Vault’s Verdict

YHB is ideally looking for hardworking, positive team players who are eager to learn. For students, YHB runs a rewarding internship program. Interns get hands-on experience, access to mentoring opportunities, and the ability to work in either audit or tax.. For its full-time staff, the firm offers numerous career development opportunities, including mentoring, education reimbursements, and clear promotion paths.

During the busy seasons, the hours can be long, and the workload can be heavy. However, outside of busy season, a healthy work/life balance can be easily achieved. YHB offers a lot of schedule flexibility, remote work options, and generous PTO. Meanwhile, compensation and benefits are competitive, if not slightly below the market average. Wellness offerings, though, are extensive and include reimbursement benefits, webinars and presentations on mental health topics, fitness challenges, and a Wellness Week every July where employees get the week off fully paid without having to use their PTO.

YHB has an inclusive culture and many active employee resource groups—for women, LGBTQ+ individuals, Black employees, Latinx employees, working parents, etc. YHB is also constantly organizing donation drives and other philanthropic initiatives, showing that it cares about the broader community. As for the firm’s business outlook, although some insiders fear that the firm is growing too rapidly and may lose some of its small-firm feel, most are excited about its growth, have confidence in leadership, and believe the firm has a clear and well-defined business plan in place.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

“Our firm has a competitive hiring process, ensuring we bring in top talent, but they are also great at spotting potential in employees and nurturing their growth. The positive work environment plays a big role in keeping employees around for the long term. With a very low turnover rate, it’s clear that the firm truly invests in its people, fostering loyalty and long-term success for both the company and its employees.”

“Most candidates have two interviews. I’ve helped with second interviews of interns and associates. The firm is seeking motivated individuals who are eager to learn.”

“I enjoyed the firm’s interview process, as it was more like a conversation than an interview, which reduced the amount of stress it caused me. I believe the ideal candidate is someone who is willing to learn and make mistakes along the way, has a positive attitude and good work ethic, and wants to continue to work hard and improve each day.”

“The firm typically conducts a phone screening, then a panel interview for potential candidates. The ideal candidate for the firm is someone who is open to collaboration, open to feedback, exhibits professionalism, and exhibits a desire perform their role to their best capabilities.”

Interview Questions

“Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a problem. Tell me about a time when you had to step up and be a leader.”

“What are your career goals? What made you interested in becoming an accountant?”

“Are you eligible to sit for the CPA exam? What are you looking for most in a prospective employer to begin your career? Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“Understandably, it seemed like they were looking for more of a cultural fit than technical fit. This is partially why I came to this firm—because of the culture.”

Internship Experience

“The best aspect of my internship experience was the hands-on projects I got to work on. I was able to prepare real tax returns and work on quarterly estimates.”

“I was able to work on a variety of projects with a bunch of different people in the firm..”

“All interns were assigned a ‘buddy’ who took the time to get to know them and invited them out to lunch. ‘Buddies’ are also the interns’ first stop for work. Sometimes, there wasn’t any work to do, and the interns were left to their own devices to do training videos or a project.”

“The best aspects were getting to work with different people in the firm and traveling to different offices. It was good to experience the day-to-day of an associate. Due to it being the off season, there was not much work, but I still felt like what they gave us to do gave some kind of perspective.”

Career Development

“The company does a great job supporting career growth, with monthly meetings between managers and employees to discuss career goals and how they can help. It’s a privilege to have class reimbursement as part of the benefits, but the policy could be adjusted to be more beneficial to employees. Overall, the company’s focus on growth and development is a big plus.”

“As long as you put the work in and show that you are reliable and trustworthy and dedicated to learning more and working hard, I believe career developments comes fairly easily depending on experience or time at the firm as well as status of CPA or other certifications.”

“The firm excels at allowing you to determine what career path you want to take and being open to advancement, but the training needed to advance could be conducted better and more frequently.”

“When you show you're ready, they will promote you. However, it's hard to tell when you're ready, and there's not great communication on what it takes to be ready to get to the next step.”

Quality of Life

“YHB is extremely flexible. You have the power to schedule your day however you see fit to work with your personal life, within reason. I’ve never had any issues with using PTO or leaving for an appointment. As long as you get your work done, your team is always willing to work with your schedule. We are all treated as professionals. The worst aspect is just the nature of the field. During certain times of the year, we have to work extra hours to get the work done. YHB tries their best to keep the work balanced.”

“I truly love working for this company, especially because of their strong commitment to flexibility and understanding the importance of work/life balance. It’s refreshing to be part of a team that values personal time while supporting professional growth. If I had to choose one area of improvement, I would say that I currently work under a bit of a micromanager. However, I want to emphasize that this is not a reflection of the company as a whole, which has been incredibly supportive and empowering. Overall, it's a fantastic place to work, and I feel valued and respected.”

