Vault’s Verdict

PKF O'Connor Davies is looking for enthusiastic, hardworking, open-minded candidates who are willing to learn, have strong analytical skills and have a solid understanding of accounting. The organization runs a valuable internship program for students, offering hands-on experience, mentoring, supportive staff, and an open-door policy by seniors. Full-time staff have access to extensive career development opportunities, including great mentorship, a supportive and helpful culture, and valuable informal training. One drawback is that formal training could be better.

A healthy work/life balance can be achieved, as PKF O’Connor Davies provides a lot of flexibility with respect to where and when work gets done. PKF O’Connor Davies is very understanding of personal commitments outside of work and has a generous PTO policy. However, given the client-focused nature of the industry, hours can be long, especially during the busy tax season. Meanwhile, salaries and benefits are very competitive—insiders especially appreciate the hybrid work policy, Summer Fridays, and gym membership discounts. However, insiders also say that bonuses could be higher.

DEI is a focus at PKF O’Connor Davies, where diversity is valued and a dedicated DEI manager inspires an inclusive environment while ensuring that diversity considerations enter into all aspects of the organization’s decisions. While the practice is diverse at the lower levels, diversity at the higher levels could be better. As for business outlook, PKF O’Connor Davies has been growing aggressively in recent years, both organically and through acquisitions. Despite the growing pains that come along with acquiring other firms, as well as the industry-wide talent shortage, the future looks bright—the leadership team has positioned PKF O’Connor Davies to continue to grow and succeed.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

“The callback process and interview process are very smooth. The firm is looking for enthusiastic and open-minded professionals who are willing to learn. A lot of the learning happens on the job. Ideal candidates fit the great company culture, are hardworking, and have the mindset to learn from others.”

“The firm’s interview and callback process is very thorough and intentional. The ideal candidate that the firm is looking for is a team player with a good work ethic. A positive attitude is also an important attribute.”

“The firm is seeking hardworking, adaptable individuals who value work/ life balance. The interview process is not overly time consuming (either one or two interviews per candidate at most) and candidates can expect to hear back within the week on next steps.”

“Ideal candidate is motivated and willing and excited to learn. Candidate should be analytical and have a strong understanding of accounting.”

Interview Questions

“What are three effective leadership qualities you think are important? What have you done in your previous job or internships that goes above and beyond? Tell me about a time you worked with others … how did it go and how did you overcome any difficulties?”

“Why should we hire you? What is most important to you in a role or work environment? What are you hoping for in your next role? What do you know about the company? Describe your relationship with your current colleagues. What is the most recent thing you learned? What are you most proud of in your professional life so far? How would your former managers and coworkers describe you? Describe a challenging time for you and how you handled it. Did you play sports or were you involved in any clubs? Do you consider yourself a team player? If so, how was it demonstrated on your team or club?”

“Why did you choose to go into the accounting profession? Why do you prefer tax over say assurance or advisory services? What do you believe your strengths/ weaknesses are? How do you feel about working in groups? Name a time you created efficiencies at work? How does your previous work or class experience serve to help you in a role with the firm? What made you choose this firm to apply to?”

“Describe a situation where you were faced with a challenge and were (or were not) able to overcome it and the process that you went through. Describe how you work in a group setting and a recent example (good or bad) where there might have been a particular challenge.”

Internship Experience

“I liked the mentorship and open-door policy. I also liked the opportunity to connect with team members and learn more about my profession. One thing that could improve is the amount of feedback I got back as an intern. I got some valuable feedback but would have liked even more as an intern.”

“The best parts were the support from full-time workers, many of which I work with now, and the ability to see various aspects of what the full-time role would be like.”

“As an intern, I worked in an office with a partner who was easily available for any questions I had while performing my responsibilities. This gave me a lot of insight about not only the work I was doing but also the industry—I listened to his conversations throughout the day and how he spoke to clients. Additionally, I was able to participate in fieldwork with audit teams.”

“The internship was amazing. I got to meet wonderful people who were extremely supportive and taught me a lot. I was truly impressed how everyone was down-to-earth and willing to help. I honestly cannot think of anything even remotely negative about my internship experience.”

Career Development

“Every team member is assigned a career advisor to guide them through their career development. We have an internal Learning and Development team that works toward making valuable trainings available. This training does not only include technical skills but also soft skills, so that our team members can develop into well-rounded professionals. We also have several programs that are highly sought after, such as our Future Leaders program. We also work to accommodate team members’ requests for transfers as soon as reasonably possible. We have been very successful in this area.”

“The firm really allows people to take control of their careers and will work with individuals to help achieve their goals as they relate to their career development. There is definitely a feeling of community within my firm. Although we have grown in size, I still feel like I am able to connect to those in higher positions should I feel a need to communicate something. As a senior, I requested transfer to another audit department and was able to without consequence or judgement.”

“The best aspects of our career development are the hands-on training that’s provided to us on a regular basis and the guidance that’s provided to me by my mentor.”

“I really like the mentorship opportunities and leadership here. I also love the company culture. On the other hand, the firm could host more firmwide and team-bonding events. And formal training could improve. It’s not very structured; now it’s mainly learn as you go. Formal training needs to be more frequent rather than just once a year through your supervisor. But I do like the soft skills training the Future Leaders program offers. That is important.”

Quality of Life

“I would say this is our best quality. As a new working mother, I never feel pressure from the firm to choose between family time or work. The firm also provides a healthy vacation policy. The workflow at busy points during the year is never unmanageable. I would say the only improvement that can be made is the maternity leave policy. Compared to other public accounting firms, it is not great at PKFOD.”

