RSM vs Big 4

Joey Desiderio
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Phoenix, AZ

As a recruiter, one of the most important questions I am charged with answering on a daily basis is: “Why choose RSM?” The answer can be taken in many different directions because quite simply, there is more than one answer. In this post, I will discuss why you should choose RSM over a “Big 4” firm.

Our goal is to be the first-choice advisor in the middle market. We are the #5 accounting firm in the US and that is where we want to be. It is not our goal to become one of the “Big 4” as we service companies in the $50-$500M range. This means that you will be on shorter engagements and will gain extensive knowledge with various industries.

In terms of compensation, we are in line with other accounting firms. There are few exceptions where they pay more than we do and in most cases, there is no difference. However, the path to partner is much clearer with RSM than it is with larger firms. We truly foster a productive environment where we aim to help one another on engagements, as well as advance each other’s careers.

You will also gain a greater range of experience with us as our engagements are not nearly as long or large. As a result, you will have more exposure to various aspects of an engagement rather than being stuck doing one specific job the entire time. Furthermore, you will have extensive access to “C-Level” executives as a true first-choice advisor.

These are just some of the reasons why you should choose RSM over a large firm. At the end of the day, it is our people that truly set us apart and make us great! 

RSM and me...

As a recruiter, I have the opportunity to not just fill open positions, but to help others make a change in their lives as they take the next step within their career.  I had the opportunity to connect with Lisa Miller while conducting a search for our Phoenix office, which eventually turned into a hire. But for Lisa, it was a new chapter within her own path.  Hear from Lisa first-hand about her journey with RSM...

RSM and me…

Lisa Miller, CPA
Client Service Representative
Phoenix, AZ

I feel so lucky to have joined RSM.  It was somewhat of a fluke that I even put in an application.  I was rejoining the workforce after being a work-at-home mom for over 15 years.  I was mainly going through Monster and other placement services.  I occasionally checked Craigslist and the local newspaper.  When I saw a listing on Craigslist for McGladrey (at the time), I was surprised and excited.  You see, in 1998 when I graduated with my Master’s degree, McGladrey & Pullen was on my short list.  I ended up going to work at my first choice, which didn’t work out, partially because I decided to start a family.

I set up a phone interview (how easy is that?!), which I felt went very well.  I really hit it off with the interviewer.  I was so excited when I got a call back for an in-person interview.  Again, I really hit it off with my interviewers.  After my interview, I felt very confident that I was going to get an offer.  I just felt a really strong rapport with all three people I got to know during the process.  These first two contacts were representative of my whole experience at RSM.  I feel like I have joined a team of good people, that care about each other, that care about the company, and that care about our clients.  Everybody has been extremely welcoming and helpful.  I’ve been encouraged to aim high, and have been given the tools I feel will make my goals achievable.  Thank you, RSM, for a great opportunity!  I look forward to a long, rewarding relationship.

RSM Management Consulting - The Right Career Path

Elia Blankenship
Senior Associate - Management Consulting
Los Angeles, CA

I joined RSM in February 2015, after being in private industry for two decades.  I had been a Banker for the majority of my professional career.  I was the VP of Operations managing various back-office support teams when I had the realization that something was missing.  I had been in the same position for several years and was successful but I sensed that something was missing professionally.  I had invested time and money in my professional pursuit but my aspirations were limited to the opportunities available in my current environment and personally I was seeking variety, opportunities to be innovative, and challenging assignments.

The missing piece was answered in a career opening posted from RSM.  RSM posted a position as a Financial Institution (FI) Consultant in the Technology Management Consulting (TMC) division that resonated with my experience and career aspirations.  As excited as I was about the prospect of becoming a Consultant, I had doubts about making a mid-career change from private industry to a Public Accountancy firm and becoming a Consultant.  Those feelings of doubt were quickly dissolved with the engagements that I was involved in.  Each engagement was unique with banks, credit unions or private industry hiring us to assist them with solving strategic barriers, process challenges, technology concerns and so forth.  The variety was exactly what I was looking for and extremely rewarding.  The best part of working as a Consultant is working in teams composed of Consultant’s that bring decades of experience, industry knowledge, and support to each assignment.

