With an average of 16 job seekers for every one accounting job, the finance and accounting market isn’t just in demand; it’s one of today’s most competitive markets. With so many finance and accounting candidates and opportunities available, appealing to today’s top talent for your open CFO, controller, analyst, auditor, bookkeeper or various accountant jobs can be challenging.
Whether you’re a Big 4 accounting firm or in an entirely different industry, you have to present the most attractive offer to land the most qualified candidates for your mission-critical accounting roles. While salary matters, there are other pivotal factors that top-level talent seeks to make their transition worthwhile. To help you stay competitive in the career marketplace, here are four to consider.
How to Compete When Hiring Top Accounting Talent
Timing matters
To attract the best individuals for your finance and accounting jobs, they need to know you are hiring. This is why timing is so important. The best time to appeal to the most qualified candidates for your open finance and accountant roles is at the end of the busy season (once the first quarter ends) or after they have received a bonus.
The day of the week you post opportunities also matters. For instance, posting a new accountant job on a Friday night will not reach as many interested candidates who are “clocking out” of work mode for the weekend as a posting on a Monday (or better yet, Tuesday morning) when candidates are back at their desks with fresh eyes, minds and motivation.
Offer sign-on bonuses
Competing for the best finance and accounting candidates means offering more benefits and opportunities. Two financial incentives to attract top-tier candidates and give you a competitive edge are a strong base salary and sign-on bonus.
In a candidate’s eyes, a sign-on bonus can help offset relocation expenses or a less robust benefits package or initial salary than the candidate was hoping to receive. A sign-on bonus can also be appealing to a candidate who leaves their current position before receiving their annual bonus from their current employer. Paired with a strong base salary, a sign-on bonus improves your chances of attracting the most qualified candidates.
Offer continuing education or tuition reimbursement
With the rise of education costs and the student loan crisis, candidates are seeking roles in organizations offering the most incentives to help move their careers forward and reach their financial goals. Two ways to accommodate these candidates are to provide continuing education and/or tuition reimbursement as part of your employee benefits package.
Not only does continuing education benefit your existing workforces, but it (alongside tuition reimbursement) has also been shown to reduce turnover costs and increase the return on investment, all while strengthening your organization from within.
Sell your team’s work-life balance – and mean it!
Work-life balance is critical to reduce burnout, frustration and disengagement. If a candidate is seeking a better opportunity, one of the reasons could be because they don’t currently have the balance they want or need for their personal life. By offering remote and/or hybrid work flexibility, you are appealing to a larger group of qualified candidates who desire a more flexible, autonomous work environment that best suits their lifestyle.
Related: Is hybrid the future of work?
Additionally, offering remote work means potential candidates from across the country, or globe, have an equal opportunity to make a career shift without the need to relocate their lives or families – in turn strengthening the number of candidates you can select.
Attract Your Top Candidates with Help from CRG
To attract the best talent to your open finance and accounting jobs, present the most attractive offers and strike while the iron is hot. CRG is the finance and accounting staffing team with the values and industry leadership to help you find – and land – the best candidates for your mission-critical roles.
With more than 12,000 placements to date, and the recent 200% growth of our finance and accounting staffing services team, CRG’s direct hire, executive search and contract staffing services streamline the hiring process so you can grow your business with the best team by your side.
Contact CRG today to learn more about how our unique and effective staffing process can improve your hiring experience – from candidate search and selection to reduced hiring costs, hiring time and more. You can also visit the CRG blog for exclusive insight, like Why companies hire through staffing agencies, How to select the right executive search partner and more!
