Vault’s Verdict

Baker Tilly is ideally looking for personable, hardworking team players with strong critical-thinking skills. For students, the firm runs a rewarding internship program, providing interns with significant hands-on experience, many networking opportunities, and an accurate look at what it’s like work for the firm on a full-time basis. For its full-time staff, Baker Tilly provides extensive growth and development opportunities, including valuable trainings and mentoring and clear promotion paths.

During the busy season, the hours are typically long, and it can be difficult to find work/life balance and take time off. However, outside busy season, staff can achieve work/life balance, and vacation is easy to take. When it comes to quality of life, staff particularly rave about their flexible schedules and ability to work remotely. On the other hand, insiders aren’t pleased about the focus on chargeable hours. As for compensation, salaries are said to be average, if not slightly below average compared to competitors. However, benefits and perks get very good reviews, with insiders especially appreciating the generous parental leave, 401(k) contributions, tuition reimbursements, and healthcare options. In addition, wellness offerings are extensive; they include a $350 annual fitness reimbursement, free access to various fitness and meditation apps, gym reimbursements, exercise programs, and more.

Baker Tilly has a very inclusive culture and makes a significant effort to promote both diversity and philanthropy through various programs, groups, and initiatives. As for the firm’s business outlook, Baker Tilly’s growing at a very fast pace, which is positive for business but also comes with its growing pains, including employees feeling overworked and underappreciated. However, insiders are hopeful that the firm will be able to achieve its aggressive growth goals while maintaining its congenial culture.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

“Step 1: HR screening, phone call. Step 2: Virtual interview with your future team, Zoom/Teams call. Step 3: Offer decision, typically within 48 hours of step 2. The ideal candidate at the college graduate level is someone who is able to learn and adapt, as well as communicate openly and manage a workload of several ongoing projects at once (with different direct reports for each one). ‘We can teach you the accounting, but we can't teach you how to engage with us and learn.’ A big bonus is expressing having a clear plan to pass the CPA exams.”

“Ideal candidate has good critical thinking skills—there’s a lot of information to know, so being able to decipher what is applicable vs. isn’t can be 50 percent of the battle. It’s also important to have good teamwork skills—you need to be able to work with a lot of different types of people and build rapport with team members.”

“We try to expose the prospective employee to as many team members as practicable, while not wasting too much of anyone’s time. Depending on the team involved, it may require four to five interviews. Our ideal candidate is someone who is personable, enjoys learning, works hard, and is somewhat scrappy. This firm is a great place to work if you are able to push yourself.”

“Interview and callback process seems standard/typical for public accounting. Firm is seeking candidates who are hardworking, ethical, care about others by teaching/training them, and are dedicated to helping ensure success of clients and colleagues.”

Interview Questions

“Tell me about a time when you had to use written communication skills to get an important point across. How do you think the life of a student and an employee will be different? How will you prepare for the differences? Tell me about a time when you almost gave up, how you felt about the situation, and what you did instead of giving up? Tell me about a time when you participated in a service activity. What did it mean to you? Give me an example of when you had to complete an assignment or project that you were not enthusiastic about. How did you approach it and what was the outcome?”

“Are you planning on pursuing a CPA or other education? What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? Are you willing to commute/travel as necessary? What are some of your long-term career goals? Where do you see your future at this firm?”

“What assets would you bring to the team? Why are you interested in working for the firm? Any examples in schoolwork examples that you showed leadership in?”

“Tell me about a time you were put in a leadership position, what were some obstacles you faced, and how did you overcome them? Outside of classes, how do you feel you have prepared for a career in public accounting?”

Internship Experience

“The best aspect of the internship was the hands-on experience where I was able to learn and grow while being given the opportunity to hold real responsibility in a work environment. Most challenging would probably be the stress of not knowing everything and failing to hit hourly budgets.”

“Best aspect was being able to experience what working full time at the company was like, and to be able to experience the firm culture and meet numerous individuals. There were periods that I didn’t have items to work on since the internship was in the summer.”

“I was able to have a very ‘real’ internship experience as my team allowed me to attend client meetings, communicate with clients on the daily, and take on normal associate-like tasks. This was the best part of my internship as I feel it really prepared me for what the career will be like. The worst part was the communication at the beginning of my internship. Sometimes it felt like the expectations as an intern were not directly communicated, part of which comes with a new role in general. It got much better as time went on after I voiced my confusion and concerns.”

“Best: the effort of the company to have us meet as many people as possible and being able to experience real-life meetings and interactions with clients. They set up a shadow day where we could shadow a partner for the day, so I got to shadow a managing partner and sit in on prospective client meetings or internal meetings. I think the summertime is generally just a slow time for the audit departments, so there were days when I didn't really do much, but that gave me the opportunity to talk to more people and just learn as much as I can from expectations, day to day operations, etc.”

Career Development

“Nobody is held back from excelling at the firm. If you are focused and motivated, the firm will reward and promote you. Information, access to knowledge, and client opportunities abound.”

“Extensive training programs to help employees develop new skills and stay updated with industry trends. Access to experienced mentors to provide valuable guidance and support for career growth. Clear and structured career progression paths. Access to resources such as workshops, seminars, and online courses A culture that encourages learning and development.”

“The peer-to-peer training (mentorships and informal) has been the best I’ve ever received. The firm has retained kind, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable individuals. Some of the formal training, while hitting its key goals, fails to capture my interest. Some of the trainings are less interesting and effective than others.”

“There are always new challenges and learning opportunities. They focused on the area I was good at when first joining and have slowly expanded my interaction with other areas I am not as comfortable in. Everyone wants to see me succeed in my role.”

