Public Accounting Assurance (External Audit)

• Large CPA firms specialize their Assurance staff by industry. If you’d like to become an expert in a certain industry, then Big 4 Audit is the way to go – areas of focus include:
  • Financial Services (Retail Banking, Mutual Funds, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Hedge Funds, Wealth Management)
  • Healthcare (Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Hospitals, Health Insurance)
  • Manufacturing & Distribution (with further sub-specialties in: Medical Device, Defense, Oil and Gas)
  • Technology (SaaS – Software As A Service) – there are complex Revenue Accounting rules (ASC 606) for SaaS Companies
  • Professional Services – “time and billing” business model, thus different external audit rules
  • Real Estate / Construction
  • Government & Public Services / Non-Profits
• Midsize CPA firms offer auditors more variety, however the projects are typically for companies with less complexity. Professionals should choose early on in their public accounting careers if they want the broad variety of client industries OR focus on a few select industries and therefore becoming an expert in that field.
• Small CPA firms can be a great option for someone desiring a mix of Audit, Tax and Bookkeeping projects. In many cases, you’d actually prepare the financial statements for your clients vs. auditing already prepared financials.

O | Career Paths from Public Accounting to:

• Public Accounting –> Better or Different CPA firm – perhaps you want more variety to your work & see different industries; or want to go in the opposite direction and specialize more; or get better work-life balance with Worf From Home flexibility while keeping the exciting part of public accounting in the variety of companies to work on. Many options & hybrid variations exist in the Greater Boston Public Accounting scene.
• Public Accounting –> Advisory – perhaps you really enjoy the client facing aspect of public, but want to be more hands on with the actual day-to-day responsibilities (vs. auditing the financial or doing controls testing). There are opportunities to do “Technical Accounting Advisory Projects” or “Valuation Services” or “Interim Controllership Projects”. Some advisory teams are very industry specialized vs. others that let you work on a variety of business structures & industries. We can help you navigate these options, all while keeping the end goal in mind. (this can also be a great path if you’re not sure about the end goal, thus seeing variety helps to decide).Advisory paths include: TS (Transaction Services); Technical Accounting & Interim Management; Valuation Consulting Services; Strategy Consulting

• Public Accounting –> Corporate Accounting / Financial Reporting – this can be a great path if you really want to delve deep into a company’s financial structure & grow along the Controllership route. Downside of this path is the risk of “getting bored” in the repetitive nature of month end / year end close, hence it’s vital to pick a company that will continue to challenge you and there are mentors in place to teaching you complex areas of accounting & encouraging movement across teams.
• Public Accounting –> Corporate Technical Accounting (Accounting Policy) – can be a great path for someone who wants to learn a corporate financial structure of one company without being tied to monthly / annual financial close deadlines. Anyone following this path should enjoy researching & discussing new ASC Accounting Pronouncements; and writing Technical Accounting Memos (White Papers) showing their research and application to the business at hand.
• Public Accounting –> Corporate Finance / FP&A – hard move to make, but not impossible. May require “baby steps” and going into a company that encourages professional movement – coming into Accounting / Financial Reporting first, then transferring to FP&A in a year. Direct path is more possible if you’re industries in public accounting match up the corporate opportunity at hand. Viability of this direct move into FP&A also depends on the hiring manager’s background and how they came up.
• Public Accounting –> Hybrid Role including: Accounting / Financial Reporting / FP&A – this is a great path for someone seeking variety on the corporate side, however it typically means that you have to join a start-up where the positions are much more broader (because they don’t need dedicated functions); whereas large companies have more structure within their Accounting & Finance groups – thus the responsibilities are more focused.
• Public Accounting –> Corporate Strategy / Business Development – not happening unless you know someone at the company personally they want to take you under their wing. The path for this move includes leaving public for an Ivy League MBA and then finishing in the top 20% of your class & getting hired directly out of the Graduate program.
• Public Accounting –> Financial Systems – includes being the liaison between a corporate accounting / finance group & IT group. Companies need to see that you have advanced system skills and content on your resume showing taking initiative with optimizing or improving systems, also outside courses on the topic are helpful. (with EdX for example) These “Financial or Accounting System Project Management” opportunities exist both on the corporate side, and in a consulting capacity. (Consulting path requires 50%-80% travel, thus should fit in with your lifestyle)

O | Advice for CPA Firm Partners & HR Managers

It takes more, much more than it used to, in order to attract the right talent & (more importantly) retain top-rated employees. We’d be happy to discuss our thoughts on exactly how to do this with any CPA firms considering adding auditors, tax professionals or transaction services talent.

Public Accounting Taxation 

**Same as above with Assurance – large CPA firms specialize their Tax professional by industry; midsize CPA firms offer more clientele variety, and smaller CPA firms utilize their professionals on a mix of verticals –> tax, audit and bookkeeping.

Responsibilities:

• Managing the preparation, review and the timely filing process of federal and state tax returns – Partnerships, C-Corporations, S-Corporations, Individuals, Trusts
• Reviewing federal and state tax returns for completeness and accuracy
• Preparing and reviewing tax planning projections and quarterly estimated tax liability calculations
• Responding to IRS and state notices
• Delegating projects to staff and seeing that projects are completed in an efficient manner
• Communicating directly with clients and maintaining client relationships
• Meeting with prospective new clients and preparing fee quotes
• Assisting with employee training for new tax hires and tax interns

Helpful Resources for Public Accounting Careers in Boston:

2022 List of Public Accounting Firms by region – provided by Mass Society of CPAs