Great Sunday morning Reader

Onboarding That Determines the Success of an Internal Auditor​
​Thank you for reading — and thank you Simona from Hungary for the inspiration.

When I look back at my early years in internal audit, one thing is clear.
Most problems did not come from processes.
They came from how people were brought into the job.

My first day looked like this:
no handover, no manual, no plan.
Just a laptop and the expectation that I would “figure it out.”

Before me, four attempts to build internal audit had failed.
Austria. Germany. England. Poland.
I arrived as the fifth choice.

And the first message I heard was:
​“You won’t last more than three months anyway.”

It wasn’t motivational.
It was a warning.

At my very first meeting, I asked the owner one question:
​What exactly do you expect from internal audit?

Only then could I begin.
I gave myself (and to the owner) a simple timeline:
two months to understand the business,
and the third month to deliver the first result.

That changed everything.
Today I know this is exactly where most audit directors fail when building a new team.

What makes onboarding an internal auditor work

1) It starts at the interview​
Not with “What have you done?”
But “Where do you fit best?”
Generalists struggle. Focus and depth win.

2) The first day decides the future​
Who welcomes the auditor.
Who shows them the factory or the company — whatever the environment is.
Who supports them from day one.
If they are left alone at the start, they will feel alone later.

3) The first three months must be planned​
Week by week.
Clear outputs. Clear ownership.
Without structure, onboarding becomes a survival test.

4) Notes reveal everything​
Good notes = good understanding.
Reviewing them shows whether the auditor connects the dots
or is only present physically.

And this is the first real feedback moment:
trainability is key.
The first three months are a mutual test — but the leader must decide if the investment continues.

5) Two months inside real operations​
Production. Logistics. Warehouse.
But also Accounting, Sales, Customer Service, Procurement, IT, HR — whatever the company is built on.
Auditors must see reality before they can challenge reality.

6) Independence after six months​
If the auditor cannot work independently by then,
the root cause is usually the onboarding — not the person.

Why Reader onboarding matters even more in internal audit?

Internal audit checks the work of others.
That always creates resistance.
Clarity and support are the only defense against early failures.

Without a strong onboarding:
the new auditor gets lost,
confidence drops,
and motivation disappears.

With the right onboarding:
value comes fast.

A hidden benefit of onboarding

Rotating auditors through multiple processes creates something powerful:
a living knowledge base.

Every week of onboarding is documented:
systems used, people consulted, controls performed.
Over time, this becomes a library of real operational know-how.

Newcomers don’t start from zero.
They learn from those who were there before.
Knowledge transfer becomes fast and practical.

The key principle

Onboarding is not paperwork.
It is the transformation of company know-how
into the new auditor’s capability to deliver results.

Without that transformation,
even 15,000 pages of documentation stay useless.
With it, internal audit becomes a strong and respected partner.

​
​It begins on the first day of a new auditor.

If you are building or rebuilding internal audit and want help with onboarding design, mentoring, or practical training frameworks, just reply to this email. We are here to support your success — from day one.

Have a successful week ahead,
​Oldřich & Pavol , Two Heads of Audit with 44 Years of Experience

As part of supporting the internal audit community, we share our know-how and real operational case studies. The goal is simple: help auditors strengthen their skills and increase the value they bring to the organization.

This week, we are opening three practical topics:

• a unique fraud pattern involving raw material fictitious deliveries — how to detect it early,
• how to identify unsuitable candidates before they join your team,
• and the reverse approach to auditing — starting from the impact, not from the procedures, a topic prepared at the suggestion of our client Lena from Poland. Thanks, Lena!

If you are currently dealing with a specific risk, people challenge, or process issue, write to us.
We will share our practical view and experience so you can use it immediately.

Hit reply — one question can save you months of effort.

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