Quality of Life

“Use of vacation is very easy, but there are significant periods of time throughout year in which it is expected that PTO is not taken due to busy periods and client deadlines. This can sometimes be the majority of the year and leave three to four months for available PTO periods.”

“The offering of ‘open time off’ is very attractive but not exactly realistic. When accounting for the amount of total and chargeable hours that are required on an annual basis, you end up not being able to take any additional time off beyond what any other firm would offer as a standard—each PTO day you take eats into your total hours required for the year, and you have to account for that. The firm does encourage employees to take time off, though.”

“Because of the line of work that I do, I’m working more than 50-hour weeks for half of the year. Over the past year or so, it’s become very difficult to schedule PTO and other similar types of time off due to the fact that we are now trying to schedule everything a year in advance at minimum. As a result, all of my time off is predetermined well ahead of time, which makes it very difficult if plans change or something comes up that I would like time off for.”

“The firm tries to promote a healthy work/life balance. However, with the pressure that they put on hours, it’s very difficult to accomplish. There are many initiatives that they put in place that are centered around billable hours, and I understand that’s how we make money, but it causes unnecessary stress. This also causes you to want to make up the hours during busy seasons if you weren’t busy during the off-season. So, by making up the hours, you’re working overtime all week to reach your goals.”

Salary and Benefits

“I think overall we offer competitive salaries and are generous with raises and the perks that we have. Bonuses I would like to see a bit higher. However, I do really appreciate that we still offer them—I know they’re not required. So, overall, I think we do a good job.”

“Salaries seem to be a bit low, but the benefits are very good, the parental leave in particular. And the added resources to support mothers is incredible.”

“Benefits and perks are generous and fairly extensive, including basics like 401(k) and healthcare, as well as additional benefits like a monthly tuition reimbursement, annual exercise costs credit, and childcare/senior care options, pet insurance plans, etc. Compensation (at least for entry-level positions) is low given the job responsibilities and expectations, inflation, and competitive positions.”

“Salaries appear to be at or a little below industry averages. The health insurance plan and employee premiums are competitive, and the employer safe harbor 401(k) contributions are nice, but there aren't a lot of other perks that apply to a majority of employees.”

Wellness Efforts

“Fitness reimbursement is really good ($350 a year). They have so many resources to help you with both your physical and mental health, including free subscriptions to Burnalong and other fitness apps as well as Headspace and other ways to get mental help if needed.”

“The firm offers a lot of perks for health and wellness. They have reimbursements for gym memberships, exercise equipment, etc. They offer a lot in this area.”

“Continued efforts have been made to roll out wellness and health programs for employees. Feels like management truly cares about employees and wants to make resources available.”

“Exercise programs and care for those needing the assistance. However, it’s difficult to utilize the programs for almost half the year due to charge-hour requirements and limited availability in some geographies.”

Community Engagement

“We have large initiatives to educate team members and have a strong sense of inclusion among diverse team members. We could have more partner involvement in our diversity programs, though. And I would like to see more sustainability efforts in office.”

“The firm has a program called GROW (Growth and Retention of Women) and other groups you can join to help with career development. And, in general, there are significant efforts to promote both diversity and philanthropy. The firm is highly inclusive. There are multiple programs, initiatives, and firm-sponsored time for volunteering, small credits to donate to your choice of charity, and internal philanthropy platforms. Green initiatives are present but not very notable.”

“Our firm is always coming up with new ways to give back to the community, whether that’s through active volunteering, charitable donations, and providing gifts to families in need around the holidays. We have a stewardship week every year where we are all expected to take time away from our day to volunteer somewhere in need. Around the holidays, the firm gave us each $50 to put toward an organization of our choice, and they also provided us with the opportunity to nominate multiple organizations to each receive a $10,000 grant. In terms of diversity, I’m still waiting for the day when there are more female partners. Our office specifically does not have many. However, overall, the firm does have a DIBS (diversity, inclusion, belonging) group that solely focuses on our diversity and inclusion efforts across all minority groups. We have a very inclusive culture.”

“I just recently joined the SOAR group, which is meant to advocate for diversity and inclusion. It gives whoever wants to join an opportunity and platform to align their career with personal values. This is just one example of the best aspects of the firm when it comes to this topic. The firm is great with making sure everyone feels included and accepted.

Business Outlook

“The firm seems to be growing exponentially. Multiple mergers and acquisitions. Steady increase in client base and work year over year. Leadership seems capable from an executive standpoint. Constant add of additional offerings and services for clients.”

“Our firm is striving to grow by A LOT and FAST (it has the goal of becoming the fifth largest firm over the next five years or so). With this comes growing pains, particularly as it pertains to integrating newly acquired firms/companies into our firm. I have no problem with these goals as long as our culture remains the same. In other words, I don’t want to become like one of the Big 4.”

“We have ambitious growth goals to be a large middle-market firm, but I worry about the turnover and expectations of the current staff to get there. Many feel burnout a lot quicker than in prior years.”

“Baker Tilly has shown a strong ability to adapt to evolving market conditions, which is crucial for staying competitive. The firm is also leveraging advancements in technology, such as artificial intelligence, to enhance its services and improve efficiency. In addition, Baker Tilly provides valuable strategic insights, particularly in the insurance industry, helping clients navigate complex regulatory landscapes and market dynamics. And the firm is committed to innovation, which includes staying ahead of trends and integrating new technologies into their operations.”

UPPERS
“Great, friendly people and great, collaborative culture”
“Flexible schedule and ability to work remotely”
“Growth opportunities—extensive training, lots of mentoring, challenging work”

DOWNERS
“Hours, work/life balance, and stress during busy season”
“Compensation compared to hours worked”
“Administrative and corporate red tape”