5 ways to assess DEI during the interview process

As you begin your accounting career, you’ll be interviewing prospective employers just as much as they’ll be interviewing you.

Take time to research a company’s mission and vision statement, their website, and their annual report. You’ll want to choose a firm or company that aligns with your values, including your perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

“It's worth it to find a place that lets you be authentic, because if you're having to check your authentic self at the door every day for a year or two, it's going to wear on you,” said Corinne LaRoche, CPA, partner with James Moore & Co. “Then by the time you're done with that job and moving on to the next one, you may have lost a part of yourself.”

As you search for your next job, try these five tips for assessing whether a company has a culture of inclusivity.

1. Notice diversity (or lack thereof) among current employees.

This is one of the first things LaRoche does when researching a prospective employer. She takes note of the current workforce to see how diverse the company seems at first glance.

Peruse the company staff web pages and, if you can, look up the people you're going to interview with on LinkedIn.

“Sometimes places will only list the top management, which still gives you a good feel for diversity because if top management isn't diverse, that's not ideal,” LaRoche said.

For example, when LaRoche first checked the website of her current firm, she noticed half the partners were women.

“That was a huge green flag for me because that's not standard in the industry, so that kind of shows they're doing something different or maybe they're a little more progressive,” she said.

2. Observe tone, body language, and other nonverbal communication.

Tone, body language, and how carefully a person chooses their words will give you an idea of how they feel about DEI-related issues.

You can get a sense of how welcoming someone is just by clueing into their body language, according to LaRoche.

“For example, as a queer person, if I bring up my wife, do I notice any uncomfortable facial expressions or are people just very comfortable with it?” LaRoche said. “I would note that as a green flag if people very easily work that into conversation and it doesn't seem to faze them at all.”

If you’re able to tour the office, LaRoche also recommends keeping an eye out for small signs of inclusivity, such as gender-neutral bathrooms and pride flags. For example, LaRoche has a sign in her office that says, “Everyone's Welcome Here,” to make sure anyone who visits knows it is a welcoming and inclusive firm.

3. Make sure the firm is making real efforts on DEI.

Check for language related to nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies in the firm’s job postings; look up its equality rating (if it has one) from the Human Rights Campaign; and ask directly about the firm’s views on DEI. Do they have employee resource groups or any other initiatives for employees with diverse identities? Do they offer inclusive benefits that aren’t entirely focused on heterosexual and cisgender employees?

“Throw them a softball, like ‘What do you do to make your benefits inclusive?’ And if they stammer like they've never heard that or thought about that, then this isn't really a topic they think about,” LaRoche said.

LaRoche also recommends asking them whether they know, for example, what percentage of their ownership is women or what percentage of their employees are people of color, to gauge whether the firm tracks such matters.

“If something is important to you, I wouldn't be too shy about letting them know, because if it's a company that doesn't care about that and they bristle at your question, then that's probably not somewhere you want to be anyway,” she said.

Which state a prospective employer’s offices are in can affect your day-to-day work experience, so it’s worth checking state laws to see how a state legislates on matters important to women, people of color, or members of the LGBTQ+ community.

4. Determine whether a prospective employer encourages exploration and growth

If you’re just finishing school and looking for your first job, you might not know exactly what you want in an employer or how you want to shape your career, and that’s OK.

If you’re not yet sure what you want, LaRoche recommends finding a place that will allow you to figure that out.

“You don't want to go to a place that's very closed-minded and doesn’t give you a lot of wiggle room to explore yourself and try different avenues,” she said. “Don't box yourself in, because then five years down the road you'll find yourself super-specialized in something that maybe you end up hating.”

If you’re not sure what you want to specialize in yet, LaRoche recommends asking whether new employees choose audit, tax, or consulting up front and whether they have any opportunities to rotate among the different programs.

5. Talk to current and former employees

Websites like Glassdoor and Great Place to Work® can provide a general idea of what it might be like to work at a given company, but LaRoche acknowledges you should often take critiques from former employees with a grain of salt.

Ideally you can speak with employees you know and trust, or someone with a similar identity and life experience as you.

During the interview process, you might get the opportunity to speak with current employees at your level; if you do, LaRoche recommends asking them about their experience with the company.

To learn more about DEI within the accounting profession, watch our webinar to hear Corinne LaRoche and Ian Nasman, who’s with Deloitte, discuss their experiences with DEI and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Here is a list of potential questions to ask during your next interview to help determine whether the firm or company is diverse and inclusive:

• How do you support someone’s individual career journey and needs? Do you offer coaching, mentorship, or “buddy” programs?
• What programs do you have to support your young professionals?
• Do you offer networking or team-building activities for staff to get to know one another?
• How do you connect with your workforce? Are you taking into consideration remote versus in-person work?
• How would you describe the leaders of this organization?
• Does your organization work with volunteer groups (or is it open to doing so)?
• Has your organization signed pledges or made commitments with respect to inclusion and diversity?
• Do you have any employee resource groups?
• Do you have any sort of inclusivity/diversity mission statement?
• Can you tell me what percentage of employees/leadership are women, people of color, or members of the LGBTQ+ community?
• What do you do to makes your benefits inclusive?
• Do you offer any surrogacy or family-planning benefits?
• Are there any leadership training programs or opportunities?
• What does promotion look like and who makes those decisions? What are the decisions based on?
• What is your turnover rate?
• Would it be possible to speak with a current employee?