Accounting is an industry where titles can mean nothing, experience means everything, and resumes can be deceiving. Finding the perfect fit for an accounting role goes much further than reading a few resumes. Katie Marriott explains in this video how placing talent for accounting roles take a true expert: 

So Why is Recruiting for Accounting Positions so Difficult?

Accounting has its own language and if a recruiter can’t speak that language they are not qualified to assess a candidate’s resume, for example:

• Does the job require a CPA, MBA, or both?
• Would a hiring manager like to see other certifications like a CIA, CISA, or CMA?
• What type of reporting is needed? For example, SEC and external reporting for a publicly traded company requires more technical experience.
• Looking beyond the numbers, will this role require the candidate to interface with customers, executives, or other cross-functional leaders within the organization? Or, will it be mainly back office?
• Understanding the experience that a candidate brings from a large, publicly-traded corporation with a lot of support, versus a smaller, privately-held company where the role was more hands-on.

Recruiters specializing in the discipline of accounting can quickly get to a smaller subset of talent, providing quality over quantity. Not understanding the subtleties of skills and certifications within the industry will lead to an unnecessary use of time and resources. Or worse yet, a bad hire.

“Qualified” is a Relative Term

In the accounting industry, titles can be deceiving because of the vastly different levels of experience candidates may have despite holding the same title: large or small company experience; industry type; company structure; start-up vs. international and so on. If the title CPA was the only requirement, the search would be simple—which is far from reality. Experienced accounting recruiters know how to execute and tailor their searches efficiently to find the right fit:

• Does your candidate need an MBA?
• Is Big 4 experience required?
• Industry-specific experience with a company of a similar size?
• Efficiency in SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards or another ERP system?

Determining Salaries

Since the demand for quality accountants is greater than the talent pool, negotiating a competitive salary is critical. Salary shouldn’t be an uncomfortable part of the process since the recruiter has a strong grasp on a candidate’s qualifications and experience. Understanding why one CPA’s salary is vastly different from another CPA’s salary is critical.

A recruiter’s database is one of their greatest assets, where they can analyze current salaries, abilities, certifications, and experiences to arrive at a competitive salary.

• Entry level or senior level experience?
• Certifications?
• Current compensation?
• Management experience?
• Preferred company culture?

Why Search Solution Group for your Accounting Needs?

Recognizing that each company has a unique checklist of certifications, degrees, and areas of expertise that are necessary for a successful hire, We understand that oftentimes accounting has a low barrier to entry; certifications do not always translate to the appropriate skill set.

In a world where time is money, companies cannot afford to place the wrong people into their business. The right people in the right positions will lead to greater employer/employee satisfaction, thus retention.