Finding the right accounting firm culture is the single most important decision an early-career accountant can make. Salary and job titles attract attention, but culture determines whether you stay, grow, and thrive. Allison Parsons, Controller at Pease Bell, CPAs, built her career by prioritizing fit over flash, and her story offers a practical blueprint for anyone evaluating where to launch or continue an accounting career.
The question this article answers is simple: how do you identify an accounting firm culture that will actually support a long career, rather than one that only looks good during the interview? The answer comes down to communication, access to leadership, real development opportunities, and a client base broad enough to build genuine expertise.
Why accounting firm culture matters more than salary
Allison Parsons began her professional journey at age 16 as a client account representative for a distribution company. After earning a degree in Business Management and Administration from Baldwin Wallace University in 2007, she joined Pease Bell, CPAs as Executive Assistant for firm founder Joe Pease. Over the following years, she advanced into roles of increasing responsibility, a trajectory that would have been far less likely at a firm where culture took a backseat to hierarchy.
By 2016, Allison had risen to the role of Controller, overseeing the firm’s financial operations, human resources, and employee relations. Her path illustrates a key truth about accounting career development: the firms that invest in their people create conditions for advancement that no salary bump can replicate.
“Candidates should interview the firm, too. Finding a place that is the ‘right fit’ is just as important as being interviewed,” Allison explains. This perspective flips the typical job search mindset. Instead of asking “Can I get this job?”, candidates should ask “Will this firm help me build the career I want?”
The AICPA’s career guidance for aspiring CPAs reinforces this point, encouraging candidates to evaluate firms on mentorship, advancement, and work environment rather than starting pay alone. You can review that guidance at ThisWayToCPA, the AICPA’s resource for accounting students and early-career professionals.
What sets a strong CPA firm work environment apart
A strong CPA firm work environment is defined by accessibility, open communication, and a genuine investment in every team member’s growth. At Pease Bell, the firm’s mid-size structure creates a personal atmosphere while still offering the complexity and variety of a larger practice.
“Due to our size, open communication is welcomed across all levels,” Allison says. “Team members’ feedback and ideas are encouraged and can grow quickly.” In practical terms, a staff accountant with a process improvement idea can bring it directly to firm leadership and see it implemented. At larger firms, that same idea might never leave the department where it originated.
The firm’s culture extends well beyond day-to-day work. Allison herself helped plan many of the firm’s social activities before her promotion to Controller, including friendly competitions, client events, and community and holiday gatherings. These activities are not perks tacked onto a job description. They are evidence of a culture that treats people as whole individuals, not just billable-hour producers.
Culture also shows up in how a firm structures its work. A practice that offers a wide range of accounting services gives staff exposure to varied engagements and the chance to develop multiple specialties over time. That variety keeps the work interesting and gives accountants room to discover where their strengths lie.
How accounting internship programs reveal a firm’s true character
One of the clearest indicators of a firm’s culture is how it treats its interns. An accounting internship program that limits interns to data entry and coffee runs signals a firm that views junior talent as disposable. A program that exposes interns to real client work and senior leadership signals the opposite.
At Pease Bell, interns gain practical experience by working alongside team members at every level of the organization, including the firm’s directors. “Interns are encouraged to gain knowledge and practical experience from other team members at all levels of the organization, including our directors, which may not ordinarily happen at larger firms,” Allison notes.
This approach does more than train future accountants. It gives interns a realistic preview of the firm’s culture, communication style, and values. For candidates weighing multiple offers, this level of transparency is invaluable. An internship at the right firm can confirm a career direction, while an internship at the wrong one can save years of frustration.
Interns should also ask what kinds of clients they will support. The breadth of a firm’s industry experience is a strong proxy for the range of skills an intern will get to build, from manufacturing and real estate to nonprofit and behavioral health engagements.
Career growth at a mid-size accounting firm
Accounting career development at a mid-size firm offers a combination of advantages that neither the largest nor the smallest firms can match. Large firms provide brand recognition and expansive client lists, but career paths can feel rigid and impersonal. Very small firms offer intimacy but may lack the client diversity needed to build a broad skill set.
