As a career that offers graduates many exciting opportunities to learn about a variety of different industries as well as a stable career, Audit has many misconceptions that crop up when discussing the role with people outside of the industry. We are here to dispel those misconceptions.
Auditing is just another desk job
Ask someone what they believe a working week is like for an auditor and they will say they are stuck to a desk 8 hours a day 5 days a week. This is easily the biggest misconception people have when it comes to working in audit. Auditors frequently attend client meetings they also are required to visit businesses around the country (and in some cases across the globe) in order to complete audits in a timely manner. With the advent of remote working, Audit has transitioned seamlessly to this new form of working model. For most situations all an auditor requires is a laptop and an internet connection to be in the “office”.
Auditors do not have work life flexibility
Work life flexibility is rightly seen as one of the most important aspects of any career path. It is believed that Audit is not a profession that caters for a flexible working life. This is far from accurate, while it is true that there are “busy seasons” throughout the year where employees are asked to be less flexible, for the most part Auditing allows a very flexible work life balance. Depending on the company, time can be availed of when required and a working day can be split up. We recently had a colleague travel home to Asia and was able to continue working from their home office.
Auditors spend most of their time looking at numbers
Auditing, like any field of accountancy, involves analysing financial statements. However, this is not the only aspect of the job that an auditor needs to be proficient at. Much of the time an auditor is meeting with clients and company executives, presenting to prospective clients, even meeting with graduates for training purposes. This is where communication and interpersonal skills are vital and almost as important as financial acumen or number crunching.
Auditors will soon be replaced by robots
Over the past few years, AI has become a much more useful and reliable tool for many industries. Auditing is no different, advances in technology have allowed auditors to automate some of the more time-consuming tasks of the past. This does not mean however that human input can be removed from an Audit. Trained human experts will be needed in order to analyse and interpret the data, also it is clear that no matter how sophisticated an AI becomes it will not be able to replace the experience and interaction that human auditors are able to provide to clients on a daily basis.
Auditing isn’t an exciting career path
“A boring life for me”, that is what most people think a career in Auditing will bring. This is absolutely not the case; Auditors get to meet a variety of people on a daily basis as well as learn about different industries and companies. This gives you exposure to the many different business practices and trends of these companies, it is a well-known fact in the Auditing world, no two days are alike. Not forgetting the collaborative teams that you will work with as you navigate your way through your career.
Even though Audit is widely seen as a boring profession with hours stuck at a desk, the truth is that it offers a variety that is rarely discussed outside of the industry. If you have the opportunity to explore a career in Auditing, we here at RBK would highly recommend it. We are, however, slightly biased in that recommendation.
