Vault’s Verdict

Armanino is ideally looking for intelligent, driven, organized candidates who are eager to learn and have strong communication skills. For students, the firm offers an excellent internship program. Interns get hands-on experience, exposure to real work, mentoring opportunities, and both formal and on-the-job training. For its full-time staff, Armanino offers many growth opportunities, including internal mobility options, clear promotion paths, valuable mentoring, and good training.

During the busy tax seasons, it can be difficult to find work/life balance or take PTO. However, outside those times, a healthy work/life balance can be achieved, and vacation is easy to take. In addition, insiders rave about the ability to keep flexible schedules. Meanwhile, salaries, bonuses, and benefits are said to be standard for the industry. Adding to that, Armanino has many wellness offerings, including virtual meditation and yoga programs, reference materials on wellness, and a monthly wellness/fitness stipend. (It’s important to note that perks, including any referenced below, may vary depending on location.)

Armanino has an inclusive culture and diverse workforce. The firm has many active employee resource groups, including those for women, LBGTQ+ individuals, and people of color. In addition, the firm is a certified B Corp, which means it has met certain standards of social and environmental performance. As for Armanino’s business outlook, the firm is rapidly growing, thanks in part to a recent minority investment from a private equity firm. While some insiders say this investment is a positive thing, others are uncertain about what the impact of it will be going forward.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

“The recruiter performs a screening call, then puts the candidate through a series of remote interviews with a manager and two partners. Each interviewer has a set of questions they must ask the candidate in addition to getting to know them. Immediately after each interview, the interviewer completes a survey with a series of questions that leads to a decision on whether or not to continue the conversation. If yes, the candidate is evaluated against other candidates vying for the position. Ideal candidates have a passion for learning, are great communicators and writers, and are well organized.”

“The firm is good at the callback process. The ideal candidate the firm is seeking is someone who takes initiative, wants to learn and grow, is interested in improving processes, and wants to contribute to the firm’s success and growth.”

“The ideal candidate always needs to be smart, with a capacity to learn, and be a great communicator. New hires need to be even more adaptive to change than those in the past, as technology and the world in general is moving at an ever faster pace and we need employees to be able to keep up with that pace, adapt to the ever-changing environment, and, more importantly, lead from the front when it comes to emerging markets, technology (AI, etc.), and people.”

“We have a strong presence on campus with great recruiters. Candidates are first interviewed by the recruiter and then are interviewed by two members of the service line they are applying to, either at the same time or separately. Our firm strives to seek outgoing individuals who have not just the technical knowledge to succeed in public accounting but also the unteachable qualities necessary for business development.”

Interview Questions

“Describe a time when you had to work on a group project and someone in the group was not pulling their weight. What did you do? What was the result of the project? Describe a time when you took a leadership role. How did you lead your teams? How did you manage any friction with those on the team you led?”

“What made you choose major such as accounting. Why are you pursuing a career in accounting? Was accounting your first choice in selecting a major?”

“The interview questions were more personal instead of knowledge-based. They asked why I chose accounting and what my goals with the profession were.”

“Tell me about yourself. What is your background? Biggest weaknesses? Where do you expect to go in your career/what are you looking to do?”

Internship Experience

“I was able to contribute to audit work and work on actual client projects to experience what the job was like.”

“The internship was very useful, helping to prepare me to become a full-time staff. I was paired with a Performance Coach who helped guide me along my internship and a Buddy who helped me on the day-to-day tasks. I was able to work on all different types of returns, such as partnerships, S Corps, trusts, and individual returns.”

“The best part of my internship was that I got actual experience on audit engagements and was able to sit in on meetings with managers, partners, and clients. It helped me to gain a better understanding of the daily tasks performed by lower-level associates as well as what to expect during a full-time position after college. However, I think the training for my internship could have gone more in-depth. There were lots of opportunities for on-the-job training, but I think a more thorough training in the first few weeks would have been helpful as well.”

“Armanino provided so many great events for interns to get to know each other as well as other colleagues in a casual setting. The firm really cares about the company culture and spends time investing in it. You get to do a lot of client work and contribute to the team by performing staff-level work. Also, every intern and new hire is assigned a ‘buddy.’”

Career Development

“We have an internal mobility program where you can anonymously apply to move departments. Promotions are based on ability rather than number of years in the current role. Promotion to partner is both need-based and performance-based. The firm offers significant growth potential for employees. Employees are encouraged to create a role for themselves with our focus on Best and Only in the industry.”

“I have been very fortunate to have some amazing mentors who have encouraged my ability to take on career development courses. Armanino has a great course set called AMP, and I have learned a ton from this program paired with engaging in the lessons throughout my workday with my managers.”

“While the formal training in my current department could be better, the resources for self CPE/training are abundant. You can make what you want of it. The promotion opportunities are there, and a lot of care goes into the promotion process.”

“Armanino has an incredibly valuable mentorship program; every employee is assigned a Performance Coach who is responsible for overseeing their professional development and career advancement. Beyond this personalized support, there are also a variety of firmwide initiatives to get employees involved beyond their day-to-day work and provide exposure to other business areas.”

Quality of Life

“The firm does a great job at encouraging us to take our PTO and keeping our availability up to date on our calendars. They give us plenty of paid holidays and recharge days. As with any public accounting firm, busy seasons require long hours that occasionally require us to work on weekends.”

