Life of an auditor

In private accounting, what do you think is the most important thing someone can do to make sure their voice is considered in the planning stages of a project and not just brought in at the last moment for a "heads-up" as described in your article. There are a few factors at play here.  1) You always have to do well in your job. This helps establish your rep. All you need are a few rumors flying around, and you're done. 2) You have to have a good mentor who has influence - one who is willing to talk you up to other groups. This will get the other groups to come to you directly for questions, if any. 3) If another group comes to ask you a question, prioritize it if possible. You'll be judged on the limited interactions with them. 4) Whenever you get a chance, instead of emailing them, swing by their offices and discuss your questions with them, this helps build rapport. 5) Put yourself in their shoes whenever the groups battle with each other - see if you ...

 In your experience how much of "getting on a partner's good side" do you attribute to consistently completing quality work versus getting lucky and happening to connect with someone on a more personal level? Did you feel the people receiving the partner's attention were those who deserved it? Great question - at the end of the day, the quality of the work will always win. This is what partners are judged on. If they know that you have it taken care of so they can spend time with their kids, work on their book of business,or go golfing, that'll always win out at the end of the day. Now, they may not take you golfing with them, or spend a quality amount of time mentoring you (since they may not have a personal connection with you), but you'll be the first one they go to when they have complicated engagements that they need some top talent on, especially in the PCAOB world Let's compare a few different individuals- Alex Smith crushes audits. He is the t...