With the auditing profession continually evolving, it’s essential for auditors to keep their auditing knowledge up to date.
The Auditor presents the top tips you can use to increase your auditing knowledge.
Engage with industry bodies
Holding memberships with key industry associations and bodies gives you up added benefits available only to members.
Industry associations engage their member base and share best-practice knowledge and information about the best business technologies as well as the latest industry developments.
Industry associations can also share exclusive publications with their members, including research and case studies. Most of these are available to members free of charge or at discounted rates.
Many associations also have professional forums where members can engage and connect with their peers, gain insight into fresh perspectives, and raise questions.
Industry association membership can also open the door to job opportunities and professional development opportunities such as seminars or exclusive educational or training events.
Aligning yourself with particular industry bodies may also benefit your career and validate your professional skills through industry recognition.
Attend conferences
Conferences are an excellent source of new perspectives and ideas, and are a great way to engage with industry thought leaders. You can hear what they have to say on critical issues and get your specific questions addressed.
Conferences also provide terrific networking opportunities to develop your career. Networking is about sharing. By meeting new people and expanding your contacts, you can open doors to new business opportunities, career advancement, personal growth, and knowledge. You can also gain a fresh perspective and insight into the views of others and learn how they do things.
Similarly, networking is a great way to raise your profile and build a reputation as an innovative thinker.
Conference attendance can also benefit the whole organization as this new knowledge can be shared with colleagues when returning to the office.
Participate in mentoring
Regardless of what stage you are at in your career, mentoring provides terrific tangible benefits.
Being mentored is regarded as one of the most valuable and effective development opportunities you can offer employees. Having the guidance, encouragement, and support of a trusted and experienced mentor can provide a mentee with a broad range of personal and professional benefits.
However, mentoring is more than a one-way transfer of knowledge. The relationship should offer reciprocal benefits.
Younger auditors can benefit from the practical experience of those who have been in the industry for many years, be exposed to new ideas and ways of thinking, receive advice on developing strengths and overcoming weakness, receive guidance on professional development and enhancement, and have the opportunity to develop new skills and knowledge.
Experienced auditors can also benefit from being exposed to fresh, new perspectives. Participating in the process also gives the person mentoring the opportunity to develop their personal leadership and coaching style.
From a mutual perspective, mentoring helps to build relationships and fosters long-standing connections that open doors for ongoing knowledge sharing and career opportunities.
Taking a more holistic view, mentoring can also prove beneficial for organizations. Mentoring offers a useful and cost-effective method of developing emerging talent and keeping knowledgeable and experienced performers engaged. Mentoring can help to nurture future leaders in the organization who understand the skills and attitudes required to succeed within the company. Some organizations already recognize these benefits and have a program in place that facilitates the process for mentors and mentees alike.
Complete continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) obligations are common in most professions. Completing CPD opportunities such as online learning, training courses, or webinars allow you to stay sharp. They’re an excellent way to learn directly from industry experts who have prepared the training materials.
Some courses focus on specific areas of interest and can prove useful for transitioning or learning about a new sector.
Forr many, CPD is a compulsory requirement as part of their role, but it can also be undertaken independently to further skills or develop new ones.
Subscribe to industry email alerts
Effective auditors have a good knowledge of the industry and market in which they are auditing. Industry email alerts provide a great platform for you to stay up-to-date. These alerts can be sent directly to your inbox or you can subscribe to an industry RSS feed directly through your preferred reading app on your electronic device.
RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing web content. Using an RSS reader, users can view data feeds from various news sources, including headlines, summaries, and links to full stories.
RSS feeds benefit users who want to receive updates from their favorite websites or to aggregate data from multiple sites. Subscribing to an RSS feed removes the need to manually check the website for new content, with the browser constantly monitoring the site and informing you of any updates.
RSS are commonly offered by industry bodies, and industry-leading organizations, including SAE International, National Institute of Standards and Technology, ASTM International, SGS, and LRQA USA.
However, these are only a few examples. It’s best to check with the websites of the industry bodies/organizations relevant to you to find out if they offer RSS. If this is unavailable, subscribing to e-newsletters are also a useful source of information.
There are many methods to increase auditing knowledge. Why not try a combination of the methods suggested to achieve the best outcomes?
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