Meet Sue in SAP

Describe your educational background. Where did you study? What degrees did you receive?

I attended classes part-time at Carroll Community College while working full-time Random House. I earned my AA degree in business in 1997.

Describe your career history. What have been your professional experiences prior to your current position?

Simply stated, my career history begins and ends with Random House. I started working at Random House in the warehouse on second shift one month after graduating from high school. During my six years in the warehouse I held several positions including picking & packing books, driving a forklift, and working as a group leader. In 1994, I accepted a position in the Accounts Receivable Department working as a claim/credit correspondent. I was promoted to supervisor of that area in 1997, then to manager in 2000 taking on additional responsibilities of SAP projects. In 2004, I was promoted to Assistant Director.

What are your current roles and responsibilities?

I oversee the Cash Applications Area as well as SAP projects for the Credit Department. The Cash Applications, or A/R group, applies all of the payments that are received from our customers, researches and issues refunds, prepares daily deposits, and reconciles general ledgers. The Projects group fixes processes that are broken and improves those that are not. They are a hardworking group of people.

Describe a typical day at your job.

A typical day would consist of checking and responding to e-mails, attending meetings, fighting fires, answering questions, coding system changes, testing system changes, pondering new process improvements that could be made, adding them to the project list, and prioritizing them. One must be able to “hyper-task” in my position.

What attracted you to your company and position? What is your favorite thing about your job?

 
I like “detective work.” In my position, I get to dig in and figure out where something has gone wrong and proceed to fix or improve it. The variety and challenge is what I like best.

What has been your most memorable moment (so far) in your job?

One Halloween, shortly after joining Accounts Receivable, almost the entire department dressed up as M&Ms for work and then marched in the Halloween parade that evening. We won first prize for a group that year.

What qualities do you feel are necessary to be a successful employee at your company?

One must be open to change, willing to share thoughts and ideas, keep a positive attitude, and be dedicated to quality and improvement.

Have you had the opportunity to travel as part of your job?

Yes, I have traveled. I’ve been to Michigan, New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, southern California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

Do you feel you have a good understanding of Bertelsmann and its corporate culture?

I believe Bertelsmann is always looking to the future and for opportunities for growth.