Evan Heffelfinger

As a finance co-op on the US Supply Chain finance team at Cencora, I provide support for my team members on their monthly processes. Our main duties are to analyze the operating expenses the supply chain incurs on a monthly basis, as well as ad-hoc requests regarding special situations that occur outside of the monthly processes. One thing I am working on as a term-long project is analyzing the operating expenses (as well as other data points) that certain distribution centers collect and presenting it to my manager, and eventually my whole team at the conclusion of my co-op.

I meet with my manager on a daily basis to ensure we stay on top of any special requests we are given. On top of this, at the beginning of every month, we review the last month's data to compare it to our estimates and forecast what we can expect throughout the rest of the fiscal year. I am often brought in on other projects to give support to my other team members that I don’t directly report to, and we have weekly team meetings to catch everyone up to speed on what we are currently working on. One of my favorite things about this co-op is that everyone on the team is always willing to spend time talking about any issues you may currently be running into, or even just to catch up on your current processes.

I landed my co-op through the Co-op Program at Hawk Hill. Dr. Todd Krug played a key role in every step of the way through the process, as he gave us wonderful things like info-sessions, mock interviews, and made sure every job opportunity we could apply for was crystal clear. If we were ever unsure about anything, he made sure to be available for any communication, whether that be through email or meeting him in person. He truly wants what is best for every student and makes that abundantly clear in his help throughout the process. On top of all of this, I did my own research on the companies I was interviewing with, so I came prepared to learn about the companies and connect with the interviewers.

More than any other skill, I use my communication skills. Being able to connect with your team members, understand what they are working on, and not being afraid to ask questions makes it the best skill to have in a corporate setting. Also, I use Excel skills to provide the support needed for any of my team members. I also need to have good analytical skills to understand our monthly processes and the special requests we may receive. This includes being able to be creative enough to create different views of data for someone who's not used to seeing the kind of numbers we work with. All of these skills combine to make great teamwork skills that are necessary for work to be done efficiently.

SJU taught me how to develop great attributes like professionalism, time management, and collaboration as well as the foundation for good technical skills. Through things like group and solo projects, you learn how to communicate in a professional manner with your classmates and professors. To complete all of your work, you need to allocate enough time for you to finish any work or tasks you may need to ensure a good grade. On top of this, the projects and classwork enable you to use critical thinking skills in order to excel in your classes. All of these attributes combine and make you a better prospect for professional opportunities upon your graduation.

The first and most important piece of advice I would give is to ask as many questions as possible and use all of the resources given to you at the school. No one expects you to know much about the professional world, so there truly is no such thing as a bad question. Your level of curiosity and determination to learn will set you up for your opportunities, but it is all up to you to go out and care about the job. On the topic of learning, make sure you research the companies you may interview for, so when it comes time for you to ask the interviewer questions, they will know you care about the job and want to set yourself apart from other candidates. Long story short, do your due diligence and make yourself known to be the best candidate you can be.