Alexander Harlan
5.0
(14)
Studied at University of Washington
Works at Google
Successful clients at
Available Wednesday at 10:30 PM UTC
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About Alexander
My name is Alex, and I’m a Finance Program Manager at Google with an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Washington. Over the last several years, I’ve worked with 1,200+ professionals across industries and career stages, helping clarify value, strengthen resumes, and land opportunities that truly change lives, from university students applying to their first internship to senior leaders navigating promotion and executive-level transitions. I’ve also had the opportunity to share what I’ve learned as a keynote speaker at 50+ events with organizations such as Northwestern, the University of Washington, and the Georgia Association of Colleges and Employers, teaching practical strategies around resume positioning, interview mastery, AI applications, and more. The common thread in my story has always been helping people. Even before Google, the roles I gravitated toward were always centered around support, mentorship, and service, including working as a golf cart attendant, writing consultant, career prep consultant, teaching assistant, and VP of my university accounting association. On one hand, I’ve experienced the job search firsthand and I’ve seen my parents struggle through it too, so I understand how stressful and personal it can feel when your future is tied to one application or interview. On the other hand, I’ve also seen what’s possible when things finally click, because I regularly get messages from clients celebrating new roles and job offers we worked toward together, and it NEVER gets old seeing hard work turn into real momentum. Today, my experience at Google as both a Finance Program Manager and a Career Development and Mentorship Lead, combined with coaching 1,200+ professionals across industries and career levels, gives me a unique perspective on what hiring teams look for and how strong candidates stand out. If you work with me, you’re getting more than edits. You’re getting a coach who cares deeply about your outcome and knows how to translate your experience into a clear, compelling story. Let’s work together!
Why do I coach?
In March of 2025, I had worked with a mother who had just been laid off and wanted one thing: to get back on her feet. After working through her resume and guiding her through multiple interview and salary negotiation phases, she finally landed a new role she was happy with. A few months later, I had unknowingly worked with her husband to tailor his experience towards a senior director engineering position. Afterward, he said this: “Alex, I didn’t tell you this and you had no way of knowing, but you helped my wife earlier this year. Now, you’ve helped me. The impact you’ve had on our household has been overwhelming, so I wanted to say thank you.” Moments like this capture exactly why I love doing what I do. Over the past 4 years, I’ve had the opportunity to relive similar experiences with 1,200 clients and to this day, resume writing and career coaching is the most fulfilling work I’ve done and probably will ever do. So, why do I enjoy coaching? It’s because of moments like this: “I had an amazing experience working with Alex on my LinkedIn profile, résumé, and cover letter. His work was truly outstanding and exceeded my expectations. Everything was polished, professional, and perfectly tailored to my experience.” “I’ve used Alex twice now and have referred him to multiple people! He’s skilled efficient and communicative!” “Alex was INCREDIBLE to work with. The quality of work, attention to detail, and timeliness were WAY above my expectations and I am extremely happy with the deliverables. I HIGHLY recommend Alex!!!” Above all, the opportunity to steer clients towards their dream roles and have a true impact is at the core of what I do. I’ve helped clients break into tech, land their dream internship, and negotiate 6-figure salaries. Are you ready to revitalize your career strategy? Let's work together to make it happen!
Work Experience
Finance Program Manager
November 2024 - Present
Interviewer
Promoted to Finance Program Manager, driving end-to-end finance automation in partnership with cross-functional teams and delivering accounting solution support to enhance Alphabet’s financial reporting processes. Spearhead north-star system architecture for key finance processes to ensure scalability, maintainability, and adaptability. Selected Key Achievements: • Spearhead automation of $24 billion in revenue entries by partnering with teams to assess finance processes, leading accounting solution design, and working with engineering to implement scalable system integrations, reducing misstatement exposure risk • Drive growth and scalability of cross-product subscription offerings by analyzing system capabilities and accounting workflows, presenting insights to leadership and securing cross-functional alignment on shared OKRs to shape go-forward strategy • Automate allocation of $3 billion in credit card fees across profit centers by solutioning for different fee types (non-transactional, aggregate, transactional), resolving vendor-specific nuances across 17 payment processors, and implementing SOX controls • Manage the Balance Sheet Reporting program, comprised of 10 finance projects totaling $47 billion in misstatement exposure, by leading cross-functional workshops to address complex technical accounting issues and leading BRD drafting and sign-off • Direct resolution of 10+ escalations raised by international controllership by conducting root cause analysis and obtaining buy-in from engineering to drive system fixes across SAP & Google Payments Platform systems, amending $10 million in discrepancies • Champion automation of accounting testing across product areas by developing an MVP tool with engineering and enabling self-serve and auto-validation capabilities across testing environments, reducing UAT timelines from 2 weeks to 1 day per project
Founder
Summit Resume
October 2022 - Present
Over the last several years, I’ve partnered with 1,200+ professionals to elevate their experience, define their value proposition, and accelerate their career trajectories, working with everyone from Google directors and Amazon senior managers to PwC professionals and university students across a wide range of industries. I’ve also shared these insights as a keynote speaker at 50+ events, including organizations such as Google, Northwestern, University of Washington, Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers, and more. Career development and mentorship are central to who I am, and one of the first things people learn about me is that I genuinely love helping people move forward in their careers.
