[Never_Give_Up1]

So I use to be in public accounting as an auditor. Our firm shut down because the 6 partners couldn’t get along and when they announced the firm was dissolving our largest client with with another firm so everyone had to find work else where. Looking back at that experience I miss it and can’t wait for the exam to be over with so I can get back into public accounting.

One of the biggest things that drive me up the wall right now with where I am at is that if there is something that was done incorrectly, the person who notices it will spend time creating this big old thing to let you know it was coded to the wrong GL account, or that something didn’t bill because a box didn’t get checked and do a print screen and circle it and then email you what they have found, instead of taking the time to point out something, JUST FIX the stupid problem!!! I just received an email saying my descriptions were wrong on some items and was sent to all the managers saying how they fixed it… when I got the descriptions from one of that managers employees. It takes more time to do what they do pointing it out than it does just to fix it. I miss that about auditing… unless something was missed in the APG or that you did an incorrect procedure as a first year… for the most part, a manager would fix any conclusions you would come to if they didn’t like your explanation.

I swear my managers point that crap out to me just to piss me off… I believe it stems from them not being able to pass the exam while I am, and me pointing out inefficiencies we are currently doing to the CFO making them look bad because they didn’t catch it. Not that I am trying to make them look bad, just wanting to eliminate work that does not need to be done or can be done faster and more accurate for the most part.

Anyone else have crap like that happen?

FAR - 81
REG - 81
AUD - 82
BEC - 81

Ethics - Done
State License Exam - Done

License - Licensed CPA in Utah

[StephAV]

I'd say that stuff varies between companies and firms. The CPA firm I worked for, some of the managers and seniors would give review notes for wrong color, font, highlighting on workpapers. It was crazy, like there is some set in stone right and wrong to those things. I get that they want it done that way, but to give review notes on that is crazy.

Now I work for Non-profit and there is no big to do about little details or mistakes, it's just if they are discovered we fix them. If documentation is needed we do enough to show what went on.

I started hating life at the firm I was at because of a few overly detailed and critical managers. I do miss the teamwork and hanging out with all of those accountants. It's easier to make friends when you are working closely with people. I've worked at my current company twice as long and I'm not really friends with anyone vs. in public accounting we were all pretty close even if at times we couldn't stand each other.

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[SeattleAccountant]

How about being chided for using wrong email title?!!!?! Yeap, got one of those. And it was rather lengthy email describing proper ways of formatting email subject line.

Becker Class of Jan - Aug 2013: FARB DONE!!!!
CPA license pending 🙂

[evesocal]

SeattleAccountant – there's a wrong or right way to do an email subject line?? Lol I never heard of that, I'm sure all of mine are wrong.

Never_Give_Up1 – that sounds like a really crappy place to work. You'll be gone soon and leave them to all of their nitpicking.

I worked in one firm long ago where the audit manager was a psycho. He yelled, slammed doors, pounded his fist on the desk, swore, all in the course of reviewing someone's work. He was worse with the men, for what that's worth.

Many years after I left that firm I found out he physically attacked one of the other partners, who had to be close to 70 at the time, with the psycho attacker being in his 50s. That ended the partnership.

B: 75
R: 80
A: 77
F: 81
Ethics: 84, 92 and done!
Licensed in California

[mla1169]

I think you're way off base, honestly. You're a professional, almost a CPA. You shouldn't wish for other people to fix your mistakes without saying anything, otherwise your work is going to be of poor quality, make more work for others, and hold you back in your career because your work is unreliable.

Embrace the learning opportunities and be more critical of your own work. You have passed the point in your career where you can play the “well that managers employee gave me the wrong information” card. Don't make any mistakes to be found, or if you do, make them so few and far between that you're not frustrated with so many corrections. I don't see that as a sign that they have a problem……

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Never_Give_Up1]

LOL well mla1169… you are definitely a person I would never want to work with. So because the work I was given was not correct… it is my fault it was wrong??? Also I guess you have never fat fingered something? It is not like I don't know what I am doing and I need training… it that I have so much work that I am having to enter the information in so fast so that I can move on to the next project. Maybe instead of my manager sitting on her a$$ all day on the internet, or maybe actually working a 40 hour work week for once this year, while I work over 40 to make sure the job gets done… then you can talk to me about accuracy. Until then I suggest you take things at face value and don't sit here and tell me i'm unprofessional because I am not accurate 100% of the time.

Because the way I see it your throwing stones from a glass house. I suggest you learn how to interact with people… you attitude is very unprofessional.

FAR - 81
REG - 81
AUD - 82
BEC - 81

Ethics - Done
State License Exam - Done

License - Licensed CPA in Utah

[peetree]

Definitely two sides of every problem. I think both @mla and @never_give_up are bringing up great points. It is important for us as professionals to try to be as accurate as possible in the work that we're performing. Sometimes we have no one to blame but ourselves when we mess up. When I started my career, I had to learn that being faster was not always better. (more prone to mistakes)

With that said, I completely understand the frustration over someone wasting so much time preparing a case against you about how you messed up when it would have been much easier for that person to just walk over, explain what they found and offer to either 1) fix it if you don't have time 2) or give you the chance to fix it. People who treat the workplace like it is a competition at all times are not people I want to be around and are not considered a constructive team member. Those people may think they are getting ahead in the short-term but I guarantee those people 9/10 will face problems in the future regarding their attitude.

