From junior to senior: interview with Cătălina Nincă, Audit Assistant

Hello, Cătălina! What is your current role within Forvis Mazars in Romania?

Hello there :) Currently, my position is that of an Audit Assistant within the Financial Audit Department of the company.

How does a day in your life look like? What are your responsibilities, the projects that you take on?

The responsibilities I take on, as well as the projects that I’m involved in vary from one period of time to another, but what I can say for sure is that each one of my days starts with a good coffee and a little catch-up with my favourite colleagues, be it physically - at the office, or through Teams.

When it comes to my daily tasks, they are influenced by my position in each project, either team member or the person in charge. When I’m a team member, the day starts with status calls where we talk about the evolution of our procedures and we establish our next steps, following up next with discussions with the client and carrying through with our tasks.

When I am the person in charge of the project, the difference is made by the fact that I am the one organising the meetings and assigning the tasks to each one of my team members.

If we’re talking about my activity per se, I truly consider myself lucky. I had the opportunity to be involved in projects for all types of clients: from assurance companies to pension or investment funds, all the way to non-financial institutions. I say lucky because through each of them, I received valuable lessons that have contributed to my professional development.

How did your journey of growth look like within the company?

My journey in the company started with the role of Audit Assistant 1, as a little junior coming directly from the faculty’s classrooms, without a clue about what audit really means or how to manage the new situation. I was quite scared, looking back, afraid of failing and not being good enough for the field.

With time, alongside my wonderful team and through their constant support, after a season in audit, I was promoted to my current position. It didn’t come empty-handed, bringing with it lots of challenges that I’ve used to grow stronger and to develop myself, both professionally and personally.

I believe it to be a natural evolution that came from the constant need to learn something new and from the adrenaline that I felt with each new challenge that I took on. I can truly say that I wanted to be involved, to help as much as possible, to learn from each challenge and I always loved the satisfaction I felt each time I finalised a new project.

How was your transition like, from a junior position to a senior role? How did your team’s support impact you within this transition?

As I was saying before, everything fell into place naturally. I always wanted to be able to give back the support that I have been fortunate to receive, to contribute to my colleagues’ growth journey while reaching together our goals as a team.

Surely, this transition wouldn’t have been so seamless without the care and guidance of my colleagues. I am lucky to know and to be surrounded by people with the same values as me, with whom I instantly clicked from the start. They were the ones that enabled my development and built an environment where I was encouraged to share my perspectives.

I have a few colleagues for whom I will be forever grateful, who have supported me both professionally and personally and with time they have become part of my personal life as well. I’m thankful for them every day.

This year, Forvis Mazars celebrates three decades of trust on the Romanian market, a period in which we have built relationships based on trust and constant support, as well as created success stories together.  

Thus, to mark the occasion, let’s offer our readers three elements to take with them at the end of our discussion!

1.    What book, movie or podcast influenced you the most in recent years and you think will be able to inspire a junior at the beginning of their career?

The mountain is you: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest is my all-time favourite book.

The story of how I actually got to read it is a funny one. I have a passion for mountain hiking, and I was drawn to reading it because of its title, even though it has nothing to do with the physical activity of climbing.

But, as I was getting deeper into the book, it helped me realise that we have no greater obstacle in life than ourselves, and we are able to accomplish everything we set our minds to.

To give you a sneak peek into it, it teaches you to see yourself as your mountain to be conquered, with our way to success being based on one main element: letting go of self-sabotage and the constant need to be perfect.

What I would say to someone at the beginning of their career is that not all things will turn out great on the first try, not everything will be easy, but it is absolutely essential to keep trying, as many times as necessary. As hard as it is, we need to stop being our harshest critic when certain things don’t correspond with our expectations and to start being proud of our progress, as small as it might be.

2.    What is the most valuable skill for your role?

Patience, be it with the people around me, my teammates, my clients, or myself.

With time, I’ve learned that each person moves at their own pace, and each of us has different strong points. All those differences help us make a great team, as they bring unique perspectives to the table.

Also, Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? :)

3.    What piece of advice would you give to the young folks at the beginning of their professional journey?

The best advice that I have received myself is to let go of fear and not get discouraged when things don’t turn out perfectly on the first try.

No person was born with all the knowledge and skills, each one of us learns as we go, especially from our failures. Be patient and kind to yourself and always remember that the satisfaction you feel at the finish line is one of the most motivating and beautiful feelings.

Thank you, Cătălina, for your wisdom and openness! It's been lovely to discover your story and perspectives, keep shining! :)