Auditor Job Description: Overview, Education & Training Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary
Submitted by: Gypsy Santiago
Job Overview: An auditor is a type of accountant that is responsible for verifying a company’s financial records. Two types of auditors exist – an internal auditor, who works an employee of a company and handles auditing work and an external auditor, who audits public accounting firms or self-employed individuals and research information, such as records on bank accounts, creditors or brokers to determine if a company’s or individual’s disclosed finances is their true financial situation.
Education, Training and Knowledge Requirements: One should possess a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, economics or a similar field. Additional courses in humanities, communications, computers or other minor courses can be helpful as well. Continuing education can provide more opportunities, so a law degree of a master’s degree in business administration can be an advantage. Some accounting firms would require candidates to pass a state certification exam, obtain 150 hours of coursework and possess a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) designation.
Skills & Abilities: One must be highly skilled in accounting, mathematics and statistics to become any type of accountant. Other skills include effective written and verbal communication skills, problem-solving, analytical and organizational skills, strong interpersonal skills, excellent reporting skills, and have superb time management skills and business awareness. He/she must also be detail-oriented, committed, motivated and work well with teams and independently.
Duties:
An auditor is responsible for collecting and analyzing data to determine deficient controls, fraud, extravagance or non-compliance with regulations, laws or company policies; reporting to management about audit results and recommending necessary changes in financial operations or activities; preparing in-depth reports on financial or audit findings; reviewing data about net work, capital stock, income, expenditures, liabilities or other material assets; inspecting accounting books or systems for effectiveness; examining financial systems and recommending necessary controls to ensure data integrity and system reliability; supervising auditing procedures; examining inventories to verify ledger or journal entries; reviewing taxpayer accounts; evaluating taxpayer finances to verify tax liabilities; as well as auditing payroll and other personnel records to ensure compliance with tax laws, among others.
Earnings & Job Outlook: Positions can be found in various industries from both government and private organizations. The more training and credentials one has, the greater opportunities he/she has for advancement. The employment growth is expected to increase faster than average through 2014, but those with extensive experience are more likely to land positions first. Salary can be at an annual low of $28,000 and could go as high as $55,000 annually, depending on experience, location and company.
Gypsy Santiago is a professional resume writer and career search strategy/career branding coach with years of experience in assisting job seekers prepare for the job market. She helps create career-targeted resumes, provides useful tips about career transition, offers future career ideas and guide jobseekers about effective job search techniques.
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Word Count: 446 Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 Time: 12:51 AM
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