FAR 02/21/13 - 95
REG 07/02/13 - 87
AUD 08/02/13 - 94
BEC 08/30/13 - 85
Ethics Exam - 90

Illinois candidate awaiting his license

Used Becker Self Study | Ninja Audio | Becker Flash Cards | Ninja Notes | Wiley Test Bank

[Anonymous]

@peetree Even though quality should supercede quantity my managers stacks crazy workload on us and throws out deadlines like candies to us. From what I've gathered from the control environment in this department is that quantity is more important. Simple because more accounts we have means more revenue. My director accepts clients on a whim, doesn't review their previous returns for accuracy, doesn't question what type of reporting they might require. Literally just approves everything that comes in. Because of him we've all had loads and loads of extra work that's unnecessary. All he really cares about is these clients bring in revenue. He doesnt have his CPA and he is our tax director. Accountability measures lacks greatly. At the end of the day the simple question for him is how money are we charging, not are the returns prepared with accuracy.

[mla1169]

You're completely missing my point. I make mistakes, PLENTY of them. But I also wear my big girl panties and can handle when they are brought to mine and other people's attention. My boss can publish my mistakes for the whole company to see, ok by me. Guarantee its the last time I'd make that mistake. That's the difference between us. You want to call it unprofessional that's fine by me, its gotten me where I am.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Never_Give_Up1]

@mla1699 And you are completely missing my point. I have no problem with someone who points out a mistake to me… do it in the most efficient manner possible. When the person is spending more time building a case that it is wrong, when they could have fixed it in a fraction of the time… or picked up the phone and called me or came and talked to me about it in person, instead of wasting a ton of time just to point it out. At what point does it turn from getting the work done… to riding someones butt just to make a point?

FAR - 81
REG - 81
AUD - 82
BEC - 81

Ethics - Done
State License Exam - Done

License - Licensed CPA in Utah

[vanadium3]

BaxterCPA we need you here.

CPA

[mla1169]

I got your point, thanks. It was hard to sort out between all of the whining, but I was able to dileneate it.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[kmaahs]

It's not really management's responsibility to point out your mistakes in “the most efficient means possible”. I definitely hear you on how stressful that is, don't get me wrong. It sounds dreadful. But a boss is your boss.

You have to remember a boss isn't there to be your friend. They have bosses too, and they have the right (within reason) to operate their workplace the way they see fit in getting their job done. If they want to “ride your butt just to make a point” that is their prerogative. You may not agree with it, but that is what it is. I am relatively young and have learned this.

I'm sure there are plenty of bosses out there that operate more in line with what you are looking for. The bad news is that there is little objective way to know exactly what type of boss someone is until you are actually working under them. So I would just get back into the swing of things, suck it up if it isn't perfect and put in your due, and work your way up the totem pole a bit to land a more independent role (though I truly believe every level will have its own unique troubles).

My $.02

C.P.A.

[MintsRGood]

The fundamental difference between audit and tax is the concept of “materiality”. In audit, it controls everything where in tax it is non-existent. We like it precise in tax land! Another difference in tax land is that your senior (ahem, me) isn’t going to tidy up after you or do your job for you, and also has reasonable expectations that your work is clean and free of glaringly obvious errors. I try to be professionally courteous to our staff accountant about errors because sh*t happens and I make my fair share too, but when a staff accountant screws the same thing up on every statement over and over and over again it gets old pretty quick. I try to take the attitude that if I don’t teach and show the staffs what my expectations are for work quality then I can’t get mad if it’s not up to par.

That being said I have a zero tolerance policy on sloppy, careless, and repeated egregious errors.

Funny story: I had a staff account that was transitioning from audit to tax awhile back who submitted to me a financial statement for review. When I opened up the work paper package the first thing I noticed was that the bank reconciliation was out of balance by approx. $20,000 and the guy wrote “immaterial, pass on further review” in the margin! Honestly, I thought he was pulling my leg and when I approached him laughing about it and asking for the real bank reconciliation I quickly realized he was serious. In a lighthearted manner, I explained to him that if the bank reconciliation is off $20 I won’t look too hard at bank service charges but a $20,000 reconciliation discrepancy is unacceptable. I took that time to explain exactly what I was looking for and to please try again. He looked at me like I had 8 heads but resubmitted again to perfection and was cool about the whole thing. He even started to joke about it after awhile!

It’s not what you say but how you say it! 😉

REG: 75 DONE 🙂
AUD: 61, 71, 68, 92 DONE 🙂
BEC: 76 DONE 🙂
FAR: 72, 74, 79 DONE 🙂
Licensed Michigan CPA 🙂
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-Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.-JFK

[Anonymous]

@Mintsrgood don't mean to change the subject matter in this forum but I was wondering how hard would it be to transition from tax to audit. And what do you look for when you have a tax person who wish to transition?

[Never_Give_Up1]

@mint that is perfect example… there is a massive difference between an auditors mind and a tax accountants or internal accountants mind.

@CPAorNot Most accounting firms will work with you. I noticed a couple guys that made the switch. Most of the time, if they are a good employer, want you to be happy and to succeed.

FAR - 81
REG - 81
AUD - 82
BEC - 81

Ethics - Done
State License Exam - Done

License - Licensed CPA in Utah

[Author]

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