“From my experience, the firm is very responsive and understanding of personal matters. They have worked with me in the past to assist me with issues outside of the workplace. They offer time off and actually seem to care that you are a person, not just an employee. With any job, there are busy times of year that cannot be changed. As a service industry, we are at the mercy of deadlines and providing deliverables to clients. I would say that is the only downside to the job, as it negatively affects work/life balance during these times. Despite this, my superiors have been accommodating during such times for certain instances (weddings, funeral, etc.). During the summer and winter months, our firm offers Fridays off or ends early. The catch is that we need to make up for that lost time earlier in the week. I find this to be a bit unfair since the majority of staff members work twice the number of hours in a normal work week for roughly four months of the year. Overall, though, I would say I am satisfied with my firm’s quality of life.”

“There are definitely efforts made to improve work/life balance in the summer months and December with early log offs (although the weekly minimum hours are still expected to be billed). This would be great in an ideal world. However, there are plenty of clients who desire to have their audits finalized during the summer so that their tax returns don’t come down to the deadline. I also work on bookkeeping clients, so this creates a pretty busy schedule year-round. However, when I have requested to take time off, it is generally approved without issue, as long as I provide enough notice and ensure coverage. There are some instances of superiors putting unnecessary pressures on me leading up to it, but I believe this is due to them worrying, not that they do not want me to take the time.”

“While we have our busy season where some of us are working seven days a week, we have great flexibility outside of that. The firm makes every effort to accommodate people’s schedules as long as the work gets done. Providing employees with a work/life balance is always a focus and goal.”

Salary and Benefits

“Salary is competitive, and hard work is definitely rewarded here. Everything I was promised I received as an employee here, and I really feel well compensated for my work.”

“The salary is great. The overall benefits are good. Bonuses could be a little higher.”

“Salary is comparable to other public accounting firms. However, our bonuses are not significant, so you rely on good salary increases throughout the years. Healthcare is about average. I love the hybrid work arrangement. I am too busy to enjoy the Summer Fridays perk most weeks. The profit-sharing plan is good, there is no guaranteed/matching aspect for even just part of it.”

“I can work remotely in any country or city that I want. I have to give notice in advance, but this is really convenient if you love to travel and do you job.”

Wellness Efforts

“We have many initiatives that are communicated through our monthly HR newsletter. These include ensuring team members are aligned with an outside counselor, if needed, as well as placing emphasis on health and nutrition.”

“There is counseling available. The firm has decent deals with gym programs, although it’s just discounts, not reimbursements. The firm also offers training sessions on wellness and health.”

“PKFOD provides gym membership discounts, access to mental health counseling, and discounts at clothing retailers that carry professional attire amongst other types of benefits.”

“The firm’s efforts include a Wise & Well monthly newsletter, wellness sessions, exercise classes (including yoga and Zumba), educational information, smoothie stations/juicing bar station, recipes, healthy cooking tips, etc. The firm also has an annual calendar of health and wellness events—all are encouraged to participate.”

Diversity, Philanthropy, and Green Initiatives

“We value diversity across the entire firm and have a DEI manager that communicates DEI issues frequently to inspire an inclusive environment. We encourage all team members to participate on boards of not-for-profits, and we host community service days during the year where our team members are invited to participate in a community project, such as helping on a Habitat for Humanity project for the day.”

“The firm participates in our Day of Volunteerism-Know Greater Community initiative. This past year, we participated in the Clean Ocean Action Corporate Beach Sweep as well as a bingo and dessert social at the NJ Firemen’s Retirement Home. We prepared appreciation bags to distribute at home. The firm emphasizes diversity and makes all employees feel like they are part of the PKFOD family.”

“PKFOD has hired a Manager of DEI who has done a fabulous job at ensuring diversity considerations enter into all aspects of firm decisions. The manager has direct access to the managing director and executive committee. At PKFOD, we encourage people to be their own unique selves and celebrate the things that make each of us diverse. I particularly love the spotlight publications that allow you to get to know the people you work with.”

“Diversity at the upper levels is low (like most accounting firms), but it improves every year with each new partner class. Over the last 10 years, I have seen diversity grow at the upper levels (it’s always been good at the lower levels). The firm is clearly making an effort and it shows.”

Business Outlook

“Since joining the firm, we have grown from 500 employees to over 1,500 employees. Our business service lines continue to grow. Our firm has established and implemented a legacy plan to ensure continued growth in the future. The challenge is the lack of human capital in the field of accounting that has made us have to come up with creative plans to attract new talent to enable future growth.”

“I think overall, even with the current economic headwinds, the firm will do well. The acquisition of firms and their books of business means that even with some natural attrition of clients there will be enough to go around for all. However, these firms were understaffed and are not bringing along many staff, leading to increased workloads that have caused turnover and burnout. Also, the addition of these offices and new partners is leading to less internal office and team cohesion as new social dynamics continually appear with the new employees. While this has gone over okay the last few mergers, there will be a time where this will become a problem.”

“I think our firm is run by highly intellectual people who have created and continue to maintain a great tone at the top. I think the accounting industry, especially in the last few years, has been up against a variety of challenges, including a decrease in people entering the field as well as artificial intelligence. I have confidence that the firm’s management will put the firm and employees in their best interest.”

“Our firm is growing very rapidly both organically as well as through mergers/buyouts. We have no shortage of work opportunities. Our weakness is the same as all other firms in that the pool of new accounting graduates is shrinking while the largest workforce in the nation is beginning to retire. Fortunately, our firm has a high retention rate.”