Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Hunting for CPAs in Oregon

The Oregonian reports on the scramble of Portland-area firms to bulk up their staffs, and the tactics they're using.

The firms that are most successful at recruiting and retaining employees offer more than money, says Dennis Johnson, managing partner at the McDonald Jacobs accounting and consulting firm in Portland.

"There is a giant trend toward more family-friendly policies," Johnson says. In a field renowned for 80-hour workweeks, stale takeout and caffeine overload, today's professionals want a life outside the office.

Mary Rotherham, a 2004 University of Oregon accounting graduate, recently finished her third "busy season" with Perkins & Co. She conducts audits for several of the midsize and large private companies based in Oregon that are Perkins' bread and butter.

But she's melded a husband and two children into her career, too. That wouldn't have been possible a few years ago at most firms, she says, and still is tough to pull off at one of the big national accounting outfits.

In the macro sense, you've heard it all before. In the micro, there are some names and contacts for people looking to make a move.

CPA firms dash from taxes to recruitment [The Oregonian]

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