Alexandra Mestas is well into her second decade of working with Accurate and has seen many changes along the way. One thing that has stayed consistent, though, is Accurate’s commitment to its customers and supplying a high level of personalized service. Yes, it’s a company whose services rely on technology, but ultimately, it’s a business built on the power of people, she says.

Alexandra started with Accurate in 2004 in a customer service role. She says she was one of just four people in that role at the time. In a few years, she moved into a supervisory position and then into an account management role two years later. In 2013 she moved into a strategic account management role and, in 2018, became a director. Her primary customer is a major online retailer, with whom she’s worked exclusively since 2018.

Today, she says: “I manage and oversee all of the U.S. programs under one of Accurate’s largest clients — the employee side, the vendor side, the driving side and also, from a global standpoint she manages the Correction of Error (COE) program.

Working From the Ground Up

While she says it likely dates her, Alexandra applied for a position with Accurate through Monster.com. At the time, she says, “I knew nothing—nothing—about background checks. It was an eye-opener coming into the company and not realizing that you could actually go to courthouses and see peoples’ background checks.”

It was, though, a great fit, she says. And a great opportunity.

Accurate, Alexandra says, has seen “crazy, crazy growth” over the 18 years she’s been with them and she’s been fortunate to grow right along with them. “I’ve been able to have a lot of opportunities within the organization.”

Despite the growth, though, she says, “in some ways, it still feels like the same company which is a good thing because, as big as we are, we still have that small company feel.”  No one she says is off-limits to go and have a conversation with at all levels of the organization. “I think that the relationships that the executive team has established over the years haven’t really changed much, even though we’ve grown—from 30 people to thousands of people.”

Accurate, she says: “Has just gotten bigger. But the people and the culture are still the same.”

Grasping Opportunities to Grow and Give Back

Looking back, Alexandra says, one of the most impactful opportunities she’s had was the ability to become part of a specialty team back in 2010.

Becoming an account manager, she says, was a big steppingstone as she looks back on her career with Accurate. At the time, she says, she was given accounts because of the relationships she had while being a supervisor in customer service.

“When I look back, I think probably the best opportunity I’ve ever been given was being able to be on this account and it’s given me the growth where I am now. I worked to get there, but I also had that opportunity because of the team.”

When first coming to Accurate, Alexandra says, she didn’t realize how her various roles would allow her to have a positive impact on people—”to be able to help people work because there’s something out there for everyone.” In her daily life, she says, as she shops, or has delivery people come to her home, she now understands just how people are afforded those opportunities and what’s involved in helping them get there. “It’s given me a different view on things,” she says.

A Culture That Really Resonates

People pulling together is what really sets Accurate apart, Alexandra says, and has played a big role in keeping her with the company for so many years.

“I look at the people that we work with and the employees that we have, whether they’re on my team, or they’re not on my team, and everyone’s willing to work together. Everyone is willing to do what we need to do for our clients and for each other.” That, she says, hasn’t changed after almost 18 years. “I’m here because of the people that I work with, and the relationships that I’ve built and the way we can all come together during the busy times and get it done.”

Accurate’s culture is built on four core values pillars that unify the company with a common purpose, define where they’re headed, indicate what they’ll do to get there, what they believe in, and how they will behave with each other and their customers. They are:

• Take ownership: be accountable for your actions, your team, and the company.
• Be open: be open to new ideas.
• Stay curious: stay curious even as you move forward.
• Work as one: work together to create the best customer and workplace experience.

The one that resonates most with Alexandra is “Stay curious.” That, she says, is a big thing on her team. “We want everyone to stay curious meaning that we don’t ever want anyone to settle. We want to be able to keep challenging each other and our customers.”

Accurate, she says, is a career, not a job. And it’s a career that she loves.