Vault’s Verdict

Frank, Rimerman is looking for hardworking, motivated team players who are eager to learn, excited about the firm, and fit in with its culture. For students, the firm offers rewarding internships. Interns get hands-on experience in a rotational program, providing them with exposure to a variety of departments. For its full-time staff, Frank, Rimerman offers extensive growth opportunities, including valuable training and mentoring and clear promotion paths.

During busy season, hours can be long, and it can be hard to take PTO and achieve work/life balance. However, outside that time, the quality of life is excellent, and it’s easy to find work/life balance and take vacation. Meanwhile, salaries, perks, and benefits are competitive. The only downside about the compensation package is there are no bonuses. Wellness offerings, though, are plentiful and include access to counseling, stipends that can be used towards gym memberships and other health-related programs, and more.

The firm’s culture is inclusive, and the firm’s staff is relatively diverse with respect to gender and race. Frank, Rimerman is also focused on giving back and philanthropy. With respect to its business outlook, Frank, Rimerman is a growing firm, employee morale is strong, and staff have a lot of confidence in the firm’s new leadership team.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

“The process is very competitive. The firm hires people who are quick learners and willing to dive in headfirst to new concepts and projects. The person should also be very collaborative, as working and teaching others is a huge part of the firm culture.”

“My interviews felt very conversational and stress-free like I was talking to an old friend. There were two rounds in order to obtain the internship: one half-hour interview with a recruiter and one hour-long interview with a senior associate and a director. I believe they’re looking to hire not only qualified candidates but also people you would like to work with five days of the week. I feel like everyone in my start class is very different from one another, yet it’s been easy to make conversation and form friendships that exist outside of the workplace.”

“The firm is looking for candidates who are CPA eligible and who are good overall people. The interviews are designed to see the candidates’ personalities. We like to see people who are coachable/willing to learn, excited about the firm and the job, and seem like they will fit in with the culture.”

“We’re seeking highly motivated individuals with a willingness to learn. Someone who’s a team player and knows the additional workload that will come with a busy season.”

Interview Questions

“The interview process made me feel very comfortable and confident. I was confident discussing myself and what I would bring to the firm. I was also comfortable asking questions and learning about what a career would look like with the firm.”

“What do you do for fun? What got you into accounting? Hobbies? Why would you like to work for our firm?”

“Tell me about yourself. Are you CPA eligible? Examples of experience working in a team.”

“Be yourself!”

Internship Experience

“The internship was incredibly useful and unique in that it offered a rotational aspect in which I could get a glimpse into multiple departments in accounting, something most other firms do not have. The internship runs like a well-oiled machine.”

“I was able to meet so many people across a few different Bay Area offices, so I had an established relationship with much of the firm before I was full time. The internship was also rotational, allowing experience in the major departments prior to making a full-time decision.”

“There was never a day where I wasn’t learning something new. The culture of the firm is very welcoming and puts professional and personal learning as a high priority. A downside of the internship was there were a lot of presentation and training days; I wish there was more hands-on work throughout the internship.”

“I gained experience working with audit associates at my firm to understand what my career would look like prior to graduation. I was also involved in team meetings within the department where I got to interact with employees and different levels of their career. This opportunity really sold me on the profession and the opportunity to grow as a public accountant at Frank Rimerman.”

Career Development

“Frank Rimerman does a fantastic job at preparing each individual for their position. The training is extensive and always available. There are numerous resources to help individuals dive into a deeper topic for better understanding. There is a lot of mentorship; I can go to my career counselor at any time for any questions. I also really appreciate the promotion policies. I know exactly where I stand at all times, and there are many opportunities for me to move up in my career.

“The firm invests the most, of anything else, into its people. Each department has dedicated task forces geared towards professional development as well as buddy and career counseling resources at every level. Part of the reason I haven't searched for another job outside of Frank Rimerman is that this investment has created endless opportunities for me to grow within the firm.”

“The firm has a good track of promoting if you’re performing to expectation, and expectations are relatively clear. While the promotion path is linear, there’s not much flexibility in terms of accelerated growth.”

“The firm provides you with extensive training and also provides you with resources to continue your development as much or as little as you would like. We are equipped with a career counselor for guidance within our department who is always there for guidance and candid conversations about new opportunities. When you are new you also have a mentor you can go to in order to seek out more opportunities and also to get more personal insight on firm culture and procedures.”

Quality of Life

“I have no complaints about my firm’s quality of life. I feel like my mental health is incredibly valued, and the firm has set up several policies and procedures to ensure their staff are content. The company culture is outstanding—I genuinely enjoy working with everyone I have had the opportunity to work with and have remained close with friends I have made through work.”

