Savvy Recruitment Strategies

To remain competitive in today’s market, companies must put more time, thought, energy and creativity into recruiting highly skilled accounting and finance professionals. Generous compensation packages and the prospect of employment stability are no longer enough to woo top candidates. Organizations must provide challenging and meaningful work, career development opportunities and a more individualized approach to management that addresses the preferences of a wide array of workers with differing needs and priorities.

These are some of the findings of the Robert Half International Financial Leadership Council (www.financialleadershipcouncil.com). The group, which is comprised of distinguished industry influencers from public accounting, private industry, legislative bodies and academia, gathered to discuss important issues and workforce trends affecting the accounting, finance and audit professions. Here are a few of the specific recruitment solutions and strategies they recommended:

• Focus on work-life balance. Flexibility is in great demand today. Emphasize programs that enable employees to more harmoniously balance their professional and personal obligations. These can range from telecommuting options to an on-site fitness facility or cafeteria.
• Tap internal resources. Starting a referral bonus program (or enhancing the incentive currently offered to employees who refer new hires) is an effective and relatively inexpensive recruiting technique.  
• Get on message. Consistent and unified messaging from everyone who interacts with recruits will help the prospective employees understand exactly what your organization stands for and how their work will tie into your values and overall vision.
• Capture the imagination of your recruits. Paint a broad picture of the long-term career opportunities your employees enjoy. Has an entry-level payroll professional moved up the ladder to become a senior manager at your firm? Highlighting instances like these will show your firm’s commitment on grooming internal staff for leadership roles.
• Consider temp-to-hire arrangements. Bringing in highly skilled professionals on a temporary or project basis with the assistance of a specialized staffing firm is a smart and cost-effective way to identify potential candidates for full-time positions.