along with that, you also should be a quick learner and be good at problem solving because situations will be thrown at you where you would have to try to think up of a solution to solve it.

how I got started | I was immediately attracted to a job position in the corporate world. Seeing as I was fresh out of college as an Economics major, I thought being at the “bottom of the barrel” of finance would be a good start for me. I applied to a lot of different positions to try to get my foot in the door, which mainly were administration assistant jobs. At first, I thought that it would be a good opportunity for me to start off as an assistant or a receptionist at a company since it would help me have an idea of how it would be like to work in a corporate setting. I received some advice from a friend who were in corporate positions saying that I should not take that route. They said that if I wanted to start my career in administration or something along those lines, the odds are that I would only be seen as doing that job in the future. I decided to go into Finance into Accounts Payable where it is very possible to work my way up.

why this job?| I love to travel and learn about other cultures. One of the biggest reasons why I first chose to apply to Visa in its corporate setting is because Visa is a global company. It is one of the top major credit card companies that connect consumers, businesses and financial institutions in more than 200 countries and territories all over the world. I chose to study Global Economics because I am hoping to one day be involved in international business or international relations. That is the reason why I decided to do one year of my studies in Spain. Not only did I try perfecting my Spanish, but it also made me realize the business culture in a different country. Another thing is that being in finance, you really get to see and be involved in all different aspects of the company and not only dealing with money.

why I love this job!| I love my current position that I am in now because I get to be involved in all sorts of different international business transactions and work with a lot of different people. I get to handle accounts from Canada to Latin America. This is exactly what I want my career to be. Also, my job constantly keeps me busy and I am learning a lot. Every day I learn something new to where it will help build that foundation where it will be beneficial for me later on in the future.

my typical day| I start off my day by clearing out my emails; I usually get a lot of inquiries regarding the status of different payments and different accounts. I then will go through all my invoice queues and make sure that the payment is processed for each invoice. I am constantly working with different people and projects throughout the day through email or the phone regarding payment options, payment status, or problem resolutions. Occasionally, I attend different meetings where my colleagues and I try to find the most efficient way to carry out payment contracts.

what they are | I would have to say that the main challenge is trying to remember everything, such as a certain process that I have to use to do my job. There are a lot of little details and things to remember so it can be a little overwhelming a bit. Sometimes, I will feel like I got the hang of things, but then I will forget a small detail and get really frustrated. I had to learn how to be really organized and had to learn what works best for me in making sure I am remember things.

all about growth | This job really offers a lot of opportunities for growth. You will learn about all different areas of finance, so you can really choose an area where you want to focus on and pursue it as a career. Also, you are constantly interacting with people from all different departments, which allows you a good opportunity to network with them. These connections can really help influence you in any ambition for future growth. Just as long as you stay within the company for period of time and make yourself stand out from the crowd, you can get yourself noticed from the people working in the different departments.

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