6 Tips for Recruiting Accountants

by Jun 6, 2022

Attracting and recruiting qualified employees for your accounting firm can be really tough. The market is tight and not having the right resources can hamper your growth, especially if you’re drowning in work.

Create a Persona

In sales and marketing, we talk quite a bit about identifying your ideal client and creating a persona that best describes them. Well, it’s just as important to identify your ideal employee and create a persona for them too. Ideally, you’d develop a unique persona based on each specific role within your company. But, you can start by creating a general persona for the typical employee who excels best in your accounting firm’s culture and environment. Describe their skills, traits, personality, and motivations. Write it all down and give the ideal employee a name.

Also, consider the emotions that your ideal employee might have when considering employment with you. What might have caused them to seek a new job? What are they most worried about when changing jobs? What are they hoping to achieve by making the change? What is most important to them in a new job? Hint, it’s usually not money. The more you can better understand the psychology of the candidate, the more successful you’ll be in identifying the hiring the right employees.

Update Your Website

Candidates will research your firm before engaging with you or any of your employees. There’s a perceived risk of talking with a potential employer; if their current employer finds out, it could spell disaster for the employee.

Candidates will first research your website. It’s important that the quality of your website matches the quality of the services you provide, so make sure your website isn’t in the stone ages. It’s also important that you have a careers section of your website that describes your culture, environment and what it’s like to work at your firm. Showcase any awards your firm has received and don’t be modest when it comes to talking about how great your firm is. You might also want to list specific roles you’re trying to fill, but make it known that you are always looking for rockstars regardless of whether or not a role exists. Finally, make it easy for the candidate to get in touch with you and perhaps submit an online form with their contact information.

Use Video

Video can also be used effectively in your recruiting strategy. People rarely change jobs just for a raise. No, most people are looking for jobs that offer purpose, a career path, and a great work environment. There is no better way to showcase what makes your firm so great than by using video.

For these types of videos, it’s important that they are authentic. The video quality doesn’t need to be perfect, so it isn’t necessary to spend big dollars. Have your employees record themselves sharing why they love working at your firm. Feature both a newer and experienced employee to connect with a larger audience. Have your Managing Partner share his vision, goals and core values of the firm. You can also include shots of the office or provide a tour. Be sure to discuss your ideal candidate. The more the candidate understands what you are looking for, the better chance you will attract the right fit.

Manage Online Reviews

Candidates will research your firm outside of your website. For example, many candidates will read what current and former employees have to say about your firm on Glassdoor. Be sure to read through any existing reviews of your firm and just know that you are able to respond to any poor reviews. Encourage your current employees to post positive reviews on the site. Those will drown out any negative reviews and certainly help to paint a great picture of your firm.

Use a CRM or Applicant Tracking System

Be sure to store, track and manage your applicant’s information in a CRM or an applicant tracking system. All too often we see firms manage resumes in Outlook email folders and once a job has been filled, they tend to forget about those candidates. Just because someone is not the right fit for a current job opening doesn’t mean that they won’t be a perfect fit for a job down the road. So it’s important to store their information and stay in touch.

When someone applies for a job, be sure to communicate with them throughout the process. If you select another candidate, let them know that the position has been filed. If a new job opening comes up in the future, see if they would be a fit or if they know someone who might be. Nurturing those relationships will pay dividends in the future.

Offer an Incentive for Referrals

Finally, when looking for new employees, start with your own employees. Chances are, your current employees might have friends who are just like them and would be perfect for your firm. Your current employees also intimately know your firm’s culture and environment, and already have a sense of who might or might not fit in. So offer a cash reward for any referrals that result in successful hires. A referral fee can be much less expensive than hiring a third-party recruiter or posting jobs online and can generate better results.

Well, I hope this video helps with your recruiting efforts. As you can see, recruiting and marketing go hand in hand. If you would like help with marketing for your accounting firm, be sure to check out Marketing by Numbers. If you have any questions, just post them in the comments section below and I’ll answer them. If you liked this video, please be sure to share it with your friends and colleagues.

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