Employment at McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC

FOR AN EXCITING CAREER OPPORTUNITY...
THE SOLUTION IS ONE GOOD MOVE AWAY!

We are pleased to have this opportunity to talk with you about your future. You have reached a point in your life where the years of preparation should begin to pay dividends, and you are faced with the exciting prospect of making a choice of employers which will help you realize your ambitions. The magnitude of that decision is perhaps greater than any you have made so far. If you approach your decision with the skills to which you have been exposed, by identifying your options and exploring their potential for meeting your goals, you are demonstrating the characteristics that are important to us. We invite you to learn more about us in this brief overview of who we are, as well as what we are looking for in a qualified candidate, and what you might expect from us in return.

WHO WE ARE

McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC is a progressive public accounting firm now in its sixth decade of service to southern Indiana and the Louisville metropolitan area. A regional firm, we provide a full range of accounting, taxation, audit, management consulting, and data processing services to a wide variety of clientele. The majority of our clients are located within 100 miles of the Louisville metropolitan area and are served by our Jeffersonville, Indiana office. The firm's nine owners, hereinafter referred to as "members", and a professional and support staff of approximately 45, stress quality over quantity in pursuit of client satisfaction. This philosophy has helped us develop our reputation as one of the most respected and fastest growing professional service firms in our region.
With such growth comes opportunity. As we look for more and better ways to serve our clients, we are ever mindful of the need to seek out talented, highly motivated individuals who are entering our profession and would like to associate themselves with a firm that shares their personal values and ambitions. We recognize that your expectations are high. So are ours. But we look beyond academic credentials for the attributes that have made our firm successful. After we tell you what we expect from a prospective member of our staff, we will tell you what you can expect from us.

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU

When we review your resume, we naturally will be interested in your academic achievements. Public accounting is both a rewarding and difficult career choice and those who enter it must be capable of dealing with complex and technical issues over time. Along the way, those who are successful must pass the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' comprehensive examination. Your academic standing and course work help to predict both your continuing interest in accounting and the prospects for your professional development. We will, of course, take into consideration other factors which may have influenced your grade point average. These may include outside employment or other activities which shared importance with your schoolwork. In the final analysis, however, we both must be convinced that you have the aptitude and the attitude to succeed in our business.
We will also consider other personal characteristics reflected in the resume. We are in a personal contact, service oriented business and look, for example, for those past activities or associations that demonstrate your ability to successfully meet the public.
Should you interview with our firm, we will be aware of your personal demeanor, grooming habits, and values. We will also try to assess how you would fit into our organization, looking at such attributes, among others, as personality, sincerity, ambition, industry, loyalty, and integrity.
While overnight travel is rare, it is occasionally necessary. Additionally, continuing education sometimes requires absences from home. Thus, the ability to meet these requirements is a factor in our selection of applicants.
Finally, we will want to convince ourselves that you are the type of person who is serious about a career in public accounting and, when necessary, will be willing to make those personal sacrifices which are sometimes necessary to succeed in any business. That is because we are equally serious about our business, and realize that our future depends on hard working, dedicated professionals who are often called upon to go that extra mile. Be prepared to pursue this issue with us so that we can both meet our expectations for your future success.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

If you become associated with our firm and are inexperienced in public accounting, you can look forward to a progressive experience of learning in a working environment. Our client base is highly diversified and includes entities involved in manufacturing, construction, retailing, wholesaling, transportation, food services, financial services, travel and recreation, mining, wood products, and various professional, governmental, and not-for-profit organizations. This broad base of activity assures the new accountant an opportunity to develop a well rounded exposure to a variety of businesses. As the basic knowledge increases, career advancement and specialization opportunities become available.

Career Progression

The following briefly describes the succession of positions leading to the member level.
Entry Level - New hires are classified initially as Staff Level I. Within a reasonably short period of time, and depending largely on performance and demonstrated ability, the individual can anticipate promotion to Staff Level II. In both positions, the accountant is exposed to a variety of work assignments designed to build knowledge of a wide range of businesses. These include both the newly formed or small proprietorship to the large national corporations we serve. Here the textbook begins to take on meaning as its principles are applied to real accounting problems. It is also here where the learning is applied, layer by layer, from all the resources and experiences available, which marks the passing from student to professional accountant.
Senior Accountant - Ability and experience, along with the successful passing of the CPA examination, provide access to this position.
Supervisor - This important position is also based on merit rather than passage of time. In addition to experience and personal competency, the individual will have demonstrated the characteristics that suggest an ability to supervise others.
Manager - At this level, the individual is a seasoned accountant, having developed an expanded base of technical knowledge through continuing education and a variety of professional experiences. Some effort toward gaining a level of specialization may now be in order.

Opportunities for specialization include audit, small business services, income and estate taxation, mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, personal financial planning, litigation support, succession planning, computer services, management consulting services, and others.
Member - The individual has further developed expertise in an area critical to the firm and possesses the attributes which suggest continuing contributions worthy of an ownership position.

All levels of personal development are supported by the opportunity for continuing education, adequate training, direction and supervision, quality resources for research and consultation, and financial rewards commensurate with the individual's growing level of responsibility and contribution to the firm.
While it obviously takes time to progress through the various positions, demonstrated ability is more important to us than the change of calendars. As you grow, so do we.

Salaries, Benefits, and Evaluations

Our starting salaries are competitive with other public accounting firms of our size and the ranges change annually. They may be less than the salaries quoted by international accounting firms to their preferred candidates. Advancement, however, will likely be more rapid and relocation or required travel less likely with our firm. In addition, you will receive exposure to a much greater variety of clients and work.
Our employee handbook explains our various benefits, which include group life, health and disability insurance, a dental plan, a Section 125 cafeteria plan, pension and profit sharing plans, paid vacation, certain memberships, and maintaining certification as a public accountant. We also offer several opportunities to earn bonuses, including new client bonuses and employee referral bonuses.
The annual evaluation process at McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC provides each employee with feedback on individual performance, development, and growth within the firm. Members as well as employees benefit from the evaluations, which serve as a tool to ensure that concerns and desires of the employees are identified.

Internal Support

Our professional staff is supported by a strong administrative staff, extensive libraries and technical research resources, computerized applications, written policies and procedures, a comfortable and pleasant work environment, and eager, accessible supervision. This assures you that your efforts to succeed will not be wasted.

Special Firm Memberships

We are a member of PKF North America Network, an association of legally independent firms, organized for the purpose of sharing expertise, information and techniques for the benefit of all members and their clients. Without doubt, these valuable resources give us an advantage in our service capabilities for clients here in the United States, as well as those who are expanding their businesses internationally.
Our firm gained unqualified acceptance in its quality review as a member of the PCPS (Private Companies Practice Section) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In their report, the reviewers concluded the system of quality control for the accounting and auditing practice of McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC met the objectives of quality control standards established by the AICPA.

CONCLUSION

Your hard work has already paid off for you in the college degree you have earned or will earn. If you are willing to continue that effort, to grow in responsibility and accountability, we invite your expression of interest. The career choice you are making requires a major decision, perhaps one of the most important you will make in your life. At McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC, the solution is one good move away.

Copyright © McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Revised: 01/02/08.