Is your business currently experiencing a dearth of financial knowledge on your team? If so, you may want to start searching for an auditor or accountant. Hiring the right financial professional can make a major difference in your business budget, tax preparations, everyday expense calculations and much more. However, finding the right accountant or auditor for a small business can quickly become complicated, especially if you’ve never gone through the process of hiring one before. If this is the case, be sure to follow the five tips outlined below to help you identify and hire the best candidate or candidates for your open positions.
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1. Clearly Define Your Expectations and Job Requirements
Whether you’re planning to work with Ageras experts to identify potential candidates or you plan to go out on your own and post job ads in highly frequented locations, it’s critical to know exactly what you’re looking for in a candidate. When you have clearly defined expectations and requirements, you can automatically narrow down the pool of applicants and encourage qualified individuals to apply. Some parameters to consider including in your list of job requirements include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following.
- Years of experience
- Desired level of education
- Daily job duties
- Position within the office hierarchy
- Technical know-how
- Subject matter expertise
2. Design a Multi-Tiered Job Application Process
Next, you’ll want to design a thorough application process to help pick out the best candidates. Rather than opting for a single-step application, consider setting up a few phases for applicants to work through. These phases could potentially help save your staff time and energy in the search process. For instance, you might:
- Have applicants submit resumes and cover letters through an online portal
- Automatically screen for a few key criteria and have staff review the remaining applications
- Invite a handful of candidates to complete skills screening tests
- Invite those who pass the skills test to in-person interviews or interviews via video call
- Make offers to your top preferred candidates
3. Write Highly Detailed Job Descriptions and Place Ads in Visible Locations
Another factor that can help you identify the right auditor or accountant for your business is posting as detailed a job description as possible in visible locations where qualified individuals are likely to see them. Be concise without being wordy in your description, and be sure to include important details such as the position’s rank and associated salary range. You might consider posting the ad in local venues, on accounting websites or across your social media channels.
4. Look for Candidates Who Can Offer the Company Multiple Services
If your company has a limited hiring budget but wants to get the most bang for its buck, consider looking for candidates that could potentially offer multiple services. Include any desired services in your job description to attract accountants or auditors who can juggle a range of responsibilities. For instance, some common accounting duties that you may want to assign to your chosen candidate include:
- Bookkeeping
- Tax reviewing
- Software management
- Data security services
- Invoice compiling
5. Lean On the Company’s Professional Network To Identify Possible Applicants
Lastly, if you still haven’t had much luck attracting your desired pool of applicants, consider reaching out to your professional network. Ask others in the industry whether they have any advice or insight that could help you get in touch with qualified candidates. To bolster your search efforts, you may want to:
- Attend professional conferences and ask around for interested potential applicants
- Reach out to old connections and ask whether they know of any accountants searching for jobs
- Use professional networking sites to message qualified accountants who might be interested in the position
Having a competent auditor or accountant can make all the difference in any small business’s financial plans. If your company needs to hire a new financial professional but isn’t sure how to track down the best candidates, conduct extensive interviews or make offers to the best applicants, be sure to follow these five tips. As your company moves through the process of crafting a clear job ad, identifying multi-talented candidates and networking to identify potential applicants, you can rest assured you’re doing all you can to bring highly qualified auditors or accountants on board.
