Given the profession’s talent shortage and the demand for new CPAs, recruitment and retention are red-hot issues these days. In an earlier post, we examined one unique strategy in which employers develop ongoing relationships with top students and their professors. The hope is that those relationships will blossom into a recruiting edge for employers who do it right.

Expanding on that idea is “CPAs: The Next Generation,” an article by Accounting Today Associate Editor Alexandra DeFelice. It’s a strategy that could be especially beneficial for smaller firms, DeFelice writes.

“Even small firms without big budgets can focus on recruiting at the local level, especially if they start the process when the students are still impressionable sophomores,” she states. “By the time they have their diplomas in hand, most grads already have made up their minds as to where they want to work, according to Ed Nusbaum, Grant Thornton’s CEO and executive partner. Investing in them for a summer internship — even when the workload is light — could pay off when they become seniors, he says.

“The good news,”  DeFelice continues, “is that many of those young prospects are making conscious decisions to start their careers on a smaller scale.”

How are you competing for top accounting talent these days.