It’s been a year since I joined the firm and have found my mid-career change to a Public Accountancy firm and as a Consultant to be very rewarding.  As a Consultant in the FI TMC division, I continue to have the opportunity to be innovative, strategic, and be part of a team that provides banking management stakeholders with meaningful solutions to meet their strategic objectives and goals.  I have realized that my transition to RSM has reinvigorated my career aspirations and continues to spark a desire to continue to grow in my field.  I can state without bias that I have found that staying true to my banking roots and working with an organization that emulates my own personal values has made my career transition a worthwhile journey.

RSM And Your Social Life

Joey Desiderio
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Phoenix, AZ

As a recruiter, one of the most important questions I am charged with answering on a daily basis is: “Why choose RSM?” The answer can be taken in many different directions because quite simply, there is more than one answer. In this post, I will discuss how RSM encourages a fun social life while still meeting our client’s needs.

Everyone equates public accounting to long hours and no social life. Well, that just simply isn’t the case. While we do have to meet our clients expectations during busy season, we make an effort to ensure that our people are still living healthy, productive lives. For example, our San Diego office regularly hosts yoga classes in the evenings for people in the office. Similarly, our New York office hosted a spin class during busy season.

Another great example is how our Bay Area offices have created a social club wherein they meet for events both during the week and on the weekends. These events include hiking, happy hours, laser tag, and more! Happy people do better work and as a result, we make sure to keep our people happy.

This is just a small example of how we keep both our people and our clients happy. If you join RSM, you will quickly see why the picture above is becoming a thing of the past!

Valuation is an art, not a science

Koji Bratcher, ASA
Business Valuation Supervisor
Los Angeles, CA

“Valuation is an art, not a science” is a phrase commonly used within the valuation community to describe its somewhat imprecise nature.  One of the reasons I was drawn to, and continue to be intrigued by, the business valuation profession is the fact that it requires quite a bit of judgment and subjective analysis on the part of the appraiser.  While the process tends to be similar when valuing any company – talk to management and learn about the business, conduct market and industry research, decide on methodology and perform calculations, and, finally, conclude on value and perform tests of reasonableness – each step requires some level of thought from the appraiser.  Furthermore, the valuation community’s collective thinking is constantly evolving, which often results in diverging opinions among appraisers.  This evolution, coupled with the fact that business valuation requires substantial subjectivity, keeps things interesting in the day-to-day work and overall profession (and provides some level of comfort that I won’t be easily replaced by a computer algorithm in the near future).

I made the switch to RSM in Los Angeles in August 2015 from a very small boutique valuation firm in South Florida.  In all, there were four professionals at my old firm, which required autonomy on the part of the analysts.  Working in a small firm, I enjoyed having the responsibility of working on assignments on my own and the flexibility to use progressive valuation techniques. One of the leading fears I had when contemplating the move from a small, flexible firm to a large, public accounting firm was being put in a box and restricted to analytical techniques that are only approved by firm leadership.  Fortunately, those fears haven’t come to fruition, as RSM’s valuation team has been open to expanding our firm-wide “valuation toolbox.”  Although I have found there to be more procedural “red tape” (to be expected at a large firm), nothing has restricted any “out-of-the-box” thinking (in fact, this has been encouraged).

For me, one of the biggest differences between working at a small firm and RSM has been the shift from a mostly analytical role to a managerial position.  This has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my move to RSM, as I truly have enjoyed training and teaching staff (and learning from them as well!).  I am, at heart, a “valuation nerd” and savor discussions about valuation theory and “what makes sense” (even over drinks at happy hour). Thus far, I have been nothing short of impressed and humbled by the knowledge and talent of the individuals I have met at RSM (from the intern level through partners).  My many conversations with other RSM professionals (even non-valuation people) have pushed me to revisit my thought processes, which has helped me to better see the “big picture” and further grow as an appraiser.

