What's your job about?
As an auditor, my job is to check the financial statements of the clients and test the balances to verify their accuracy and reasonableness. The firm provides proper guidance and support on how these tests are to be performed. I work with different clients usually at the client site, obtain the required documents from them and perform the required tests. I take responsibility for my work papers and make sure they are up to the required standards. Communication with team members and client interaction is key for all auditors.
What's your background?
I am from India and I moved to NZ about 6 years ago. I developed an interest in accounting when I was in high school and so I selected accounting as a major at university. In my second year, I decided that I want to become a Chartered Accountant. It has been a great journey and I am glad that I made a career choice early because that gave me clarity on what I needed to work on and any pre-requisites that I need to complete while I am at the university. I did my internship after my second year which gave me a very good experience of work life. I would highly recommend doing an internship before the end of university because it does help you understand corporate life and prepares you for a graduate role.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
No. To be an auditor, you need to have a good understanding of accounting and love for numbers. It is a challenging role as it is not always easy to understand how the numbers are interlinked but if you do have a basic idea of how transactions are recorded and an accounting background, you will be able to understand the client records.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest thing about my job is that you get to meet new people and understand businesses across various industries. You get to visit the client sites which are sometimes in different cities, so that is always fun but it does come with a lot of work and responsibility. The team members are supportive and helpful, so you know that they are always there to help you.
What are the limitations of your job?
Some of the limitations of an audit are that you have long hours of work during the busy season. So, it is not really a 9 - 5 job, the work hours depend upon deadlines and the time allocated on the client site. There is no fixed workplace since you will be based at different locations (client sites) throughout the year. Also, it involves working on Excel almost 95% of the time so it is very important that you have a liking for numbers.
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