Industry Insights

In public accounting, hiring the wrong person doesn't just lead to financial loss—it causes partner stress and harms team morale. Drawing on 25 years of experience, the blog introduces a Bad Hire Calculator, which helps firms quantify the true cost of hiring mistakes based on specific internal practices (e.g., use of recruiters, firing timeline).

The blog discusses how job candidates can improve their interview performance, especially when answering personality and team-fit questions. It shares the story of "Sarah," who successfully used the Accountants Personality Profile to prepare for her interviews.

Employers can integrate these tests into hiring processes, combining them with skills and personality assessments to build a complete candidate profile, ensuring informed and confident hiring decisions. Trial options are available for interested firms. Happy hiring!

The article discusses the challenges small and medium-sized accounting firms face in creating unbiased and diverse hiring processes, along with actionable tips for improvement.

The blog also stresses that talent acquisition must go hand-in-hand with retention, as both require different strategies. While salary and benefits may attract candidates, retention relies on providing challenges, growth opportunities, and effective feedback. Cultural fit is essential, as hiring people who align with the firm's values leads to better engagement. Additionally, firms must clearly communicate their value proposition to attract and retain staff. The onboarding process should be comprehensive and extend beyond the first 90 days, helping new hires adjust to workplace norms and expectations.

The recruitment landscape for accountants is evolving, with candidates now prioritizing environments where they can truly thrive. For employers, this means offering competitive salaries, flexible work arrangements, and a supportive culture are essential, not just additional perks. The focus must shift from simply filling roles to finding the right fit, moving beyond traditional recruitment methods to include strategies like networking and tapping into passive candidate pools.

The balance of power in hiring has shifted towards candidates who are likely to receive multiple offers. To attract top talent, firms must not only implement these strategies but also communicate them effectively. Engaging existing employees to understand their needs can help both in recruiting new talent and retaining current staff.

In the race to attract top accounting talent, recruiters top the list as the preferred choice, closely followed by networking and social media. Discover key strategies to streamline your hiring process, from highlighting your firm's unique perks to maintaining a positive online presence.

"Stay interviews," a proactive approach to employee retention, can prevent small grievances from snowballing into reasons for departure. By understanding what motivates your employees and addressing potential issues early, you not only retain key staff but also foster a more contented and productive work environment.

Conducting effective interviews for accountants and bookkeepers is crucial, and following a structured format with competency-based questioning, thorough note-taking, and panel reviews can ensure an efficient and fair hiring process

When you’ve advertised a role for a lower level position a few times, and no one of any interest has applied, you get the message that the talent pool is dry. Hiring raw talent is hard. Training them once you’ve hired them is harder still, and much costlier. Making sure you start with the right people will mean it’s more likely this investment pays dividends for your firm. Know your candidates

Discover the importance of implementing a structured and competency-based approach to interviews for accounting and bookkeeper candidates. Learn how competency-based interviews reduce subjectivity, provide legal protection, and ensure consistent hiring decisions, while exploring key competency questions that assess candidate skills and behaviors.