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‘If [firms] don’t adapt today, you’re not going to

have enough people to take care of your clients.

We’re being forced to adapt and evolve.’

Mike Parton, CPA, CGMA, managing principal and partner for Coulter & Justus in Knoxville, Tenn.

he city of McPherson — a tidy little town with But flexible working arrangements are only
a main street and tree-shaded neighborhoods the beginning of how SJHL and other firms are
Tsurrounded by the vast plains and farmland of handling their staffing challenges. Some are setting
Kansas — is home to about 13,000 people. new expectations for clients, while others are ramp-
“It’s a great place to raise a family,” said Tamie ing up hiring bonuses and embracing recruiters.
Prieb, marketing and HR manager for the account- Perhaps more than anything, firms are try- About the
ing firm Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Loyd (SJHL). ing to convince new and current employees that author
But McPherson — an hour’s drive north an accounting career offers longevity, balance, Andrew Kenney is
of Wichita — is not the easiest place to hire and rewards. a freelance writer
new accountants. “What you have today is a situation where based in Colorado.
“When you’re just out of school, it’s not typi- young, bright people have so many opportunities.
cally at the top of your list,” Prieb said. They can go in so many different directions. It’s
And yet, even as companies across the United overwhelming if you’re a college student,” said
States struggle with talent shortages, SJHL has Mike Parton, CPA, CGMA, managing principal
nearly tripled in size over the last six years, and it’s and partner for Coulter & Justus in Knoxville,
doing “shockingly well” at staff retention, thanks to Tenn. “If [firms] don’t adapt today, you’re not going
a set of employee-focused strategies, Prieb said. to have enough people to take care of your clients.
It’s part of a pattern: Even before the pandemic, We’re being forced to adapt and evolve.”
many accounting firms were in a race for talent.
But some of the firms facing tough hiring chal- RECRUITING STARTS NOW
lenges made adjustments that prepared them for As fewer job candidates have responded to post-
today’s tight labor market. ings, firms have refocused their recruiting efforts.
Prieb traces part of SJHL’s evolution to 2016, “We’re going to go deep in hiring out of schools.
when the firm first embraced remote work. We’re going to hire more entry-level folks,” said
“It was out of necessity and thinking creatively,” Vic Alexander, CPA/ABV/CFF, chief manager
Prieb said. After hiring a few seasonal accountants of KraftCPAs in Nashville, Tenn. “The ability to
for virtual engagements, the firm realized that it get experienced folks the way we used to is not
had unlocked an option for growth. going to be there. We’re going to try to grow them
“It was like an ‘aha’ moment,” she continued. ourselves.”
“[We thought,] ‘We can hire Valerie from Florida. For many firms, that includes hiring more
We have the technology. Let’s just do this.’ ” interns, hiring younger interns, and building better
Since then, the firm has grown from 35 connections with local colleges.
employees to about 90, and about a quarter of new “When we’re recruiting entry levels, we are now
employees are virtual. Besides attracting new hires, making internship offers at the sophomore-junior
the early embrace of remote work has helped the level of undergraduate. And then we’re making
company retain staffers — even when they’ve had permanent offers at junior-senior level,” Parton
to leave Kansas. “It’s definitely helped us with the said. “We have to do that to be competitive. We’re
growth,” Prieb said. getting ahead of the curve earlier.”

journalofaccountancy.com May 2022 | 7