Vault’s Verdict

Withum is ideally looking for candidates with strong communication skills and solid academic records who are eager to learn, pursuing their CPAs, and have degrees in business, finance, accounting, or economics. For students, Withum runs an excellent internship program, offering interns a lot of hands-on experience as well as access to senior staff who are willing to help train, teach, and explain concepts. The firm’s full-time staff have access to extensive growth opportunities, including a very valuable formal mentoring program, a lot of early responsibility, exposure to various areas of the firm, and clear promotion paths.

Although busy season hours can be long and arduous, the firm provides a lot of flexibility when it comes to where and when you work—and a healthy work/life balance can be achieved most of the year. Withum provides remote work options, and team members are generally very understanding of personal commitments outside of work. Meanwhile, salaries, benefits, and perks are very generous, with many insiders saying that compensation is above the market average. In addition, wellness benefits get very good reviews, as the firm offers many resources that help physical and mental well-being.

The firm’s DEI efforts also get excellent reviews. The firm has many Team Member Resource Groups (TMRGs) for various underrepresented groups (LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, women, Asian Pacific Islanders, etc.) and has a fairly diverse workforce, especially when it comes to gender diversity. Philanthropy is another strong suit, anchored by the “Withum Week of Caring,” during which team members across the firm volunteer their time and resources to help charitable organizations all over the country. As for the firm’s business outlook, it is bright. Employee morale is high, business is growing, and the firm is evolving, using new technologies to boost profitability and efficiency.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

“The firm's interview and callback process is very competitive. There is an initial screening with the recruiter based on the location of the office and the second round of interviews is two 30-minute interviews with the partners of the office, based on your respective area of accounting. I think the ideal candidate for the firm is somebody who is hardworking, knows how to communicate effectively, and somebody who can get along well with others and knows how to come together as a team to accomplish a goal.”

“My interview process was very thorough. I met with a recruiter, higher managing staff, and partner. I think my firm is seeking someone who can commit to the long hours when needed and someone local to the office they are applying to. Someone who is willing to pursue their CPA with a degree in business finance, accounting, or economics.”

“Candidates either submit an application or meet with one of our recruiting coordinators at an on-campus event who sets up a screening call to get more information about the candidates. After that, there is an interview call with two supervisors/manager/senior managers and possibly a second interview call. If the interviewers recommend hiring, an offer may be extended. We are always seeking individuals with an eagerness to learn and the ability to adapt to different jobs and workgroups.”

“The interview process seems good. The ideal candidate has a 3.0 GPA, preferably an accounting major but can be finance or related if still planning to pursue the CPA exam, eager to learn, etc.”

Interview Questions

“Tell me about yourself. Describe an example of conflict you experienced while working on a team or at a previous job and how you overcame that. What made you choose accounting? Why Withum?”

“Do you have any experience in the accounting field? Are you close to 150 credits? Do you want to pursue your CPA? What’s your biggest weakness? How do you overcome conflict/difficulty?”

“Please discuss a time that you had multiple deadlines and how you prioritized your time. Please tell me how you manage an engagement and staff needs.”

“In my interview, there were no technical questions, and the only questions were on me as a person. Three partners interviewed me, and a question all three of them had was what I do in school outside of class work. Some of them also asked what I would do if I was given a day off to worry about nothing. If you are asked this, keep in mind that while we look for hard workers, we also look for people that are community-minded.”

Internship Experience

“My internship was fantastic. It was my first taste of what life as an accountant would be like. We were able to work on a business trip that took me to New York City, which was very exciting. The best part was that I was treated the same as a brand-new staff, instead of the horror stories that you hear about getting coffee and donuts for people. The worst part was because I interned during busy season, I was not ready for the number of hours I would be working. It was a blessing, though.”

“One of the best aspects of interning at Withum is the environment—everyone was super welcoming and helpful. I was able to work with the tax services department and gain lots of experience. I ended up interning for several years until I completed my undergraduate degree. All of this influenced me to want to work full time at Withum.”

“The best aspects were the people who were willing to help train, teach, and explain various things when there was a topic that needed more clarification. The worst aspect was the first week or two of the internship where time was mostly spent on watching training videos rather than hands-on training.”

“As an intern, I was tasked with many assignments that gave me exposure to client work. I mostly worked on partnership and corporation workpapers that were then used to prepare the returns. The best part was getting that exposure, but the worst aspect was feeling like I was not getting anything right with my work.”

Career Development

“Withum has a variety of ways to help each member grow in their careers. One of the best ways is having a coach to guide you throughout your career. The coach and mentee have several meetings throughout each year to discuss progress and any problems. The coach helps you to make realistic goals each year and gives tips on how to reach them. In addition to your coach, everyone else at Withum is super helpful and always willing to help you grow.”

“This office gives you the freedom to experience many different avenues. Whether you want to try working on different types of clients or in a different industry, they will support you and show you the right direction to take.”

“Withum provides you with the opportunity to take on responsibility early, which is critical for achieving success and career growth in public accounting. This wouldn’t be possible without having great people who give up their own time to mentor and cultivate those who are in positions below them.”

“The firm has a set path of promotion—as long as you’re reaching the milestones and doing enough, they will keep moving you up as you gain experience. The firm offers many programs and trainings to help employees grow and advance their career.”

Quality of Life

“One of the best aspects of Withum’s overall quality of life is how flexible and understanding they are. Withum makes it easy to have a good work/life balance. The culture and environment make going into work a breeze, instead of a chore. Withum makes you feel right at home and makes you want to put in those hours for the firm.”

