The managerial staff of any company is recruited with particular demands, and most often, in addition to a diploma of higher education, the applicant is required to have seniority and experience. However, even such a strict selection does not give the manager complete confidence in the correctness of the financial affairs of the enterprise. Indeed, legislative acts are constantly being amended, and it is sometimes impossible to keep track of them without being distracted from immediate daily duties. Experienced independent auditors can help in such situations. These specialists for a minimum period of time will not only check the activities of the enterprise, but also give professional advice aimed at improving management processes. To verify this, you should learn in more detail who the auditor is and what his immediate responsibilities are.
History tour
The word "auditor" comes from the Latin auditor - listener. Therefore, in the XVII-XVIII centuries it was applied to all students who had the right to listen to the lesson of another student and give him an assessment. A little later, this definition began to correspond to a position that could only be obtained by people with respect and vast experience in a certain type of activity. At that time, the activities of the auditor came down to checking more managerial than financial matters. In other words, it was an independent manager who helped the owner of the enterprise to establish work. But pre-revolutionary Russia interpreted the concept of “auditor” in a completely different way and called them military lawyers, secretaries in military courts who performed prosecutorial duties. To date, the profession has found more clear boundaries of activity, the basis of which is an audit of the documentary turnover of enterprises and advisory assistance in setting up accounting and tax accounting.
The main conditions for the activities of the auditor
Today, students in many higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation receive the profession of auditor. However, a specialist’s diploma is only the first stage of professional development, since in accordance with current legislation only self-regulatory organizations or individual entrepreneurs can engage in audit activities. In addition, everyone who decides to link their activities with conducting inspections and assistance to enterprises, from 2010 should be entered in the state register, pass certification and pass qualification exams of the Unified Attestation Commission. Only after this long journey can a qualified specialist safely call himself an “accountant-auditor”. In addition, for certification it will be necessary to regularly take advanced training courses, regardless of the area in which the activity is carried out, whether it is an individual entrepreneur or state control bodies. Having taken his post legally, the specialist is obliged to make Federal Law N 307- “On Auditing Activities” dated December 30, 2008, which clearly explains who the auditor is and what his official duties are, his reference book.
What a professional should know
The auditor must know all the nuances of not only accounting, management, but also tax accounting. Moreover, he must understand how business plans are built and implemented, how work is done and where to look for weaknesses in its organization. Indeed, without these basics it is impossible to check even the current documentation, not to mention individual items of the balance sheet or the distribution of financing. In addition, in the work of the auditor, knowledge in such areas as
internal control, corporate governance and economic analysis, statistics, risk management and strategic planning is very important. Possessing these skills and knowing how to apply them in practice, a professional can not only identify errors, but also choose the most rational way to correct them. Many, not knowing who the auditor is, consider his work simple and insignificant. However, such speculation has nothing to do with the truth. Auditing is a complex work that requires constant attention, knowledge, does not tolerate laziness and carelessness.
Is it easy to be an auditor?
In the West,
audit organizations have existed for a long time, and almost all private enterprises use their services. In our country, where not everyone knows who the auditor is, representatives of this profession have a hard time. Most managers are not yet ready to overcome stereotypes and trust an independent, experienced specialist. Also, legislation is changing with enviable activity, often new laws come into force and amendments to existing ones are adopted. Therefore, in order to comply with the title of auditor, it is necessary to constantly work on yourself: improve your skills, replenish your knowledge base and correctly use all this in practice.