CBO Academy: Meet Rachael Almansory

What sort of education and work experience did you have before joining CBO?

I worked as a casino cashier before I joined CBO. I cashed people out and did the balancing up at the end of the day.

After a while, I decided I wanted to change direction and started an Accounting and Financial Management degree at Sunderland University.

I’d always enjoyed the financial aspects of my work and even enjoyed the auditing process, so thought finance would be a good fit.

 

How did you find CBO and what was attractive about the opportunity?

After I graduated, I went through the university recruiting agency and they got me an interview here.

My dad has always worked in manufacturing, and I used to help with packing orders in the warehouse his work when I was younger. I’ve always found manufacturing interesting, so I thought I’d be a good fit for a business that works with the sector.

I didn’t have much in the way of software experience. Most of my initial interest and skillset came from finance and manufacturing and the software knowledge came later.

At first, I wondered if I’d be able to handle the software side of things but thankfully it has all worked out!

 

How did you find your first few months at CBO?

When I started my degree, I didn’t know exactly where I would end up, so initially I was apprehensive, but I absolutely loved my first few months working here.

Learning through shadowing the people who had been through the same process really helped. There was a real team atmosphere.

One of the things I really liked was being in charge of your own learning. This meant that I could get out of it whatever I put in.

I went through my qualifications and a lot of hands-on software training with the Epicor teachers in my first few months.

We had full walk-throughs of the Epicor system, basically going from start to finish through the manufacturing process using Epicor and getting an insight into how every conceivable situation could work out.

 

Can you describe the career pathway offered to you at CBO and the journey you’ve been on while working here?

At the start, I learned the broader aspects of the system and built a strong foundation with my certifications.

After a while I started to think about the area of the system I wanted to work in.

I started to specialise more in the finance side of the system rather than the system as whole.

Now I handle a lot of finance issues and finance consulting could be the end goal for me, but the choice is open to anyone starting out here, and the end goal is very much up to them.

Rather than aiming for a basic knowledge of the system, I prefer to get to know one aspect of the system really well because the system is so big and constantly changes.

For example, some of the most fundamental aspects of E10 changed when Kinetic came in, so we’re constantly being challenged to learn the software in its multiple versions and always being kept on our toes.

 

What have you learned since you arrived? What skills?

One thing I’ve developed is my communication skills. Since starting here, I’ve had to interact with people at higher levels of an organisation and to tailor my communication depending on the situation. Being able to communicate up the chain has been a real eye-opener.

In terms of technical skills, I’m constantly improving. There is always something new to learn that makes my job easier. That could be a new form of certification but even something as simple as shortcuts on my laptop help.

 

What sort of person would thrive at CBO?

I think having a degree could help, as an ability to work and learn independently is really important. The type of degree doesn’t matter so much, but being able to work in an independent way is a big advantage.

A friendly, outgoing personality is a must because you spend so much time speaking to different people over the phone or in person, and managing relationships is a key part of the job.

That doesn’t mean you can’t learn these skills, it’s just important to be open and enthusiastic.

 

What is it like to work for CBO?

Absolutely amazing. Everyone is really supportive and there is a team behind me that is always ready to help.

They provide us with the tools and confidence to succeed. Everyone wants you to succeed and will go out of their way to help you.

In some work environments people can be quite guarded but here.

Knowledge sharing is a big part of how we do things and having those experienced people to lean on when needed has been a huge help since I joined.

Basically the whole aim is for people to thrive – and happy staff make for happy customers!

Do you think the CBO Academy could provide the career for you? Get in touch with us here to find out more.