5 Hiring Tips for Accounting Recruiters

If there is one job that recruiters have the hardest time filling it is accounting.

Perhaps because it remains to be one of the most in demand jobs in Canada today, or maybe because accounting professionals are seeking greener pastures elsewhere around the world.

Many companies turn to recruitment agencies to help them find talent to fill positions within their firms. They’ve realized that it is a difficult and thankless task to complete, and they’re assigning accounting recruiters to do it. This means that it is a major responsibility.

So, how exactly can you ensure you have tapped the right candidate for an accounting job? Better yet, how can you streamline the hiring process to only attract the best and brightest?

Here are five hiring tips for accounting recruiters:

1. Carefully Comb Through Resumes

A resume is a window into professionalism, career objectives, experience, and a portrait of what they are and where they are going.

Indeed, a CV can provide recruiters with valuable information, including attention to detail, passion for their chosen field, and if they are able to hold on to a job for more than a few months – turnover rates among younger candidates is rather concerning to private firms these days.

As a recruiter, you want to carefully comb through the resume.

2. Always Talk to References

Is a job candidate finding a job for a paycheque or because they are passionate about what they specialize in? If it is the former and not the latter than perhaps you should move on to the next applicant, even if they maintain the desired credentials.

Why? Because those who are indifferent about their occupation tend to be inadequate employees. Meanwhile, someone who loves what they do allows any company to receive dividends on their investment; they will stick around, they will problem-solve, and they will do whatever is necessary to complete a project.

So, how can you find such a candidate? That’s easy. Speak to references.

Past employers can offer a great deal of information about their performance, their dedication, and their willingness to learn and grow.

3. Do the Candidates Have Soft Skills?

Economists say there is a soft skills gap in North America. This is causing tens of thousands of positions to go left unfilled.

What are soft skills? These are aspects like communication, time management, discipline, work ethic, and listening abilities. Unfortunately, as millennials crammed all night, they forgot to learn about how to arrive somewhere on time or to focus entirely on their work, not Facebook.

4. Provide a Real-World Scenario

A great determining factor that you have a great hire in your presence is if they can extend an answer to a real-world, on-the-job scenario. This can most certainly ensure that they are someone who can look at the big picture rather than only do what they’re told and go day by day.

5. Yes, Young People Should be Considered

It is true that millennials – those born between 1980 and 2000 – are slapped with a bad reputation. They’re uncouth, they’re constantly tardy, they’re always leaving jobs, and their respect for authority is minimal. Perhaps these are generalizations, but there are always bad apples in any generation.

As an accounting recruiter, it is up to you to weed out the bad and select the good. Do not allow their youth be a strike against them. Who knows? Maybe this is a millennial who is a walking generational contradiction and has something to prove to his or her elders.

Accounting recruitment is a tough racket. It is very different than recruiting marketing professionals or engineering experts. It seems that there will always be a demand for accountants, but the supply can come into question for any hiring manager or recruiter.

You know the tricks of the trade, and you have seen a large number of applicants in your time.

By complementing your current strategy with these tips, you can please your client, help an applicant land a worthwhile job, and give yourself a pat on the back all at the same time.