One of the greatest things about being an auditor is that every day in your life is different. You may be working from home, in the firm’s offices or at a workstation in another state, and you have the opportunity to interact with many different colleagues and managers on each engagement team. The work of an audit associate includes performing a variety of tasks to serve multiple clients, and your assignments can be different each day. This post, which illustrates a “typical day,” allows me to reflect on my work and share the many personal and professional lessons learned only six months into my career.
Morning
I was used to 8:00 am accounting classes in college, so I don’t mind being a morning person right now. For me, mornings can be a very productive time, but I do like to get a good night’s sleep so I can wake up feeling well-rested and ready to go. Some people can operate better at night better, so finding out what works best for you is important so you can manage your time effectively.
In high school and college, I would normally skip breakfast and not eat until lunchtime. Now, I try to drink an orange juice and grab a bagel every morning so that I have enough energy to start the work day. I am not a coffee person, but grabbing a warm beverage in the office kitchen can give you time to network with your co-workers or your managers. These few minutes can provide an opportunity to get to know them better personally (this is very important!) or to ask questions about your workload.
Next, it’s time to get set up to start work. Sometimes, I need to check in with my senior to see what projects he/she would like me to start. On other days, I know exactly what work I should do on that particular day, or I may even have assignments for the entire week. For example, when we travel to client sites, our engagement team knows what needs to be accomplished while we are there, and we all work together to get it done efficiently. It is important that we all know what we are doing to avoid confusion and disruption to the client.
If I’m not working on a specific client engagement, I try to seek out learning opportunities to stay productive and make me more well-rounded. I usually ask my seniors and managers if they have any work I could help with, and I make sure I have my notepad and pen to write down tasks and special instructions.
There’s never a shortage of work – when it comes to public accounting,
there is always something to do, and staying busy is not a challenge!
Afternoon
Lunch is an excellent time to take a mental break from work as well as a fabulous opportunity to mingle with workmates to build personal and professional chemistry. When at a client site, we often work through our lunch hour, since we only have a limited amount of time there and want to be as efficient as possible. On days when I’m in the office, I enjoy eating lunch with co-workers. Sometimes we go out to a restaurant or grab takeout, but I usually plan my lunches and go grocery shopping each week because eating out all the time can get pricey!
After lunch, I will continue my tasks from the morning, or start on something new. It can be hard to focus on a single project for the entire work day, so breaking up the time into morning and afternoon segments has helped me stay motivated and fresh throughout the day.
While working through my afternoon, I usually have a couple informal check-ins with my senior or manager on the performance of my normal workflow. I find these interactions helpful to make sure we are on the same page about what has been accomplished, what still needs to be done, and how much time is expected to complete the tasks at hand. Putting in that five extra minutes to communicate expectations helps me keep work in order. Staying organized is also helpful when my to-do list becomes more complex with tasks for more than one client.
Getting your work done in a timely manner is important. To avoid wasting time spinning my wheels on tasks I don’t understand, I have tried to be proactive. I will go to the senior or manager for clarification or instruction about an assignment instead of waiting for them to ask me for a status update. You don’t know what you don’t know, so there are no stupid questions in accounting. All of the professionals at GYF are willing to help, and I found that it is much better for everyone if I just ask for assistance when I need it.
Just like in life, external circumstances can affect my ability to complete the work on time, and that’s okay! Having a conversation with my senior or manager as quickly as possible about these issues usually results in the best outcome. Honest and open communication with your engagement team is very important to being successful in the public accounting field.
In terms of finishing up for the day, that depends on who and where my senior is, what I need to accomplish, and how many hours I have already put into the day. GYF understands that working long hours every day is not only bad for the staff, but it’s also not productive for the firm. Sometimes, I need to work an extra hour or two in the office or at home to finish things up, but not on a regular basis. It’s important for me to stop at a point that makes the workload for the next day or week flow as smoothly as possible. On my drive home, I enjoy reflecting on my day. I like to recap what I accomplished, what I learned, and what can help me be more efficient tomorrow.
