“I get tired just thinking about it!!” Ever say that to yourself? Well, just the other day I took a few minutes to plot (on my world map in my office) all of the countries I have visited during my term as your president. I was surprised to count more than 30 different countries and 42 of the 50 states in the United States. With all that travelling, I guess I am a bit tired. However, I have many memories and mementos of events that I have attended with crowds from 10 to 3,000. I have also had the pleasure of representing The IIA at a number of events sponsored by non-IIA chapters or institutes. 

As a teacher, my wife used to tell her sixth-grade class that they should travel every chance they get. Well, I have certainly followed that advice.

Among my memories are events like this one where I first met with the chief staff officers in London back in November 2004.

I have spoken in some really great facilities like here in El Paso, Texas, in October 2005, with one of my

traditional signs.

One of my best memories is shaking hands with football great Don Shula at this year’s GAM conference where he was a speaker.

And there are those “embarrassing” times like this one at the Gaming Conference in Las Vegas. What goes on in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas!

Of course, no picture array would be complete without my partner, Marilyn, always there to lend a helping hand and keep me out of trouble even after 41 years of marriage! Here we are at the IIA-France 40^th anniversary event in Paris in November 2007.

Well, I am glad I had this chance to share some of the memories The IIA has enabled me to have. ”Thanks for the memories,” as Bob Hope used to always sing (which I won’t and I know you are glad of that!).

Dave

How should you use the interview to find out if the job is right for you?

Interviews work both ways – the hiring manager wants to determine if you’re a strong candidate for the position and you need to determine if the job is a good fit for you.  Research the company ahead of time, then prepare some questions of your own to ask the interviewer:

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest2.htm

Does networking really work? How?

Networking does work.  It can help you when you’re job searching – your contacts can help you connect with employers and point you towards, often unadvertised, job openings.  When you’re building your career, networking can help you staying touch with your connections and can help you meet people who can help grow your career.

How important is the cover letter?

Writing a targeted and focused cover letter is essential. Your cover letter has only a few seconds to impress a hiring manager and if it’s not perfect you probably won’t get an interview. Taking the time to relate your specific qualifications for the job advertised is well worth the time you spend on it.

While attending the Washington, D.C., International conference in 2002, the news broke about WorldCom. First, considering the historical events that were occurring, it validated much of what we had been hearing as internal auditors during the conference. However, more memorable may have been watching The IIA move to action after that announcement. Being involved in the committees, I got the chance to watch The Institute take immediate action on an issue that was not only important at the time, but helped us reach the prominence we have today.

But maybe the more important memory is my first International Conference in Phoenix in 1991. It was my first real experience with everything that was going on in the internal audit arena, and it seemed that I was getting new ideas at every single session. I left with a new excitement for the profession and for implementing the ideas I’d heard. In general, that is what I’ve seen with the international conferences — the opportunity to discover new ideas and concepts that can directly apply to the direction in which our audit department wants to go. Some of those are tactical, some are strategic, but all of the ideas have been used to make our department better.

After attending International Conferences for a number of years and being involved at the international level with The IIA, part of the reason I go is to see old friends. Another reason is to visit new areas of the world. But the ultimate reason is to get new, actionable ideas. In fact, a small group of us have gotten together before this year’s conference and made a pact — at the end, each of us will have identified one specific idea, concept, or approach that we see as providing the most value to our situation within internal auditing. We will then hold each other accountable to take that idea and put it into action through the remainder of the year.

Companies are a part of, not apart from society. To prosper in the long term, companies must anticipate and respond to society’s mood and needs. Concern for environmental quality and for human and community health is now a deeply entrenched societal value. Companies ignore this value at their peril and successful companies align their policies and practices to reflect this and take advantage of the business opportunities it brings.

Assheton Stewart Carter, Ph.D
Chief Advisor, Business Environmental Leadership
Conservation International

It was an interview with the vice-president of finance. When the excessive claims came to light we asked why he didn’t tell the audit team. He said he was about to in the interview but the occasion didn’t arise.

I can quite understand that. If the auditor goes in with a prepared set of questions (which they should), he/she must also be prepared to deviate from them by following up queries arising from the answers.

The lesson learned was that the auditor should work at gaining everyone’s confidence as soon as possible. Most importantly, at the end of the interview the auditor should look the interviewee in the eyes and ask, “Is there anything else you would like to say?” The auditor must record the answer.

-David M Griffiths Ph.D., FCA,

Trustee and Compliance Manager,

The United Charities of Abel Collin

The perception/stature of internal auditing has improved significantly over the past 25 years. Auditors are viewed as more knowledgeable, a business partner or a helpful resource as opposed to the “police.”

The top audit position is more likely to be a true executive or senior officer as opposed to a middle manager position. Titles have improved — CAE vs Internal Audit Director or Manager and EVP or SVP vs VP or AVP. The top auditor often reports higher up the chain — to CEO as opposed to CFO or controller. CAEs have a bigger  role with audit committees and often have other units reporting to them — security, loan review, compliance, fraud investigation, risk management, etc.

The future is bright for the profession — the elevated stature helps, as do things like Sarbanes-Oxley requirements and governance initiatives.

It is important for The IIA to advocate on behalf of all internal auditors as there is strength in numbers. The “two heads are better than one” concept comes into play via networking, benchmarking, group consensus, standards, etc.