Matt Kuny CPA, a Corporate Accountant at ATCO, found the perfect job for his personality type. As an introvert, Matt believed auditing was the best way to use his designation because he thought it would provide him with a role where he could work mostly alone to achieve his professional goals and those of his organization; he thought this was an ideal way to stay comfortable as an introvert in a professional setting. Little did he know that he would end up loving auditing because of its collaborative nature and opportunities to work with people.

In contrast, Danielle Wong CPA, CA, Partner, Audit at KPMG Canada, never thought she would end up in audit. In fact, she never even thought she would become a CPA—never mind an auditor!—when she started university. “I had a stereotypical view of what accountants were like, so I did not originally pick it as my major,” she says.

Danielle wanted a role that allowed her to work in a social setting, where she could work collaboratively with others in a high-performing, fast-paced team environment, and mistakenly thought auditing wasn’t for her

Fast forward to the present, and both have found auditing has a lot more to offer than they originally thought. Matt excitedly describes the highlight of his job as the opportunity to work with others—a surprising admission from someone who wanted less interaction in his job. “The chance to work collaboratively with clients and other team members is what excites me about being an auditor. I love working with others on complex issues and also passing on knowledge. Auditing gives great opportunities for both of these,” he says.

In addition to the myth that auditors work alone, there are a number of misconceptions and myths about auditors and auditing out there. The following are a few of the most common ones, and as you’ll discover, there’s a lot more to auditing than you might have thought!

Myth: Auditing is boring

Danielle has seen firsthand how auditing is anything but boring. “My days often look very different from what I had planned out in the morning. I am constantly pivoting to solve problems and overcome challenges, which motivates me in my line of work,” she says.

For her, a typical day includes working on complex, large integrated audits, helping clients through technical accounting issues, and coaching her team as they work to gain deep knowledge of a client’s business and apply that within the audit. In fact, the role is exactly what she wanted when she was looking everywhere but accounting for a career choice. It is full of collaboration, teamwork, continuous learning, and opportunities to grow alongside a supportive and nurturing team.

Myth: Auditors work alone

When you boil it down, auditing is really all about relationships. “Relationships first” is Matt’s professional mantra. “So much of being a good auditor is building a relationship with your client,” he explains. “Having a strong relationship makes them open up more to provide you with the information you need to better understand their business.”

This is especially important during the tough audit times. “Audits are sometimes the most stressful and busiest time of the year for clients. When they are able to go through this with someone they can relate with, it makes a better overall experience for both them and us,” he says.

Myth: Auditors are only focused on finding mistakes

The client-auditor relationship is one of the most important aspects of an auditor’s role, and often the most misunderstood. That’s because some auditors are mischaracterized as being hard-nosed investigators out to find every mistake in the financial books of businesses. Some auditors do consider themselves detectives of the accounting field, but as Danielle explains, it’s much more than that.

“More broadly, we’re in a position where we have a lot of expertise that allows us to help clients work through business issues,” she says, “One thing that excites me about my job is knowing that my clients see me as a trusted advisor. They know they can reach out to me with any questions they have and that I can work through it with them.”

Auditing and advising go hand-in-hand for Josephine Naicker CPA, Senior Manager, Technology Audit at ATCO, and she applies this to internal clients within her organization. “It’s our duty to share what we learn,” she says. “My team and I advise management on governance, risks, and compliance…to proactively walk the path with management on new IT implementations, thereby contributing to the success of the project rather than coming in at the end of the project.”

Myth: Auditing is nothing but office work

A fun perk of being an auditor is all the cool places it can take you. Josephine recalls the time her previous audit role required her to sleep in a treehouse for multiple nights. “I had to do an inventory count for the Zulu Kingdom royal household in South Africa. When they asked me to choose between a five star hotel or a tree house for my accommodation, I chose a tree house,” she recalls. (Unfortunately, her tree house stay was short-lived when a snake decided to pay her a visit in her aerial accommodations!)

Similarly, Danielle will never forget auditing at a high-end jewelry store. Early in her career, she got the opportunity to perform the audit of a lifetime when she had to do an inventory count of diamond rings and necklaces. On the flip side, she also fondly looks back on her work trip to North Carolina, where she completed a less-glamourous inventory count of fertilizer!

Myth: Auditing is static

No two or three auditors’ experiences are the same, but there is a common thread to what keeps Matt, Danielle, and Josephine in the auditing world: change. “The forces of innovation and technological advancement continue to accelerate the changes in auditing,” Josephine says. “It’s exciting to be at the centre of a fast-changing landscape. It keeps me on my toes.” Auditing is a great path for anyone looking to be part of a progressive field filled with excitement and development. “The world keeps changing, and I’m excited that I can be a part of this change, where I can develop our leaders of tomorrow, embrace innovation in everything, and embed an equitable and inclusive culture,” says Danielle. “As a third-generation Chinese Canadian, a working mother, and a young female audit partner, I look forward to bringing new perspectives to our profession and helping shape the future of the designation.”

See more of Matt, Danielle, Josephine and other CPAs working in the auditing world in CPA Alberta’s “The faces of auditing.”