Having a clear-cut recruitment strategy as part of your hiring plan is a key element to attracting the best accounting candidates. This can include a full breakdown of the roles your company plans to recruit for, when and where those job opportunities will be posted, and the evaluation methods through which you will identify whether candidates are the right fit for your business.

Hiring a team of accountant recruiting experts can thus help streamline this process, and ensure you have access to a talent pool that suits your exact accounting needs.

In order to help optimize your hiring process, we’ve put together the following guide of the best recruitment strategies to consider when expanding your accounting team.

1. Understand the type of accountant you need

Before you begin the hiring process, it’s important to understand the type of accountant your team requires. Different businesses and departments often need specifically structured accounting teams to fulfill the necessary tasks and assignments at hand.

There are several factors to consider ahead of time, including company size, industry, regulatory requirements, and even financial needs. This information will not only help determine the type of accountant you require, but also the number. 

To make the best decision possible for your business, it is beneficial to have a basic grasp of your accounting department. This involves understanding everything from the available accounting positions to the different roles within the organizational structure. 

The following most common accounting positions are a good place to start:

• Staff accountants: These are entry level accountants who maintain financial reports and ledgers, prepare budgets, and handle any general bookkeeping tasks that may arise.

• Certified public accountants (CPAs): CPAs are recognized as higher-level accounting professionals who understand the various generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and focus on more complex accounting tasks, such as:
  • Accounts payable and receivable
  • Month-end close
  • General ledger reconciliation
  • Transaction coding

• Cost accountants: Also known as management accountants, these individuals monitor the company’s financial health by preparing and analyzing financial statements. Their contributions are most crucial when facilitating:
  • Budget planning
  • Financial reporting
  • Profitability analysis
  • Risk management

• Controller: Typically at the top of the department hierarchy, the financial controller is a senior-level manager who oversees the accounting department’s day-to-day financial operations and reports directly to the company’s CFO.

• CFO (Chief Financial Officer): Although a CFO is not technically an accountant (and they do not specifically require a background in accounting), they are still a senior executive who acts as the business’s financial leader, overseeing both the accounting and the financial planning and analysis department.

At AHK Accounting, our team of accounting recruiters in Vancouver is made up of former accountants, financial analysts, and recruiting specialists. This means we understand first-hand the skills, qualifications, and personal attributes needed to succeed in accounting and finance roles.  

We put a tremendous amount of effort into reviewing and vetting each candidate we meet with, as well as each organization we work with and the role they’re looking to fill. We know how much wasted time can go into the recruiting process, which is why we’re so passionate about the quality of our work, and its ability to save your organization valuable time and resources.

2. Conduct an internal review

Going hand-in-hand with understanding the type of accountant you require, a business cannot effectively hire someone for an accounting position without first knowing your specific accounting needs. The best way to accurately determine this is by conducting a thorough internal review of your operations and financial performance.

As a small business, you may find that you would benefit from additional support with basic accounting tasks, like billing, accounts payable, bookkeeping, and tax preparation. A scaling company, on the other hand, may benefit from help with higher-level accounting, in addition to lower-level tasks. Financial professionals capable of conducting risk assessments, financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting could be a better fit for this type of demand than others. 

By conducting an internal review, you will not only develop a stronger grasp of your company’s current financial position, but also easily identify what gaps need to be closed. 

We feel that AHK Accounting Recruiters’ detail-oriented approach and vetting process—in evaluating both candidates, as well as organizations and the roles they seek to fill—only provides more value. Our team of accounting recruiters in Vancouver understands the increased need for a more thorough, detailed vetting process before spending time on an interview that may be of no value to either party.

3. Consider who the right fit will be

When starting the recruitment process, there’s often more to finding the right fit than simply considering the necessary qualifications a candidate may need. The odds are that you’ll be able to find several professionals who are capable of meeting these basic requirements. 

If you want to recruit a successful accounting team for your business, however, you must not settle for the bare minimum. In addition to their professional skill set, you must determine whether or not each potential candidate aligns with the different organizational factors that make up your business, including (but not limited to):

• Company culture
• Work style technical skills and software experience
• Soft skills
• Communication 
• Problem-solving abilities

Defining what traits your ideal hire needs to possess (both professionally and personally) will help make the overall recruitment process easier. 

The assessments and personalized interviews that AHK Accounting Recruiters take pride in can help candidates and employers, not only in finding a wider range of potential fits, but also in finding a candidate or organization with similar wants and needs as them. 

One thing we find that can consistently lead to a disconnect between candidates and employers is expectations regarding cultural fit, growth opportunities, and professional development. These are rarely stated on a resume or on a job listing, so this is where interviews can often go wrong.

That’s why our accounting recruiters in Vancouver spend so much time getting to know the candidates and the employers that we work with. We can bridge this gap better than anyone else in the recruiting industry.

4. Know your recruiting budget

Knowing how and where you’re able to share your current accounting vacancies can feel like the make-or-break factor for attracting the best talent. Some larger hiring budgets may provide the space for premium job boards, where visibility has been known to increase. However, with smaller budgets, it’s important not to underestimate the impact that free advertising options (or lower cost options) can have. 

Free job boards can be effective tools for recruiting talent, considering there are a number of popular sites available that job seekers actively use. Additionally, you can leverage social media like LinkedIn as an additional tool to help potential candidates learn about your current job opportunities. 

Hiring accounting recruiters in Vancouver can also be a budget-friendly option, as they can narrow down the talent pool to those most suited for the role and your business, while still adhering to your financial limitations. 

Our team at AHK Accounting Recruiters is incredibly passionate about connecting qualified individuals with the right organizations. Our commitment and attention to detail shine throughout our vetting and review process, and through each quality candidate we recommend for a particular role or company.

How to Start Recruiting

Hiring our team of expert accounting recruiters in Vancouver ensures that you will have a better chance of finding the best candidate for you and your business.

To learn more about how we can help you find the right candidate for your accounting department, call AHK Accounting Recruiters at 833-399-1663 or contact us here.