Top 5 Traits of Successful Audit and Compliance Professionals

Successful Audit and Compliance ProfessionalsAre you an experienced business auditor? Do you work in a quality assurance job? Or perhaps you are just starting out in your new junior auditor role? No matter what careers in quality assurance you may decide to pursue in your lifetime, this article lists the top factors which are essential to succeeding as an audit and compliance professional:
 

  1. Impressive organisation skills: Audit managers are notorious for having to multi task, often reporting in to several different departments at any time, and working within clearly defined (often tight!) auditing project timelines. As a risk and compliance superstar, you should be able to develop clear goals of what is required within your audit work, as well as the expertise to fulfil these obligations.
     
  2. A thirst for knowledge: No matter where your jobs in audit may take you, you must always strive to cultivate a deep knowledge of your company including its culture, key players and competitive environment. It is this key factor that is guaranteed to set you apart from other auditing and risk compliance professionals. Knowing the inner workings of your organisation, having an in-depth understanding of what is driving its success, and a keen enthusiasm for staying abreast of auditing industry trends is what could make the difference between remaining a junior auditor, or audit manager, to one day crossing over to that sought-after partner title.
     
  3. A natural affinity and passion for problem solving: Risk management jobs require precision thinking, accurate reporting and statistical analysis to ensure the integrity of the auditing process. Additionally, a highly successful internal auditor should have business acumen and the ability to exercise sound judgement on the next course of action for the business to take once the audit has been delivered.
     
  4. Communication/People skills: It’s one thing to be good with numbers and know how to compile impressive SMSF audits or analytical risk and compliance reports – it’s an entirely different skill to effectively communicate the essence of those findings during a meeting when presenting to senior auditing professionals or a partner with Big4 firm. The ability to read people and adapt to any given situation is a strong driver in those who progress up the internal or external auditing career ladder quickly.
     
  5. Innovation: Every organisation has its own inner workings and to be a successful auditing manager or compliance officer requires creativity. Combine innovation with current business processes to yield impressive results. Using audit software and continually up skilling your data analysis experience with cutting edge audit techniques will ensure that you are able to solve business problems within the organisation that no-one else can master. Become an integrated auditor whose combination of IT and business audit skills will provide the backbone for a unique and prosperous auditing career.

 

So before you scour the auditing job boards for risk management vacancies, ask yourself – do you have what it takes? What are the key skills you think are essential in any compliance manager or external audit role?

 

To look for a new audit job, visit CareersinAudit.com, the leading job site for auditing vacancies.

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