Avoid These Common Mistakes When Hiring Accounting Services

Ensure a smooth financial journey by sidestepping common pitfalls in hiring accounting services. Learn what to avoid to make the right choice for your business. Discover the keys to a successful partnership and elevate your financial management without falling prey to common hiring mistakes.

There’s a lot more to accounting services than crunching numbers. It’s a highly controlled profession that requires an individual who excels at understanding accounting service software and business operations and can communicate with people across all levels of an enterprise – from the CEO to the A/P clerk.

Many business owners only understand the many skill sets an accountant must possess once it’s too late. Instead, they rush through the hiring process, need to set clear expectations for the position, or, worse yet, focus on the wrong qualifications. The result can be disastrous: a newly onboarded employee must contribute something to the bottom line.

service staffing firm. Jason specializes in sourcing qualified candidates for his clients and shares some of his hard-earned advice with us.

Understanding the Accounting service industry knowledge is key.

First and foremost, a business owner should look for a candidate who understands what their business does. Is the form focused on construction, manufacturing, or in the service field? 

Be flexible on software experience.

Crystal Reports, Excel Pivot Tables, rastBooks, SAP, and Oracle. This list reads like the knowledge section of a typical accountant’s work profile. Looks good on paper, right? Stop. Before going for the hire, evaluate the team’s needs. Does the business even need some of these skills? Is a worker being replaced, or is the team undergoing an expansion?

Specific company software knowledge may not be necessary if it’s the latter. Remember to consider communication for accounting services.

When making a great hire, it’s more than just who attended the best school or graduated with the most advanced education. In other words, do not be afraid to look outside the box also invest in an accountant with an unorthodox skill set. Hiring someone who can work in such a way as to fit in with the company culture can be the most important skill to get.

According to Alexander, one case of this is finding someone with killer communication skills – it’s critical in accounting services. “Think about it: accountants must be able to communicate across various levels of an organization, breaking hard financial concepts and tax code jargon down into a normal guy’s terms so everyone can understand,” he states. “This is extremely hard to do, so don’t leave it to an amateur. Go for someone who knows how to adjust their language to the public. Employees will immediately feel better informed and included, improving job performance across the organization. Everyone benefits.”

Make a list of accounting services.

Before making a hire, list all the important accounting service functions the business needs to grow, as well as those traits needed in a candidate. Should the person be an experienced professional with 20 years of experience? Or would someone more malleable be a greater fit? Regardless of the requirements, be clear about the job responsibilities for the new position. Professionals like to know what the expectations are for the role. This will help set expectations from the beginning and set the candidate – also the business – up for success as opposed to failure.

Work culture and personality matter

How a person gels into the work environment is just as important as how a person performs on the work Explains Alexander, “At Socialpod, we use personality and motivator tests during the hiring process that evaluates each candidate’s hard skills and soft skills. This not only helps us make informed steps. However, it also ensures we add the best people to our team.”

Related Posts:

Online vs Offline Accounting Services: Which One Is Right for You?
Accounting Service Secrets: Unveiling the Key Metrics for Business Success
Maximizing Efficiency: Streamlining Your Accounting Services
Step-by-Step Process of Setting up Accounting Services for Small Businesses
Why Hiring Professional Accountants is a Game-Changer for Your Business