Crafting a CV that effectively showcases your strategic thinking and leadership skills can be a daunting challenge for audit managers. By tapping into our guide, you'll gain insights on how to articulate your competencies and achievements, ensuring your application stands head and shoulders above the rest.
- Design and format your professional audit manager CV;
- Curate your key contact information, skills, and achievements throughout your CV sections;
- Ensure your profile stays competitive by studying other industry-leading audit manager CVs;
- Create a great CV even if you happen to have less professional experience, or switching fields.
When writing your audit manager CV, you may need plenty of insights from hiring managers. We have prepared industry-leading advice in the form of our relevant CV guides.
How complex should the format of your audit manager CV be?
Perhaps, you decided to use a fancy font and plenty of colours to ensure your audit manager CV stands out amongst the pile of other candidate profiles. Alas - this may confuse recruiters. By keeping your format simple and organising your information coherently, you'll ultimately make a better impression. What matters most is your experience, while your CV format should act as complementary thing by:- Presenting the information in a reverse chronological order with the most recent of your jobs first. This is done so that your career history stays organised and is aligned to the role;
- Making it easy for recruiters to get in touch with you by including your contact details in the CV header. Regarding the design of your CV header, include plenty of white space and icons to draw attention to your information. If you're applying for roles in the UK, don't include a photo, as this is considered a bad practice;
- Organising your most important CV sections with consistent colours, plenty of white space, and appropriate margins (2.54 cm). Remember that your CV design should always aim at legibility and to spotlight your key information;
- Writing no more than two pages of your relevant experience. For candidates who are just starting out in the field, we recommend to have an one-page CV.
One more thing about your CV format - you may be worried if your double column CV is Applicant Tracker System (ATS) complaint. In our recent study, we discovered that both single and double-column CVs are ATS-friendly . Most ATSes out there can also read all serif and sans serif fonts. We suggest you go with modern, yet simple, fonts (e.g. Rubik, Lato, Raleway) instead of the classic Times New Roman. You'll want your application to stand out, and many candidates still go for the classics. Finally, you'll have to export your CV. If you're wondering if you should select Doc or PDF, we always advise going with PDF. Your CV in PDF will stay intact and opens easily on every OS, including Mac OS.
PRO TIP
Be mindful of white space; too much can make the CV look sparse, too little can make it look cluttered. Strive for a balance that makes the document easy on the eyes.
The top sections on a audit manager CV
- Professional Summary showcases your leadership in audit.
- Audit Experience highlights your track record and expertise.
- Key Audit Achievements emphasise measurable audit successes.
- Relevant Qualifications outline your technical and ethical knowledge.
- Professional Development indicates ongoing learning and certifications.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your experience with compliance and regulatory frameworks, emphasising your knowledge of standards such as SOX, IFRS, or GAAP to demonstrate your capability to manage financial reporting and auditing processes effectively.
- Detail your management experience, focusing on your ability to lead audit teams, oversee audit engagements, and develop staff by providing concrete examples of past leadership roles and the positive outcomes achieved.
- Showcase your analytical and critical thinking skills by mentioning any complex audit activities you've spearheaded, such as forensic audits or implementation of new audit technologies, to illustrate your proactiveness and attention to detail.
- Include any specific industry expertise or specialisations you possess, as audit managers often need in-depth knowledge of the industry they are auditing, including any relevant certifications such as ACA, ACCA, or CIMA.
- Emphasise your communication and interpersonal skills by providing examples of how you've effectively communicated audit findings to senior management and fostered relations with stakeholders to build trust and credibility in the audit function.
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Making a good first impression with your audit manager CV header
Your typical CV header consists of Your typical CV header consists of contact details and a headline. Make sure to list your professional phone number, email address, and a link to your professional portfolio (or, alternatively, your LinkedIn profile). When writing your CV headline , ensure it's:
- tailored to the job you're applying for;
- highlights your unique value as a professional;
- concise, yet matches relevant job ad keywords.
