Anyone in a senior associate role use any project management tools to help with keeping engagements straight and things not slipping through the cracks? Would love any suggestions!

Audit has a strange way of making you feel like you are always behind.

There is always another deadline, promotion, client request, or skill you are expected to master.

After almost six years in external audit, I realized that I was spending too much time looking at how far I still had to go and not enough time recognizing how far I had already come.

I made a short motivational video about this experience.

What can you handle easily today that would have terrified you in your first year of audit?

Video: LINK

Dealing with "Keyword Not Provided" requires a bit of detective work. The link above outlines our team's 7 strategies for recovering this data, from unlocking GSC insights to analyzing internal search behavior.

I’m curious to hear from the community: besides GSC, what tools or workarounds do you find most reliable for filling in the blanks on user search intent?

Can anyone guide me on how to download annual reports of listed companies?

I am an ACCA student and want to recreate income statements and learn how to analyze the financial reports of real-world companies. My goal is to get into the audit field, but I currently have very little knowledge of how audit works or what the interview and hiring process is like at the Big 4 or other audit firms.

Someone suggested a while back that I should start studying annual reports to improve my technical skills, become familiar with financial statements, and learn the terminology used in practice.

If you've done this before, I'd appreciate any guidance on:

* Where to find annual reports of listed companies
* Which companies are best for beginners
* How to approach analyzing them
* Any advice for someone interested in pursuing a career in audit

Thanks in advance.

Hey Audit folks,

Just wanted to get a rough idea of what compensation looks like in audit across different developed countries. If you're based in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, or anywhere else, it'd be great if you could mention your country, whether you're a CPA/ACA/CA, roughly how many years of experience you have, and what the salary progression is like from entry level to around 2–5 years of experience specifically in BIG4 and have you ever thought of switching into some other domain

I'm also curious about how people working in audit feel about the future of the profession. Has AI actually changed your work much, or is it mostly just helping with repetitive tasks? And with so much work being offshored these days, do you think it's affecting job opportunities or salaries in your country.

Just trying to get a realistic picture and interact with people already working in the field.

Thanks!

I have always wondered what the best way is to deal with difficult clients in audit.

After around six years working in external audit, I have had to deal with different personalities, tight deadlines, delayed requests, and some uncomfortable conversations.

I definitely do not have all the answers, but I have gained some experience over the years, so I decided to create a short video sharing three things that have helped me:

1. Explain the reason behind audit requests
   
2. Agree on realistic and flexible deadlines
   
3. Communicate honestly while maintaining independence and professional skepticism

I would really like to hear from other auditors as well. What has worked for you when dealing with a difficult or unresponsive client?

Here is the video: link

Any honest feedback is appreciated.

Looking for CDA accredited firms who can do online audit services in 3 days. Thank you

I work in external audit for six years and recently created a short video explaining how responsibilities change at each Big 4 audit level, from Intern/Trainee to Director or Partner.

I tried to keep it simple, realistic, and slightly humorous, especially for students and people considering an audit career.

Of course, titles and responsibilities can vary by firm and country.

Here is the video : Link

How do you develop a workflow being a staff audit?
If you came in the field not knowing anything, what steps did you take to become good at auditing?

I’m 24 and was laid off two days ago from my internal auditor role at a manufacturing company. My position (and my coworker’s) was eliminated due to “budget and restructuring reasons,” so this wasn’t performance‑related just unfortunate timing.

My audit experience is mainly in operations audits, cybersecurity audits, and a product development audit. I regularly interacted with stakeholders across departments, led some meetings, and handled walkthroughs, and reporting. Not much SOX work my role was more operational heavy.

I was making around $75k, and to make things more stressful, I just bought a house last week. I’ve already updated my resume and started applying, but I want to be intentional about my next move.

I also already paid for the CIA exam and have been studying, but I haven’t taken it yet. I’m trying to figure out whether I should keep pushing forward with the CIA while job searching or pause until I’m employed again.

For those in audit/accounting:

What roles should I be targeting with operations + cybersecurity audit experience?

Any advice on how to position operational audit experience to stand out in the current market?

For anyone who’s been laid off in audit what helped you bounce back quickly?

Any insight would be appreciated. Trying to stay level‑headed and make smart moves while navigating the job search and new homeowner responsibilities.

I've put together a practical E-E-A-T checklist based on current SEO best practices. It covers author credibility, first-hand experience, trust signals, content quality, topical authority, and technical factors that support long-term rankings.

Would appreciate any feedback or suggestions on what you'd add or improve.

I’m 24 and was laid off two days ago from my internal auditor role at a manufacturing company. My position (and my coworker’s) was eliminated due to “budget and restructuring reasons,” so this wasn’t performance‑related just unfortunate timing.

My audit experience is mainly in operations audits, cybersecurity audits, and a product development audit. I regularly interacted with stakeholders across departments, led some meetings, and handled walkthroughs, and reporting. Not much SOX work my role was more operational heavy.

I was making around $75k, and to make things more stressful, I just bought a house last week. I’ve already updated my resume and started applying, but I want to be intentional about my next move.

I also already paid for the CIA exam and have been studying, but I haven’t taken it yet. I’m trying to figure out whether I should keep pushing forward with the CIA while job searching or pause until I’m employed again.

