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How To Hire Finance Staff

How To Hire Finance Staff
Post Series: How to Hire

Hiring a finance professional or for a finance manager position is something almost all firms do at some point. An employee may have left the finance team, or maybe your business is experiencing growth and needs to expand its finance department. In either scenario, it is vital to attract candidates with the skills and experience to ensure your business remains compliant and meets its financial goals.

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Experience shows us that not all recruitment strategies are practical. A poorly devised hiring process can result in too few or too many candidates, the wrong candidates, and ultimately a bad hire. In this step by step guide, we give you the hiring advice you need to select the best recruitment solutions that will set you on the right path and ensure your hire finance staff worth their weight in gold.

In this How To Recruit Finance Staff Guide, we discuss:

  • Preparing To Recruit Finance Staff: Your Employer Brand & Company Careers Page
  • Writing Finance Department Job Descriptions & Job Adverts
  • How To Hire All Finance Staff
  • Advertising Your Finance Manager & Finance Staff Positions: Referral Schemes, Social Media, & Job Boards
  • Reducing Finance Staff Recruitment Costs And Time: Recruitment Companies & ATS
  • Screening Job Seekers & Conducting Interviews
  • Presenting A Job Offer & Onboarding Finance Staff

Preparing To Recruit Finance Staff: Your Employer Brand & Company Careers Page

How To Recruit Finance Staff And A Finance Manager

Before you begin to advertise externally for finance staff, you should review all your existing candidate touchpoints to ensure you are promoting a positive employer brand. You will ultimately only secure the best talent if you show that you are a highly desirable employer where junior to senior financial team members will want to work.

It would help if you considered how you portray your company culture, company values, and your business success, along with other elements such as supporting further training and career development. In our Guide On How To Hire, we explore in further detail the topics of Why Should SMEs Build An Employer Brand and What Should Be On A Company Careers Page.

Writing Finance Department Job Descriptions & Job Adverts

How To Write A Financial Experts Job Description

You can only write an accurate job description and job advert for your finance positions if you speak to key decision makers in the hiring process, including the position’s line manager:

Finance Staff Job Descriptions

Creating a job description for finance managers or finance team members will help your HR team speed up the recruitment process. The best practice is to have one on file for all company positions, which can be quickly updated and used to create the job posting whenever recruitment needs arise.

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For Search Engine Optimisation, it is a good practice to integrate keywords and key phrases that potential candidates might search for in a search engine. The job profile should have a clear message to attract the most suitable candidates. It also helps to refrain from using excessive punctuation and too much industry jargon.

When penning a job description for a finance manager or financial staff, consider:

  1. Identifying and outlining typical company-wide requirements
  2. Collating today’s minimum must haves covering technical skills, qualifications, and financial software experience
  3. Reviewing what your competitors are saying in their job descriptions
  4. What your new hires should look like
  5. How you want your brand to be perceived

Our Job Description Templates can help you get started; we appreciate writing this content can be a challenge. You can discover the most popular Finance Job Descriptions here.

Further useful resources include How To Define What People Do In Their Jobs, Preparing Job Descriptions, and Key Roles And Responsibilities In Finance.

Finance Staff Job Adverts

Your finance department job descriptions form the basis of your new job ad. There are other things to add to attract the right talent with appropriate skills, so ensure your job ad includes:

  1. An accurate job title – finance manager, financial controller, finance assistant, finance director, chief financial officer, accounts payable, etc
  2. An opening statement – saying why a good finance manager or professional will want to work for your company
  3. The job’s description
  4. A list of responsibilities – preparing financial reports, maintaining financial health, financial planning, financial modeling, money management, risk forecasting, manage subordinates, sign off expenditure, day to day administration, etc
  5. Qualifications, personality traits, experience, and required hard and soft skills – problem solving, focus and attention to detail, numeracy, Level 3 Certificate in Financial Studies, T Level in Accounting, Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping, etc
  6. Job location – office-based or work from home for remote jobs
  7. Salary range and employee benefits – check the average salary here for roles such as finance manager, grant writer, head of finance, financial planning clerk, etc
  8. Next steps – potential candidates should email xxx or apply via our careers page

We recommend that small and medium-sized businesses use a job advert template to get down the basics of the role and then fill in more detail on the unique aspects of your company, team, and role.

