Employers seeking auditors will be looking for candidates who go by the numbers and have a keen eye for detail. By the nature of their jobs, auditors are not the most popular people with the finance team, but in your auditor cover letter, you should show that you can engage staff positively to get the information you need to ensure financial accountability.
Many people think of the Internal Revenue Service when the word “auditor” comes up, but auditors work both within organizations and as independent overseers. The training site AuditTools lists eight types of audits, all focused on the details of processes, both operational or financial.
You have about 300 words to convince hiring managers you deserve that coveted interview. So how do you demonstrate in your cover letter that you are a numbers-cruncher who can understand the inner workings of many different accounting systems in many different environments?
Start out by using this cover letter guide along with the corresponding auditor cover letter example. In it, we’ll cover the following topics to help you write the best cover letter possible:
- How to choose the best cover letter format and what paragraphs the cover letter should include
- How to get the most out of each cover letter paragraph (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
- What approach to take when writing your auditor cover letter
- What mistakes to avoid in a cover letter sample
So, what are some of the key considerations for an auditor when they sit down to write their cover letter? How will you set yourself apart from other candidates? As an analytical person, you will appreciate our guide’s deep dive into all aspects of your cover letter. For more guidance, check out resume.io's 125+ free cover letter examples. Let’s get to it!
Best format for an auditor cover letter
As an auditor, you know that a repeatable process leads to efficiency and less errors. Your job hunt should mimic that ideal. A concise, well-worded cover letter that follows a structure will impressively tell your career story.
To that end, a great auditor cover letter sample should include the following elements:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
Your auditor cover letter should complement your resume by explaining how you approach an audit and offering insight into how you work with the teams from whom you need pertinent information.
The comprehensive cover letter guide offers more general advice about how to go about compiling cover letters, but the remainder of this guide will give you more detailed information about your auditor letter.
This auditor cover letter example is a great place to get ideas and an overview of how to proceed with your own professional application.
Dear Ms. Beckwith,
As a qualified internal auditor with six years’ experience of working both for risk management consultancies and in-house, after my move to Seattle, I feel that my packaged goods audit experience will bring a new dimension to Kimbolton Jennings.
My work includes providing advice on financial risk management with a focus on analyzing internal risk factors and assurance controls. Ensuring sufficient mitigation depends on strong process documentation and internal training procedures. I have both created and updated end-to-end risk management processes for 30+ medium and large companies – mostly in the retail, FMCG, and logistics industries.
I hold a Bachelor of Finance from Miami State, am ACA and AAT qualified, and have attended over 20 seminars and training events. Technology is transforming the audit profession and I have written whitepapers on the role of predictive analytics in fraud prevention and preventing financial irregularities. Identifying and stopping harmful patterns of behavior is key to consistently great audit results. I am familiar with all major audit software providers and am an accredited trainer on many of them.
I am adept at redesigning audit processes in warehousing and supply chain settings and understand the complexity of international trading arrangements. I have worked on audits for three of the top ten global retailers and four of the top ten global logistics providers – my experience helps me to take a deeper approach to problem solving.
I have a solid following on social media and may be able to help you with your business development – I actually heard about this role from your finance director on LinkedIn. I look forward to the opportunity of meeting in an interview to discuss your clients and where my audit experience may fit with your service offering.
Sincerely,
Simon Loader
If you’re looking for additional inspiration for cover letter writing, you can check out our related Accounting & Finance cover letter examples here:
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CFO cover letter sample
Cover letter header
Your auditor cover letter header offers hiring managers all the contact information they need to schedule your interview. It sits at the top of your cover letter and contains your name, email, and phone number. When your application inspires a recruiter, you want them to be able to immediately contact you without any delays. Although this section may seem rote, it can make or break your application.
Align the formatting of your cover letter with that of your resume to create a cohesive package. This technique also helps in the event that the printed elements of your application become separated while they are passed around an office.
The aim of the cover letter header: Get your contact information in front of hiring managers without distraction. Attract attention to the document itself and make it memorable in the mind of the hiring manager.
Cover letter greeting
How do you greet a person you are meeting for the first time? The importance of that initial contact can’t be understated. First impressions die hard. Imagine you find a calculation error on the first page of financial documents you examine. That colors how you approach the rest of your audit, because you’re likely to assume there will be more errors. That’s why your cover letter greeting counts. If you get this wrong, it colors the reading of the rest of your application.
Your greeting sets the tone for the rest of your auditor cover letter. As you examine cover letter examples, you will note that most begin with Dear and an individual’s name. Do your due diligence and find out exactly to whom you should address your cover letter. If all efforts fail, you may use “Dear Hiring Manager/Committee.”