You can, for examples, list your current job title or a particular skill as part of your headline. Now, if you decide on including your photo in your CV header, ensure it's a professional one, rather than one from your graduation or night out. You may happen to have plenty more questions on how to make best the use of your CV headline. We'll help you with some real-world examples, below.
Examples of good CV headlines for audit manager:
- Senior Audit Manager | ACCA Certified | Risk Management & Compliance | 12 Years in Financial Services
- Lead Internal Audit Manager | CPA | Governance Expertise | IT Auditing | 10+ Years' Experience
- Audit and Assurance Manager | CA-Designation | Forensic Accounting Specialist | 15 Years Progressive Leadership
- Head of Audit | CISA Qualified | Cybersecurity Focus | Process Improvement | 8-Year Track Record
- Chief Auditor | CIA Certified | Sustainability & Responsible Investing | 18 Years Multinational Experience
- Principal Audit Executive | ICAEW Chartered | M&A Due Diligence | Data Analytics Proficiency | 20+ Years
Opting between a audit manager CV summary or objective
Within the top one third of your audit manager CV, you have the opportunity to briefly summarise your best achievements or present your professional goals and dreams. Those two functions are met by either the CV summary or the objective.
- The summary is three-to-five sentences long and should narrate your best successes, while answering key requirements for the role. Select up to three skills which you can feature in your summary. Always aim to present what the actual outcomes were of using your particular skill set. The summary is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals.
- The objective is more focused on showcasing your unique value as a candidate and defining your dreams and ambitions. Think about highlighting how this current opportunity would answer your career vision. Also, about how you could help your potential employers grow. The objective matches the needs of less experienced candidates, who need to prove their skill set and, in particular, their soft skills.
Still not sure about how to write your CV opening statement? Use some best industry examples as inspiration:
CV summaries for a audit manager job:
- With over 15 years of dedicated experience as an audit manager, this candidate boasts a strong foundation in leading complex audits for multinational corporations. Key achievements include implementing a company-wide risk management framework that reduced financial discrepancies by 30% within the first year.
- An experienced finance professional with a decade's background in forensic accounting, seamlessly transitioning into audit management. This candidate has honed expert analytical skills to detect and investigate financial anomalies, and successfully led a team that recovered over £2M in misappropriated funds for a Fortune 500 company.
- Seasoned audit leader with 20 years of experience, specializing in the tech sector. This applicant has garnered significant expertise in IT audit, compliance, and cybersecurity, culminating in the development of an award-winning fraud detection algorithm that saved their previous employer £5M annually.
- Formerly a financial consultant for start-ups, this professional is pivotting towards audit management. With over 8 years in the financial sector, they bring a unique blend of entrepreneurial insight and strategic financial planning, having secured over £10M in venture capital funding for emerging tech companies.
- Aspiring to pivot into the field of audit management, this individual is eager to apply a strong foundation in quantitative analysis and econometrics developed through academic pursuits. Keen on contributing fresh perspectives and quantitative skills to enhance fiscal responsibility and transparency in audit projects.
- Seeking an entry point into audit management, this candidate is ready to leverage an exemplary record in business administration and client relations, gained during 5 years of working in high-stakes sales environments, to facilitate meticulous audit processes and stakeholder communication.
Best practices for writing your audit manager CV experience section
If your profile matches the job requirements, the CV experience is the section which recruiters will spend the most time studying. Within your experience bullets, include not merely your career history, but, rather, your skills and outcomes from each individual role. Your best experience section should promote your profile by:
- including specific details and hard numbers as proof of your past success;
- listing your experience in the functional-based or hybrid format (by focusing on the skills), if you happen to have less professional, relevant expertise;
- showcasing your growth by organising your roles, starting with the latest and (hopefully) most senior one;
- staring off each experience bullet with a verb, following up with skills that match the job description, and the outcomes of your responsibility.
Add keywords from the job advert in your experience section, like the professional CV examples:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Led a team of auditors in conducting comprehensive financial audits, ensuring adherence to statutory requirements and identifying areas for financial control improvements.