Overall, the move to RSM has been very positive for me and I am happy to help the firm deliver "the power of being understood!"

Proud to be an auditor

by Joe Adams, Managing Partner and CEO of RSM US LLP

My audit career began as a freshman at DePaul University in Chicago when I selected accounting as my major. I chose it because my brother was an accountant. Little did I know then the profound impact that choice would have on my life and my career.

In fact, after I took my first couple of auditing classes, I was pretty sure audit wasn’t for me. While I did well, I was really more interested in the operational side of the business. So much so that I stayed on for an MBA after getting my undergraduate degree in accounting.

But as you’re building a career, you’re also building a life. When I graduated with my MBA, I had a young family to support, so I began a career as an auditor because it would provide me with good experience and a solid income. I joined RSM (which was then known as McGladrey) with the promise of transferring to consulting after I had a couple of years of experience under my belt.

What I learned in those first few years, however, is that there is no better way to learn about business than to be an auditor. In addition to learning auditing skills, I had tremendous opportunities to interact with business leaders and owners. I took every chance I had to talk to leaders and understand how they were successful. At the same time, my business acumen was growing as a result of my work on audits. I learned about financial statements, inventory, transactions and more. And I became very aware of the impact my work had on building confidence in the users of financial statements, which is the very foundation of our economy and of good business decisions. After those initial years, I decided to stay in audit because I was enjoying it and learning so much about business in general. It was a far better education than if I had immediately stepped into business operations.

I also found the CPA firm environment to be a great place to learn and grow. I am a competitive person who likes to make a difference. Beginning fairly early in my career, I started bringing ideas to my partners for things we could improve. They didn’t all get approved, but many did, and I was quickly able to stand out as a result of my proactive approach. In fact, when I made manager, one of our leaders jokingly told me, “We had to promote you so you could be one of us.” Throughout my career, I have had tremendous opportunities to understand and impact our firm’s business – from being personnel partner responsible for people management to leading operations for a major region to now leading all of RSM here in the U.S.

And I don’t believe my experience is unique. I believe it is available to anyone who chooses the profession, chooses to excel and is willing to take steps to make their firm, the users of financial statements and the profession better. I honestly don’t know of another career where you can make such a big impact on the capital markets, the businesses you work with, your colleagues and your firm.

I am proud of the work our firm and our profession does to build confidence in our capital markets. I am proud of how I have personally helped business owners and shareholders of all types make confident decisions as a result of the work my teams and I have done auditing their financial statements. I am proud of the impact I have been able to make at RSM. And I am proud of the way I have been able to support and provide for my family as a result of my choice to be an auditor. I can’t imagine a more rewarding career.

That’s why I am #auditorproud.

Pursue a passion: One person can make a big difference

Tyler Cronk, Supervisor
Minneapolis, MN

Being a night owl can change lives. Just ask Supervisor Tyler Cronk, Minneapolis, whose nocturnal habits led to an adventure that would forever change his life—and the lives of others.

Up late watching TV one night in August 2014, Tyler saw a CNN Heroes segment about Doc Hendley, founder of Wine To Water, an organization dedicated to providing clean water worldwide in sustainable and repeatable ways. As he watched, Tyler was struck by the difference just one person could make.

"I first noticed what a great storyteller Doc Hendley was, and then I became fascinated by his story," said Tyler. "He had been working as a bartender when he learned about a group of people in Darfur without access to clean water. So he threw a party at his bar, and attempted to donate the proceeds to an organization he thought could help. The organization actually gave the money back and suggested that he could do a better job than they could in working to solve the issue."

It was at that point that Hendley had an epiphany. He moved to Africa to learn how to purify water and set up an organization that could give people access to clean water, and started Wine To Water, a non-profit that has provided clean water to more than 400,000 people in 24 countries since 2009.

