Vault’s Verdict

Frazier & Deeter is seeking hardworking, highly motivated individuals who are looking to grow personally and professionally. Being a cultural fit and having strong soft skills are also important. For students, FD runs an excellent internship program. Interns have access to meaning work, clients and senior staff, and different types of engagements.

For its full-time staff, FD offers the ability to drive your own career path—insiders say career development and opportunities are largely up to the employee; if they want to be promoted, they’re provided with the necessary skills and expectations to work towards that promotion. Insiders also say the firm’s practice of pairing each employee with a Performance Manager is very helpful for development.

FD does a good job of ensuring the employees have a good quality of life, is very accommodating in terms of PTO, and is understanding of outside commitments. Still, during the busy season it can be difficult to achieve much work-life balance. On the plus side, salaries are said to be competitive, and perks and benefits are generous.

Inclusion efforts are also strong, according to insiders, who note that the firm’s many affinity groups are active and effective. And with respect to FD’s business outlook, despite some growing pains, insiders say the firm’s future looks very bright. FD is actively acquiring and integrating new firms, expanding its services, entering new markets, and bringing in fresh expertise. As a result, employee morale is high.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Quality of Life

• “They do a good job of ensuring the employees have a good quality of life. During busy season you don’t have much work-life balance, but that’s how the cookie crumbles during busy season.”
• “We have a really great work-life balance. We have busy seasons, but everyone is very understanding of life commitments as long as you communicate and get your work done.”
• “As accounting firms go, ours does a good of promoting a reasonable measure of quality of life. However, as accounting firms naturally require individuals to remain ‘always on’ or at least ‘always ready,’ including during evenings, weekends, and even holidays, the ability to fully disengage and disconnect is often limited.”
• “Our firm is very accommodating in terms of PTO. We are also very diligent about updating our scheduling tools and leveling out the workload. We have a hybrid workplace model and are very flexible about working from home versus working from the office. The firm does a lot to encourage our teams to work from the office whenever possible. We have coffee stations, generous snack and drink options that are kept in stock, and we order in lunches often and are encouraged to take each other out to coffee breaks and lunches to help stay connected.”

Compensation

• “Salary is competitive with other firms of similar size, and benefits offered are very strong. We are missing some perks, but overall the firm takes care of its people financially.”
• “While entry-level pay is modest, there is significant opportunity for growth as you advance. The compensation ceiling is high and rewards experience and performance. The firm also offers excellent benefits. While entry-level salaries are on the lower side, which can be challenging initially, they are offset by the potential for rapid growth and the strong benefits package as you progress.”
• “Unlimited PTO is top-notch for the profession but needs guardrails to prevent abuse. Health insurance is good. New business bonus is very lucrative and open to all levels and lots of other personal perks that are best-in-class.”
• “They have a robust benefits offering and try to be in line with other firms in compensation.”

Career Development

• “Career development and opportunities are largely up to the employee. If you want to be promoted, you are provided the necessary skills and expectations to work towards the promotion.”
• “I can tell anyone what my goals are and feel that they’ll keep those in mind, providing me with opportunities to work towards them. We’re also paired with a Performance Manager (PM) who helps us develop a specific plan for our goals and how to achieve them. They check in on our progress, provide advice, and act as an advocate for us during semi-annual performance reviews. Even if your career goals do not ultimately involve you staying in public accounting or at Frazier & Deeter, they are willing to help you achieve them in the same manner.”
• “The firm utilizes an apprentice model for career development. New and existing team members receive formal training as well as informal training from all levels within the practice. Additional training options are available online and through outside events to support continued growth of the team. There is no fixed timeline for advancement from level to level. Advancement is based on how best individuals meet established roles and responsibilities markers rather than based on a specific number of years within a role.”
• “Lots of growth opportunities and ways to go deep and technical into some of our service offerings, if willing to take this on as an individual. Very supportive group for people who want to advance quickly in their careers. We also have leadership that is supportive of those who want to take a more measured approach with set boundaries. We could use more technical trainings as there are more systems and functionality that we need to get caught up on. AI is coming and our clients are asking about that too, so we need to level up in that area quickly.”

Inclusion Efforts

• “FD has IDEA Affinity Groups for many different groups. IDEA = Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness. Mission Statement: To foster an inclusive and equitable environment where diversity and authenticity are valued, and individuals thrive personally and professionally. Currently, we have groups for Parents, Latinos, Asians, LGBTQ, Women, People with Disabilities, and Black Employees. Participation is very active in all groups and the firm does a great job empowering involvement and spotlighting each group in different ways throughout the year. They truly give everyone a place to feel welcome and involved in their firm.”
• “FD provides everyone with the opportunity to thrive. There are multiple groups offered for employees to join based on causes that are important to them. FD has an outstanding People & Culture team that makes these opportunities available and publicizes them well.”
• “I believe the most important measure of inclusion is whether all employees are treated fairly and judged by the quality of their work, not by personal characteristics. While I respect the intent behind diversity initiatives, I think our firm should emphasize equal opportunity based on merit, performance, and professionalism rather than focusing on group identity. In my experience, everyone here has access to interesting work and promotion opportunities if they demonstrate ability, commitment, and results. To me, that is the essence of true inclusion—ensuring that no one is advantaged or disadvantaged because of factors unrelated to their contributions.”
• “We have a commitment to inclusion and everyone here is treated equally and fairly. Some of these groups are underrepresented in our firm but I know that is more a factor of the hiring environment rather than our selection process.”

