Vault’s Verdict

Frank, Rimerman is looking for hardworking, friendly, down-to-earth candidates who take initiative, are eager to learn and improve, and communicate well. The firm’s internship program gets very good reviews, with former interns lauding the rotational aspect of the program, the access to friendly and helpful full-time staff, and the time to explore the Bay Area. The one drawback insiders note is the lack of hands-on client experience. For its full-time staff, Frank, Rimerman offers numerous development opportunities, including a lot of formal and informal training, a “buddy program,” and “career counselors,” who are committed to helping staff grow and reach their goals.

Although busy season requires long hours, the workload is not as heavy as it is at some of the firm’s peers. Outside of busy season, a healthy work/life balance is the norm, as staff are encouraged to rest and take time off. Many health and wellness benefits also promote work/life balance and well-being. Meanwhile, compensation is competitive, and the numerous benefits and perks include monthly stipends for health and wellness, weekly free catering, snacks and drinks in office, an on-site gym, free parking/transportation reimbursement, 401(k) company matching, career counseling, free therapy, and support for remote and in-person employees.

The firm is trying hard to improve the diversity of its workforce and has made progress but could still improve in this area. As for the firm’s business outlook, it is bright. The leadership team is strong and transparent and well respected, and employee morale is high. Frank, Rimerman is growing quickly and is well positioned to weather any economic downturn.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

“I interviewed with about five people at various levels which, to me, shows the firm’s dedication to a well-rounded hiring process. The firm’s ideal candidate is someone who takes initiative, is friendly to others, is eager to learn, is coachable, and communicates well. Often, candidates were very involved in college activities, especially relating to accounting.”

“It was incredibly easy to apply, interview, get an offer, and get onboarded at the firm. An ideal candidate is someone who is pursuing their CPA license and has a degree in accounting.”

“Interviews include several rounds of talking to employees at different levels. This helped me gain a better understanding of people at all levels. I believe the firm is looking for employees who want to learn and are willing to put in the effort. I feel there is less of a focus on degrees, grades, and prior experience than the attitude of the person they could be working with in the future.”

“FRCO’s interview process was very down-to-earth. The interviewers care about the individual and getting to know you instead of asking if you know journal entries. They care about the individual because they know that you will learn the other stuff as you work, but finding down-to-earth and friendly individuals is best.”

Interview Questions

“Where do you see yourself in the short, medium, and long term? Why did you choose the tax field? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you bring to the firm?”

“More of a conversation rather than any tough questions. Mostly discuss accounting field in general, hobbies, and the Bay Area.”

“I really appreciated the fact that I did not get drilled with intimidating questions; not to say that that’s good, bad, right, or wrong. I felt the firm, after being recommended by an existing employee and past colleague, was mostly interested in what I had done—personally, professionally, and academically—and to get a feel for what it might be like to work alongside me. I have never felt better about initial interviews than I had with this firm.”

“Why do you want to work in the Bay Area? What are some things you like to do outside of work and school? Why did you choose your university? Why do you want to work in public accounting?”

Internship Experience

“My internship was rotational, so we were able to experience several different departments, which was unique and helpful. School didn't really teach us about what it’s like to work in tax or audit, so it was nice to experience some of the work before forming opinions on each department. Everyone at the company was extremely friendly and helpful and made the internship experience very enjoyable. However, I would have liked more time doing hands-on work and less time listening to presentations about each department, some of which were repetitive.”

“Best parts were exploring the city, meeting all levels of folks at the firm, rotating through all departments, making friends, and being treated well by everybody. Only negative was there was not much real work so I did not entirely know what to expect as an associate.”

“Staff was extremely helpful and did a great job answering our questions. They also placed a strong emphasis on culture and teambuilding. However, most of the work was mock work and not real client work.”

“The best aspects of the internship were learning about the firm’s technical processes and getting to know the firm’s culture. The internship also provided opportunities to get to know the Bay Area though various events, which was a highlight as well. I don’t think there were many negatives to the internship.”

Career Development

“The firm makes your career development a priority, and I feel like I am being set up for future success through the programs the firm has set in place, such as the ‘buddy program’ and ‘career counselors.’”

“There is a lot of formal and informal training across departments, and from what I have heard, there is a lot of internal mobility for people to move to where they would be happiest. The firm has supported several collogues’ movement to different roles within the firm.”

“The firm is excellent at promoting from within. Partners make themselves available to teach as time permits, and every employee gets a career counselor, who is committed to helping develop and reach goals.”

“The best thing about the firm is how everyone is willing to support one another and elevate each other. People are very willing to share information and knowledge. I think the firm could do a better job of onboarding experienced hires, but otherwise, I think that people are able to develop the skills they enjoy using the most. From my experience, people can really build a custom career path here. If there’s something you’re interested in, the firm is willing to make it happen!”

