The world of Audit has been experiencing significant upheaval of late, thanks to some age-old challenges and plenty of new ones. Yet wherever there is volatility, there is opportunity, and 2025 offers tremendous opportunities to take a giant leap forward in your career.
What may seem like important yet isolated issues – the industry talent shortage, or the increasing influence and capabilities of AI in audit – are in actuality all related. And those audit professionals who can connect the dots and shepherd their organizations through these changes will be rewarded.
Do you want 2025 to bring promotion, a more fulfilling work experience, challenging yet rewarding assignments, and significantly improved financial compensation? You’ve found the right place to start.
Here are 10 tips to help achieve your career goals in 2025:
1. Embrace Emerging Technologies
Why It Matters: The audit profession is changing in front of our eyes, driven by technologies like AI and machine learning that were being whispered about only a few years ago, and that are now mainstream.
Action Steps:
- Experience and master AI-driven audit tools like Trullion to streamline audits, enhance collaboration, and eliminate errors.
- Highlight these tech skills on your resume (and LinkedIn) to position yourself as a future-ready asset.
Pro Tip: Catapult yourself into the limelight by offering to run a workshop for senior firm leadership showing the benefits and tangible business outcomes of using AI-driven audit tools.
Standout stat: Over three-quarters (82%) of companies surveyed by KPMG feel their auditors are either at the same level or ahead of them in the adoption of AI for financial analysis. (AccountancyAge)
2. Position Yourself as an Expert on the Audit of the Future
Why It Matters: We might not be there yet – and audit has been notoriously slow in adopting new technologies (how much of your day do you still spend on Excel which hasn’t changed much since the 80’s) – but the Audit of the Future is getting people excited, and you want to be associated with this trend.
Action Steps:
- Research these trends in depth, speak to vendors, auditors at other firms, thought leaders in this space.
- Start a monthly internal email for your firm, sharing thoughts and insights, and inviting anyone interested to get coffee with you and discuss.
Pro Tip: Provide colleagues with interesting articles or books to read on the subject, and ensure you’re the go-to company resource for anything related to this topic.
3. Build A Personal Brand
Why It Matters: You’ve become the expert internally, now it’s time to share your brand with the world. Building a brand is essential to unlocking long-term career success.
Action Steps:
- Carefully consider how you want to position your brand, and what your unique angle or niche should be.
- Share your thoughts: LinkedIn, X, or a blog on Medium are great ways to get started building your audience and associating yourself with this trend.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget the #1 rule: always add value. Uniqueness, data points to back up your conclusions, and insights that make people think twice are all contributors to follower growth and engagement.
Standout stat: Building a personal brand on LinkedIn clearly works. There’s been a 35% spike in C-suite LinkedIn participation in the U.S. over the past 5 years, and a 23% jump in posts from CEOs globally year on year. (FT)
4. Engage In Business Development
Why It Matters: No one can ignore someone bringing new business to the practice, especially today where fees are under increasing pressure and clients are harder to come by.
Action Steps:
- Attend networking events in your area
- Develop industry-specific expertise so that companies in these verticals start approaching you
Pro Tip: Work on your and your firm’s unique selling points, so that you’re ready to charm any potential client even if you only have a few seconds to speak with them.
5. Participate In Internal Innovation
Why It Matters: Not only does this provide you the opportunity to stay abreast of the latest trends, it also ensures that you’re highly visible to company leadership.
Action Steps:
- Join the relevant innovation-related committee at your firm
- If it doesn’t have one, take the initiative and spearhead this process
Pro Tip: Come prepared. Create a presentation to wow other members of your committee and keep yourself top-of-mind.
6. Invest Your Time In Innovative Solutions
Why It Matters: It’s one thing to talk about innovation, but to actually show the tangible benefits is something else entirely. Driving value will push you to the top of the promotion queue.
Action Steps:
- Try different technologies and quantify time savings or value added
- Stay ahead of other firms rolling out AI solutions
Pro Tip: Present your findings systematically to make a clear business case for company executives.
Standout stat: Audit partners with specialization in digitalization can charge an economically significant premium for audit fees over those that don’t have such specializations. (Taylor & Francis)
7. Don’t Be Shy About It
Why It Matters: Unless you ask directly, just waiting for a promotion probably isn’t going to bring the results you want.
Action Steps:
- Have a direct and frank discussion with your manager or partner where you bring up your desires and career goals.
- Make a business case for your promotion, and make it compelling
Pro Tip: How you ask matters – a lot. Try phrasing like “What more can I do to help to demonstrate that I’m ready?”
8. Find And Be A Mentor/Coach
Why It Matters: Having a mentor or coach in the workplace is a great way to grow your career. Being a coach or mentor is a great way to grow someone else’s career too, and prevent burnout.
Action Steps:
- Put yourself out there – try internal messaging channels, or approach people directly.
Pro Tip: Look for mentors and mentees with common interests, be it a specific part of audit, or even outside passions like certain technologies.
Standout Stat: Mentees are 5x more likely to be promoted over those without a mentor, and mentors themselves 6x more likely to climb the industry ladder. (GuiderAI)
9. Develop Data Analytics Expertise
Why It Matters: Firms increasingly rely on data analytics to provide clients with deeper insights.
Action Steps:
- Learn tools like Power BI, Tableau, or Python for audit-related data visualization and automation.
- Share data-driven findings with your manager or partner to showcase your analytical edge.
Pro Tip: Take a certification in data analytics, such as ACCA’s Data Analytics Certificate (CertDA).
10. Strengthen Your Soft Skills
Why It Matters: Promotions often depend on your ability to communicate, collaborate, and build strong relationships both internally and with clients.
Action Steps:
- Look for online courses on active listening and presenting effectively
- Attend as many in-person events as possible, and keep practicing your soft skills
Pro Tip: Take public speaking courses such as Toastmasters to enhance presentation skills for client meetings.
Standout Stat: 67% of employers value soft skills more than educational qualifications when hiring (People Management)
Conclusion
The upcoming year will no doubt be filled with challenges and opportunities for the audit sector. With these tips, your chances of riding these trends to gain promotion and career advancement – and all the work/life benefits that come with this – are tremendously improved. Good luck!