Reflection
I am so grateful and blessed to be able to share my experiences and reflections in this post. If you have made it this far, then thank you. I am proud of the man I am becoming in less than a year at a fantastic firm. I did not think I would enjoy my job post-graduation as much as I do. I already have experiences that I will never forget, and I know I will continue growing during my first busy season here.
I have taken great strides in my general accounting knowledge since starting in the workforce. I’ve learned a lot about technology just by utilizing it every day for work, and I’ve increased my Excel efficiency by a wide margin, which is critical to get work done in a timely manner. In terms of auditing, I learned that each engagement and client are different. Understanding your client and their needs from a business perspective is one of the most important things to do in auditing. I have had a lot of fun (yes, I actually mean fun) learning about many different businesses. I have also had a chance to work with great colleagues who help make my job a lot easier and met some wonderful mentors who want to help me grow as an accountant. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity that I have.
Tips
Balance!! A true work-life balance is crucial to your health both physically and mentally. No one wants to bring work home or home into work. It’s important to have a good support system around you for those tough days at work so that you aren’t extra stressed when you come home. For me, my balance comes from activities outside of work. I enjoy hanging out with my friends (normally only on weekends), going to the gym a couple times out of the week, getting outside and going for walks, and watching a couple episodes of a show. I don’t normally do all those things in a day, but those are some examples of things that can help me wind down after work.
Focus Time. Something that I learned about since working is a thing called “focus time.” It’s hard to stay 100% focused on the task at hand for all hours of the day. Some of my seniors and managers will block off a period of time, usually two hours or less, on their schedules to be 110% focused on the specific work they need to complete. I really like this idea because sometimes instances arise where something comes up out of the blue that needs to be taken care of that day, so other work needs to wait. However, the work that was pushed aside still needs to be finished. That’s where the focus time can be of use. It can also be a good way to prevent distractions for a couple hours for better concentration. I also try to get up from my desk often throughout the day so that I am not sitting for eight hours straight. Using one of the standing desks in the office would also be helpful. Taking these short breaks to move and stretch not only improves my posture, but also helps me clear my head and be able to stay focused when I return to my desk to work.
Don’t Be Scared. It is definitely nerve-wracking to start a new job no matter where you are in your professional career. My advice for those considering a career in accounting or auditing is, “don’t be scared.” Turn any fears and nervous worries into excitement. We want more accountants. Actually, we need more accountants. With that being said, there are a ton of resources to help individuals learn accounting. The work force is nothing like college, and what you learned in college will help you, no matter the field. Also, age doesn’t matter!! Don’t be scared to change your career. If you already are an accountant, it can be scary to go your boss when you don’t understand something or if you made a mistake. By avoiding conversation, you are only making the situation worse for yourself because the problem won’t disappear. There are many scary things in this world, but your job shouldn’t be one of them.
Communication. Communication is necessary in any situation, and it is important for you to master this aspect of life. For example, I am scheduled on a different client every week. So, I look ahead on my schedule to see what manager I will be working with next week and reach out to ask about the schedule. This conversation gives me the opportunity to learn more about the client I will be serving and the plan of action (in office vs. working from home vs. on site at the client) so that I am prepared, on-time and in the right place for that engagement. Communicating with clients is also very important to mitigate any confusion between your team and the client’s team. Most of the time I work with several people on an assignment. Typically, at least one person is from our firm (such as senior or manager) and one person is from the client’s finance team (usually the controller or CFO) who is our primary contact for communications and information needed to complete our audit. Some larger audits can involve even more auditors and client personnel, and we all need to be on the same page to accomplish our goals and address any problems or questions that arise during the fieldwork. It’s a lot easier said than done, but having a good relationship with your client will help alleviate any tension that may arise.
Final Thoughts
Working in the public accounting industry has been a blast for me the past six months. After being in school non-stop for 16 years, I enjoy the change of pace. I occasionally need to work later into the evenings or on a Saturday, but it beats having to do homework every night!