Business Outlook

• “Outlook is high for growth. FD has been growth-oriented since getting its new growth equity partner in 2025, and we have already grown immensely since this investment. The plan for 2026 is more of this and we are preparing our infrastructure and people to handle this tremendous growth.”
• “We have phenomenal leaders who are highly approachable and genuinely listen to our needs. The open-door policy—from supervisors to the CEO—makes this an excellent place to work and be a team member. Thanks to our strong team dynamics, diversity of experience, and effective leadership, I do not believe there are many situations we could not handle. If challenges do arise, I am confident leadership will proactively plan to address and overcome them in the future.”
• “The business outlook looks very strong. We just received a growth investment from a reputable private equity firm and have completed two acquisitions in key markets and abroad. I believe we are positioned to take advantage of the coming AI boom as we are not so big that we cannot adjust quickly.”
• “Our firm’s business outlook is strong. We’re actively acquiring and integrating new firms, which helps us expand our services, enter new markets, and bring in fresh expertise. Employee morale is generally high thanks to our focus on development, inclusion, and engagement. The main challenge is managing the pace of acquisitions; integrating multiple firms at once can stretch resources and create temporary inefficiencies.”

Intern Experience

• “I loved my internship. I was able to do real audit work, travel to and interact with clients, and was treated like a real employee. Sometimes I had to work long hours, but I understood that it was part of the industry.”
• “The best part of my internship was the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and apply what I’ve learned in school. I appreciated being trusted with meaningful work and having the chance to learn directly from team members who were always willing to explain concepts, answer questions, and provide guidance. The exposure to different types of engagements and the collaborative team environment helped me build both technical skills and confidence in my work. The most challenging aspect of the internship was the learning curve, particularly at the beginning, when balancing new responsibilities with unfamiliar processes and systems. At times, the fast pace made it difficult to feel fully comfortable right away. However, this challenge ultimately helped me grow, improve my time management skills, and become more adaptable.”
• “The best aspects of my internship were the firm events to allow me exposure to the culture of the firm. The worst part was I interned during the summer so I did not get exposure to a true busy season feeling before I started full time.”
• “Most people were more than happy to answer questions ranging from internal processes to specific tax concepts. Some of the managers I worked with were less understanding of the knowledge gap that interns inherently possess.”

Hiring Process

• “FD’s interview process is thorough and designed to ensure that candidates align well with our company culture. We believe that finding the right fit is crucial for both the candidate and the organization, so we take the time to ask a variety of questions that delve into a candidate’s values, work style, and interpersonal skills. This comprehensive approach allows us to assess not only the technical qualifications but also the potential for collaboration and contribution to our team. By focusing on cultural alignment, we aim to build a cohesive and engaged workforce that thrives together.”
• “We are looking for hardworking individuals who are looking to grow personally and professionally. Being a culture fit is very important to us, and we want someone who will present well to clients. Soft skills are just as important as technical skills. I naturally gravitate to highly motivated individuals and I am willing to invest more in people who want to be invested in.”
• “Our ideal candidate is humble, hungry, and smart. Our recruitment and new hire experience must match that. Providing candidates and entry-level hires with an impressive, challenging client experience that also speaks to their own growth and development goals is crucial to our ability to expand our client base and margins.”
• “I think we have a great interview and callback. The ideal candidate is someone who is driven, capable, and has the same values that our firm has, which is focused on building trusted relationships.”

Interview Questions

• “We have some behavioral questions but mostly we just want to get to know the person and see if they would be a good fit. We will ask them about their previous experiences, what they are looking for in their next job, about their ability to work in teams, what their ideal number of days in the office are, etc.”
• “Describe valuable relationships in your current role today (i.e., mentors, direct reports, bosses, clients etc.). How have you learned to balance speed and quality? How have you organized your time over the last couple of days? What is an achievement you are proud of? When have you had to take a risk or make a sacrifice despite an uncertain outcome? How did it turn out? What did you learn?”
• “Typical interview questions at our firm include: How did you hear about us? What are your long-term goals? Do you prefer individual or team-based work? Do you enjoy traveling? What industries are you most interested in?”
• “Describe a time you encountered a challenge. How did you handle it? What’s the best team you’ve been a part of?”

UPPERS

• “Culture is unbeatable, and people are kind and helpful and will teach you things if you ask.”
• “Excellent growth opportunities”
• “Flexibility with working from home, not a lot of micro-managing”

DOWNERS

• “Managing workload during busy periods, which can be intense at times.”
• “Growing pains—we are growing rapidly and in a transitory period.”
• “Internal politics.”