Accounting Analyst
August 2022 - November 2024
Interviewer
Drove finance readiness and accounting compliance for complex, global product launches, enabling revenue growth across payments, tax, and billing initiatives. Own high-impact launch enablement, international expansions, and finance prioritization, strengthening sub-ledger integrity and automation coverage across core finance systems. Selected Key Achievements: • Conducted accounting testing for finance projects by assessing current vs. ideal-state processes, utilizing SQL to analyze invoice data, and validating accurate subledger behavior, leading to 64+ successful launches including YouTube NFL Sunday Ticket • Built 2 SQL testing scripts in response to database migration by joining data across 4 tables to capture key fields and including annotated notes that enabled users to adapt scripts to varying data needs, reducing runtime by 67% compared to legacy scripts • Implemented credit store and threshold payment expansions across 5 countries by introducing account-level credit parking and transitioning high-value customers from pre-payments to threshold billing models, increasing revenue from top-tier clients • Revamped tax validation processes by developing a framework that embedded regulatory changes into the sub-ledger and verified that tax was properly applied across diverse payment use cases, mitigating $8 million in annual tax liability across 11 countries • Oversaw prioritization of finance projects by partnering with controllers to identify automation opportunities, evaluate project impact, and stack rank initiatives based on business value, ensuring engineering resources aligned with the highest impact efforts
Career & Interview Prep Coach
University of Washington
June 2021 - June 2022
• Provided career support to 20 students each week by engaging in personalized one-on-one sessions and delivering guidance in areas such as bullet point writing, resume formatting, LinkedIn optimization, interview preparation, and cover letter tailoring • Created a comprehensive resume feedback resource by compiling a list of frequently provided feedback into a Google document, categorizing comments by sections such as education, work experience, and projects, saving ten minutes per resume review • Designed a LinkedIn optimization resource that provided guidance and advice on writing effective about me, headline, and work experience sections by collaborating with staff to brainstorm best practices, leading to its publication on the career website • Developed resources on how to answer behavioral and situational questions by conducting research on interview frameworks, recording sample questions and answers, and obtaining signoff, resulting in 400 student downloads across a six-month timeframe • Supported the planning and execution of two career fairs by coordinating with faculty and staff to reserve event venues, secure budget approvals, reach out to firms, and serve as a career fair volunteer to provide elevator pitch and resume review support
Audit Intern
Moss Adams
January 2022 - March 2022
• Completed six engagements for clients in the healthcare and technology sector by ensuring financial statements adhered to GAAP principles and conducting testing for cash, fixed assets, inventory, accounts receivable & payable, revenue, and expense accounts • Designed a workpaper to document and test the completeness, accuracy, and existence of client data migration from Workday to SAP by querying data into an Excel spreadsheet and documenting material variances between pre and post-migration outputs
Audit Intern
Moss Adams
June 2021 - August 2021
• Built an Alteryx workflow to automate the classification of 45 accounts into appropriate tax groupings by designing rule-based logic, configuring data transformation tools, and implementing automated validation checks, presenting results to leadership • Designed a Power BI dashboard featuring a dynamic pie chart to visualize the percentage of client revenue as A/R by connecting financial data sources, leveraging Power Query for data transformations, and using DAX formulas to calculate revenue percentages • Led a group of 12 interns to create a six-minute entertainment industry video pitch by leading weekly meetings to assign and track action items, conducting market research, and coordinating practice sessions, presenting to 120 seniors, managers, and partners • Completed seven audit reviews for clients in the manufacturing and real estate sector by conducting substantive testing and analytical procedures on accounts such as cash, fixed assets, inventory, accounts receivable and payable, revenue, and expenses
Audit Intern
Novogradac & Company
January 2021 - March 2021
