Baker Tilly Information Session

By: IC to the Editor-in-Chief

On October 1, 2014, representatives from Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP visited the Baruch College campus to talk about a wide variety of opportunities at the mid-sized accounting firm. Human Resources manager Janice Strain stressed at the very beginning of her presentation that she would break with the mold of other firm information sessions. She wanted to give students a real opportunity to get to know the organization and not just bombard them with marketing materials.

Baker Tilly’s U.S. operations consist of 2,500 professionals working in twenty-nine offices spread out over eleven states and Washington, D.C, making it the 12th largest public accounting firm in the country. Baker Tilly is a member of Baker Tilly International, a major global network of 161 firms in 137 countries, which means staff have the opportunity to do rotations around the world. Management sees these rotations as a great way to build strong relationships with professionals working in many different offices and practices.

The firm serves a diverse client base that includes both public and private companies of every size, from start-ups to family-run businesses to international corporations. It offers a standard suite of services, including assurance, tax, consulting, forensics, and valuation. In all of its work with clients, Baker Tilly sees itself as a “Valued Business Advisor” that helps clients grow and prosper.

Baker Tilly invests a great amount resources in its staff. Ms. Strain said, “When you realize your potential, we realize ours,” and then went into detail about how the firm helps new hires realize this potential. Beyond the industry standard reimbursement for test preparation and licensing fees, the firm provides subscriptions to industry periodicals, tuition assistance, and CPE qualified training.

In a candid moment, Ms. Strain told students what they can expect as a first-year staff at Baker Tilly. While admitting that the dreaded “busy season” can be intense and demanding, she explained that firm works hard to make the experience manageable by sponsoring social activities and dinners to let you get away from ticking and tying for a moment. She framed the busy season in terms of opportunity, not of costs, and stated that it is during these stressful times that you learn and grow most quickly.

Interns and new staff are often surprised at how much responsibility they have right when they start working. They are given a large degree of control over their workload as they work on projects for various managers.

Ms. Strain encouraged everyone in attendance to apply for positions both via the Baruch career portals and bakertilly.com. The information session ended with a spirited networking session with the Baker Tilly professionals.

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