Mid-size firms like Pease Bell sit in a productive middle ground. The firm’s partners and managers are directly committed to supporting each team member’s long-range career objectives. Allison describes it clearly: “We are the perfect-sized firm. Our size is conducive to a more personal environment, yet large enough to attract a diverse and impressive client base, which makes the work both challenging and rewarding.”
This balance is especially relevant for professionals in the early and middle stages of their careers. Exposure to a wide range of clients and industries builds technical depth faster than working on a narrow specialty. Direct relationships with firm leadership create the mentorship and sponsorship that drive promotions and professional development.
It also helps with the long arc of the profession. Maintaining a CPA license requires ongoing continuing professional education, and a firm that supports that investment signals it is serious about its people. The AICPA & CIMA maintains the professional standards and learning resources that frame how accountants keep their skills current throughout a career.
Building a workplace where people want to stay
Retention in accounting is a persistent industry challenge. Firms that struggle with turnover often focus on compensation adjustments while ignoring the cultural factors that actually drive people out, including rigid hierarchies, lack of recognition, and limited opportunities to contribute beyond a job description.
Allison’s own career arc is a case study in what retention looks like when culture is working. She started as an executive assistant, took on increasing responsibility in firm operations and recruiting, and eventually became Controller, all within the same organization. That kind of long-term growth happens when a firm creates an environment where people feel valued, heard, and supported.
“What I like most about Pease are the people,” Allison concludes. “They are what truly makes our firm unique, and we do our best to make every team member feel at home.” This sentiment is not unusual from long-tenured employees at well-run firms. What is unusual is a firm that consistently delivers on it, year after year.
For job seekers evaluating their options, the lesson is clear: ask about culture early, ask specific questions, and pay attention to how current employees describe their experience. The right accounting firm culture will not just give you a job. It will give you a career.
How to evaluate accounting firm culture during your job search
Knowing that culture matters is one thing. Assessing it before you accept an offer is another. The most reliable signals are visible during the interview process if you know where to look.
Pay attention to who you meet. If a firm puts you in front of partners and senior staff rather than keeping the conversation limited to recruiters, that access often mirrors the access you will have once hired. Ask how decisions get made and how feedback travels between staff and leadership.
Ask current employees direct questions about tenure and advancement. People who have grown within a firm tend to speak about it differently than those who feel stuck. Long average tenure, internal promotions, and a willingness to discuss real career paths are all strong indicators of a healthy environment.
Finally, weigh the work itself. A firm serving a diverse client base across multiple industries gives you more chances to find work that engages you and more room to specialize as your interests sharpen over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find the right accounting firm to work for?
Start by interviewing the firm as much as they interview you. Ask current employees about communication practices, mentorship opportunities, and how ideas are received by leadership. A firm that welcomes these questions is typically one that has good answers.
What makes a good accounting firm culture?
A good accounting firm culture features open communication across all levels, genuine investment in professional development, and opportunities to contribute beyond your job description. Look for firms where team members have long tenures and speak positively about their growth trajectory.
What are the benefits of working at a small or mid-size accounting firm?
Mid-size firms offer a personal work environment combined with a diverse client base that accelerates skill development. Team members typically have more direct access to firm leadership and more visibility into firm-wide decisions, which creates clearer paths for career advancement.
What should accounting interns look for when choosing a firm?
Look for an accounting internship program that gives you exposure to real client work and access to professionals at every level, including senior leadership. If an internship limits you to administrative tasks with no mentorship, it reveals more about the firm’s culture than any recruiting brochure.
How do you grow your career at a CPA firm?
Career growth at a CPA firm depends on finding a firm that aligns your strengths with real opportunities. Seek out firms where partners and managers actively support long-range career planning, and where advancement is based on contribution and capability rather than tenure alone.
Why is company culture important in accounting?
Accounting firm culture directly affects retention, job satisfaction, and the quality of client service. Firms with strong cultures attract better talent, keep that talent longer, and create the collaborative environment needed to handle complex, high-stakes client work effectively.