How To Hire All Finance Staff

HOW TO HIRE A FINANCIAL ANALYST

To hire a Financial Analyst, you should prepare a job description and a company summary, highlighting why someone would want to work for you. Qualifications vary but might include a degree in finance, economics, or accounting.

Attractive job duties include analysing financial performance, investigating financial data, preparing reports, and financial planning and forecasting.

Financial Analyst Job Description Example

Post A Financial Analyst Job

HOW TO HIRE A FINANCIAL CONTROLLER

To hire a Financial Controller, describe your company, its focus, mission, and objectives. Add to this the position’s duties, such as enhancing financial performance, evaluating risks, preparing and publishing financial statements, and overseeing accounting operations.

Required knowledge and experience may include auditing, expenditure controls, and formulating financial strategies. A bachelor’s or master’s degree is a typical requirement.

Financial Controller Description Example

Post A Financial Controller Job

HOW TO HIRE A FINANCE ASSISTANT

To hire a Finance Assistant, it will help to create an image of your team and the finance department, relaying to applicants your company culture. Furthermore, the text can include the financial and bookkeeping applications and software being used, with a requirement for Microsoft Office proficiency.

Finance Assistant responsibilities that will entice candidates include generating invoices, processing transactions, reporting and investigating discrepancies, recommending money-saving strategies, and maintaining accurate financial records.

Finance Assistant Job Description Example

Post A Finance Assistant Job

HOW TO HIRE A FINANCE DIRECTOR

You may need to turn to accounting and finance job advertising sites promoting your company values and mission to hire a Finance Director. Links to your company profile are essential, as Finance Director candidates will likely want to discover more about your firm.

The Finance Director’s responsibilities include setting financial targets, implementing strategies to achieve defined goals, monitoring cash flow, arranging yearly insurances, ensuring taxation compliance, liaising with investors, and training the accounting team.

Finance Director Job Description Example

Post A Finance Director Job

HOW TO HIRE A FINANCE MANAGER

To hire a Finance Manager, your job advert should describe your company’s services, products, and team. Finance Managers usually hold a relevant degree and have achieved public accountant certified status, possessing excellent communication and report-writing skills.

Tasks that might encourage applications include setting company and department budgets, distributing financial tasks, assessing financial risks, making investments, and writing monthly and annual reports.

Finance Manager Job Description Example

Post A Finance Manager Job

HOW TO HIRE A CREDIT CONTROLLER

To hire a Credit Controller, you can leverage social media and job board advertising and encourage applications from qualified candidates by stating preferred skills and traits. Accounting software proficiency, excellent maths skills, and a finance or mathematics degree are usually prerequisites for the role.

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Duties that might catch the eye of job hunters include making credit request evaluations, defining credit terms, negotiating repayment plans, processing invoices, preparing reports and statements, and generally managing creditor and debtor relationships.

Credit Controller Job Description Example

Post A Credit Controller Job

HOW TO HIRE A CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)

To hire a CFO, you may want to promote your vacancy on LinkedIn and finance and leadership job sites. To compel the right person to apply, state your company’s objectives and values. An economics, accounting or finance degree may form part of your Chief Financial Officer profile.

CFO responsibilities include managing investor relationships, monitoring cash flow, analysing business weaknesses and strengths, developing financial plans, financial forecasting, and overseeing the business’s financial IT systems.

Chief Financial Officer Job Description Example

Post A Chief Financial Officer Job

HOW TO HIRE AN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PROFESSIONAL

To hire an Accounts Payable professional, describe your organisation and team, services, and career development opportunities. Advertising on job boards will bring in qualified applicants when the ad includes a skill list and accounting application proficiency.

Duties that will compel relevant job seekers to apply include discrepancy investigation, business ledger management, banking preparation, payment processing, account management, and payment chasing.

Accounts Payable Job Description Example

Post An Accounts Payable Job

HOW TO HIRE A FINANCE OFFICER

Creating an advert that describes your company, career opportunities, and the position’s pay range will help you hire a Finance Officer. Problem-solving skills and good communication, coupled with a finance or accounting degree, are typical applicant requirements.