The aim of letter greeting / salutation: Starting the cover letter off on a professional note is important for an auditor, so make sure that the greeting fits the situation.
Check out our adaptable cover letter sample for an idea of how to start your document.
Cover letter introduction
You’ve opened your auditor cover letter professionally and personally. Now the hiring manager is ready and receptive to what you have to say about yourself. As a methodical professional, you know you need to start by setting the tone and getting the attention of the staff you will be working with. That’s what your cover letter introduction does as well.
When you approach an audit, you have questions in mind that need answering. In your cover letter, you are the one answering questions. The better you can articulate your responses, the more likely you are to get an interview.
A compelling auditor cover letter gets right down to business. Why are YOU the best person for the job? How does your experience fill the needs of your future employer?
Your introduction should speak confidently and effortlessly about your ability to root out any problems in accounting or processes and to offer solutions that inspire loyalty and gratitude in your firm and/or its clients.
The aim of the cover letter intro: Work out what your most important message is and make sure that it fits with the nature of the role. Grab their attention and they will be curious to read further.
Here’s the introduction from our auditor cover letter sample.
Dear Ms. Beckwith,
As a qualified internal auditor with six years’ experience of working both for risk management consultancies and in-house, after my move to Seattle, I feel that my packaged goods audit experience will bring a new dimension to Kimbolton Jennings.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The body of your auditor cover letter presents your case by enumerating your career bests. Your resume is a ledger of your whole career, but it is in the middle part (body paragraphs) that you can give a detailed accounting with quantifiable data and anecdotes of your achievements.
The accomplishments you choose to pull from your career ledger speak volumes about what you think is important and how you operate as an auditor. Choose wisely. You’re looking for nods of approval and appreciation of the skill you have already brought to your work.
Carefully consider which career highlights to detail based on the specific job you seek. No matter how proud you are of an achievement, if it doesn’t show how you will enhance the role you seek, leave it out. Skip the day-to-day of your job and look for outliers and complicated cases that show off your problem-solving skills and ability to apply logic and process to complex audits. Keep in the back of your mind what makes you a unique applicant so that hiring managers will remember you when they think back on all the letters they have read.
Auditors may be thought of as numbers geeks, but your people skills may be what differentiates you. Getting cooperation from the team you are auditing requires personability and diplomacy. You can show these attributes by ending with a more personal look at you that illustrates how you use your emotional intelligence and soft skills on the job.
The cover letter sample text for the middle paragraphs of your auditor letter is a good start to brainstorming your own body paragraphs.
The aim of the body of your cover letter: Describe how you run an audit and illustrate how the team you are auditing feels about you and the results you achieve.
My work includes providing advice on various aspects of financial risk management with a focus on analyzing internal risk factors and assurance controls. Ensuring sufficient mitigation depends on strong process documentation and internal training procedures. I have both created and updated end-to-end risk management processes for 30+ medium and large companies – mostly in the retail, FMCG and logistics industries.
I hold a Bachelor of Finance from Miami State, am ACA and AAT qualified, and have attended over 20 seminars and training events. Technology is transforming the audit profession and I have written a number of whitepapers on the role of predictive analytics in fraud prevention and preventing financial irregularities. Identifying and stopping harmful patterns of behavior is key to consistently great audit results. I am familiar with all major audit software providers and am an accredited trainer on many of them.
I am adept at redesigning audit processes in warehousing and supply chain settings and understand the complexity of international trading arrangements. I have worked on audits for three of the top ten global retailers and four of the top ten global logistics providers – my experience helps me to take a deeper approach to problem solving.
How to close an auditor cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The concluding paragraph of your auditor cover letter is your bottom line. Maintain your professional yet eager tone and don’t sell yourself short. You’ve offered your detailed evidence and now you want to put a fine point on your case. Reiterate why you want the job and why you are THE right person to fill it.
Leave them wanting more. Offer up a detail about your personality or work style that could lead to an interesting interview question. Your application is your sales pitch for an interview, so if you get the hiring manager curious about how you tackled a particularly thorny audit or how you apply your skills to your hobby of fishing, you’re more likely to get that coveted interview.
Finally, remember the goal of all your efforts so far has been to get that interview so you can describe in person and in more detail why you should get the job. Don’t end your letter without suggesting a meeting with the hiring manager. Don’t get pushy or demanding, simply state your desire to meet in person to discuss the opportunity further.
End your letter plainly, as does the cover letter sample text below, with Sincerely and your name.
The aim of this part: Finish by telling your future employer why they should employ you and justify your request for an interview.
I have a solid following on social media and may be able to help you with your business development – I actually heard about this role from your finance director on LinkedIn. I look forward to the opportunity of meeting in an interview to discuss your clients and where my audit experience may fit with your service offering.
