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20th June 2023
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The 5 pro’s and con’s of a job in Internal Audit

20th June 2023

In the last 12 months, I have worked on a dozen or so Internal Audit roles and always find them one of the most challenging types of job to fill, not because of a lack of candidates but a lack of willingness from ACA’s to consider a move from external to internal audit. I wanted to take a minute today to dispel some of the myths around making the move into an internal audit job.

The common misconception is that internal audit will be the same as practise audit, except you only have one client. Whilst this may have been true 15 years ago, businesses have had a big mind set shift and Internal Audit (in most cases) can provide a great springboard to a career in any role within finance. The feedback I have had from the best candidates I’ve placed from practise into Internal Audit are:

  1. Internal Audit is essentially a role with some of the widest ranging stakeholder exposure across an entire finance team – working with director level colleagues from day one.
  2. It’s purpose is far more wide ranging than checking through the accounts and is increasingly seen as function responsible for delivering efficiencies and process changes, adding value to the wider finance team with increased transparency around numbers.
  3. Using their breadth of exposure to facilitate better communication between various finance units and operational business areas – get stakeholders talking and deliver real change.
  4. Gives a great grounding in all areas of finance – making it a perfect springboard to move into a finance role of your choice with your ready made internal network.
  5. Greater business understanding makes you a much more effective partner for the rest of your career – understanding how each team impacts on business performance and process is a very powerful skillset in a large business. Ultimately, you’ll progress quicker than someone who goes straight into a finance role with no prior experience and takes 12 months just to get up to speed!

So, if you’re a recently qualified ACA reading my blog, why would you not consider a role in internal audit? (Queue the tumble weed)…

If you would like to know more about opportunities in internal audit – get in touch! I’m recruiting for 3 of the regions best PLC’s and keen to have a highly confidential chat with any Accountants in practise who are beginning to think about a move into industry.

If you’re not yet considering a move, but have a DREAM JOB that you’d like to be made aware of before we speak to other candidates, please click on the picture below to give you an opportunity to explain what your ideal move would be (and don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you’re registering with us!).