Your job summary and description should include vital responsibilities, such as updating and maintaining records, preparing balance sheets, writing financial policies, carrying out audits, progressing payments, and monitoring financial expenditure. 

Finance Officer Job Description Example

Post A Finance Officer Job

HOW TO HIRE A FINANCIAL ADVISOR

To hire a Financial Advisor, write a brief company story that tells the reader the products and services they will advise customers about, further clarifying if the role is based in an office, remote, or requires visiting clients at their location or home. It will help to include desirable personality traits and education, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree in finance.

Duties that might compel someone to apply include analysing the client’s expenses and income, recommending investments, savings, and retirement products, updating customers when market conditions change, and advising clients on good cash and financial management.

Financial Advisor Job Description Example

Post A Financial Advisor Job

Advertising Your Finance Manager & Finance Staff Positions: Referral Schemes, Social Media, & Job Boards

Advertising To Attract A Finance Manager

With your job ad in hand, you are ready to find finance candidates. Your recruiting strategy might include posting your advert:

Internally (Employee Referral Schemes)

A non-incentivised or incentivised employee referral scheme is extremely valuable when you want to hire a finance employee. You will turn your current employees into motivated recruiters, sharing that you are recruiting new employees across their social and professional networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter).

Staff referral schemes often bring in promising candidates, with your team’s connections including like-minded professionals and industry contacts. To engage this strategy, share your job descriptions with your team and reward referrals from employees.

You can discover tips on staff referral schemes by reading Introducing An Employee Referral Scheme.

On Social Media

Hiring a finance manager or junior talent through social media is effective, with free and paid advertising options. The best tips for success include ensuring your social media messaging is consistent with your employer brand and conveys a positive image. An active social media channel is helpful if you want to build a community of professionals just waiting for an opportunity to join your organisation. Recommended activity includes posting news, expert opinions, updates, and industry insights.

Our tips and advice for implementing a successful social media talent acquisition strategy include:

  • Marketing yourself first
  • Joining industry networks and groups
  • Engaging with respondents and nurturing discussions
  • Using advanced search tools and Recruiter Lite on LinkedIn
  • Using Twitter’s advanced search tool and direct messaging
  • Building activity on your company’s Facebook page and encouraging engagement from existing employees, turning them into company advocates

We explore finding qualified employees through social media further in our articles Social Media Hiring Strategies For SMEs and Job Advertising On Social Media.

Download Job Advert Template

On Job Boards

Whether your new hire is your first hire or your hundredth, advertising on job boards is essential if you want to be hiring the right managers and staff in an acceptable timeframe. You can post junior and manager jobs on one job board, or many using an Applicant Tracking System. Job board resellers help you advertise your finance job across multiple general, niche, and geographical job boards using their integrated ATS software, minimising the hassle and time of developing leads and finding talent.

Leading General Job Boards:

Niche Job Posting Sites:

Aggregator Job Sites:

Geographical Job Sites:

You can advertise your job on these job boards today.

Reducing Finance Staff Recruitment Costs And Time: Recruitment Companies & ATS

Reducing The Future Hiring Cost Of Managers And Staff

Budgets, deadlines, and administration require careful consideration whenever you intend to hire a finance worker. To get the best results, you may decide to work with a recruiting firm with a UK wide focus, a global recruitment partner, or a niche recruitment company.

We discuss agency fees and recruiters in these two articles; How To Avoid High Recruitment Agency Fees and The Pros And Cons Of Having A Recruiter On Retainer.

Fixed Cost Recruitment

Fixed-cost recruitment allows you to hire at a flat fee governed by the level of service and functionality you desire.

The success of fixed-cost recruitment depends on the company offering the service, the methodologies they deploy, and their expertise and knowledge of your industry or business sector. You will need to determine which actions you need assistance with to use flat-fee recruitment successfully.