"I thought, here's a guy who was working as a bartender and then went on to make a huge difference," Tyler recalled. "I asked myself what I was now going to do to make an impact."

Just a week before, Tyler had heard about RSM's Pursue Your Passion opportunity. Through Pursue Your Passion, three recipients would each receive $2,500 and five additional PTO days to realize their dream.

"I thought, no way, this is more than a coincidence," he said. "And, I decided that if our firm was going so far as to say, this is important enough that we will back you, I needed to put down my deposit with Wine To Water and apply for the program."

Bringing water to those in need
As one of three Pursue Your Passion winners, Tyler went to Nepal with a Wine To Water team in September 2015. The area had poor access to water, and a 7.8 earthquake in April 2015, and its subsequent aftershocks, had damaged the area's aquifers and infrastructure even more, leaving many without clean water.

Wine To Water provided financial support for the region immediately following the earthquake and sent water filters, chlorine tablets and sanitation products to clean the water supply. And it was up to Tyler's team to ensure the filters were being used properly. While that task at first didn't sound important or exciting, it turned out that, in many cases, villagers weren't using the filters correctly, if at all, instead relying on rations of one liter of water per person per week for drinking and bathing.

"The problem was that the villagers didn't trust the guy who was dropping off the filters," said Tyler. "And since unclean water can lead to disease and death, the villagers weren't taking any chances. So, we showed them how to use the filters correctly and how to clean them properly. And, when they didn't trust us, we drank the water ourselves to show them it was safe." Doing so meant the difference between good health and illness or even death for many.

"Using the filters provides the villagers with access to an unlimited, continuous water stream from a spring," said Tyler. "The feeling of helping to make that available to them is something I'll never forget."

Tyler's team also built a rainwater harvest system for a school and helped dig out a school and homes destroyed by the earthquake. Since many people build their homes on top of their businesses—sometimes four stories stacked above a small main floor—the destruction and death tolls following the earthquake were significant, and rebuilding is still an arduous process.

"These people are trying to earn money to put food on the table, living day-to-day. So it's difficult for them to work on their damaged or destroyed homes on top of that," he said. "In one case, we were working with a local team for two to three hours before we realized that what we were digging out was the home of a man working alongside us. That was very emotional. To top it off, it was monsoon season, so we had to end our work early, leaving the man and his home behind. That was our group's low point. The next day, a few of us snuck back to finish the job for him."

A different outlook
Tyler's time pursuing his passion changed his perspective about life—and about work.

"I had heard of Kathmandu and Nepal. But I never associated it with people who don't have clean water, or understood all of the challenges and inconveniences that presents for them," he said. "Having clean drinking water is an even more immediate need than food and housing. If you go a few days without water, that's a big problem. Doc Hendley has a quote about his inability to eradicate the water crisis on his own. He says his work is a drop in the bucket. But if he hadn't started Wine To Water, we'd be nowhere. Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by the water crisis, and I'm happy to have made a contribution toward solving it."

Tyler says the trip also helped him get his own priorities in order.

"I met people from all walks of life, including the wonderful and grateful people of Nepal. It gave me new things to think about and talk about," he said. "Plus, it gave me a lot of time to think about my own life. I looked at how I spend my time and realized my 'priorities' and actions were out of alignment."

For Tyler, a program like Pursue Your Passion builds personal integrity as well as employee loyalty.

"My friends and family said they had never heard of a company doing something like this—something that doesn't directly contribute to the bottom line," he said. "It shows that my firm understands people have things they want to do outside of work. And just because you earn a salary and have PTO, it doesn't make it easy to do those things. This program made it possible. And providing an avenue for an employee to become a better person is a remarkable thing."

Tyler, center, with other members of the Wine To Water team.

Tyler and a Wine To Water teammate with students at a
school where the team built a rainwater harvest system.