The lack of accounting and financial professionals available in the current jobs market is causing significant problems for modern companies. According to the latest research from Accountancy Age, the pandemic has made it increasingly difficult for even the top accounting firms to find talent. Â
To make matters worse, the “Great Resignation” is prompting more turnover among employees with changing expectations and demands from their employers. This means many accounting companies have more gaps to fill in a candidate-driven market.Â
The best way to get ahead of the curve and make sure you can thrive in this complex landscape is to work with the right accounting recruiting partner. The question is, how do you identify a partner with the skills to help your business come out on top?Â
1. Ask How They Can Improve your EVPÂ
In a candidate-driven market, accountancy companies need to work harder to make their brands stand out from the crowd. The best way to attract your ideal candidates is to work with a recruiter who can help you to improve and promote your Employer Value Proposition. Â
A recruiter with a deep knowledge of the accounting industry and the current hiring market can help you to understand what kind of factors are most likely to appeal to the talent you’re looking for. Your recruitment partner can even help you write job descriptions ideal for getting people excited about the opportunities your role offers. Â
Look for a recruitment company that knows how to make your company shine. You can find out whether your recruitment company can help you with your employer brand by asking exactly what you get from the relationship when you begin working together.Â
2. Examine the Recruiter’s ReputationÂ
The reputation of your recruitment partner can be a valuable insight when you’re looking for the best possible way to grow your team. While your employer brand will help get candidates about your job opportunities, your recruitment team’s reputation will help them attract candidates’ attention to add to your pipeline. Â
Visit the website of your potential recruitment agency and learn everything you can about their experience in the accountancy industry. Does the company stand out as a specialist in its space? How many accounting companies have the agency worked with in the past, and do they have any reviews or testimonials to demonstrate their success?Â
Ideally, your recruitment partner should have in-depth knowledge of the accountancy industry, as well as a strong relationship with a wide range of candidates in the space.Â
3. Examine the Customer ServiceÂ
The ideal recruitment company for most accountancy firms is an agency they can work with long-term to build a sustainable and reliable talent pipeline. If you’re going to be working with your recruitment partner for a long time, you need to ensure you will get the right quality of service. Start by asking some crucial questions.Â
Find out what kind of service you’re going to be getting from your recruitment partner. Are they going to simply send you CVs for you to check over, or will they be responsible for sorting through those CVs to find the people most suited to your brand?Â
Can your recruitment provider help you with additional parts of the hiring process, like planning your interviews and arranging them with candidates? Can your recruitment agency help you with additional professional services, like guidance on filling your talent pipeline? It’s also worth looking at how your recruitment group handles the basics, such as:Â
- Completing tasks promptly Â
- Delivering transparent and helpful informationÂ
- Communicating with members of your team.Â
4. Ask About their Approach to Finding TalentÂ
A great accountancy recruitment professional should quickly answer any questions you have about their processes and strategies. If you’re looking to grow your financial team quickly, ask what kind of plan your agency can put in place to help you do this. The best approach to recruitment should usually include:Â
- Initial investigations: Your recruitment professional should sit down with you and understand your work culture, benefits, and unique personality so that they can convey your brand’s unique values to candidates. Â
- Talent search: Using an extensive database of accountancy talents, your recruitment provider should help to narrow down your selection of potential employees based on the factors you consider to be the most important.Â
- Shortlist creation: A great accountancy recruitment company should be able to take care of most of the recruitment process for you, including pre-screen applicants, carrying out interviews, and delivering detailed profiles of each candidate.Â
5. Make Sure You’re Ready to Do Your PartÂ
Finally, an accountancy recruitment professional can do amazing things for your hiring process. The right team will help you to find candidates quickly and ensure you make the correct hiring decisions the first time around. However, they’ll also need you to do your part. Â
Make sure you’re ready to build a relationship with a strong recruitment partner. Start by discussing your needs candidly, highlighting all of the challenges you need to address, from problems with your EVP and employer brand to gaps in your talent pipeline.Â
During your conversations with your recruitment company, ask what kind of things you’ll need to do to keep the hiring process running smoothly – like making sure your recruitment team is aware of what times you have available to discuss possible candidates.Â
What’s Next?Â
In a market defined by significant skill shortages, it’s becoming increasingly important for accountancy companies to find the right recruitment partners. A dedicated and experienced recruitment agency like Rebus will help you to find the talent you need. Â
Reach us via email or on 01282 930 930. Â
ThanksÂ
Rachel MitsonÂ
About Rebus Financial Recruitment    
Rebus Financial Recruitment provides a specialist and focused recruitment service to its customers, which historically range from various organisations, including SMEs, to large PLCs.    Â
We strive to offer both the client and candidate a seamless recruitment experience. Using our expertise, we get to the heart of employer and employee needs, and, in doing so, we match the two perfectly. To find out more, get in contact with one of our team today, or you can call us on 01282 930930. Â