Excuse Smasher: Recruiting Top Accounting & CPA Talent

Recruiting Top Accounting & CPA Talent can be a real struggle for many owners, which is why we wanted to outline 3 principles and strategies to keep in mind as you look for your next hire.

Is your firm struggling to recruit the talent you want (or need)? We talk with many owners who struggle to find talented new hires, while others consistently bring in the “A players” regardless of the location or size of the firm.

What’s the difference?

When talking to the owners and looking at the statistics, we find that people do not go to work for a firm, they go to work for the leaders of the firm.

And how do Leaders distinguish themselves during a recruiting phase? They look at these three, critical points:

1. Matching Values and Behaviors:

Throughout the firm (and especially during recruiting), they try and find prospects and candidates who behave and act in a way that aligns with the firm’s values.

Are you looking for individuals who love learning?

Or can collaborate with a team?

Or can communicate clearly? If so, when you find a candidate who fits the values or characteristics you’re looking for, tell them that’s why they will thrive in your firm.

Remember, not every candidate is motivated by an extra $5K that the firm down the street can give them.

One way is to show them how they will thrive in a firm that works in a way that not only better serves the clients, but a place where the team enjoys the work.
Question: How often do you communicate the type of team you’re building?

2. Paint them the picture:

One of our favorite moments when talking with Chris Regain was when he told us he tells each new hire the amount of money they will make every year, for the next 5 years.

He also outlines a course in which they will be trained in different parts of the firm or clients services. This action helps the candidate or new hire know exactly what the next few years might look like. It takes away the guesswork, and provides certainty.

Question: Can you outline at a high level what their first year and beyond will look like if they take the position?

3. What do they want?

Finally, do you take the time to find out what is important to the candidate when they’re thinking about where they want to work?

Of course salary is important, but are there other drivers that impact their decision?

It could be things like title, work flexibility, benefits/time off, the amount of learning/growth they’ll experience at the firm?

Take the time to ask these questions during an interview, and you can craft an offer that is it a better fit for the candidate you’re looking to recruit. And the best part is… it’s often not only based on price/salary!

Question: Do you ask enough questions about their motivations for potentially joining your firm?

When looking to hire, recruit, or retain top accounting and CPA talent, it’s important to have these points in mind. And remember, you need to build a pipeline of candidates to find a good one! Just like sales requires leads, great hires requires candidates.

Be sure to continue to build community relationships, and find ways to get in front of talent hires (even if you’re not actively hiring, always be building your pipeline so that when you do hire, you can find an A+ player quickly).

Want to learn more? Check out the related interviews below on how other owners are recruiting and retaining team members.

Recommended interviews to learn more (recommend bookmarking them):

Stephen King on Building a Great Team and Culture 
Chris Regain on Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent