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State auditor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Kelly Green,

Stacy Mastrolia Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical state auditor skills. We ranked the top skills for state auditors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 35.8% of state auditor resumes contained audit reports as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a state auditor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 state auditor skills for your resume and career

1. Audit Reports

Here's how state auditors use audit reports:

Composed correspondence; located and assembled information for various audit reports.
Prepared and reviewed written audit reports and financial statements.

2. Financial Statements

A financial statement is a report of an individual or a company that includes all the information about the declared assets, the use of money, income, and also the contribution of shareholders over a certain period.

Here's how state auditors use financial statements:

Review of financial statements including an evaluation of compliance with applicable statutes and regulations and evaluated the overall financial statement presentation.
Conducted financial and performance audit, analyzed financial statements, evaluated internal control system and conducted cash examination of accountable officers.

3. Compliance Audits

A compliance audit is a report on the assessment of a company and its adherence to policies and regulatory guidelines. They evaluate the strength, policy adherence, user access, and risk and complex issue management.

Here's how state auditors use compliance audits:

Reviewed financial and compliance audits and provided legal advice about compliance issues, including advice regarding effective internal controls.
Conferred with NCDOT engineers on extensive federal compliance audits to ensure compliance and oversight on materials QA/QC tests and associated requirements.

4. State Agencies

State Agencies, also called government agencies, are organizations associated with the government that oversee various aspects of society. These handles often handle administrative paperwork to ensure all laws, rules, and regulations are followed. State agencies include the Tennessee Valley Authority, Washington State Department of Labor, and Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Here's how state auditors use state agencies:

Provided auditing services for financial and accounting records of various Texas state agencies and governmental facilities across Texas.
Provided rigorous and accurate auditing of state agencies and verified their regulatory compliance.

5. CPA

Here's how state auditors use cpa:

Conducted training of audit and accounting personnel for CPA firms, provided coaching to accountants, conducted educational seminars for executives
Specialized in Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement audits of Maryland hospitals, nursing homes and residential treatment centers for this national CPA firm.

6. Internal Control Systems

Here's how state auditors use internal control systems:

Obtain and document an understanding of client internal control systems in basic, moderate and complex information technology environments.
Assess the effectiveness of the internal control system of the agency.

7. Local Government Entities

Here's how state auditors use local government entities:

Supervised performance, compliance, and financial audits of various State and local government entities.

8. Audit Findings

Here's how state auditors use audit findings:

Review related controls over financial data, and synthesize a variety of information into supported audit findings and recommendations.
Prepared training materials and instruction seminars for field auditors in writing and developing audit findings.

9. GAAS

Here's how state auditors use gaas:

Perform audits in accordance to GAAS and Yellow Book Standards.
Conducted annual audits in accordance with GAAS, and prepared audited financial statements for a wide variety of non-public businesses.

10. Legal Compliance

Here's how state auditors use legal compliance:

Reviewed and analyzed investment portfolios and security sales to determine ethical and legal compliance.

11. Performance Audits

Here's how state auditors use performance audits:

Audit: Conducted financial and performance audits of state government organizations and other state funded entities.
Performed financial and performance audits for legislative audit agency Responsibilities included audit planning and performance, project management and control.

12. Single Audit

Here's how state auditors use single audit:

Perform Federal Single Audits designed to determine if federally funded programs are compliant with requirements outlined by the federal awarding agency.
Conduct financial, accountability and single audits of government entities in accordance with GAAP and GASB standards and regulatory law.

13. Audit Procedures

Here's how state auditors use audit procedures:

Determine if additional audit procedures are necessary and implement, if necessary.
Key Accomplishment Performed audit procedures at audit sites with minimal supervision within three months of hire.

14. Audit Programs

Here's how state auditors use audit programs:

Compiled audit program for universities.
Worked closely with various internal divisions to develop a new audit program for Medi-Cal providers.

15. Financial Audits

Here's how state auditors use financial audits:

Performed financial audits of state departments and universities in accordance with Government Auditing Standards.
Performed financial audits of governmental agencies in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards.

What skills help State Auditors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What state auditor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Kelly Green

Assistant Professor, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Education and Certificates pull a lot when determining the salaries and positions offered. Quite simply higher degrees and relevant certifications will lead to higher salaries. Aside from that, gaining experience and staying up to date with salary trends in your particular field of accounting will allow you to explore new opportunities with higher salaries.

What soft skills should all state auditors possess?

Stacy Mastrolia Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Accounting, Bucknell University

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, accountants should possess analytical skills, critical-thinking skills, and communication skills. They should also be detail-oriented and possess strong math and organizational skills (www.bls.gov). Of course, we can all agree that technology and teamwork skills are also necessary for successful accountants.

While these skills are still in high demand for accountants, post-pandemic, I believe we will see an increased need for job candidates to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability. This year's graduates are entering a work environment that is not "traditional"; at this point it seems unlikely that this year's graduates will start their careers in a traditional office (or at a client) in close proximity to more experienced professionals who are immediately available to provide instruction and assistance. So, this year's graduates need to be prepared - professionally and emotionally - to adapt to the work environment in place at their employer. And they need to be prepared for that environment to change with little warning. This semester I am teaching almost exclusively undergraduate seniors, and at Bucknell we started classes in-person, after one week we went remote for two weeks and now we are back to in-person learning. During these transitions, I have found that some students are struggling to keep up with the material; they are falling behind and missing deadlines in far greater numbers than in previous semesters. The ability to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances while still accomplishing goals will be in great demand by employers.

I also think that graduates should place an emphasis on developing time-management skills and the ability to prioritize effectively. Alternative work environments, like working remotely, remove certain cues that the day is passing. For example, in a "normal" work day, a young professional would find routines including a mid-morning coffee break and lunch with friends or colleagues and these daily routines would help to mark the passing of time. When someone works from home, these cues may not occur naturally so time can "slip away". Also, working from home provides any number of distractions that may seem urgent in the moment but are not important to achieve that day's work goals; effectively prioritizing tasks in a distracting environment is a skill that will also be in great demand by employers.

Do you want to know more?

List of state auditor skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a state auditor resume and required skills for a state auditor to have include:

Audit Reports
Financial Statements
Compliance Audits
State Agencies
CPA
Internal Control Systems
Local Government Entities
Audit Findings
GAAS
Legal Compliance
Performance Audits
Single Audit

Audit Procedures
Audit Programs
Financial Audits
Public Funds
Audit Results
Government Agencies
Financial Reports
Financial Data
Medicaid
State Government
Analyze Data
Federal Laws

Gasb
Data Analysis
Federal Regulations
Cafr
State Laws
Exit Conferences
Audit Process
Audit Documentation
Fixed Assets
GAGAS
Trial Balance
Analytical Procedures

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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