“In my experience, hours are consistent with other similarly sized firms. Though, the quality (stressful nature) of the hours have become more difficult than they were pre-pandemic, which is an industry-wide trend. It’s more difficult to use vacation than in the past, though as a whole management does not intrude when people are using personal time off.”

“The worst aspect is busy season hours, but in recent years the offices/firm have taken steps to try to alleviate the workload. Both the office and the firm promote taking time off after season and taking time for yourself during season. They stress the importance of self-care so that no one experiences burnout.”

“As all firms are experiencing, there is a lack of quality folks at middle levels, which can sometimes apply pressure on those who are actually performing where they should be. The firm is conscious of this, and managers are always looking to ensure the work is spread evenly over the group. If you speak up and say you are overwhelmed, folks will step in to help where they can.”

Salary and Benefits

“When I brag about Withum, I always say the best three things about the firm are the 3 Ps: the People, Pay, and Perks. I am always pleasantly surprised by my pay increases when they’re announced at my raise and bonus meeting. Withum also offers great and unique perks for team members to take advantage of. And most importantly, the people and culture always make me feel at home and help give me a reason to stay with the firm.”

“Withum is very generous when it comes to salary, benefits, and perks. I have only worked at Withum full time for a year and was not expecting to receive a raise, but I did. The health benefits, reimbursements, and discounts are amazing. Withum’s flexibility to work from home is one of the best aspects. You are able to have that balance of experiencing office life a few days a week, while working at home the rest of the week.”

“Salary, bonus, and 401(k) are at or above market in my experience, which is a great testament to the firm’s culture. The newly added parental leave policy is a huge differentiator in the market. Small perks like lunches, dinners, and snacks are great, as employees do not have to take time at work to plan for meals. Health benefits could be better—either in lower premiums or better policy terms.”

“Compensation is fair and properly reflects your effort. The firm is very generous with benefits to employees whether it be paternity leave, assisting with childcare expenses, or paying for the CPA exam and study materials. They seem to watch the new trends and are one of the first to announce it will now be covered for employees.”

Wellness Efforts

“Withum provides both internal and external resources. Internally, they have the coaching program, which is a great resource for talking about a personal work issue/improvement area and working towards resolving that. It is a great tool because I can vent and find solutions. Externally, Withum partners with companies such as Journey, which, like Headspace, is an app that provides on-demand resources that support your mental health.”

“Withum always makes sure to put all of their employees’ wellness at the very top. Withum has so many coaches to help with counseling, they have fitness programs, and they always make sure there is time to decompress during busy season. For example, they always have meditation sessions for anyone to join and relax when it has been a stressful week. Withum also loves to spread knowledge throughout the firm by having webinars about wellness and nutrition education.”

“They do provide access to many wellness seminars that we can attend on our own time. There is still a big push for many hours to be put in, which does make enacting these wellness habits a bit more of a challenge.”

“Withum provides free membership to an app that helps maintain mental health. We have workshops regarding mental health practices. Our office had a few kickboxing classes at a gym nearby. We might also be doing an office kickball league. We can expense fees to do marathons and buy personal gym equipment. At the office, many people work out and have positive attitudes which comes from a combination of all the resources available to us and their own experience. I’ve greatly benefited from the efforts Withum has made for our well-being outside of working hours.”

Diversity, Philanthropy, and Green Initiatives

“I would say compared to what I’ve seen from other firms (small, medium, and large sizes), Withum is the most diverse and culturally accepting firm. As a profession, though, accounting could do a lot better with diversity, especially racial and ethnic diversity. There are lots of women, which is great! But I barely see Black women, for example. There are only a handful of Black women compared to all the women at the firm.”

“The firm has created Team Member Resource Groups (TMRG) for all types (LGBTQ+, Veteran, Women, Asian Pacific Islander—just to name a few). Every year the incoming ‘Empower’ class of new hires adopts a community organization to fundraise for during their first year with the firm. Every year, the firm has ‘Withum Week of Caring’ where everyone across the firm volunteers time and resources to several charitable organizations all over the country, and even has a website to help team members track their charitable contributions, whether it be monetary donations or volunteer hours.”

“One of the best aspects of Withum’s diversity is having TMRGs that anyone can join regarding LGBTQ+, ethnicity and race, gender, disabilities, veterans, etc. Another great aspect is that Withum loves to give. For example, we have a few charitable events throughout the year and have a special week called ‘Withum Week of Caring’ where employees are allowed to go out and help a charity of their choosing. Withum is very inclusive in all aspects.”

“Withum as a firm has made it clear that we are a firm for the community, shown in the fact that we are big on community service (we have many opportunities to volunteer and the week of Thanksgiving is a week for the firm overall to volunteer) and philanthropy (the newest staff by year are given the task of doing fundraisers for an organization of Withum's choice, such as the Boys and Girls Club). We are very diverse as well, with many people in upper management being women and of different races. We are also very welcoming to people with military backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are open to LGBTQ+ individuals as well, with a dedicated group that discusses ways for Withum to be even more inclusive than we already are. We have similar groups for veterans, people with disabilities, and different races.”

Business Outlook

“I see Withum succeeding for a long time if we keep the same attitude that we present to the outside world. We not only say that we have great business and growth but it’s also actually true. Many clients I work with send us more work and referrals.”

“Employee morale is high. The state of the firm just occurred, and it’s our 50th anniversary, so we had a big blowout party and presentation at the state of the firm. Business is strong.”

“Strong focus on continued business development and improvement of firm processes to increase profitability. Public accounting is a strenuous profession, but morale is generally good.”

“Withum is extremely collaborative and open to change, whereas lot of public accounting firms are not and like to do things that way they’ve always been done. Withum is constantly evolving and utilizing new technologies to be more efficient.”