International Women's Day 2023 - My story: Jessica Long

Tell us about your career to date and how you got to your current role in Monahans
Growing up I wasn’t very confident but always enjoyed school and problem solving. Maths felt like a logical degree for me as I always enjoyed finding solutions and the certainty of being right (or wrong!).

I graduated from Cardiff University with a Maths degree and during this time, spent a summer working in Actuary. The lack of human contact made me realise it definitely wasn’t the job for me. I am one of very few individuals who specifically chose tax as a career as I liked the idea of working with clients and getting another qualification. When I graduated, I joined RSM in their private client team where I studied and obtained my tax qualifications. During this time I worked with a variety of High Net Worth Clients, professional partnerships and trusts.

I joined Monahans as a manager nearly two years ago as part of the tax consultancy team specialising in High Net Worth Individuals, Inheritance Tax planning and compliance matters and was promoted to Senior Manager in October 2022.

My favourite part of the job is working with people, whether clients or colleagues. Sharing knowledge and helping people develop and grow in confidence is what makes this career so rewarding.

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?
I had some very influential teachers who guided and supported me through my education and have worked with some fantastic individuals who facilitated my learning and development.

I have a key belief that you are influenced by all those around you and that you adopt the traits you want to emulate (and see what to avoid!) from each person you meet.

In terms of who has had the biggest impact on my career, my parents taught me the value of hard work from a young age and core principles, they have encouraged and supported me, built my confidence and been my biggest rocks.

Growing up, whenever I asked my dad if he had a good day I would get the response ‘Every day is a good day’. Whilst I can’t say I always agree now, I try and find the little wins where I can and reflect positively on each day where possible.

I try and use this to build a positive atmosphere because the flip side I find is that negativity breeds negativity. This is part of the reason I enjoy working with the culture club so much and is something I feel very passionately about.

What do you wish you’d known about yourself when you were starting your career?
As many people do, I suffer with Imposter Syndrome and not quite feeling good enough. This is something I continue to work on and have started to develop useful tools to help cope with this.

When I started my career, I wrongly assumed that those with the loudest voices must be right. I have learnt to be true to my beliefs, stand up for my principles and for those around me and to do ‘the right thing’ even when it is challenging.

What advice would you give to someone who is in the early stages of their career?
The list is endless however some of the key points are:

• Say yes to as many opportunities as you can, ask questions and challenge yourself as much as possible.
• Your peers are not your competition – support each other and learn from those around you.
• Share knowledge and take note of feedback.
• Be clear of your personal values and do the right thing even when it is challenging.
• Be prepared to admit to mistakes, we all make them!
• Everyone has something to offer, listen to all ideas and don’t be afraid to voice your own opinions.
• Not everybody is going to like you – this is absolutely okay! The important thing is that they respect you.
• Be mindful that you have no idea what is happening in anybody else’s life so be kind.
• Find a career that makes you happy – you are going to be working for a long time!

Jessica Long