“Vacation time is approved quickly, and I have not experienced any pushback on taking time off in the off season. During busy season, the billable hour requirements can be high, with little to no time for anything but work and sleep.”

“In my particular location, it is very easy to take PTO and very supported. Also, there is a lot of flexibility for those who need to leave at certain times/work slightly shifted hours for childcare.”

“Busy season is busy, but the company is clear about their expectations. Compared to the Big 4, we work fewer hours during peak and non-peak periods. The size and accounting quality of some clients can lead to lots of back and forth and insufficient support, which can cause audits to drag longer than expected, but if mitigated, Armanino offers great quality of life.”

Salary and Benefits

“Health and 401(k) benefits are standard for firms of our size, as is parental leave policies. We frequently bring in lunch for team members. We offer an onsite gym and locker room. Senior managers and above receive free parking, and the firm reimburses parking for those below senior manager. On-site childcare is not available in our buildings; however, the firm provides the resources for employees to search for childcare in their area.”

“The firm offers a very competitive base salary and good 401(k) match and health benefits. The firm has a parking reimbursement stipend. The firm occasionally offers bonuses for reaching a monthly charge hour goal. The firm does not do year-end bonuses or specific bonuses for promotions. The firm does not reimburse for overtime meals when working from home.”

“Parking and transportation for company events is always reimbursed. Raises from year to year can be very low compared to other firms and you can quickly find yourself making less money than brand new staff in the field. The 401(k) discretionary bonus has a five-year vesting period that only starts one year after your start date. We get $20 a month on DoorDash to pay for meals during busy season.”

“Benefits are okay. There are per diem reimbursements for phone, internet, and gym memberships. Compensation feels quite low in comparison to other accounting firms.”

Wellness Efforts

“The firm provides the standard wellness efforts (e.g., counseling, exercise programs, meditation). The firm also provides a small monthly stipend for wellness items such a gym membership, etc.”

“The firm has various wellness programs, offers virtual meditation and yoga programs, and has reference materials on wellness. They are now offering a monthly stipend to be put toward fitness purchases or gym memberships.”

“The firm has a monthly wellness newsletter that focuses on employee health and wellness and we offer a variety of other programs/support for those that need it.”

“The firm does a great job of providing wellness. There are countless professional aspects of help. There is also a free-to-access gym in the building that includes things like a racket ball court and climbing wall. We are also given a cumulative $20 per month on personal wellness which is extremely generous. Finally, there are plenty of invitations for things like skiing or hiking sent out by the office to help encourage fitness.”

Community Engagement

“The firm has give-back days where everyone is involved in giving back to our local communities. There are many groups you can join that promote women in accounting, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community, etc.”

“Armanino is amazing and has a Great Give Day in which we all take time off to give to the community. We also participate in a community forest in which we can purchase trees to be planted. I see an increase over the years of female partners and our leadership’s pride in this aspect. I am lucky to be a part of a group within our company that promotes diversity and am so excited to share this passion with my employees. I have heard nothing but great feedback about their presentations.”

“Inclusivity is very important to Armanino. The Bridge is dedicated to encouraging career development for female employees at all levels of the organization, and we have significantly increased the percentage of women in the partner role. We also have IDEAL, which is our program for LGBTQ+ individuals and minorities. IDEAL releases educational content and in-office programs. Bridge and IDEAL together run the Executive Access Program, which partners women, LGTBQ+, and minority leaders with seasoned partners to help mentor them over two years. Many of those who graduate from the Executive Access Program are considered for leadership programs.”

“The firm created a women’s advancement network [now known as the Bridge] with a pledge from the CEO that we’d advance more women in the profession and there is no more resounding proof in the efficacy of that effort than having more women promoted to partner in the past few years. The firm is also a certified B Corp, which is a resounding plus for our firm’s efforts as it relates to ESG initiatives.”

Business Outlook

“With the recent minority investment from Further Global, we are in a great position to close more M&A and expand in the U.S. We also continue to streamline and improve policies, procedures, and reporting since the implementation of Workday in August 2023.

“We are trying to grow inorganically and growing faster than we can keep up with, from a competency and capabilities standpoint. Overall, my view of the business outlook is somewhat negative. In the past year, we have lost some really high performing individuals and have been unable to replace them.”

“With the recent private equity deal, it is clearer than ever that profit comes before anything else, and priorities are not where they should be to catch it before it falls even further. With the size of the PE deal, you would hope some of that cash influx would go to the people who keep the gears turning, but that doesn't appear to be the case. All of this said, I have had a great experience with my specific team leadership. They care greatly about my well-being and ensure that I am getting what I want out of the job, outside of what they can't control.”

“I believe my firm has extremely strong leaders. They are knowledgeable, from every walk of life, and I know I can count on them professionally and also as individuals. While I feel confident in the business outlook of my firm, since we had a recent partial acquisition, there are uncertainties for what impact that will have going forward.”

UPPERS
“Great, supportive people and great, collaborative culture”
“Flexibility for start and end hours and ability to work remotely”
“Growth opportunities”

DOWNERS
“Long hours during busy season”
“Below market compensation”
“Growing pains, constant change, moving very fast all the time”