Making the shift from banking to tech

Sumo Spotlight highlights Sumo Logic employees from around the globe. This spotlight features JJ Hong, Sr. Financial Analyst based in Seattle.

Describe your role at Sumo Logic

I joined Sumo Logic in March 2022 as a Sr. Financial Analyst supporting the GTM team. I partner closely with the sales and marketing team to provide support in budgeting and forecasting, as well as financial and operational analysis that helps identify risks and opportunities in the business decision-making process.

What do you like most about your job?

I love working with numbers and building financial models to help the team make better-informed decisions. What’s more important, I love the people I work with! From my FP&A team to my business partners, accounting, HR, procurement, and many more, everyone is extremely friendly and helpful and always goes out of their way to help me succeed. I am super grateful to have the chance to work with such great people.

What parts of our mission and/or values do you most connect with?

All of them, absolutely! If I have to pick, I’d say Work with Heart and Learning Culture and I believe they go hand in hand. When we respect each other, be helpful and supportive as much as we can, and act in the best interest of others, it helps form a positive cycle that will benefit us individuals as well as the company as a whole in the long run. Embracing diverse backgrounds and thinking allows us to see new perspectives, promotes collaboration, and creates even more learning opportunities.

What have been your proudest accomplishments while at Sumo Logic?

My job can be extremely trivial and detail-oriented, while I don’t have big stories to tell, I’m proud of the progress I have made ever since I joined Sumo – coming from the banking industry, I didn’t have any prior experience supporting GTM team or at a SaaS company. But I was able to learn and adapt as quickly as I could with tremendous help from the team and many other Sumos. Lots of trial and error in the process, but I was able to settle into my role quickly, provide help and support to the team, and even picked up new responsibilities!

JJ spending time outside and with those that she loves

Name a role model or person who inspires you?

Our beloved Indiana University alumni, self-made billionaire Mark Cuban said, “The only thing you can control is effort. That’s all, and that’s everything.” We tend to get distracted by things out of our control. But one thing we should keep in mind is to focus on what you do, and focus on working towards your goal. You will eventually get there once you put in the effort.

Aside from being a testament to the saying “hard work pays off,” he is dedicated to bringing good to the society through Mark Cuban Foundation and other philanthropic initiatives, as well as investing in small businesses and the younger generations. He is also an extremely friendly and approachable person in real life.

Best advice ever received?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions is an important part of learning and growing. We all run into things we aren’t familiar with at times, and asking questions is the most efficient way to acquire knowledge and obtain the information we need. On the receiving end, good questions may provide fresh new perspectives and help drive innovation and process improvement.

What’s your favorite thing about working at Sumo?

This might sound cliché but the people! I mean, it’s great that all Sumos are super nice and friendly, but what’s more important is everyone is collectively working towards the same goal: to make Sumo even better. When things are good, everyone celebrates with you. When things are not so good, when you run into a problem, they are always there to listen, collaborate and help as much as they can. You’ll always feel supported and not dealing with the world alone!

How have you grown professionally during your time at Sumo?

Lots of mentoring and coaching from my FP&A team has helped me grow professionally for sure! It’s also a fantastic learning opportunity to work closely with my business partners and learn about their fields, expertise, and industry insights. But at the same time, a lot of the time you just need to find out through practice!

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

AAPI Heritage Month to me is an opportunity to honor and celebrate various AAPI cultures – our histories, our accomplishments, our similarities, as well as the uniqueness of each cultural identity. It’s also a reminder that I matter, we matter as a community. It encourages us to come together and continue to make an impact in modern history, just like the influential contributions made by generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders since the 1850s in the U.S.

Share one thing that your co-workers don’t know about you.

I love cooking and trying out new recipes from all kinds of cuisines. If you have any recipes that you would love to share, send them my way, and I’ll greatly appreciate it!

Want to join our team? Sumo Logic is hiring around the globe! Check out our current openings.