“As with any public accounting firm, we have a hard time hitting the beautiful balance of staffing and work during our compression periods in order to provide reasonable hours during compression periods without being overstaffed outside of compression periods. Our firm does work hard to ensure that we have ample time off, lower work expectations, and ease of taking time off outside of compression periods to compensate for the extra hours we work during compression periods.”

“The firm just implemented a mental health week, with the firm closed the week of July 4th. Obviously, hours increase during compression periods, but we are now adequately staffed to reduce the stress and workload during those times.”

Salary and Benefits

“Perks and benefits are good. The firm should do better with providing year-end bonuses for staff since salaries fall short when you consider the amount of work and hours that are expected.”

“Benefits are average. There is nothing spectacular about them. Salary seems to be slightly below average. Employees below manager do not get a traditional bonus.”

“The company offers bonuses and raises after tax season, which is appreciated, but I feel that, given the long hours—working 70-hour weeks for four months straight—the bonuses could be more substantial. However, on the positive side, the company is very generous with reimbursements and PTO throughout the year. They even provide additional compensation on our checks for the use of personal phones, which is a thoughtful and appreciated benefit.”

“My salary is comparably low to what is listed in the emails I receive from recruiters, but I stay at YHB because of the work/life balance and the team that I work with. I received a small bonus this year, but it was the first time I have ever received a bonus. The health insurance is expensive and YHB covers a small portion of the cost. The 401(k) is only a safe harbor plan with no matching.”

Wellness Efforts

“There are several benefits offered for wellness, including reimbursement for some wellness activities. There is also some kind of mental health/therapy benefit. And we periodically will have lunch-and-learns related to wellness.”

“The company places a strong focus on our wellness, offering resources to help manage stress and maintain a healthy work/life balance. They regularly host webinars on stress relief techniques, and each office is equipped with a quiet room for employees to recharge. Additionally, the company provides a Wellness Week every July, giving us one week off, fully paid, without having to use PTO. These initiatives truly show the company’s commitment to supporting our well-being. I do not have any negatives to say in regard to my firm's wellness efforts.”

“The firm focuses on employees’ wellness and mental health. The firm provides a lot of wellness resources, reimbursement benefits, webinars/presentations on mental health topics, and hosts challenges during the year and during busy times to promote physical activity.”

“The firm is very conscious of supporting the mental health of its employees. Encourages you to take time off during slower times and not to overdo it during busy times.”

Community Engagement

“We have a very diverse workforce that includes both women and individuals of different races and ethnicities. We also have an LGBTQ+ focus group that individuals can join.”

“The firm has made improvements in their diversity and inclusion efforts and has made resource groups for various groups. For example, the LGBTG+ group allows individuals to have a safe space to come together as well as spread awareness and put on events during pride month. The sustainability group focuses on ways the firm can be more environmentally conscious. There are also groups for women in the firm, Black employees, Latinx employees, working parents, and more that allow people to come together to provide support as well as spread awareness and drive initiatives to better the firm.”

“The firm truly stands out for its commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility. We have ERGs for everything, including diversity, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and even environmental care. The company is always organizing donation drives and initiatives that show they genuinely care about both the employees and the broader community. It’s inspiring to be part of an organization that so actively supports these causes.”

“I’m one of only two women in my office who are auditors, and it’s a little frustrating not having the opportunity to connect with other women in my office on a daily basis. Also, throughout the firm, there can be more improvement made to hire more minorities (such as people of color) because there are not that many people who are not white in the firm. As far as ESG goes, the company can do more to improve their ESG efforts because right now, employees are the ones coming up with ideas, and it shouldn’t fall entirely on the employees to start something.”

Business Outlook

“The firm has a very strong business outlook, with a clear and well-defined plan for success. I have complete trust in our leadership, and I’m confident in their abilities to guide us toward achieving our goals. Their vision and strategic direction give me a sense of security and excitement about the future, knowing that we are on the right path to continued growth and success.”

“There are strong sentiments within leadership to remain independent and avoid private equity. That means we have an ambitious goal to grow revenue by 40 percent in three years or less, potentially resulting in drastic changes to the culture of the firm by being so much bigger.”

“I think the firm is extremely growth-oriented, which is good, but change is scary, and I like the small-firm feel of knowing most of the people—we are starting to get away from being a size where you can know everyone.”

“The goal seems to be growth. I’m glad they are somewhat transparent with that. Firm leaders are transparent, up front, and listen.”

UPPERS

“The people and incredible, supportive, welcoming culture”

“Flexible schedule and remote work.”

“Generous PTO”

DOWNERS

“Workload during busy season”

“Pay could be better”

“Billable hour goals”