What Questions to Ask (and what to look out for)? 1037



  • I will be interviewing with a big 4 group that does Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 mandated assurance.
    While a experienced IT’er, I am new to the accounting world. What type of questions do I need to ask, or what do I need to look out for (jobwise)?



  • some questions to ask may include:

    • what are their biggest challenges facing them this year?
    • what are the main areas an IT person would need to ramp up on to be a successful auditor?
    • is there a profile of a typical engagement? if not, can they provide some examples without giving away too much confidential info.
    • what do they see you accomplishing in the first 30 days? 60 days? 90days?
    • describe a typical work day. week. month. (listen carefully as there is a lot of overtime being worked…weekends and evenings)
    • do they require you pursue certifications such as CISA, CIA, etc?
    • what is the typical travel schedule?
    • any others that you can think of


  • well, it went OK. The partner who I met with seemed to question why an IT guy with 20 years of experience in IT would want to be the bottom of the ladder man in an Audit department. I explained that in order to move up in public acct one needed to be a CPA, and I was willing to put up with a year or two of BS assignments to get that title. I don’t know if she bought it. I thought that she did, but I spoke to someone who interviewed with her afterward (for the same department) who had a different take on it. She did try to talk me into applying for a position in Advisory, until I explained the reason for the CPA. She agreed with me, BTW, that this was the way to move up.



  • Thanks for the info. I am facing a similar situation. They will try to figure out why would I want to take a junior position in an audit group instead of moving on into a level 2 or level 3 IT role.
    I don’t understant it. Don’t auditors every get sick and tired of what they have been doing for 10 years are look at trying to do something else?



  • Do you actually expect to get a job with ANYONE let alone a Big 4 by telling them they do BS jobs (re your ‘willing to do a BS job’). I’m amazed by the complete lack of people skills, business sense and professionalism of all you wanna be Auditors who are jumping on the SOX bandwagon. Why would a big 4 hire you knowing that one day you may be on an actual engagement and you lack any sense of business etiquette?
    Go back to the ‘Help Desk’ and leave the jobs requiring more than a 7th grade education and skills on an X Box to those of us who have earned it and can speak in front of a CFO/CEO without saying they’re work is BS.
    You make us all look bad.



  • Yeah, I can agree with Jennifer. There is no such thing as a ‘BS assignemnt’. If you are lucky enough to get someone to pay you to do a job - you do that job to the best of your abilities and be proud of the work you are doing and who you are doing it for.
    Going around calling your work a ‘BS assignment’ is just going to make you bitter, miserable and everyone who works with you is going to notice and will in turn make it hard to work with you. Your attitude on life greatly affects the attidute others give you. Just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.


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