Skills Articles

  • Gone are the days of auditing being hard skills-driven, perpetuating the stereotype of the nerdy, possibly boring, left-brain dominated professional. Beyond entry level, to complete the rounded audit skillset and secure promotion, the fuel of audit career progress is dominated by the power of sof...
  • With the volume of data available to businesses increasing exponentially in recent years, we look at how data analytics help Internal Auditors to function on their most optimal setting.
  • How do you go about building relationships and rapport with your clients in order to facilitate an effective and thorough audit?
  • To be a successful auditor there are skills you need that go beyond the technical expertise and necessary soft skills. Evaluate your performance with a self-audit!
  • With these five fundamental skills in grasp, External Auditors are best prepared to succeed.
  • Are you seeking a meaningful role that will contribute to the development of your future? Elisabeth Maxwell, Mazars UK Executive Member, shares her views on traits of a successful auditor...
  • When it comes to pursuing an auditing position across any level, knowing what employers are looking for, whether it is those hard skills or soft, will give you the edge to stand out against the growingly competitive talent pool.
  • An external audit provides an impartiality that the in-house internal audit team cannot. While internal auditors can’t help but be personally invested in the outcome of their findings, there are no concerns over repercussions for the external auditor.
  • The internal audit function remains as relevant in today’s market as it ever has, in fact perhaps even more so in light of incoming regulations and directives such as the EU GDPR.
  • The best teams are synergistic; that is their whole is greater than the sum of their parts.
  • Nobody likes receiving criticism; most of us baulk at giving it, and some of us find it hard to convey, or accept, even the positive variety.
  • Starting out in a new job can be tough, especially when it seems as though everyone is speaking a foreign language. Those in the know volley learned terminologies and abbreviations at each other while you unsuccessfully play the proverbial piggy in the middle.
  • I've been writing about time management for many years now. In fact, it was one of the very first topics on which I was consulted as a coach to the perpetually busy, audit and accountancy profession.
  • Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that as an auditor we do want to do the best job possible. We can make a glut of resolutions in January to develop our career, put in more effort, and change habits from those of apathy to determination but sometime around mid-March those resolutions can defl...
  • Leadership theory is prolific with models, styles and types. While you don't need to know all the detail, it can be helpful to understand where your own line manager sits on the continuum so you can flex your own approach accordingly.
  • Welcome to a brand new professional development series, created, crafted and customised to the needs of the audit professional.
  • As an external auditor, your main client is the company that you are auditing, primarily because they are the ones who pay for the audit. However, your work also benefits the shareholders and the general public who have an interest in the company’s financial records. It is part of your job to ens...
  • The mounting pressures on modern business are leading many organisations to improve their risk management and compliance functions. This article explains the current need for GRC and the implementation of GRC can greatly beneft you and your organisation.
  • 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.
  • As auditors, we take pride in our high standards of technical knowledge, professional service and conduct. Our culture encourages us to stretch ourselves... it is no surprise ‘No!’ is often considered a dirty word?