Industry Insights

This blog reflects insights gathered from webinars and workshops with aspiring partners, Managing Partners, and HR teams. It identifies six key personality-related obstacles that commonly hinder accountants' progression toward partnership and offers guidance on how to address them.

A common question employers ask when considering personality testing in hiring is whether candidates can “cheat” by presenting an idealized version of themselves. With the stakes of a job or promotion on the line, it's natural for some individuals to try and tailor their responses to align more closely with the desired profile—even if it doesn’t reflect who they truly are. The good news is that whether this is detectable depends on the test being used. Some personality assessments can flag when a person is answering in a way that’s overly polished, evasive, or inconsistent. These insights help employers determine if someone is being authentic in their responses or trying to game the system—allowing for more informed, meaningful conversations during interviews.

In leadership and high-accountability roles, especially within professional services, Drive and Motivation are key indicators of long-term success. These traits, though essential, are often difficult to measure objectively during hiring or development processes. The Accountests Personality Profile Questionnaire (APPQ) offers a robust solution by assessing Drive and Motivation through the Big-5/OCEAN personality model. It helps employers pinpoint candidates who are not just capable but also intrinsically driven to succeed.

The blog emphasizes the importance of testing and assessment in hiring decisions, particularly for support-level roles that are often overlooked despite their significant impact on business operations. While businesses commonly invest in assessments for middle-level roles (e.g., managers, accountants), and sometimes neglect higher-level roles due to overreliance on track records, they rarely assess support staff, citing cost concerns.

The blog discusses the impact of remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, on employees and businesses. While some employees thrive in remote settings, others miss in-person interactions. Employers now face the challenge of assessing whether candidates are likely to succeed in remote or hybrid roles, especially when face-to-face interactions might be limited.

The blog discusses the benefits of using testing as part of the hiring process for accounting firms, addressing concerns that candidates might be deterred by the idea of testing. Firms often worry that tests may drive away good candidates, but those that do use testing report improved candidate engagement and more focused discussions.

The blog discusses how Hancock Askew & Co., a firm with a growing Client Accounting Services (CAS) practice, transformed its approach to team structure and talent management using skills and personality assessments. These assessments provided data-driven insights, leading to the reorganization of the CAS practice into three distinct roles: Doers (focused on accounting tasks), Minders (managing workflow and quality), and Finders (handling client onboarding and business development). This reorganization improved job satisfaction, role clarity, and client service.

To successfully provide these services, firms may need to upskill their staff or hire industry-experienced professionals. Temporary secondments to client sites can also help staff gain valuable insights. For more information on transitioning to controllership services, the blog suggests contacting Deb Defer at Woodard.

The introduction of proctoring in our online tests marks a significant advancement in ensuring integrity and security. Utilizing AI technology, proctoring offers enhanced monitoring capabilities, extended testing durations, and comprehensive detection of cheating behaviors. By embracing this innovation, we reaffirm our commitment to providing trustworthy solutions and fostering transparency and trust in online assessments.

In the ever-evolving realm of examinations and assessments, proctoring remains a timeless safeguard against cheating, particularly vital in fields like accounting where integrity is paramount. As technology reshapes the landscape of online testing, ensuring fairness, accuracy, and confidentiality becomes crucial, underscoring the importance of integrated proctoring solutions tailored to the needs of accountants and accounting firms.

Explore the advantages of incorporating pre-employment assessments in accounting and bookkeeping firms' hiring practices. Research indicates that candidates who perform well in assessments are more inclined to complete them, enabling firms to pinpoint high-quality applicants efficiently, thus enhancing the hiring process.

A Disputes Tribunal ruling mandated a company to pay a former accountant $14,000 in wages despite significant financial losses attributed to his performance. The ruling highlights the importance of robust recruitment procedures and pre-employment testing to avoid "bad hire" scenarios.