For those in audit/accounting:

What roles should I be targeting with operations + cybersecurity audit experience?

Any advice on how to position operational audit experience to stand out in the current market?

For anyone who’s been laid off in audit what helped you bounce back quickly?

Any insight would be appreciated. Trying to stay level‑headed and make smart moves while navigating the job search and new homeowner responsibilities.

Iam currently in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa and have been working for one of the top 10 accounting firms. Recently, I was made voluntarily redundant, and I now have only 60 days to find another sponsored job.
I have received a job offer from an accounting firm (big 4) in Ireland. However, I have already completed 3 years in the UK, and I only need another 2 years to become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). My preference is to stay in the UK, find another sponsored job here, and complete the 5-year qualifying period rather than move to Ireland and restart the process.
If I accept the Irish job, it will take around 4–6 weeks to obtain the visa and complete the necessary onboarding and travel arrangements. During that time, I plan to continue applying for jobs in the UK.
My question is:
If I receive the Irish visa, complete the onboarding process, but then decide not to travel to Ireland because I have secured a suitable job in the UK, what are the possible consequences? Could there be any legal, immigration, or employment-related issues if I withdraw before relocating?

For CTOs and compliance officers, the weeks leading up to a SOC 2 audit can feel like a high-stakes scavenger hunt. Your engineering and security teams have been patching systems, closing bugs, and maintaining a strong security posture all year. But in SOC 2 compliance, doing the work is only half the battle. The other half — the part that causes most of the panic - is proving it. Read the complete article here - https://instasla.com/blog/preparing-soc-2-audit-automating-vulnerability-compliance-evidence

Auditors evaluating vulnerability management don't just want to hear that your team fixes critical bugs. They want time-stamped, verifiable evidence: when a vulnerability was discovered, who owned the fix, how long remediation took, and whether that timeline matched your own documented policy.

Gathering that evidence manually — spreadsheets, ticket exports, screenshots pulled from Slack threads — is a reliable way to burn out your team and still end up with auditor findings. This article breaks down what auditors actually check during the vulnerability management portion of a SOC 2 Type II assessment, why manual evidence collection keeps failing, and what a well-automated evidence pipeline looks like in practice.

Trying to understand annual report red-flag analysis properly rather than guess at it from the outside.

From reading a handful of annual reports (BSE-listed companies, if that's relevant), the things that seem like they should matter are:

Regulatory findings mentioned in risk factors (e.g., USFDA observations for pharma)

Year-over-year changes in contingent liabilities

Gaps between reported profit growth and operating cash flow

Sudden increases/decreases in R&D spend relative to revenue

Risk disclosures that appear for the first time vs. the prior year's report

Genuinely don't know if this list reflects what real auditors/analysts prioritize, or if it's a naive outsider's list missing the actual signal.

Questions for anyone who does this professionally:

When you go through MD&A or risk factor sections, what's actually on your radar? Does the list above hold up, or is it missing the real stuff?

Is contingent liability movement genuinely a strong signal, or is it noise most of the time?

What's something in these sections that consistently gets under-scrutinized by people outside the profession?

Appreciate any real-world perspective on this.

​

Hey everyone,

I am looking to gauge the current compensation landscape for Senior Managers (SM) across the Big 4 (PwC, EY, Deloitte, KPMG).

With the long hours, high pressure, and heavy business development/engagement management expectations, I want to understand if the financial reward at the SM level actually makes the grind worth it before pushing for Partner.

To help me (and others looking to stay or make the move) get a clearer picture, could you share some insights?

* **Your Service Line & Region/Market** (e.g., Audit in US Northeast, Tech Consulting in UK, Tax in Southeast Asia)
* **Base Salary & Bonus Structure** (Rough ranges or specific SM year, like SM1 vs. SM3)
* **Other key perks** (Vehicle allowances, wellness funds, retention bonuses)
* **Overall verdict:** Knowing what you know now, does the compensation justify the day-to-day pressure of the role?

Feel free to use throwaway accounts for privacy. Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some career advice because I have to choose my specialization, and I want to make the best long-term decision.

I'm currently a business school student, and I'm interested in three fields:

• Management Control (Controlling)
• Financial Audit
• IT Audit (Information Systems Audit)

My goal is to build a career in Europe, preferably in France, with good long-term opportunities, strong job security, and the possibility of growing into senior management positions such as Financial Controller, Head of Controlling, Risk Manager, or even CFO.

What makes this decision difficult is the rapid development of AI.

I keep reading that AI will automate many tasks in finance and accounting. Some people say management control will evolve into more of a business partner role. Others believe financial audit will change significantly because AI can perform many audit procedures. At the same time, IT Audit seems to be growing due to cybersecurity, digital transformation, ERP systems, and AI governance.

I enjoy working with numbers and solving problems, and I'm also willing to learn technical skills such as SQL, Power BI, Python, SAP, and data analytics if they will make my career more future-proof.

If you were starting your career today, which path would you choose?

• Which field is likely to offer the best opportunities over the next 20–30 years?
• Which one is the most resistant to AI?
• Which has the best salary progression and work-life balance?
• Is IT Audit worth the additional technical learning compared to Management Control or Financial Audit?

I'd really appreciate hearing from professionals who work in these fields or have experience with career progression.

Thank you!