How Do I Become an Inventory Auditor?

Inventory auditors are individuals who track the flow of goods at companies and work to resolve discrepancy issues with regard to the amount of goods that they count and the amount that should be present according to business records. Their goal is to ensure that organizations operate efficiently so that they can achieve their financial goals when producing and selling goods. If you wish to become an inventory auditor, you might want to consider completing two years of training beyond high school. Taking business and computer courses as well as gaining practical field experience also make you more attractive to employers in this industry.

A person who would like to become an inventory auditor can complete an associate degree in business, which typically requires two years of study. Even though many employers do not require job candidates to have college degrees, completing college courses will make you more competitive in the job market. To get into this type of training program, you need to turn in your latest standardized test scores as well as your high school transcript. Submitting a completed college admission application along with your high school diploma or the equivalent certification also is necessary.

Business and mathematics courses give you the skills that you need to thrive in this career area. You should study how to improve processes for tracking the availability of goods in a business' warehouse, for example, as you will be responsible for doing this when you become an inventory auditor. Math classes further teach you the problem-solving skills that you need to count on-hand items and verify that the amounts that you locate are in line with the totals highlighted in inventory records.

Computer software courses additionally prepare you to enter this industry. You must master industry software that enables you to perform enterprise resource planning, which involves using information from different parts of an organization — from sales to manufacturing — to make inventory-related decisions. Software products essentially are used to help a person who seeks to become an inventory auditor to manage the deployment of his or her company’s goods and to make sure that these products meet market demand.

Gaining hands-on experience in this field is necessary to expand your employment opportunities. You should look for a company who is willing to help you to practice revising the business' production schedules or confirming the details of product shipments. Acquiring the experience that you need in order to pursue a material handling vehicle license, which might be required to claim jobs in this field, also is a benefit of completing an internship at an organization. Working as a volunteer actually can lead to permanent employment opportunities, during which you will receive further on-the-job training to successfully become an inventory auditor.