• Implemented a centralized system to streamline the PBC document upload process by researching shared drive functionalities, identifying pros and cons of different solutions, and pitching recommendations to management, saving $600 in costs annually • Prepared 64 client financial statements and 16 footnote disclosures in Microsoft Excel and Word by utilizing CaseWare to link financial balances, cross-check calculations across statements & disclosures, and ensure client formatting compliance • Hosted 12 virtual audit walkthrough sessions to guide five interns on procedures such as cash reconciliations, CaseWare linking, revenue and expense testing, and fixed assets analysis , resulting in a 50% decrease in questions asked by interns to managers • Completed 16 audit engagements by communicating with clients to receive PBC documents and conducting substantive testing on accounts such as cash, fixed assets, accounts payable, revenue and expenses for low-income housing tax credit clients
Quantitative Analysis Teaching Assistant
University of Washington
September 2020 - December 2020
• Conducted Zoom workshops for 90 students each week to walk through complex topics such as functions and graphs, limits and derivatives, descriptive models in Excel, Solver in Excel, and statistical inference, leading to increased student comprehension • Provided constructive feedback to students by identifying and documenting common errors while grading homework assignments, quizzes, case studies, and exams, and communicated these mistakes for the professor to address during classes and office hours • Earned the highest positive review rating among teaching assistants in the program, leading to an Astronomical TA Award in recognition of my dedication to student success, instructional support, and the fostering of a positive learning environment • Reviewed and corrected four answer keys for accuracy and completeness by cross-referencing course materials and consulting with peers, submitting detailed revisions for future class sessions to ensure reliable resources and improved student learning outcomes
Golf Cart Attendant
Auburn Golf Course
August 2015 - September 2020
• Provided excellent customer service to an average of 45 golfers each day, both in-person and over the phone, by greeting clients professionally, addressing inquiries, resolving issues promptly, and ensuring a positive golf experience for customers • Assisted pro-shop attendants in the daily closing process by accurately counting, handling, and recording cash and inventory using reconciliation checklists to ensure proper documentation and inventory control, leading to zero errors during close processes • Implemented a method to clean and put away 72 golf carts by parking carts in a straight line on a declined hill which allowed carts to naturally roll down to the garage for seamless cleaning and pressure washing, leading to one minute in time savings per cart • Oversaw and led the training of three new hires in the day-to-day operations of the Auburn Golf Course including answering phone calls, handling point-of-sale transactions, booking tee times, putting away golf carts, and managing inventory
Audit Intern
Novogradac & Company
January 2020 - March 2020
• Prepared 60 client financial statements and 15 footnote disclosures in Microsoft Excel and Word by utilizing CaseWare to link financial balances, cross-check calculations across statements & disclosures, and ensure client formatting compliance • Completed 15 audit engagements by communicating with clients to receive PBC documents and conducting substantive testing on accounts such as cash, fixed assets, accounts payable, revenue and expenses for low-income housing tax credit clients • Conducted 60 random audit procedures by utilizing audit sampling techniques to select vendors and verifying vendor existence and authenticity through direct communication with client vendors via phone calls, documenting findings in audit workpapers
Writing Consultant
Green River College
June 2017 - June 2018
• Provided constructive feedback to 35 students each week on various aspects of writing, including thesis development, essay structure, research methodologies, citation techniques (MLA, APA, Chicago), and adherence to academic writing conventions • Actively contributed to weekly writing center meetings by presenting strategies to enhance marketing efforts across campus, improve student engagement, and expand outreach initiatives while brainstorming ideas to optimize writing center services • Partnered with writing consultants to lead nine classroom lessons by providing guidance to students on writing principles such as essay structure, research techniques, argument development, and logical coherence, leading to improved student essay scores • Promoted writing center services by delivering class presentations highlighting benefits of writing support, creating marketing material that conveyed student success stories, and maintaining a presence at two career fairs to proactively engage with students
Alexander was also given offers to work at
Microsoft
Amazon
EY
PwC
Novogradac & Company
DaVita
Blue Orgin
Education
University of Washington
Master of Science , Accounting
2021 - 2022
Grade: 3.92 Cumulative GPA (4.00 Scale) Accounting Student of the Year, Graduation Student Speaker, and 2 Academic Scholarships
University of Washington
Bachelor in Business Administration, Accounting
2018 - 2021
Grade: 3.78 Cumulative GPA (4.00 Scale) 5 Academic Scholarships, Dean's List (7x), Annual Dean's List, and Cum Laude
14 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Alexander has helped clients get into these companies: