A Proven 5-Step Hiring System for Growing Accounting Firms

What do you do if your firm’s client base might be growing, but internal trouble among your staff is brewing? High employee turnover rates, staff burnout, and an inability to find qualified candidates can hinder your performance and your firm’s continued expansion. 

How you handle hiring at your firm can set you up for success and growth or become a costly cycle of recruiting, hiring, training, and terminating. Fostering a loyal staff comes from the way you employ the hiring process from the very beginning. 

On our podcast, Grow Your Firm, we’ve talked with dozens of successful firm owners about how they scaled and streamlined their hiring efforts to build a trusted team of employees. 

From one of these conversations, we created a proven 5-step process that accounting firms can use to update their hiring efforts and recruit the right people as their team expands. 

1. Internally Review Your Staffing Requirements

Start your recruiting process by thoroughly assessing your internal staffing needs to help guide your hiring decision-making. Doing so helps give you a clear idea of where the firm is well covered and which areas could use more manpower. Ask yourself questions such as: 

• Are there any operational bottlenecks that frequently occur?
• Which staff member or team has an outsized workload, if any?
• Do you plan on expanding your business to new services or markets?
• Are there any existing skills gaps within your current team that you could address by bringing on new hires?
• What is your company culture, and which types of candidates are the best fit for your firm?

The answers to these questions can help you determine the specific positions you need to fill, like tax or staff accountants, CPAs, auditors, or financial planning experts. 

These questions can also point you toward the personality types that will complement and balance out the dynamic of your existing team. A candidate may be highly knowledgeable and good with numbers but lack the skills to talk with clients or collaborate with the team. 

Shauna tells her support staff, “Your job will never be boring. Ever.” She gives them the autonomy to problem-solve and take responsibility for all tasks outside billing hours. In turn, this structure gives her staff ownership of their work and boosts employee satisfaction:

 

 

HR professionals can review and streamline your hiring process. Plus, they free up key personnel to concentrate on growing your business and working in their area of expertise rather than on administrative tasks:

 

Your firm’s hiring needs will change and evolve as it grows, and supportive, eager staff can help make this progression much easier. Ensuring any staff you hire aligns with this growth mindset will support your vision for the firm and become a key player for years to come. 

5. Increase Employee Retention to Reduce New Hires

We put this step last because it’s more of a proactive effort that reduces the need to hire in the future. 

Given how costly the hiring process can be, firms need to dedicate energy toward improving employee retention, which reduces the need for new hires. You can do this in several ways, including:

• Keeping employees engaged on the job and interested in their work
• Helping staff feel valued and recognized for their hard work and effort
• Providing employees with appropriate compensation, perks, and work-life balance
• Offering continued career development opportunities and education

Nearly a quarter of professionals surveyed list a lack of advancement opportunities as the reason for leaving their current position. Therefore, growing and cultivating your own team can improve staff loyalty and retention. 

Down the line, creating this culture of growth helps with succession planning. It allows you to promote from within rather than looking outside your firm to fill position vacancies. 

To accomplish this, your firm should invest in employees’ professional development and continued education while on the job. That can include encouraging staff to study for and complete their CPA exams, finish special certifications, or complete their Master’s degree in a related subject. 

These opportunities make employees more invested in their job and in your firm. 

Throughout our conversation, Shauna stressed the importance of having all employees, including support staff, actively engaged in their roles and able to flex their expertise. 

Shauna tells her support staff, “Your job will never be boring. Ever.” She gives them the autonomy to problem-solve and take responsibility for all tasks outside billing hours. In turn, this structure gives her staff ownership of their work and boosts employee satisfaction:

 

 

One of Shauna’s hiring secrets is to throw candidates a curveball by asking them if they have any questions to start the interview. She finds that this helps to assess how they handle pressure and their ability to think on their feet: 

 

Candidates’ hard skills and qualifications are important during the hiring process. However, you must also consider their soft skills and personalities when deciding whether a candidate is the right fit. Structure your interview questions and process so they incorporate all these factors to aid in successful hiring decisions. 

4. Adopt a Growth Mindset from the Beginning

An effective hiring system for public accounting firms includes employing candidates with an entrepreneurial spirit. These professionals are more likely to be engaged in their work and help move your firm forward rather than be a cog in the machine. 

At first, your team can likely handle all hiring efforts themselves. However, Shauna explains that once your team surpasses a headcount of about 20, it may be time to bring an HR manager on board to handle personnel matters. 

HR professionals can review and streamline your hiring process. Plus, they free up key personnel to concentrate on growing your business and working in their area of expertise rather than on administrative tasks:

 

Your firm’s hiring needs will change and evolve as it grows, and supportive, eager staff can help make this progression much easier. Ensuring any staff you hire aligns with this growth mindset will support your vision for the firm and become a key player for years to come. 

5. Increase Employee Retention to Reduce New Hires

We put this step last because it’s more of a proactive effort that reduces the need to hire in the future. 

Given how costly the hiring process can be, firms need to dedicate energy toward improving employee retention, which reduces the need for new hires. You can do this in several ways, including:

• Keeping employees engaged on the job and interested in their work
• Helping staff feel valued and recognized for their hard work and effort
• Providing employees with appropriate compensation, perks, and work-life balance
• Offering continued career development opportunities and education

Nearly a quarter of professionals surveyed list a lack of advancement opportunities as the reason for leaving their current position. Therefore, growing and cultivating your own team can improve staff loyalty and retention. 

Down the line, creating this culture of growth helps with succession planning. It allows you to promote from within rather than looking outside your firm to fill position vacancies. 

To accomplish this, your firm should invest in employees’ professional development and continued education while on the job. That can include encouraging staff to study for and complete their CPA exams, finish special certifications, or complete their Master’s degree in a related subject. 

These opportunities make employees more invested in their job and in your firm. 

Throughout our conversation, Shauna stressed the importance of having all employees, including support staff, actively engaged in their roles and able to flex their expertise. 

Shauna tells her support staff, “Your job will never be boring. Ever.” She gives them the autonomy to problem-solve and take responsibility for all tasks outside billing hours. In turn, this structure gives her staff ownership of their work and boosts employee satisfaction:

 

 

Expanding your hiring scope to include the global talent pool helps you find candidates that are a good fit for your firm. As Shauna sees it, offering remote, global positions is the key to attracting and retaining good talent: 

 

In large part, this is currently due to the shortage of qualified accountants in the United States. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t anticipate this to change much over the coming years either. They predict that an estimated 136,400 accountant and auditor vacancies will occur each year over the next 10 years, contributing to the ongoing shortage. 

Additionally, tapping into the global labor market is cheaper and much more cost-effective for firm owners than recruiting domestically. Deloitte explains that 70% of business owners list cost savings as their top objective for outsourcing. 

Therefore, it’s a win-win for firm owners who can make more cost-effective hiring decisions while still accessing highly qualified talent from around the globe. 

Your firm’s recruitment process can impact its effectiveness at finding the right candidate. Passive recruiting, like creating ads on job boards or making an online job posting on LinkedIn, only has around a 10% success rate, as Shauna points out. 

On the contrary, she explains that actively recruiting on websites like Upwork or Online Philippines Jobs is great for attracting your first hires who are qualified and affordable. 

 

3. Use a Cohesive Vetting and Interview Process

To ensure you’re hiring candidates that will be successful in their role at your firm, you should establish a dedicated hiring manager or committee to oversee the process. 

Ideally, this team includes experienced professionals who understand your firm’s culture. They know the qualifications, skills, and attributes you’re looking for in employees, plus other essential criteria you’ve shared during the initial step. 

Delegate team members to vet the candidates, creating a structured method and interview schedule that allows them to qualify candidates thoroughly. 

A process we’ve seen be effective is to schedule the first interview with your HR team if possible. Then, have candidates complete a second interview with your firm’s founder once they’ve been initially screened and vetted. 

The head of the department (HoD) should also sit in on interviews and be actively involved in the vetting process. They have the technical expertise and will interact on a day-to-day basis with the new staff once hired, so it’s vital to get their input.   

We’ve seen many firm owners, including Shauna, find success by using DiSC (dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness) assessments during the hiring process. This method helps firms assess candidates based on their behavioral traits and how they complement existing team dynamics. 

One of Shauna’s hiring secrets is to throw candidates a curveball by asking them if they have any questions to start the interview. She finds that this helps to assess how they handle pressure and their ability to think on their feet: 

 

Candidates’ hard skills and qualifications are important during the hiring process. However, you must also consider their soft skills and personalities when deciding whether a candidate is the right fit. Structure your interview questions and process so they incorporate all these factors to aid in successful hiring decisions. 

4. Adopt a Growth Mindset from the Beginning

An effective hiring system for public accounting firms includes employing candidates with an entrepreneurial spirit. These professionals are more likely to be engaged in their work and help move your firm forward rather than be a cog in the machine. 

At first, your team can likely handle all hiring efforts themselves. However, Shauna explains that once your team surpasses a headcount of about 20, it may be time to bring an HR manager on board to handle personnel matters. 

HR professionals can review and streamline your hiring process. Plus, they free up key personnel to concentrate on growing your business and working in their area of expertise rather than on administrative tasks:

 

Your firm’s hiring needs will change and evolve as it grows, and supportive, eager staff can help make this progression much easier. Ensuring any staff you hire aligns with this growth mindset will support your vision for the firm and become a key player for years to come. 

5. Increase Employee Retention to Reduce New Hires

We put this step last because it’s more of a proactive effort that reduces the need to hire in the future. 

Given how costly the hiring process can be, firms need to dedicate energy toward improving employee retention, which reduces the need for new hires. You can do this in several ways, including:

• Keeping employees engaged on the job and interested in their work
• Helping staff feel valued and recognized for their hard work and effort
• Providing employees with appropriate compensation, perks, and work-life balance
• Offering continued career development opportunities and education

Nearly a quarter of professionals surveyed list a lack of advancement opportunities as the reason for leaving their current position. Therefore, growing and cultivating your own team can improve staff loyalty and retention. 

Down the line, creating this culture of growth helps with succession planning. It allows you to promote from within rather than looking outside your firm to fill position vacancies. 

To accomplish this, your firm should invest in employees’ professional development and continued education while on the job. That can include encouraging staff to study for and complete their CPA exams, finish special certifications, or complete their Master’s degree in a related subject. 

These opportunities make employees more invested in their job and in your firm. 

Throughout our conversation, Shauna stressed the importance of having all employees, including support staff, actively engaged in their roles and able to flex their expertise. 

Shauna tells her support staff, “Your job will never be boring. Ever.” She gives them the autonomy to problem-solve and take responsibility for all tasks outside billing hours. In turn, this structure gives her staff ownership of their work and boosts employee satisfaction:

 

 

You can also determine the ratio of administrative staff to billing staff that your firm needs. Shauna Wekherlien, CPA and founder of Tax Goddess Business Services, favors a 1:1 ratio that lets trained accountants specialize in their areas of expertise and support staff have more varied work. She explains this in the clip below: 

 

 

Throughout this step, consider your available hiring budget. Keep in mind that each new hire costs thousands of dollars in training, along with the resources you need to spend on recruiting and interviewing. 

According to the Society of Human Resource Management, the cost of hiring a new employee could be as much as three to four times the position’s salary after all is said and done. This calculation includes both direct and indirect costs, such as lost productivity spent screening and interviewing potential candidates as well as training them. 

As a result, the hiring process isn’t something your firm should take lightly. Do it only when you have a good reason for bringing on additional help, given how costly it can be. 

Similarly, even if you’re hiring qualified candidates, it could take up to three months to fully train them so they’re ready to work on their own. Be sure you have adequate time to instruct these new hires and a streamlined onboarding process to bring them up to speed efficiently. 

2. Go Global to Find Top Talent

Expanding your hiring scope to include the global talent pool helps you find candidates that are a good fit for your firm. As Shauna sees it, offering remote, global positions is the key to attracting and retaining good talent: 

 

In large part, this is currently due to the shortage of qualified accountants in the United States. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t anticipate this to change much over the coming years either. They predict that an estimated 136,400 accountant and auditor vacancies will occur each year over the next 10 years, contributing to the ongoing shortage. 

Additionally, tapping into the global labor market is cheaper and much more cost-effective for firm owners than recruiting domestically. Deloitte explains that 70% of business owners list cost savings as their top objective for outsourcing. 

Therefore, it’s a win-win for firm owners who can make more cost-effective hiring decisions while still accessing highly qualified talent from around the globe. 

Your firm’s recruitment process can impact its effectiveness at finding the right candidate. Passive recruiting, like creating ads on job boards or making an online job posting on LinkedIn, only has around a 10% success rate, as Shauna points out. 

On the contrary, she explains that actively recruiting on websites like Upwork or Online Philippines Jobs is great for attracting your first hires who are qualified and affordable. 

 

3. Use a Cohesive Vetting and Interview Process

To ensure you’re hiring candidates that will be successful in their role at your firm, you should establish a dedicated hiring manager or committee to oversee the process. 

Ideally, this team includes experienced professionals who understand your firm’s culture. They know the qualifications, skills, and attributes you’re looking for in employees, plus other essential criteria you’ve shared during the initial step. 

Delegate team members to vet the candidates, creating a structured method and interview schedule that allows them to qualify candidates thoroughly. 

A process we’ve seen be effective is to schedule the first interview with your HR team if possible. Then, have candidates complete a second interview with your firm’s founder once they’ve been initially screened and vetted. 

The head of the department (HoD) should also sit in on interviews and be actively involved in the vetting process. They have the technical expertise and will interact on a day-to-day basis with the new staff once hired, so it’s vital to get their input.   

We’ve seen many firm owners, including Shauna, find success by using DiSC (dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness) assessments during the hiring process. This method helps firms assess candidates based on their behavioral traits and how they complement existing team dynamics. 

One of Shauna’s hiring secrets is to throw candidates a curveball by asking them if they have any questions to start the interview. She finds that this helps to assess how they handle pressure and their ability to think on their feet: 

 

Candidates’ hard skills and qualifications are important during the hiring process. However, you must also consider their soft skills and personalities when deciding whether a candidate is the right fit. Structure your interview questions and process so they incorporate all these factors to aid in successful hiring decisions. 

4. Adopt a Growth Mindset from the Beginning

An effective hiring system for public accounting firms includes employing candidates with an entrepreneurial spirit. These professionals are more likely to be engaged in their work and help move your firm forward rather than be a cog in the machine. 

At first, your team can likely handle all hiring efforts themselves. However, Shauna explains that once your team surpasses a headcount of about 20, it may be time to bring an HR manager on board to handle personnel matters. 

HR professionals can review and streamline your hiring process. Plus, they free up key personnel to concentrate on growing your business and working in their area of expertise rather than on administrative tasks:

 

Your firm’s hiring needs will change and evolve as it grows, and supportive, eager staff can help make this progression much easier. Ensuring any staff you hire aligns with this growth mindset will support your vision for the firm and become a key player for years to come. 

5. Increase Employee Retention to Reduce New Hires

We put this step last because it’s more of a proactive effort that reduces the need to hire in the future. 

Given how costly the hiring process can be, firms need to dedicate energy toward improving employee retention, which reduces the need for new hires. You can do this in several ways, including:

• Keeping employees engaged on the job and interested in their work
• Helping staff feel valued and recognized for their hard work and effort
• Providing employees with appropriate compensation, perks, and work-life balance
• Offering continued career development opportunities and education

Nearly a quarter of professionals surveyed list a lack of advancement opportunities as the reason for leaving their current position. Therefore, growing and cultivating your own team can improve staff loyalty and retention. 

Down the line, creating this culture of growth helps with succession planning. It allows you to promote from within rather than looking outside your firm to fill position vacancies. 

To accomplish this, your firm should invest in employees’ professional development and continued education while on the job. That can include encouraging staff to study for and complete their CPA exams, finish special certifications, or complete their Master’s degree in a related subject. 

These opportunities make employees more invested in their job and in your firm. 

Throughout our conversation, Shauna stressed the importance of having all employees, including support staff, actively engaged in their roles and able to flex their expertise. 

Shauna tells her support staff, “Your job will never be boring. Ever.” She gives them the autonomy to problem-solve and take responsibility for all tasks outside billing hours. In turn, this structure gives her staff ownership of their work and boosts employee satisfaction: