Vault’s Verdict

Bennett Thrasher is seeking hardworking, detail-oriented, team players who are willing to learn and fit with the firm’s family-focused culture. Interns with the firm are provided with in-depth training, many networking opportunities, and a supportive, helpful culture. For its full-time staff, Bennett Thrasher offers robust informal training and self-paced career development, so you can progress as fast as you want. While some insiders say there could be more formal training and more clearly defined guidelines for promotions, most appreciate the firm’s entrepreneurial environment.

Bennett Thrasher is committed to providing a healthy work-life balance to its staff, offering a lot of schedule flexibility, a generous PTO policy, and many workplace initiatives (the childcare program is said to be life-changing). On the other hand, like at most accounting firms, the busy season usually means longer hours and high stress, and some insiders say the increase in client base is boosting workload. But in general, the quality of life is high at the firm. Meanwhile, compensation and benefits are said to be above average, though some insiders note that salaries could be slightly higher and others say that the vesting period for the 401(k) could be shorter.

Inclusion efforts are very strong. The firm has many business resource groups that are active and effective, and insiders say the firm offers all professionals equal access to high quality work and promotion opportunities. Some insiders, though, note that there could be more women at the senior level. And as for the firm’s business outlook, insiders nearly unanimously say that Bennett Thrasher’s future is very bright, pointing to strong employee morale, a growing client base, and a commitment to organic expansion—which sets the firm apart from competitor firms accepting private equity investments.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Quality of Life

• “Our firm is very receptive to feedback regarding work-life balance. Even during busy season, the firm is understanding and supportive when employees experience the loss of a loved one, need to care for family, or request time off with approval. The firm encourages open communication and is committed to helping employees maintain a healthy and sustainable work-life balance.”
• “BT prioritizes benefits for families and flexibility for working parents, which is really nice. The only downside to work-life balance at the firm is that we are growing our client base quicker than we are growing our workforce, so there can tend to be more on your plate in general to handle the client load. Though, I think a lot of this is industry-related and not necessarily specific to BT.”
• “I like that we have a lot of holidays and PTO but there are so many restrictions on when it can be taken that I often cannot use the vacation I am allotted.”
• “Best aspects: Half-day Fridays in the summer, four weeks of PTO for all associates that doesn’t accrue, sabbatical leave after two years at the firm, an extended July 4th holiday (three days), and a ‘soft close’ between Christmas and New Year’s. Worst aspects: Honestly, the quality of life is pretty good. If I had to pick something, it’s the occasional reminder that ‘we’re still a professional services firm, so we have to be responsible.’

Compensation

• “Our firm is a regional firm, so while compensation may not always match Big 4 levels, we make up for it with excellent benefits, strong work-life balance, and generous bonus incentives. We also offer referral compensation for both new business and new hires brought into the firm.”
• “Base salary appears slightly lower than national average for the same position and experience. However, benefits and perks are slightly above average.”
• “Benefits are as good as can be expected given a firm our size. The childcare assistance program is truly life-changing. This investment in the firm’s employees shows me how much BT actually cares. It makes me excited to work to make sure that I ‘earn’ this benefit. I feel very fortunate to work at a place like this that cares so much for its employees.”
• “I think my salary is okay for someone with my level of experience and how much I work. I know I could be paid more elsewhere, but I wouldn’t be as happy, so there is a trade-off. I believe our benefits are very good for childcare and health insurance. The 401(k) is good but takes a long time to actually be fully vested. I did not receive a signing bonus when I joined the company. They have free meals but rarely for my team. We do not receive many discounts that I know of outside of what is offered in Working Advantage.”

Career Development

• “Best aspects: very self-paced career development so you can go as fast as you want, and people will support you if you communicate your goals to them. Worst aspects: not as clear guidelines for promotion, very do-it-yourself, so need to have clear goals and self-promotion.”
• “For the most part, training and promotions are pretty straight-forward, and standards are clearly communicated. However, we need to work on our feedback process because there are inconsistencies in what people are hearing about their performance vs. what is discussed about them at the partner level. I know this is being addressed.”
• “I believe my guide and the partners that I work closely with care about me as a person. I do believe they want to see me succeed. However, the path to success can be unclear and I feel like we aren’t given very clear or direct feedback.”
• “Relationships in the firm are very tight-knit so lots of informal training exists. However, I think the strength of our informal training can cause us to gloss over our formal training somewhat.”

