Campus Spotlight: Joe Chessmore
The Importance of Lifelong Learning:
Why This Analyst Is Determined to Never Stop Learning and Growing
Joe Chessmore is an Analyst with Alvarez & Marsal’s (A&M) Global Transaction Advisory Group (TAG) in Nashville, Tennessee. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Oklahoma State University and his master’s degree in accounting from the University of Virginia.
In this Q&A, Joe discusses the challenges he faced in his career’s early stages and his aspirations for the future. He sheds light on the office culture in Nashville, emphasizing its close-knit and relaxed atmosphere. Joseph also shares insights on essential qualities for success in consulting, networking strategies and the perks of working in the industry. Additionally, he delves into his favorite outdoor hobbies and the best advice he's received about continual learning and humility.
How to Develop Time Management and Relationship-Building Skills in Consulting
Reflecting on your college experience, what unexpected lessons or insights have you gained that have significantly impacted your career?
The ability to handle multiple timelines, collaborate with peers and communicate with professors impacted me the most in my transition. I expect to work on multiple deals with different managers in TAG. I have translated my graduate school experience of communicating and prioritizing project timelines with peers to prioritizing deal work and communicating with the teams to meet time-sensitive deadlines. Additionally, I communicate and collaborate with peers and managers to recognize when I may be unable to complete work by deadlines or have availability to support others. Like in graduate school, peers can fill in when your schedule is busier, so I can do the same for them down the line.
Why did you choose to intern at A&M?
From the beginning, I was attracted to the entrepreneurial mindset of A&M employees and A&M’s structure. The proposed work at A&M appeared to be a value-add and a continually changing scenery. A&M offered a unique workday encountering different companies and clients where I had majority control of my schedule. I was attracted to the various, more robust approaches to an accounting workplace instead of a monotonous or bureaucratic workplace. From there, my positive impression of A&M's strong culture was further reinforced by a mutual connection, the recruiting team and others.
What motivated your decision to join A&M full-time?
I learned about the opportunities A&M and TAG offered me from my internship. The deal work I was involved in showed me the value-add A&M provided to clients and the uniqueness of the work compared to other more traditional accounting roles. Being exposed to the entire lifecycle of a deal and multiple types of deals provided a picture of the full-time opportunities within A&M. Additionally, the Nashville office and team embracing me into the culture further encouraged my abilities and drive to return. A&M fosters an entrepreneurial style that allows me to take responsibility for my scheduling and work, which is attractive.
Reflecting on your career's early stages, what unexpected challenges did you encounter, and how did you navigate them to emerge stronger?
One of the notable challenges early in my career has been managing my deal workload. In TAG, you are responsible for seeking and/or accepting more deals and work. Initially, it can be difficult to understand how much work will be on my plate, when to seek new work and when to reject work. I learned to lean on my managers, mentor and others around me for guidance. I communicate how much is on my plate with those I am working with, and they are fantastic resources to help me manage the workload or give guidance on decision-making within it.
Which office are you based in, and how would you describe the office culture?
I am in the Nashville office, and our office culture is close-knit and relaxed. As a smaller office, everyone knows each other, allowing relationships to develop throughout the entire office, even through different A&M groups. It is easy to quickly learn others' backgrounds, which becomes important during football season as chatter increases. The relaxed description may partially stem from the office ping-pong table and chipping green. I’ve also heard Nashville has an above-average snack portfolio ordered by this author.
How to Seek and Leverage Mentors to Overcome Early Career Challenges
Who are the individuals you consider your closest mentors, and what valuable lessons have you learned from them?
My manager and the other Nashville managers I work closely with are my biggest mentors. I highly value honest, immediate feedback to improve myself. Working with mentors helps me articulate my goals clearly, allowing them to guide me toward achieving them. For example, recently, I have tried to increase my responsibility on deals. Once my mentors know this, they can challenge me in the deals we work on together and give immediate feedback. Additionally, I look to my brother as another mentor. He works in a private equity role, allowing him to provide me with insights from the client’s perspective. I also value having a mentor outside the firm to offer additional honest, personal feedback.
What are your career aspirations for the next few years?
In my career, I aspire to continue learning and increasing responsibilities in all aspects of my career. I always strive to increase my knowledge of the transaction advisory industry and better my professional capabilities. Accepting more responsibilities in my deal work allows me to continue to expand my knowledge and insights. Furthermore, I strive to learn and request more responsibility in other areas like client relationships, recruitment and other facets of the firm where I can provide value. Through these increased responsibilities, I hope to succeed in the firm with promotions and a long-term future.
What personal attributes or traits are essential for success in your field, and how do you continually nurture and develop these qualities within yourself?
Strong communication skills and humility are essential to my success in TAG and consulting. I constantly communicate with my managers about my work timelines, issues and overall workload. More importantly, though, I communicate my long-term goals of promotion, my areas of needed growth and my desire to accept more responsibility. Communication becomes key to both short-term and long-term success. Additionally, with less experience, I must express humility to learn from others and myself. I recognize that those around me have a wealth of knowledge from which I can learn. Also, I must be humble in admitting my mistakes or inability to solve specific problems and ask questions.
How do you approach networking and building professional relationships, and what tips would you offer to others just starting?
Networking and sustaining relationships are among the most important parts of my professional and personal life. I was introduced to A&M through a professional connection, and I value that connection and this opportunity very highly. Internally, I network by working in the office as much as possible and focusing on beginning one-on-one calls with personal life conversations. Those personal relationships create an extra level of enjoyment in my work. Externally, I am trying to prioritize networking through client communications and meeting with management teams to begin relationships.
What are some notable perks or benefits you've experienced working in the consulting industry?
The most notable perk I have encountered is the variety of experiences offered within the consulting industry. In consulting and transaction advisory, I work on multiple deals simultaneously. All deals offer unique learning experiences and new management teams and clients to meet. In the Generalist group, I work deals across different industries, constantly learning about new markets— restaurants, heavy machinery shops, logistic companies and car washes. Further, due to virtual meetings, I now can work with people in my office and those from others, offering a diverse background and more ways to learn.
What's your favorite hobby or activity outside of work, and how did you get into it?
My favorite hobby is being outdoors, especially sports. I have loved sports all my life, from when I began competitive sports. Now, I enjoy being outside and physically pushing myself, including running, playing soccer and basketball games in the evenings, skiing and fishing. I have connected with many in the office through mutual outdoor hobbies, including day fishing trips outside of Nashville. I believe it is important when away from work to have activities that completely remove myself from work, and physical exercise has been my favorite way to do it. I enjoy the competitive outlet and spending time outdoors. However, I consider watching sports a large part of this hobby, so there is naturally some less competitive couch time.
What's the best advice you've ever received, and how has it influenced your life?
When I embarked on my professional journey, my brother shared valuable advice: there is value in never being the smartest person in the room. He emphasized the importance of seeking opportunities with the possibility for growth and learning. At A&M, I am surrounded by driven individuals with a wealth of knowledge, motivating me to continuously expand my skills and expertise. This advice has instilled a sense of humility, recognizing the abundance of learning opportunities and the wealth of knowledge among my colleagues. In the dynamic field of consulting, where I engage with diverse companies, clients and industries, acknowledging that there is always more to learn proves invaluable, particularly in conducting financial due diligence.
