Is this a good place to work?

As I’ve stated many times in this space, we’re not executive recruiters, although it’s astounding how many calls we receive on a weekly basis from folks looking for accounting talent of any age.

So when a friend of ours said their daughter, who just passed her CPA exam, was beginning to circulate her resume, they solicited my advice on which firms she should steer her attention toward – specifically those who didn’t operate like slave labor camps.

Which I suppose was another way of asking about their culture of work-life balance or if it was one of those “best places to work.”

Again, I reiterated our “we’re not headhunters” mission statement, which did exactly nothing to discourage them from pursuing the subject.

Well, I said there are several things she can do. First and foremost use popular search engines to sift through any and all information about them. Specifically under the “news” sections, that will quickly reveal any event – good or bad that has impacted them recently. If you are on a social media platform, network and see if there are any people who used to work for a particular firm or firms and diplomatically ask them about their experiences there.

If she’s called for an interview, I suggested she schedule it on an off hour, like very early in the morning or early evening. So, if she comes in at say 7:30 p.m. and the office is as jammed as it is at 11 a.m., then she’ll have her answer about work-life balance.

During the interview process, don’t be afraid to turn the tables a bit and ask the interviewer what they like best about the company or have them describe in their own words about the company culture. Find out about their clients. Are they long term, or is there client churn that more resembles a fast-food restaurant?

Look around afterwards, it can be as simple as seeing if the employees look like they’re enjoying their work or do they appear to be sitting in after-school detention? Is the space maintained and well-furnished, or does it look like the 1970s called and they want their furniture and filing cabinets back? Is their technology up-to-date with multiple screens and client portals?

Someone once told me that within one minute they could tell whether they would want to work at a certain company just by the vibe.

I wished them good luck and keep me posted on her progress.

Hmm. Maybe we should rethink the recruiting thing.