First blog post of 2011, and I must say I’m surprised April has dawned on us so quickly! Hope all you uni students are enjoying a much deserved break.

We had the interns in at the end of 2010 - coming in to the work environment all fresh from uni not knowing much about audit provided for some quality moments in the audit room. But really, they have been a great bunch and we will no doubt see some of them again soon. And… I’ve held off writing a blog post for so long that the Grads are now among us and getting stuck into audit. I haven’t worked with many of them yet, but am looking forward to working with them and not being the ‘grad’ on the job anymore!

Audit’s been pretty busy since we started back this year, with jobs lined up on our schedules for weeks. My year group has also had to fit Foundations (previously known as PCE 1) study into the mix. So all in all, it’s been interesting trying to juggle work and study. However, the ‘year group’ advantage has really shone through during the past few months with my year group informing each other whenever we come across a useful or interesting article and helping each other out along the way. 

Being in the Social Committee, I have also been involved with the various social events that have taken place this year. So far, we have had the Deloitte Family Beach BBQ, where we got to meet some of our colleagues’ families over steak and sausage, and Round the Bays, for which we had an awesome turn-out this year. We have also recently had a combined quiz night with BNZ but photos have yet to emerge for that. So for now, feast your eyes on the BBQ and Round the Bays snaps:

Our Facebook page is open 24/7, so don’t hesitate to ask any burning questions or just drop by to stay in touch with what’s going on!

Cheers,

Mich

With busy season approaching I thought I’d squeeze in another little post…

The Deloitte Auckland Mid Year event proved to be a hit last Friday – it wasn’t a sit down dinner which meant that we could mix, mingle, and meet our colleagues’ other halves in a casual environment. It turned out to be really true to the theme New York New York as there were different areas representing (to name a few) Chinatown, Fish Markets and Little Italy with food to match. There wasn’t a person in the room who couldn’t find something they liked to eat which is always good news! A cosmopolitan bar proved to be popular with the ladies (and some men) with many sporting pink cocktails when the night was still young. It was great hanging out with our friends and colleagues and sharing in the celebrations that marked the end of another financial year for Deloitte.. Here are some snaps from the night:

The Mid Year ball aside, I had a look at the bookings for the year earlier today and realised the next few weeks will be very busy for many of us with June year end clients making sure we’re all booked up. That’s good though, I’m looking forward to meeting all sorts of clients. A lot of the other grads are in the same boat which means that we’ll have a lot to talk about and experiences to share when we do meet up in the weekends or at work drinks. Today’s my first day back in the office in weeks – giving me a much needed break to do some admin and catch up with colleagues. Not for long however, as Seniors had spotted that I was in the office and gave me some client related work to do – (a common occurrence now that the grads are more known), which is good!

I was just starting to miss the office and how comfortable it is – with our new swivel chairs, crackers and fruit every day, sparkling clean drinking glasses and not to mention the coffee machine… but having said that, I’m absolutely enjoying the diversity a career in audit offers and how ‘all in a day’s work’ takes on a different meaning for each of us.

Exams would have been done and dusted for most of you. Tell us how it went on our FB page! :)

Cheers, Michelle

Seems like a gloomy way to kick off the week – put into a room with three other people of which I’ve only worked with one of them before, the rain pelting down on the roof overhead. And… I’m not going to lie – sometimes it isn’t always sunshine and roses. However, I take refuge in the fact that together with 99% of the working population, it’s not just me who’s feeling a little grim - wishing I was home being a couch potato, tea in hand, hearing the Vuvuzelas like a bunch of annoying houseflies instead of the constant drumming of heavy rain.

Even though we’re on clients most of the time, I’ve learnt that our colleagues are never far when we need a laugh or someone to rant to. We have an online communicator, which is similar to MSN – well… it is basically MSN for Deloitte worldwide. So while writing this, I’m chatting to a couple of grads and a colleague from Singapore about the interesting activities that defined their weekend and agreeing that staying in bed seemed like a much better option than getting up this morning - but hey we made it, and in 4 days, it’ll be TGIF! As usual, the grads are scattered around Auckland on a range of clients, meaning that most of us won’t be in the office this week to enjoy the office life together.

BUT, Deloitte Auckland is hitting town with our Mid Year Event this Friday so we’ll have the opportunity to meet everyone and their partners for a night/(morning) of fun and celebration! I’m in the Social Committee and we’re helping out with the ball so I can tell you that it’s going to be AWESOME! I won’t let out too many details now though – you may get to see some photos from it in my next post if you’re lucky! ;-) 

Go ALL WHITES!

Cheers, Michelle

Promotions were announced last Friday, meaning that productivity levels dipped marginally while we found out who made it after this review round. One of my colleagues that I was on the job with last week was part of the fortunate bunch; leaving for the office to pick up his letter at lunch time and coming back with brownies, rocky road, gingerbread men and cappuccinos from Hollywood Bakery to celebrate!

[as you can see, an auditor’s green pen is never far…]

As busy season creeps up, planning audits are rife. These usually consist of a week out on the job doing control testing. I didn’t come across any of these while on internship due to the time of year in Singapore (crazy busy peak period during Dec/Jan), so planning audits were a whole new world to me. Coming to realise that ACCTG 312 can be applied in real life was a discovery some of you may (or may not) be happy to hear. As an auditor, I was starting to wonder when the compulsory auditing paper I did at uni will be put to good use… theory was never my cup of tea but I’ve discovered it’s nowhere near half as boring when it’s put to practice.

Typically we’d be put on planning audits for jobs that we’ve been scheduled on final audits for… so that meant a week of planning in High Street for me last week, and now week in Franklin. Yes, you heard it, Franklin.  Waking up this morning knowing that I’ll be taking Motorway Hamilton and driving 50km south instead of ‘auto-piloting’ it down Motorway Auckland today was a little un-natural, but the realisation that I’m not the only one definitely puts my mind at ease. The team mentality is really prevalent when a few of us are on a client together - most people open up and chat a little more so I’m really enjoying getting to know people by working with them. Being part of a team for a week then moving on to another client and instantly becoming an integral part of another team is something unique to audit and gives us the feeling of being ‘at home’ with familiar people even if we are a good drive away from our office. I had always expected that it’ll be awkward hopping around the place with a different combination of colleagues each time, but thankfully it’s proven to be the contrary.

News Flash: I’ve just received my work for the week, had a look, and there are a gazillion tabs on the excel spread sheet full of control activities for me to test — I’d better get stuck into it!

As Lucy said, exams are looming therefore Facebook activity will surely be on the rise… so feel free to chat with us on the Facebook page or ask any questions!

All the best! :)

Cheers, Michelle