Tax advisor to audit supervisor
A tax advisor already meets 30% of what the audit supervisor role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
68/ 100
1 How much of what an audit supervisor is expected to do is already part of a tax advisor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the audit supervisor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An audit supervisor role treats 6 of its required skills as things a tax advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- international financial reporting standards
- interpret financial statements
- national generally accepted accounting principles
- observe confidentiality
- prepare financial auditing reports
- tax legislation
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An audit supervisor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tax advisor background worth leading with.
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles business, administration and law
- already held international financial reporting standards business, administration and law
- already held prepare financial auditing reports information skills
- already held advise on efficiency improvements communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conduct financial audits information skills
- already held make strategic business decisions management skills
All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the audit supervisor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn audit techniques required
- still to learn corporate law required
- still to learn financial statements required
- still to learn internal auditing required
- optional, not held accounting department processes optional
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held financial department processes optional
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held employment law optional
- optional, not held quality standards optional
- still to learn develop audit plan required
- still to learn prepare audit activities required
- still to learn supervise staff required
- optional, not held perform quality audits optional
- still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn arrange audit required
- optional, not held execute ICT audits optional
- optional, not held audit contractors optional
- optional, not held design questionnaires optional
- optional, not held revise questionnaires optional
- still to learn communicate problems to senior colleagues required
- still to learn pose questions referring to documents required
- optional, not held adhere to questionnaires optional
- still to learn attend to detail in preparation for audits required
- optional, not held adhere to Standard Operating Procedures optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held follow the statutory obligations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an audit supervisor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse financial performance of a company practise this
- 02 arrange audit practise this
- 03 attend to detail in preparation for audits practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- already held observe confidentiality skill
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held advise on efficiency improvements skill
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held conduct financial audits skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held accounting department processes optional
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held execute ICT audits optional
- optional, not held financial department processes optional
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held adhere to Standard Operating Procedures optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held adhere to questionnaires optional
- optional, not held audit contractors optional
- optional, not held design questionnaires optional
- optional, not held employment law optional
- optional, not held follow the statutory obligations optional
- optional, not held perform quality audits optional
- optional, not held quality standards optional
- optional, not held revise questionnaires optional
32 held skills the audit supervisor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting entries knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax policy skill
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role cadastral taxation knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate tax skill
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect tax skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile legal documents skill
- not needed by the target role develop taxation policies skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- not needed by the target role fraud detection knowledge
- not needed by the target role inform on fiscal duties skill
- not needed by the target role inspect tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role inspect taxation documents skill
- not needed by the target role international taxation of transfer prices knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage payroll reports skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal finances skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate in legal cases skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role prepare tax returns forms skill
- not needed by the target role provide legal advice skill
- not needed by the target role research taxation procedures skill
- not needed by the target role secure sensitive customer's information skill
- not needed by the target role sign income tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role value-added tax law knowledge
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn audit techniques required
- still to learn corporate law required
- still to learn financial statements required
- still to learn internal auditing required
- optional, not held accounting department processes optional
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held financial department processes optional
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held employment law optional
- optional, not held quality standards optional
Other moves recorded from tax advisor
- tax clerk 52% covered · moderate
- tax inspector 48% covered · moderate
- tax compliance officer 41% covered · substantial
- legal consultant 30% covered · substantial
- financial fraud examiner 30% covered · substantial
- accountant 28% covered · career change
- financial auditor 27% covered · career change
- tax policy analyst 27% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a tax advisor become an audit supervisor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tax advisor already covers 30% of what an audit supervisor is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 6 of which the audit supervisor role treats as required.
What skills does a tax advisor need to become an audit supervisor?
12 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is analyse financial performance of a company.
How hard is the move from tax advisor to audit supervisor?
Its learning distance is 68 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.