Episode 128 | The Devil *Is* in the Details
Question
Hi, Work Wives. It's Jenny from Orlando, Florida. I need advice on my current situation and what direction to take career-wise. I'm feeling very hopeless and like a loser. I'm 24 and I've been working in corporate finance and accounting for a year. I kill it whenever I get assigned a random project by my manager, like find out how to obtain some crucial information we need and then summarize it: done. I built a macro on Excel and automate it next time. Create a quarterly report for market volume: done. And I got a response from the CEO and someone on the board telling me they love it. Research and write up a summary for this legal issue: done. Obviously, I'm competent and there's some value there.
However, I'm absolutely dropping the ball when it comes to my routine tasks. I have hundreds of routine procedures I have to repeat at least once a month and I deal with thousands and thousands of numbers and changing details on a daily basis, which results in mistakes every single month. I never make the same mistake twice, but a new mistake always happens, and it's really impacting the trust my manager has in me, and I truly feel like I have no chance at a successful career in the future. I tried everything: detailed checklists; using a planner/ notepad; putting checks in place on my spreadsheets; double checking my work. None of this has totally prevented the clerical errors I continue to make despite how hard I try.
We're in a heavily-regulated industry, so seemingly-small mistakes can cause big issues for the firm and for my manager who signs off on the financials every month. My question is, if I'm messing up routine tasks one year in and I just can't get things right, should I start looking into different fields and professions or do I stick it through? Is there a job where someone with a lack of attention to detail can prosper or am I doomed?
Summary
Don't let your lack of attention to detail keep you from getting what you want. The Work Wives are here to help.
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