A good number of our team members join us right after college graduation. However, some of our team members have come to us after working for other public accounting firms. We asked two of them to share their perspectives on how Kreischer Miller is different.
Allison Cox, Senior Accountant, Audit & Accounting
When I began my career in public accounting I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to pursue. I had a tax internship prior to graduating but had no experience with audit. After graduation, I worked at a small regional firm in both tax and audit.
After two years I was looking for the next step in my career and I decided now was the time to make a choice: tax or audit. I decided that audit was the path I wanted to pursue, so I began my search. Having worked at a small firm I knew I needed a larger firm in order to be able to work on audit full time. And, when I had more experience, I would have the opportunity to specialize within a certain industry. However, from my discussions with former classmates, I was not interested in working in a firm that was the size of one of the Big Four firms.
After learning about Kreischer Miller and meeting three of the industry leaders during my interview, I knew I would be able to really hone my skills in audit while working in multiple industry groups. After being here for a year I’ve found that the biggest difference - and the reason I believe Kreischer Miller has truly helped me grow in my career - has been with the processes that are in place for each team member’s career development.
There are three main areas that are different from my former firm: training, feedback, and career counseling.
Training
Training at Kreischer Miller is extensive. I was surprised that so much time was devoted to training and the type of training we received. The training curriculum helped to prepare me for audit standards I needed to implement on jobs as well as how to run a job and how to delegate as a senior auditor. Previously, since I had training for both audit and tax, there was not time allocated to training for job efficiency or best practices for wrapping up an audit. While training can sometimes seem time consuming, having the training curriculum in place has helped my professional skills and makes me a better team member.
Feedback
At my former firm I had an annual review. Therefore, most feedback was held until after busy season and was discussed one time a year. At Kreischer Miller, within the audit department, there are reviews completed for the majority of the jobs I have worked on during the year. It has been helpful to me throughout my first year to receive a large amount of feedback. I am also writing evaluations as a senior. Having to complete evaluations has improved my ability to give meaningful feedback.
Career Counseling
There are two important people who were assigned to me when I began at Kreischer Miller – a “buddy” and a career counselor. My buddy was another senior auditor who was available to help me transition to Kreischer Miller. She was a great help in the first month as I learned how all the different processes worked. Having my buddy available made the transition easy for me.
Meeting with my career counselor also helped remind me that I still need to be making career goals and continuously working toward them.
With one year under my belt, I have worked with many new industries and people. Kreischer Miller has set me up for success and this enables me to feel confident in my abilities as a team member.
Allison Cox is a Senior Accountant in Kreischer Miller’s Audit & Accounting group. Allison joined Kreischer Miller in November 2017. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and trying the region’s best restaurants.
Kevin OShea, Senior Accountant, Audit & Accounting
As I turn the page on my third year as an accountant in the audit department, I look back on my career thus far. I initially spent two years at another accounting firm as a staff accountant and this past year at Kreischer Miller as a senior accountant.
I was initially hesitant to switch firms. Could life at one firm actually be different than another? There was no way to know for sure, but I knew what was important to me and decided to do my due diligence. After speaking with Kristin Seeger, the firm's recruiter, Todd Crouthamel, Director of the Audit & Accounting group, and Brian Sharkey, Director of the Business Advisory group, I readily accepted the position.
These three individuals were down to earth and easy to talk to. They each spoke about the firm, but from their own perspective. They did not give me a generic speech, which I appreciated. I was given a clear understanding of what to expect and was provided time to voice any concerns or questions I had, all of which were answered. And the rest is history!
With one year under my belt at Kreischer Miller I am settling into a routine and have become accustomed to many of the differences here. The difference that resonates with me the most is that you are treated like a professional. At Kreischer Miller you are valued as an associate. You are given support when needed, and on the flip side, you have the freedom to complete an assignment around things such as family obligations, doctor appointments, etc.
I have a toddler at home; he spends time at daycare during the week and I have to pick him up by a certain time in the evening. This causes me to leave a client early a couple of days a week. This was one of my concerns before accepting the position at Kreischer Miller. Kristin, Todd, and Brian all acknowledged my situation and referenced multiple professionals throughout the firm that are in identical situations. This removed a huge weight from my chest because I was concerned this request would have an impact on my career.
To this day, I have not received one negative comment for leaving to pick up my son. With that said, we have an understanding: I may leave a client early, but I take ownership of my engagements and am aware the work still needs to be completed. I either boot my laptop back up later that evening or at another time to make up for the early departure.
If you're not sure which accounting firm to pursue, I think you can't go wrong with Kreischer Miller. They provide the proper training needed to on-board a new associate, the right amount of guidance needed by an experienced associate, and a solid path to follow as you grow within your career.
Kevin OShea is a Senior Accountant in Kreischer Miller's Audit & Accounting group. He joined Kreischer Miller in 2017 after working at a firm in Fort Washington, PA.
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