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I first heard of Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) through my neighbor, Bob Bobek, when looking for an internship to fulfill my credits for my undergraduate degree.

I was brought in for my internship in July of 2013 for 3 weeks which then turned into over a yearlong internship in the audit department (which is not your typical internship) that led to a job offer before going back to graduate school. I started out as more of a shadow for the first couple weeks bouncing back and forth between jobs just to get an idea of how the different industries work and the basic differences between how an audit, review, compilation and cost certs work. I was able to work with different managers and was able to go out in the field and get a feel for fieldwork and client interaction. The longer that my internship lasted the more detailed work I was able to contribute throughout the engagements. Going out into the field rather than sitting in the office completing the work was very beneficial to building my confidence in my work and having that experience to build off of. I was able to see how testing was performed, how to make inquiries, and start to build relationships with the clients.

Everyone at GJM is amazing to work with. I was especially worried being a new intern with no internship experience at all and being completely new to the public accounting atmosphere. All of the staff that I worked with through all of the engagements took on all of my questions and rather than being annoyed by all of the questions, made me feel like they were necessary and were essentially building blocks to better understanding the client and processes of the engagement. Any employee, regardless of their title or position, is willing to help you grow and point you in the right direction to help you learn and continue to grow. The office atmosphere, encouraging communication, and friendly staff members, who are willing to help everyone grow in every way that they can, makes coming into work every day enjoyable.

GJM is far from a “stuffy accounting firm” to say the least. It is not an everyman for themselves environment where no one communicates and keeps to themselves. Everyone is encouraged to ask questions when they don’t understand, share discoveries that others may benefit from, and share victories together. There are a variety of committees throughout the firm that employees are encouraged to be a part of to keep fresh ideas running through and keeping GJM a great place to work. The Fun Committee plans events to keep the office atmosphere light and show that the company realizes that we put in hard work and need a break/some fun from time to time. The APE Committee(Audit Policy Excellence Committee), which I am a part of, discusses solutions for inconsistencies throughout the firm or between the Findlay and Maumee offices to make our work more efficient in the long run, and the LEAN Team works to make our work more efficient and better managed overall. All of these small things build up to keep the environment across the firm light and enjoyable even through the busy season when stress levels and workloads can sometimes be overwhelming. Another great aspect of the firm that sets it apart from the others is the open door policy. This basically invites staff of any level to talk to whomever they feel is appropriate for the matter. It encourages communication through all levels and really unites the firm. It essentially reminds us that the partners are not keeping to themselves and only upper level staff can communicate with them and really supports the idea of “One Firm” in which everyone in the firm is working together to accomplish the goals of the engagement. GJM also has a variety of leagues and encourages all employees to take part. These leagues range from a bowling team and slow-pitch softball to a pistol league throughout the year. I can’t think of many firms that offer these experiences that encourage the employees to get to know each other outside of the office as well.

Lauren Grana is a GJM Audit Associate. Learn more about Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s capabilities in Assurance and our approach for helping businesses succeed.