A Day In The Life Of An Audit Associate At A Big 4 Accounting Firm
A day for an audit associate at a Big 4 firm is highly variable, ranging from "not even open[ing] up my laptop" during off-seasons to long hours during busy seasons. The work involves significant client interaction, as illustrated by the need to "talk to the client a lot" to understand discrepancies and ensure the accuracy of financial information.
Busy Seasons vs. Off Seasons, Client Communication and Interaction, Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking, Attention to Detail and Accuracy, Work-Life Balance
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Zachary Milano
Audit associate
Big 4 Accounting Firm
Cal Poly
None
Economics
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. The workload of an audit associate varies greatly depending on the time of year, with busy seasons demanding long hours and off-seasons offering more flexibility.
2. A significant part of the job involves communication and interaction with clients to understand their financial processes and decision-making.
3. Attention to detail is crucial, as even minor inaccuracies in information can lead to significant revisions and require interaction with the client to clarify discrepancies.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of an audit associate look like?
A day in the life can be a little unpredictable, mainly because it ranges depending on the time of year. There are definitely busy seasons and off seasons.
During busy seasons, you're up early and go to bed late, working every minute in between. In contrast, during off seasons, there are days I don't even open my laptop. I might be at the gym at one o'clock on a Tuesday.
So from that side, there's a lot of range, and it's also unpredictable. On a day I think I might have six hours of work, it could jump up to ten if something comes up.
I'd say a normal day in the life is just eight hours of work. For example, today, all I did this morning was touch up on different comments on my work and address them. I found out some information I was basing my work on was incorrect, so I have to talk to the client.
It's a lot of auditing, just trying to understand why numbers are what they are. There's often a reason behind it, you just don't know the reason. It might not have been explained properly, or it was poorly explained. So you have to talk to the client a lot to understand how they're making their decisions and how they're getting to their numbers.
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