Four steps to leveraging fixed cost recruitment to hire a manager or junior finance staff:

  1. Place ads across leading job boards
  2. Search CV databases and social media channels
  3. Headhunt and shortlist applicants
  4. Receive interviewed and qualified talent

Useful resources:

Applicant Tracking Systems

Automatic Tracking Systems can significantly reduce the costs of hiring staff by creating efficiency. The software’s functionality gives you the ability to identify and manage applicants, and manage vacancies and adverts.

Team access creates a unified place to work, helping you build a seamless hiring process and applicant experience.

Five steps to centralising recruitment with ATS:

  1. Find staff online
  2. Review candidate scores
  3. Distribute personalised messages to a large talent pool
  4. Automate responses
  5. Direct candidates to application forms

To explore all the features and benefits of Automatic Tracking Systems, read Centralising Recruitment With ATS.

Screening Job Seekers & Conducting Interviews

Screening And Interviewing A Manager Or Finance Staff

Before your interview process commences, you need to shortlist applicants by reviewing their CVs or resumes. Indications that you have a manager or finance staff worth interviewing include:

  • Quantifiable evidence of past achievements and skills
  • The individual has steady career progression
  • The individual is not job-hopping
  • The CV is free from spelling and grammatical errors
  • The individual has the relevant business experience, knowledge of financial principles, and skills to meet the job requirements

Decision-makers and hiring managers need to be prepared to deliver a consistent interview experience. The importance of asking the same interview questions to each prospect cannot be understated, aiding applicant scoring. Ensure anyone who has candidate contact is on the same page and understands the brand’s vision, values and opportunities. Interviews should be challenging, supportive, positive, and engaging.

Video interviews are an increasingly popular solution, saving on resources and speeding up the recruiting process. Video sharing, shortlisting, and feedback from hiring and line managers ultimately generate more successful outcomes. If your firm has not conducted a video interview before, read How To Conduct A Remote Interview.

Our article Defining Your Interview Process, discusses interview questions, avoiding unconscious bias, and interviewing tips.

Presenting A Job Offer & Onboarding Finance Staff

Presenting An Offer To A Manager Or Finance Staff

When you have finished interviewing candidates and believe you have the right person for your junior or manager role, you will need to present an employment offer and onboard the part or full time worker:

Making A Job Offer

The process of presenting the offer to financial professionals varies depending on what has occurred before. If you don’t already understand the individual’s current earnings, expectations are better managed over the phone. Phone offers should be confident but be prepared to make changes if the individual’s circumstances have changed. Reaffirm that the candidate is happy with the offer, clarify their acceptance, and proceed to a formal written offer, in the same way you would for any business employee.

A formal offer letter from your firm can be conditional (dependent on a background check, etc) or unconditional and should include:

  • Job title
  • Candidate name
  • Your conditions – i.e., this offer is made subject to…
  • Official start date, time, and location
  • Probationary period
  • Offer terms
  • Candidate actions and acceptance instructions – i.e., signed copy of job offer
  • Terms and conditions of employment (issued within two months of the start date)

You can read further on Presenting A Job Offer here.

Onboarding Finance Staff

The onboarding process should support the employee as they become part of your team.

Actions for onboarding staff might include:

  • Creating an employer identification number
  • Presenting the individual with an employee handbook
  • An office tour, introducing the person to their manager, team, and senior executives
  • Informing the person of the communication methods and exactly what type of software to use in the new role
  • Presenting clear responsibilities and duties
  • Defining new role expectations, standards, and performance indicators
  • Gathering feedback from new hires

Hiring Process FAQs

Hiring Advice For Recruiters

Here we answer your hiring questions.

What financial reports should finance staff be able to produce?

Individuals who hold financial jobs or are accountants should be able to produce reports of the company’s finances, including:

1. Balance sheet
2. Cash flow statement
3. Income statement
4. Profit and loss report
5. Risk report

What accounting software proficiency should I seek?

To ensure you are hiring the right staff, seek individuals with skills and experience using:

1. QuickBooks
2. Sage
3. Wave
4. FreshBooks
5. ClearBooks
6. FreeAgent
7. GnuCash
8. Xero

How To Hire Staff In Different Sectors

Find our recruitment guides for different sectors below:

All Finance Job Descriptions

Post All Finance Jobs

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