Lisa Ru

6.45 AM

The alarm marks the start of the day.

7.15 AM

As the CBD is a bit far from home, commuting begins at 7:15 am. Lucky for me, our Auckland office and our client’s office are right beside the Britomart train station, so the walk is only 2 mins!

8.00 AM

Arrive at work. Nothing better than grabbing a coffee fix to start the day off right. Here in audit, coffee is our best friend. The day starts with checking emails to ensure those received outside business hours are read. This is very important as they can include internal updates, client requests or emails that require urgent responses.

8.30 AM

Start of the working day officially begins. The engagement team meets up and together we walk up Queen Street to Turner’s head office space (our client), where field work happens. Each engagement team usually includes a Graduate, Intermediate, Senior, Manager and Partner. Although not everyone is there every day, there is always someone to answer my questions.

8.40 AM

A daily catch up is held to discuss progress and aims for the day. It is a chance to learn about the other areas of the audit as well as increase understanding of the client. A to-do list is created from the morning catch up, and testing begins. Testing involves a range of required work, including generating samples, vouching for those samples to supporting documentation, updating narratives and creating walkthroughs. As a graduate, the best thing is working as part of a close-knit team where no question is invalid. Asking questions has become second nature. I have found this to be the most valuable and enjoyable part of the work.

10.30 AM

A huge part of auditing is interacting with the client. After gathering all my questions, follow up queries and further requests, it’s time to make my way to the client. It is fascinating to learn from corporate professionals and understand their perspective on the business. During the time with the client, I note down the discussion we have and any points that could affect our audit testing. Any potential issues I bring back to discuss with my team.

12.30 AM

Time for team lunch! I have the honour of choosing workplace lunches. Another perk of being the graduate! The restaurant is within 5 mins walking distance and lunch never fails to liven the mood. It is the time to really get to know your teammates and talk about things outside of work.

1.30 PM

After lunch, I head back to the office to meet with the Manager and Partner for my scheduled development meeting. We go over the progress I’ve made since the last meeting and since starting at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway. We go over any accomplishments and difficulties, as well as general talk about life outside of work. I raise any issues I’ve come across as well as provide my views in working for the company. It always feels good coming out of the meeting knowing what I did well, what I can do to improve and knowing Baker Tilly Staples Rodway will continue to support our growth.

2.30 PM

After the development meeting, I roll into a planning meeting. This planning meeting is held prior to fieldwork for another client situated in East Auckland. All engagement team members are included in the meeting from Graduates through to Partners. While the Senior and Manager run the meeting, I take the minutes. In this meeting, the background of the client is provided, the testing approach is laid out and we discuss potential issues. I make sure to pay close attention here, as it lays the groundwork for the fieldwork about to happen in the coming weeks.

4.30 PM

Once a month, announcements are held over work drinks. This is a firmwide event and is the best time to interact with co-workers. It is a chance to meet up with those who you haven’t seen in a while or to meet new faces. Being one of the newer employees, I like learning about other departments and meeting new people.

5.30 PM

As the event ends and everyone begins making their way home, I check my emails one last time. For the next workday to run smoothly, I draft a to-do list noting down any tasks that are yet to be completed.

6.30 PM

A few of us head out for a movie night. Graduates, Intermediates, Seniors, everyone is invited! We book seats and choose any movie showing that night. It is a time to relax, clear the head and eat as much popcorn as we want! It’s a night I always look forward to.

8.45 PM

Back to the office to pack my things and begin the commute home. Of course, not forgetting to pick up a bubble tea for the road!