Quality of Life

“The firm is very understanding of any life situations and encourages taking time off, except for in busy season.”

“Busy season is tough, but it’s not nearly as tough as other firms. The firm gives associates four weeks of PTO, and as an individual gets promoted, they may receive more. The firm also has health and wellness benefits to promote well-being. Everyone is encouraged to rest and take time off.”

“During busy season we grind a lot, but it is never crazy like horror stories we hear from big firms (70+ hours). Also, busy season does not last that long, and we can go back to having great work/life balance after.”

“The firm does a good job with work/life balance. There is a lot of flexibility outside of busy season. They plan a lot of fun events throughout the year to make sure employees know they are being appreciated. They understand that work needs to get done but employees need time to relax, too.”

Salary and Benefits

“Salaries are strong but could be stronger. Remote/hybrid teams are a huge plus. Benefits are generous, and PTO policies are excellent.”

“Competitive salaries. Monthly reimbursements for phone. Monthly wellness benefits. Four weeks PTO on top of two weeks’ worth of federal holidays. Employer 401(k)matching.”

“The firm is generous and values its employees. Our compensation is competitive. And there are countless benefits and perks, including but not limited to monthly stipends for gym/health and wellness, weekly free catering, snacks and drinks in office, on-site gym, free parking/transportation reimbursement, 401(k) company matching, and secondment programs where people can work abroad.”

“The firm doesn’t offer a bonus plan, but on the flip side, it compensates for that by providing a higher base salary. I personally prefer knowing the amount of money I’m going to get and not having the question mark of if I will receive a bonus or not. The firm offers lots of perks, and I don't take advantage of all of them. But there are some cool wellness reimbursement and home office reimbursements that I use to offset some pet bills (that is part of wellness) and my internet bill (home office reimbursement).”

Wellness Efforts

“Career counseling, free therapy, ample support for remote and in-person employees, and generous meal policies all help with a high overall sense of wellness at the firm.”

“We have a monthly stipend for health and wellness benefits and a wellness room in the office for those who need to rest or take a break. There is also a resource called Spring Health, which offers meditation courses and six free counseling sessions. There is a culture of working hard but resting as appropriate. There’s always a team effort so nobody gets overworked.”

“My firm offers a wellness stipend of $75 per month that can be used for anything wellness-related. They also offer therapy sessions through Spring Health. I think there’s more the firm could do, but they have a few good things so far.

“I think the firm’s wellness efforts are great and very clear. From help with gym memberships, to financial reimbursement of health-related products, to private counseling availability through an outsourced provider, etc., the firm seems to really have this area covered, and I get a strong impression the firm really cares and wants this for everyone.”

Diversity, Philanthropy, and Green Initiatives

“Incredibly diverse and takes an active role in the community to help those in need. In the office, we’re very respectful to all cultures and not afraid to create a safe space to deal with any wrongdoings immediately so they don’t happen again.”

“Our firm is trying really hard to improve the diversity of the workforce. However, in our start classes, there appears to be a lack of women. I don't believe this is an issue at only our firm, as it appears in general there are fewer women in accounting/audit than men. It is difficult for women to stay long at the firm, as they are underrepresented from the beginning. I would also like to see more people of color here at all levels.”

“The firm is about 50 percent women and about 30 percent of partners are women, so I think we’re doing pretty well on that. I feel like the firm is quite diverse racially and ethnically. There is still work that can be done to make the firm more diverse overall, but I think we have a very diverse group of people. I think the firm needs to still do a lot with environmental, social, and governance initiatives. I feel like they send emails, but that’s about it.”

“I think the firm is putting a lot of effort into this. However, I think accounting is still very heavily white male-dominated, despite all the effort. I don’t think this is the firm’s fault, though; the effort is there.”

Business Outlook

“Firm leadership interacts regularly with everyone and communicates upcoming goals and events, and the firm does not make a big deal of the competition (which I admire). The firm is growing so fast that I wonder how the culture will be maintained (though it has been good so far).”

“Morale is pretty strong. Upper level is very transparent about what direction they see the business going in.”

“I think the firm is pretty transparent about where we’re at, what our growth looks like, and our business risks. The firm has set itself up very well to weather economic downturn, and we are continuing to grow even in light of the economic downturns that we’ve been facing!”

“Our managing partner does an excellent job of being honest with us, and I trust his decision-making 100 percent. He does a very good job of looking out for all the employees. He is a great public speaker and just a generally awesome person. He is a huge reason for the overall morale of the firm.”