- Developed and implemented risk assessment strategies to effectively prioritise audit focus, resulting in a 20% increase in the identification of critical risk areas.
- Managed the preparation of clear and concise audit reports, highlighting findings and providing actionable recommendations to senior management, improving business processes and controls.
- Spearheaded regular training sessions for audit staff on current regulations and best practices, enhancing team skills and maintaining high standards of audit quality.
- Coordinated with external auditors to facilitate yearly audits, improving efficiency by streamlining information sharing and reducing redundant efforts.
- Reviewed and updated audit programmes and checklists to remain compliant with changes in accounting standards and regulatory requirements.
- Utilised data analytics tools to analyse financial data, which increased the accuracy of audit findings and provided valuable insights into business operations.
- Played a pivotal role in the design and implementation of internal control systems, which helped reduce financial discrepancies by 30% over two years.
- Negotiated with departments across the company to enforce audit recommendations, ensuring non-compliance issues were promptly addressed and resolved.
- Led a team of auditors on a high-profile compliance audit, identifying weaknesses in internal controls and recommending enhancements, which resulted in a 25% improvement in compliance metrics.
- Collaborated with IT and finance departments to implement a new audit software, improving accuracy and efficiency of audit processes by 30%.
- Managed and executed quarterly and annual financial audits for multinational companies, identifying significant discrepancies and proposing corrective actions that preserved over £5 million in assets.
- Streamlined audit strategy, reducing time spent on audit cycles by 20%, while ensuring high-quality standards were maintained across all client projects.
- Spearheaded a cross-departmental team to tackle a complex tax evasion investigation, which successfully recovered £2M in unpaid taxes for HMRC.
- Generated extensive audit reports that precisely articulated risk exposure, influencing executive decisions on risk management and capital investment.
- Oversaw developmental audit projects to improve operations within financial services sectors, resulting in a 15% increase in operational efficiency.
- Championed the use of analytic procedures on large datasets to flag anomalies for further investigation, leading to the detection of a significant financial fraud scheme.
- Conducted thorough reviews of clients’ Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, providing actionable insights that led to the strengthening of the internal control environment.
- Orchestrated a complete overhaul of the internal audit procedures for a Fortune 500 company, improving process efficiency by 35% within the first year.
- Led audit trainings for a department of over 100 employees, improving the quality of internal audits and developing a strong, competent audit team.
- Authored comprehensive and detailed audit reports for senior management which directly influenced strategic planning resulting in cost savings of 10% across the business.
- Designed and executed operational and financial audits for Tech industry leaders, driving improvements in business processes and information systems.
- Played a pivotal role in the risk management team, delivering robust assessments that formed the basis for corporate governance strategies.
- Directed a company-wide initiative to mitigate risks associated with outdated financial reporting systems; this was instrumental in adopting more advanced technology solutions.
- Managed a portfolio of high-risk clients, steering them towards greater transparency and better financial reporting, which in turn increased investor confidence.
- Initiated and led a benchmarking analysis project comparing client’s financial practices to industry best standards, which informed management strategies and operational improvements.
- Implemented a rigorous training program for junior auditors that led to a 20% increase in the department's efficiency and a reduction in audit timeframes.
- Spearheaded a sustainability audit project that identified areas of potential cost savings via energy-efficient practices, leading to a 12% reduction in the client’s utility costs.
- Curated a risk assessment methodology that has become part of the firm's standard operating procedures, ensuring a consistent and effective approach to auditing across the board.
- Facilitated the transition of the company towards integrated reporting, enhancing the quality and transparency of financial and non-financial information disclosed to stakeholders.
- Elevated audit process through the introduction of data analytics, which enabled the identification of subtle financial inconsistencies that were previously undetected.
- Enhanced the client's understanding of complex accounting standards by providing clear and concise elucidations, thus facilitating the accurate application of IFRS guidelines.
