Audit Trainee Review

As an audit trainee my role comprised mainly of assisting managers on auditing more simplistic financial statement areas, both in setting up the testing and conducting the agreement of supporting evidence. My role was also client facing, so I was involved in calls and meetings with the representatives of audited entities on numerous occasions, contributing my knowledge of financial areas and collaborating effectively to get the most out of meetings for a more efficient audit.

Many of the skills I've developed are technical as might be expected, such as gaining more skill using excel and theoretical knowledge specific to the how's and whys of auditing financial statement methodologies, however my soft skills have also seen great improvement. Joining many different teams and interacting with company management has given me the chance to communicate with many people in different roles and learn to listen effectively tailor my word choices.

I was often responsible for the start to finish audit of different areas of the financial statements, meaning that any information I needed I had to gather myself, including setting up and leading meetings with company management and pushing back when people were being evasive or difficult.

I had two people who took on the role of mentor to myself, one a buddy in the year above me and another I the lower levels of managing, giving me two different perspectives for any questions I might have had, and also able to explain general concepts and rules. On top of this, on each audit there would be an assistant manager to guide my initial work for the duration of that job.

The culture was generally quite inclusive, with managers and teammates being supportive and encouraging, however I would encourage building rapport with members of your intake quickly as there is often a level of disconnect with teammates much older and with very different life experiences than your own.

I enjoyed actually seeing my own progress both with in myself, noticing how the workload seemed less overwhelming as the months passed and I felt less like I needed the constant support of the first few weeks, but also in the feedback received from the managers on each job which I could then use and apply to new audits.

Yes

Always pay attention to what everyone is saying and doing, even if it's not someone you're working with at that time. Working from the office is a chance to absorb knowledge from numerous sources, and there's always someone around who will understand what you're trying to accomplished and who could possibly explain it to you in a way you better understand than the manager assigning that job.