Five Great Pieces of Advice for Accounting Graduates

Advice for Accounting Graduates Are you an accounting graduate fresh out of university and looking for a job in audit? Despite the grim economic outlook, there are still plenty of ways to get your foot in the door and start your dream career in risk management. Whether you’re looking to specialise in quality assurance, internal auditing, external auditing or any other type of compliance jobs, the below are five great pieces of advice to keep in mind as you begin your search for audit vacancies:

 

  • Network with other audit professionals: Connecting with industry peers can build your knowledge and reputation within the auditing space. Don’t be intimidated – you need not try to get an audience with the Head of Internal Audit for one of the Big 4 banks (although that would certainly help!), but even just getting to know other audit consultants and compliance officers will bring you one step closer to that audit job in Sydney you have your eye on!

 

  • Choose a specialist risk recruitment consultant: Registering with a company which deals specifically in compliance recruitment and careers in audit gives you a big advantage over other audit graduates. Risk management recruiters will have solid and proven relationships with hiring managers looking for audit graduates, and will likely be told about audit vacancies well before they are listed on job boards – giving you the advantage over other graduates applying for roles.

 

  • Get qualifications: The best way to be seen as an expert in risk analysis or other audit work is to up-skill and obtain recognised industry certifications such as completing the CA or CPA programs or internal auditing courses. Additional software experience using Microsoft Excel and other widely used auditing software will be seen as a big bonus when you submit your auditor resume.

 

  • Choose an auditing specialty: Becoming a specialty auditor, such as forensic auditing, careers in fraud investigation, IT auditor or other audit manager job verticals means you will be able to concentrate on becoming an expert in your chosen field, and often results in being able to command a higher auditing salary than generalist auditor jobs.

 

  • Get work experience: Depending on your financial situation (and time constraints of course!), obtaining some paid or unpaid auditing work during your study is an excellent way to accelerate your graduate prospects straight out of university. Not only will it look fantastic on your auditor resume, it will also expose you to other auditing professionals you can learn from, and you never know – you could find yourself being offered a permanent role within the risk management organisation you are volunteering in!
     

 

No matter what city or country you reside in, there will always be jobs in audit to aspire to, and by following these key pieces of advice, you will put yourself ahead of other auditing graduates also on the hunt for work.

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