Recently, I was talking to a friend – an auditor – about his employment situation. To say he is burnt-out is probably an understatement. Based on what he has told me, the conditions within his company are not particularly good and the audit shop is in quite a few states of upheaval.  The only reason he is sticking around is to take advantage of some of the few remaining company benefits. And, sadly, part of his plan includes hoping that the company will have layoffs so he can get a severance package. (Think about that one for a moment – the company is in such a sorry state that employees’ career plans are based on hoping to be fired.) From what he has indicated, the company is not in a good situation, the department is in a shambles, and the concept of morale is foreign to most within the company. I commiserated. I have been in such a situation. I have felt, like him, that the only way to go was out. (I should quickly add I was wrong, and I’ve learned that almost any situation has the potential to turn around.  But that isn’t the point of this little missive.) 

This week, I’ve been addressing a couple of questions brought up by Wisnu Marbun. He brought up a number of points in response to my post last week. Monday I talked about how much knowledge an auditor needs, and Wednesday I talked about how the continuous search for knowledge can help an auditor prove he or she is ready for any assignment. Today we face the last and infinitely more interesting question - what is your most unforgettable moment as a junior auditor? 

In my last post I began answering some of the questions brought up by Wisnu Marbun’s reply to my post the previous week. On our plate now is the second question “How do I, as a junior auditor, convince my boss I can do the job if there is a concern about my technical experience?” The nice, quick, easy, answer is to look for opportunities to prove to your boss that, expertise or not, you are adaptable and learn quickly. Prove that you can handle any assignment given to you. Provide evidence that you have the skill sets necessary. 

Last week I talked about just how much fun it is to be an auditor. I was specifically speaking to the wide range of experience that comes with the territory. Wisnu Marbun responded with some comments and questions I felt were great food for thought. I’m going to address these over the next few days and, to make it a little easier, I’ve broken the comments/questions down to three areas:

Today I remembered a very important fact; a concept so fundamental I was amazed I had forgotten it. I can’t tell you when I forgot it. I can’t tell you why I forgot it (probably lost in the detritus of work.) And I can’t really tell you what event it was that helped me remember it. All I know is that, approximately one hour ago (as I type this), I remembered one of the main reasons I love auditing so much. 

I need a little help here. I need to find out if I am mistaken, or the other nine people who were part of a recent conversation were mistaken