paid without question, leaving few clues on what advertising work the company had received.
Making use of a stack of sticky notes and a pen, I flagged all invoices with unknown expenses for further review, marking the oddities as something to fully audit with internal records, and made decent progress on organizing when Garret cleared his throat, which I assumed meant I’d run out of time.
I found it amusing my auditing test lacked any actual accounting or demonstration of real auditing skills.
If they were testing for my general eye and ability to notice anything amiss, I stood a good chance of passing. I set my pen down, took the sticky note I’d been working on, and stuck it to the invoice I’d been reviewing. “May I make a comment, sir?”
“Of course.”
“In a real situation, I would’ve been using a spreadsheet or accounting software to create entries for the invoices while referencing the accountant’s files—and I would’ve been taking notes on a tablet with stylus.”
Garret chuckled. “You’ll have access to such things during real work. We’ve already spoken to your previous employer about your applicable job skills.”
Crap. While I’d included my former boss as a reference, I always hoped new employers wouldn’t take the time and effort to interview those I’d worked for. But, rather than assuming the worst, I’d hope for the best. “Then this is a logic test to see if I have the skills needed to organize from the ground up on a new project.” I regarded my work with a frown. “Which implies you want a ground-up approach to these audits, expecting something to be found and needing every element of the company’s operations evaluated to check for errors or potential embezzlement.”
“Or even shoddy recording.”
Shoddy recording of funds and funds mismanagement happened in many companies. I’d dealt with it at every workplace I’d ever done accounting for. No matter how hard the accountants tried, someone found a way to mess things up, even if it was forgetting to file an invoice correctly after payment, resulting in chaos when accounting had record of a payment without having a copy of the invoice they’d paid. “Has anyone told you those are dirty words, Garret?”
“I was asked specifically to use those dirty words in that order to see your reaction. We’ve learned we can tell a lot about a potential employee by how they react to the hazards of their specific profession.”
Well, I appreciated the man’s sense of humor, which boded well for my future—if I got the job. “I bet the accounting at the company those files came from really didn’t like Employee A after audit.”
“As a matter of fact, you would be correct. When we were building the test, our accountants said some rather unpleasant things about Employee A. We’ve also learned Employee A is unfortunately common.”
“Every company has at least one. Or three. Or ten.” I grimaced. “Usually closer to ten.”
“It’s an accounting hazard. So. My question for you is this. Can you handle working with people like Employee A every day for the foreseeable future? That’s what we’ll probably be dealing with as we dig through this auditing mess.”
“That depends. Will the firms cooperate when we request more information on ambiguous invoices?”
“That remains to be seen.”
“It’s a part of the job, but truth be told? It’s a part I dislike. Can I deal with it? Yes. It’s necessary, especially if the firm wants to survive an IRS audit without losing their shirts to fines and penalties.”
“Thank you, Miss Kensingvale. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the reception. I don’t expect this evaluation will take too long before we can get back to business.”
Back in the reception, I considered returning to The Art of War, but I decided on lighter reading.
If Florida Man couldn’t distract me, nothing could.
The news sites didn’t disappoint, and I emailed myself links to the best articles, expecting Rick had already seen them. Fortunately, thanks to planning my brother’s wedding, I had Rick’s phone number and his email address.
I could be brave and bold, and I could be friends with my brother’s friend. I didn’t need Mat’s permission or blessing.
I dug through my contacts for Rick’s email address, and I picked my favorite of the headlines.
Florida Man, upset over the circumstances of his birth, had assaulted his father with a pizza. Compared to the other candidates, he came across as mostly harmless, hilariously funny, and out of his right mind without really hurting anyone. Well, beyond a few of my brain cells,