“It is public accounting and client services, so there are busier times of the year. But the firm does not establish set work hours, schedules, etc. You are generally free to work when you want as long as your job gets done. They are also amenable to people working 40 hours a week and not much more.”

“The culture at Frank, Rimerman is amazing! I’ve met really amazing people, and it’s very clear the firm values the employees. They always throw big holiday parties and give us other benefits throughout the year, like a busy season meal credit. Busy season hours are definitely a lot, but they’re less than what I’ve heard people work at other firms. The most I’ve worked is about 55 billable hours a week during busy season. We always discuss ways to make busy season manageable, but I’'s hard to have work/life balance during this time. Outside of busy season, work/life balance is really encouraged. They also encourage us to use our PTO especially when busy season ends.”

“Vacation time is very easy to schedule outside of traditional spring and fall busy seasons. The firm does a great job utilizing remote employees and providing flexible hours that promote work/life balance. Generally, overtime hours are minimal outside of busy seasons.”

Salary and Benefits

“Solid salaries, usually in line with the Big 4. Solid benefits, and they’re always adding more. Nice office perks like lunch, snacks, and drinks.”

“Salary is fantastic. However, there is no annual bonus plan.”

“I feel satisfied that they’re paying a good wage, and it hasn’t made me think of leaving the firm. Benefits aren’t great compared to private/public SaaS companies, but that’s typical across all accounting service firms. They do try to provide free lunches at least once a week. “

“Our salaries seem pretty in line with other public accounting firms. The firm doesn’t offer bonuses, but the tax department recently added a bonus for coming into the office three days a week. Raises have decreased each year since I joined the firm, since inflation was really high when I started. That’s been a little discouraging but raises have still been very good overall. The firm offers a lot of benefits and perks. They offer a meal credit during busy season, 401(k) match, and a $75 stipend to use for various wellness things. They also participate in a secondment program with accounting firms in Australia, and a ‘FRCO Abroad’ program where select employees work from Argentina for a month.”

Wellness Efforts

“The firm provides many options in-house for counseling, mental health, FRCO Flex (monthly allowance for fitness, mental health, etc.), and other health-based options. They also allow for a flexible work schedule to encourage taking breaks during the day or exercise, mental wellbeing, etc.”

“The firm offers access to counseling, a stipend that can be used towards gym memberships and other health-related programs, and access to gyms at each office location. The firm also keeps a room available for meditation at each office location.”

“10 free sessions for an online therapy provider and $75 a month for general wellness that can be submit as a claim.”

“I think the firm does a great job in providing extra wellness benefits.
The firm sponsors a therapy plan called Spring Health that is much more effective than going through insurance. But there are no longer firm sports teams, meditation, or nutrition education.”

Community Engagement

“The firm is constantly working to improve their diversity, green, and philanthropic practices. There are meetings biannually to let the rest of the firm know what is going on and what ideas they have come up with.”

“The diversity at the firm with respect to women is really good. We have a lot of female partners, and they are spread out throughout all the different departments. I’m not sure what the gender ratio is across the firm, but it seems like there is about an equal number of men and women. I do think the firm is relatively diverse with respect to race and ethnicity. I am a POC and there are a lot of other POC at the firm, including in the partner role. However, this can always be improved. I think the firm can do better with diversity related to LGBTQ+ individuals.”

“The firm does charitable giving and matching donation campaigns. The firm is very inclusive and discusses diversity—leadership talks about the benefits of having a diverse workforce.”

“I was very impressed when I flew out to my firm’s headquarters for a week-long training, and we spent half of a day doing philanthropic work for children.

Business Outlook

“We are in a very successful area of the country and are consistently bringing in new clients other. The firm is undergoing a change in leadership from the managing partner and head of tax, and it will be interesting to see how they plan to grow the firm and business under the new leadership.”

“We’ve grown consistently year over year for my entire career, and growth has been achieved through organic growth rather than acquisition. We have excellent prospects over time.”

“The business is mostly composed of startups, VC funds, and high-net-worth individuals from startups and VC funds. This ecosystem has struggled in the last few years, but the business has maintained steady growth. I expect that growth to continue into the future.”

“The overall business outlook for the next 12 months is very good. Every year the firm pushes billings and continues to grow. We are also growing a lot internally, which means we can take on new clients. Firm leadership is very strong. We have a new head of the tax department and will soon have a new managing partner. This is a little scary knowing there are going to be some changes, but people who’ve been at the firm longer and know these partners have full confidence in them.”