As we start 2019, national unemployment is under 4%. Unemployment for Accounting and Finance is under 2%. Unemployment for high potential CPA’s is ZERO. What does this mean to your efforts to build a high-quality accounting and finance team and how will you land the talent that will help lead your financial operations in the future?
Here are some actions that will help:
Be Active. Unless you are the rare exception, you can’t rely on your website for a stream of high potential candidates. You need an ACTIVE recruitment process to find PASSIVE candidates. Passive candidates are people who already have good jobs and are unaware that you want to give them a better one. They are not out applying to your website. You must develop active recruitment habits to win those targets.
Revitalize your candidate interview experience. Consider the path a high potential candidate navigates to land a job at your company. It needs to be an effective process with good feedback markers, well informed interviewers, and a balanced focus on what makes your company great. Design it to help you land talent and promote your candidate experience reputation.
Sell the role and company. Consider the selling points of the role, the company and the future you will share as you join forces with a new employee. Be explicit and overt with this great news. Every requisition our firm accepts includes a conversation with the hiring manager or HR around the reasons the person you seek would take the role being offered. Understanding the selling points of the role and company is critical to winning the battle for talent.
Update your position description and review the credentials you seek against it. Too many companies are using dated descriptions written as source documents for roles that have completely changed. Worse, as the changes occurred, the same credentials that may have been required in the past are still being sought, even if they no longer are required in the role. Whoops – here comes costly turnover. Start the process fresh and write a new description that truly reflects the role and opportunities.
Engage a strong recruitment partner. You need help landing the best and the brightest CPA’s and financial professionals in this super competitive candidate market. Thomas Byrne Associates has over 30 years of expertise and success in delivering the talent required to build strong and successful teams. We will help you win the battle for talent.
Contact us today to partner with one of the leading Accounting & Finance recruitment firms throughout the Northeast. The entire team at Thomas Byrne Associates is ready to help. Let’s begin the process.