Sincerely,
Simon Loader
Writing psychology: how to highlight your best qualities in your cover letter
Auditing requires great attention to structure and process, so make sure your cover letter follows suit. You are telling the story of your professional success and offering evidence of your qualifications for the position. While you have room here for a more personal touch, your auditor cover letter serves as an example of your efficiency and ability to stick to a format.
The aim of your auditor cover letter is to:
- Demonstrate your integrity and impeccable auditing skills
- Show you have the tech knowledge to work within a variety of software systems
- Describe how you run an audit and collaborate with the people on the finance team
- Explain why you want the job and are the right person to fill it.
Of course, auditors must possess accounting and finance skills as well as knowledge of business processes, but that’s just the beginning of what employers are looking for in great auditors. As you decide which achievements to bring out in your cover letter, consider using examples that illustrate the skills that Discover Audit, an initiate of the Center for Audit Quality, say make a great auditor:
- Problem-solving and analytical abilities
- Tech savvy
- Teamwork and communication
- Integrity
- Curiosity
- Detail-oriented
Tailor your experience to the position you seek. If you will be conducting tax audits, focus on your knowledge of the tax code and IRS regulations. Offer an explanation for how you keep up with the ever-changing rules. If, however, you are applying to conduct operational audits, give a detailed accounting of your experience with business processes and describe a time when you were able to create efficiencies for your company or client.
The importance of emotional intelligence and soft skills
Hard skills are necessary for your job as an auditor, but emotional intelligence (EI) can make all the difference to employers and your coworkers.
“For internal auditors, who often find themselves in challenging interpersonal situations, emotional intelligence is critical to success,” Jim Pelletier of Internal Auditor, writes. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, manage, and use emotions for reasoning. Auditors often find themselves in high-stress situations in which they must spearhead difficult conversations. A lack of emotional management can lead to a breakdown in the auditing process and miscommunications.
Along with EI, auditing requires a host of other soft skills. Critical thinking, a questioning mind, and skepticism when it comes to any document or process you come across will make you a better auditor.
As you write your cover letter, include not only the quantifiable results you have achieved, but offer insight into your thought process and the ways in which you managed people and those tough conversations.
Auditor cover letter with no experience
All this advice is great, if you already have auditing experience, but what do you do if you are fresh out of business school and looking for your first job?
Here are some tips for an entry-level job application:
- Lean a bit more heavily on your education and any relevant coursework you have. If you have completed an internship, that’s work experience!
- Focus on emotional intelligence and soft skills you have by giving examples from group work or employment and volunteer work that is unrelated to an auditing career.
- Mine your extracurricular activities, especially if you have acted as treasurer or another finance-related position.
- Spend an extra sentence or two related to hiring managers why you want to be an auditor and work at their company.
You can stand out from the crowd by researching the company and focusing your cover letter more on how your philosophy and work style mesh with that of the company. Tout your attributes and how they will make you a great auditor.
You can increase your chances of getting your first auditing job by researching the questions hiring managers ask of entry-level candidates. Don’t wait for the interview; instead, answer one or two of them in your cover letter. Familiarize yourself with industry terminology and sprinkle one or two words into your cover letter.
Basic mistakes in an auditor application letter (and how to avoid them)
An auditor’s bread and butter is attention to detail, so the minutiae of your cover letter may make all the difference. Make sure your presentation represents an accurate picture of your abilities.
- Spelling and grammar count. Yes, you’re a numbers person, but you may also have to make presentations to clients. Spelling and grammar errors can detract from your message and make you look sloppy. Try a spelling and grammar check program or have a friend proofread for you. Consider using resume.io’s online cover letter builder, which includes spellcheck.
- Streamline your story-telling. If it takes more than a couple of sentences to describe a situation and the results you achieved, save it for the interview or use it as a tantalizing tidbit in your conclusion. Big blocks of type are off putting so try to keep your paragraphs to 3-4 sentences.
- Great formatting matters. A professional presentation for your cover letter is one of the best advantages you can give yourself, especially when early in your career. An expertly-designed template can make the process much easier and save you time if you don’t have a background in graphic design.
Key takeaways
- Illustrate how you approach audits and the process you use to get not only the best results, but to engender the appreciation of the team or outside firm.
- Blend examples of your emotional intelligence into your stories of tech-savvy and financial acumen.
- Leave them wanting more by offering a personal anecdote or a professional achievement that needs more explanation.
With Resume.io, writing your cover letter is as easy. Click on one of our ready-made and carefully market-researched cover letter templates and simply start writing. Yes, we know that writing is not always simple, but now you have a head start.
