Accounting

But there are some excellent reasons for choosing a smaller CPA firm to work for. Here are just a few:

1. Get involved in higher-level work more quickly. In a large firm, you’re generally auditing large clients. Because of this, the tasks that a first-year accountant gets assigned in a large firm are very repetitive. You may find yourself reconciling bank accounts or tracing accounts payable to the invoices day after day, week after week. In a smaller firm, though, you’ll be auditing smaller clients with a smaller team. Yes, you’ll probably be assigned the bank account reconciliations and payables tracking here too, but they won’t take as long. You’ll get to do other things. You may even find yourself leading or doing a smaller job on your own by the end of the first year!

2. Do less traveling. Smaller firms often have local or regional clients, where larger firms tend to go for the national, multi-location clients. Therefore, you’re much less likely to travel frequently when working for a small firm. Some new graduates in large firms find themselves traveling weekly. If being at home weekends only won’t work for you or your family, look into a smaller local CPA firm. You’ll still get excellent experience, but will be able to balance that with home and personal interests.

3. Work less overtime. Large firms will work you hard. They know that most accounting professionals will not make a career of public accounting, but are there for a few years to gain experience and salary. It is typical for first years to work 60 hours or more weekly during tax season. Now, that’s not to say that this WON’T happen in a small firm. Tax season is tough for all public accountants! But consider that in a small firm, once April 15th passes, the overtime immediately shrinks back to zero, or at least manageable proportions. In many small firms, you may actually work less than 40 hours per week. In many large firms, it might as well be tax season all year long! Be sure you’re ready for this kind of grind before you sign up with a large firm. It takes a strong individual.

4. Have higher-level client contact. This is an extension of #1 above. In your large firm, as you busily reconcile bank statement after bank statement, you’ll never interact with anyone from the client firm more important than a bookkeeper. In a small firm, you might perform a task and immediately talk it over with client managers or officers yourself. With smaller clients, you’ll probably even be speaking with the owner/entrepreneur. This will be a LOT more interesting than talking to a large client’s mid-level manager who’s buried deeply in the organizational chart. Think of the things you could learn from that visionary entrepreneur!

5. Invest in a better chance at partnership. Obviously, the smaller the firm, the better chance you may become a partner some day. Of course, this isn’t always true, but it’s a good bet. If you’ve got good technical and people skills and show a good professional attitude, your chances of sharing in the firm ownership are excellent in a small firm, but not nearly as good in a large one. The large firm takes on a pyramid structure. Each partner is responsible for keeping 8-10 employees busy and earning. A small firm, however, can keep a flat structure. Theoretically, they could promote everyone to partner, and each need only keep himself busy. Furthermore, a single owner could sell out when he/she retires, giving staff an immediate chance of ownership.

There are good reasons for the newer accountant to choose the small CPA firm over the large. The accounting is the same. It’s the experience that’s different. Give the smaller firms the consideration they deserve.