I spend a great deal of time speaking with college students about what careers they are looking to take on once they have finished college, and discussing the skills that are required for a variety of different job types. I am writing this piece because last week I was in Ohio, speaking to some students when someone asked me what kind of skills they would need to be an auditor of large companies. This was the first time that I’d been asked this question so I went away and did some research. I spoke to the inspirational David Giunta Newport Beach resident like myself and a man who has audited some of the world’s biggest Fortune 500 companies. I wanted to share with you what I learned, and what kind of skills you need if you want to audit.
Attention to Detail
One of the most important characteristics of anyone who is looking to move into a career as an auditor, is to have attention to detail. Essentially what you are looking for as an auditor is that a company is doing what they are supposed to regarding the law and best practices and the issues which do exist, are almost always found in the tiny details.
Patience
As an auditor you will be poring over hundreds of pages of documentation, often of the same kind, looking for any issues which may exist. This can be an incredibly mind numbing job and so in order to be good at it, and enjoy it, you must be someone who has an incredible amount of patience.
People Person
Companies hate audits and they will likely look negatively towards you as they will think that you are out to get them in some way. You and I both know that this is not the case but it won’t stop people from thinking in this way. In order to get the job done right, you will need the unequivocal support of the company that you are auditing and so it really helps to get them on side. In order to do this you’ll need to be a people person and a great communicator.
High Standards
Your job as an auditor is to find issues, problems and wrongdoing, no matter how big or small. In order to be good at this job therefore, you will need to ensure that your standards are extremely high and that you don’t accept anything other than perfection.
Follow The Rules
Audits are always laid out very strategically and there is a structure and guidelines which absolutely must be followed. With this in mind then it is vital that you are the type of person who follows the rules and completes their job to the letter of the law. There is no room for errors or shortcuts in this job and along with your high standards, you must carry out your job exactly as you have been told to.