Hiring Spotlight – Andre Ratchford

Andre Ratchford worked in many temporary roles at Yale University until he secured a regular position with the Department of Internal Medicine. We had a chance to talk with Andre about his career journey, the importance of temporary roles, and advice for other job seekers. 

You had many temporary assignments at Yale. Tell us about your career journey? 
I attained my bachelor’s degree from CCSU in accounting in December 2009. Soon after, I started working as a general accountant in the healthcare industry, where I stayed until 2018.

I have been working at Yale in various temporary roles for the last three years. I started as a temp for an outside agency and got my assignment in the Office of Sponsored Projects as an accountant for a 6-month assignment to help them transition from Oracle to Workday. 

I also served as a financial assistant in the business office for The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies in Luce Hall. I provided support to the eight MacMillan councils and programs. 

How did becoming a part of the New Haven Hiring initiative make a difference? 
In August 2019, I became a member of New Haven Works, and almost from the start, I saw incredible results. From October 2019 to February 2020, I believe I had around 13 or 14 interviews at Yale after applying to approximately 30-35 positions. It was an incredible experience, and I received excellent advice and established valuable connections with New Haven Works and Yale University Human Resources staff.

My 3rd temporary assignment was my 1st as a Yale casual employee, not through the agency. This was a 2-month assignment for seasonal support during the holidays. I served as a financial assistant in the gifts and records department in The Office of Development. I would reach out to alumni and friends of Yale, update contact information, apply incoming donations to the appropriate cause, etc.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I joined Yale Health as a Lobby Screener to help the community battle the virus. My role was promotion and enforcement of best health and safety practices for all employees and patients who entered the Yale Health Center. 

All of these temporary opportunities shaped me as a professional and made me well-prepared for my current role.

Tell us about your current role at Yale?
I am currently a financial assistant in the department of internal medicine in the School of Medicine. My role is to support the department by daily review and approval of expense reports, supplier invoices, requisitions, and purchase orders. In terms of general ledger, I help generate weekly transaction reports for further analysis, create journal entries, payroll adjustments, and handle various ad hoc requests.

In short, my job is to make sure that our financial processes are smooth and accurate. 

What is your message to other job seekers?
My advice for those trying to gain permanent employment at Yale is to treat the job search like a part-time job at the very least. I would check the STARS website at least twice a day (morning and evening). I would set an email alert, and I would apply it to everything that I thought I had a reasonable shot at being successful at doing.

I would also encourage job seekers to make connections. I can’t say enough about networking and how it relates to future professional and personal opportunities.