Inclusion Efforts

• “Our firm hosts Business Resource Group (BRG) events led by members of each respective group. We have five BRGs, and they organize multiple events throughout the year. Additionally, our monthly newsletter features an 'inclusion word of the month,' which highlights and defines a term that many people have heard but may not fully understand. Our firm celebrates inclusion and all people have opportunities for high-quality work and promotion.”
• “I feel like all professionals at our firm have equal access to high quality work and promotion opportunities. Leadership has made great strides in this area. I think they do a great job of providing equal opportunities to all, without creating a perception that they are holding anyone else back to promote certain historically disadvantaged groups either. So, best of both worlds.”
• “I think in general BT has made admirable efforts to be inclusive, though there is room for continued growth. At least in my group, the only partners are white men. Additionally, of the 18 employees in my group that are managers or higher, only one of those people is not white. I suspect that those numbers are somewhat due to external factors outside the control of BT. Nonetheless, those numbers don't look great from the outside.”
• “I feel the firm is inclusive and offers fair opportunities to all. That said, there aren’t a ton of women in leadership, but they seem to be making an effort to change that.”

Business Outlook

• “Employee morale seems to be good, even in tough times of this year. The firm is also committed to its organic expansion, which will set it apart against private equity and similar firms.”
• “Our firm has a strong outlook heading into 2030, with a commitment to continued growth and improvement. We are working toward becoming a top-50 firm supported by strategic investments. Our employees remain highly engaged and satisfied, thanks to our people-first culture. Overall, the firm is well-positioned for long-term success.”
• “The business outlook is very good with a continuously growing client base, and new partners being promoted every year. I think the biggest struggle will be trying to not overwork employees when the client base is growing at a faster pace than our personnel.”
• “I appreciate that the firm is always looking for ways to improve and grow. We have great leadership. I also appreciate that the firm does not plan to sell out to private equity and plans to keep the culture.”

Intern Experience

• “The internship gave us the opportunity to build strong connections within our intern class. Many of the interns I started with are still some of my closest colleagues today. The program also offered in-depth training, which prepared us far better than relying solely on on-the-job learning.”
• “The best part of the internship was the constant training provided. I felt I was always learning—we were offered training not just on our daily tasks but also on tasks we might encounter just by being in the tax field. I also felt very supported. I didn’t just feel like somebody doing busy work like I had at previous internships. I was working on the same projects that staff would work on. I don’t really have anything negative to say about my internship experience.”
• “The internship program involved intern specific events that allowed us to socialize and network with interns in other departments we would not normally cross paths with, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the internship. Additionally, there were designated individuals and meetings where interns could voice concerns or ask for help. ”
• “The best aspects were that everyone here was very welcoming and open to all the questions I had. They would never make me feel dumb for asking any type of question. The department was very helpful in making me feel comfortable here.”
• “QUOTE”

Hiring Process

• “We have a very good recruiting manager and we are quick to contact potential candidates. The ideal candidate would be someone who is committed to level of work that public accounting demands, good with people, competent, and who fits in well with the firm’s family-focused culture.”
• “I think the firm does a good job of hiring people that mesh with firm culture—hardworking, yet fun and enjoyable to be around. Interviews are conducted by managers and partners, and prospective employees are invited to firm events and office visits.”
• “The recruiters were very communicative with me when I was in the hiring process and were glad to answer any questions I had. I believe we are looking for new hires who are hardworking and willing to learn.”

Interview Questions

• “Tell me about yourself? What role do you like to take on a team? Do you prefer to collaborate or work by yourself? What got you into accounting? What drives you? What are some of your long-term and short-term goals?”
• “The firm asked a few behavioral questions, but mostly asked questions about school and prior work experience. They also asked why I wanted to work at Bennett Thrasher.”
• “Personality is very important at the firm, so the interview is mostly a conversation. They like to hear about your interests, especially if it’s a specific department or industry that you would like to try.”
• “Tell me about a time you had to work through a difficult situation and how you handled that. Describe a time when you solved a problem. Our interview questions are mostly behavioral in my experience—not technical.”

UPPERS

• “People and culture: I truly love the people and what the firm stands for.”
• “Flexibility and ability to work remotely.”
• “Entrepreneurial environment where high performing individuals can excel.”

DOWNERS

• “Hours can be long during busy season (to be expected).”
• “Compensation.”
• “Firm leadership and employees are not on the same page.”