- Conducted a series of training workshops for new auditors, upskilling them in advanced auditing techniques and compliance requirements, thereby ensuring high standards were consistently met.
How to ensure your audit manager CV stands out when you have no experience
This part of our step-by-step guide will help you substitute your experience section by helping you spotlight your skill set. First off, your ability to land your first job will depend on the time you take to assess precisely how you match the job requirements. Whether that's via your relevant education and courses, skill set, or any potential extracurricular activities. Next:
- Systematise your CV so that it spotlights your most relevant experience (whether that's your education or volunteer work) towards the top;
- Focus recruiters' attention to your transferrable skill set and in particular how your personality would be the perfect fit for the role;
- Consider how your current background has helped you build your technological understanding - whether you've created projects in your free time or as part of your uni degree;
- Ensure you've expanded on your teamwork capabilities with any relevant internships, part-time roles, or projects you've participated in the past.
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PRO TIP
If you have experience in diverse fields, highlight how this has broadened your perspective and skill set, making you a more versatile candidate.
Hard skills and soft skills to showcase your unique skill set on your audit manager CV
Did you know that your CV will mostly likely be assessed by recruiters based on skill alignment? And that means that the way you feature your key skills across different CV sections will play a crucial role in landing you that first interview. We recommend you add your:
- technical capabilities or hard skills in your CV experience, certificates, projects, etc. Use your past accomplishments to prove your technical capabilities. List up to a dozen different software or hardware in your dedicated skills section to match the job keywords;
- personal and communication skills or soft skills in your CV strengths, achievements, summary/ objective, etc. Soft skills are a bit more difficult to prove. How do you define your aptitude in active listening? So, instead of just listing the skill name, include a tangible metric to show your success.
On a final note, when you're in a hurry to create your profile, you may misspell a particular technology or soft skill. That's why we suggest you copy and paste the particular skill name (or keyword), directly from the job advert. This would also help you to pass any initial Applicant Tracker System (ATS) tests.
Top skills for your audit manager CV:
Financial reporting
Internal controls
Risk management
Regulatory compliance
Accounting standards (e.g., IFRS, GAAP)
Data analysis
Auditing software proficiency
Tax knowledge
Budgeting and forecasting
IT systems auditing
Leadership
Communication
Problem-solving
Attention to detail
Critical thinking
Time management
Organisational skills
Teamwork
Negotiation
Adaptability
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If you have received professional endorsements or recommendations for certain skills, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, mention these to add credibility.
Your university degree and certificates: an integral part of your audit manager CV
Let's take you back to your uni days and decide what information will be relevant for your audit manager CV. Once more, when discussing your higher education, select only information that is pertinent to the job (e.g. degrees and projects in the same industry, etc.). Ultimately, you should:
- List only your higher education degrees, alongside start and graduation dates, and the university name;
- Include that you obtained a first degree for diplomas that are relevant to the role, and you believe will impress recruiters;
- Showcase relevant coursework, projects, or publications, if you happen to have less experience or will need to fill in gaps in your professional history.
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If there's a noticeable gap in your skillset for the role you're applying for, mention any steps you're taking to acquire these skills, such as online courses or self-study.
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Key takeaways
What matters most in your audit manager CV-writing process is for you to create a personalised application. One that matches the role and also showcases your unique qualities and talents.
- Use the format to supplement the actual content, to stand out, and to ensure your CV experience is easy to comprehend and follows a logic;
- Invest time in building a succinct CV top one third. One that includes a header (with your contact details and headline), a summary or an objective statement (select the one that best fits your experience), and - potentially - a dedicated skills section or achievements (to fit both hard skills and soft skills requirements);
- Prioritise your most relevant (and senior) experience closer to the top of your CV. Always ensure you're following the "power verb, skill, and achievement" format for your bullets;
- Integrate both your technical and communication background across different sections of your CV to meet the job requirements;
- List your relevant education and certificates to fill in gaps in your CV history and prove to recrutiers you have relevant technical know-how.
