VAULT.COM UNVEILS 2011 ACCOUNTING FIRM QUALITY OF LIFE RANKINGS; MARCUM TAKES TOP SPOT IN 7 CATEGORIES

New York, NY, (October 5, 2010) Vault.com, the source of ratings, rankings and insight for students and professionals, has released its Accounting Quality of Life Rankings for 2011, examining how accounting firms rank in 15 areas, ranging from satisfaction to diversity. 

In order to determine the Vault Accounting Quality of Life Rankings, accounting professionals were asked to rate their own firms in a variety of categories on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest.  A firm’s score in each category is simply the average of these ratings.

This year, Marcum LLP dominated the Accounting Quality of Life Rankings, taking the top spot in 7 out of 15 categories, including hours, formal and informal training, office space, compensation and overall business outlook.

“The result of a recent merger between two formidable accounting firms (Florida-based Rachlin and New York-headquartered Marcum & Kliegman), Marcum is now one of the 15 largest accounting firms in the U.S.  Based in Long Island, N.Y., Marcum has become a strong presence on the East Coast, and it has aspirations of creating a national firm,” said Vault.com Finance Editor Derek Loosvelt.  “It has also become a firm known for treating its employees well: it pays its employees at the top of end of the national scale, works but not overworks its staff, and maintains a family-like culture, despite having nearly 1,000 employees.”

Below are the top-ranked firms in each Quality of Life category along with quotes from their accounting employees:

Overall satisfaction: Armanino McKenna (“I came to this firm in 2000 hoping to grow professionally and looking for an opportunity to advance. This firm has helped and allowed me to do both, and I honestly could not imagine a more rewarding professional experience than the one I've had so far.”)

Firm culture: Kaufman, Rossin & Co. (“The firm culture is very people-oriented and supportive. The partners maintain an open-door policy, and are approachable and responsive.”)

Hours: Marcum (“We work hard at Marcum, but the hours are very reasonable.”)

Manager Relations: Kaufman, Rossin & Co. (“Office doors are always open. All managers are very approachable and willing to help.”)

Formal Training: Marcum (“Training is top notch. Marcum places a heavy emphasis on training.”)

Informal Training: Marcum (“Through the Career Development Program, employees are assigned 'coaches' who help them along their career path. My coach is very supportive and has been instrumental in my growth at Marcum.”)

Office Space: Marcum (“The brand new offices are state of the art and spacious.”)

Compensation: Marcum (“Marcum pays at the higher end of the pay scale. Compensation is extremely competitive.”)

Selectivity: PricewaterhouseCoopers (“We only strive to hire the best candidates.”)

Green initiatives: Goodman & Company (“Goodman has implemented a green office environment, with recycling programs throughout the office, and encourages green-type behavior related to electricity usage, etc.”)

Overall business outlook: Marcum (“Marcum is set up to thrive as soon as the economy turns around.”)

Overall diversity: Kaufman, Rossin & Co. (“Gender, sexuality, race and religion are not factors in people being hired or promoted.”)

Diversity—Women: Goodman & Company (“The firm has been very supportive of diversity with respect to woman. There are many female partners and employees, and various options for flexible work schedules for working mothers.”)

Diversity—Minorities: Marcum (“We hire people solely on talent and ability.”)

Diversity—GLBTs: Kaufman, Rossin & Co. (“There is no discrimination against GLBT persons.”)

The Vault Accounting Quality of Life Rankings concludes Vault’s Accounting 50 Rankings rollout that began on September 21, 2010.  The rankings provide a comprehensive roadmap of who's who in the accounting industry and a detailed perspective on the criteria considered by candidates when evaluating consulting firms. 

View the Complete Accounting Quality of Life Rankings.

About Vault 

Vault.com is the source of employer and university rankings, ratings and insight for highly credentialed, in-demand candidates.  Vault.com is organized by profession, industry, company and schools.  Vault profiles, rankings and assessment tools deliver the insider perspective and career research candidates need to successfully match themselves to the best available job, employer and career opportunity. The Vault.com website features profiles on more than 4,500 employers, 4,000 universities and hundreds of industries and professions including the law, finance, accounting and consulting sectors.  Founded in 1996, Vault.com is the only career resource of its kind and attracts more than 1000 employer and recruiter advertisers, more than 1200 school and institutional subscribers and millions of individual visitors and members.

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