Is Good Help Really That Hard To Find?

There’s been a lot written in the space over the past several years about the dearth of young talent in the accounting profession and the stunning number of calls I receive each month from firms with identical wish lists –find me a young CPA with or without a book of business.

If only it were that easy.

Along those lines I was speaking with a partner of a firm in the Northeast earlier this week who lamented that not only did he need a young high potential (or several for that matter) to come aboard, but also bemoaned that fact that they did not have the recruiting resources of some of his larger competitors.

For example, he admitted that due to his staffing shortage and quite honestly lack of name recognition, he was unable to attend any of the recruiting days at the local colleges. And even if he did, how many candidates could he successfully attract?

I must admit I had never thought about it in those terms.

“Think about it, if you’re 21 years old and newly graduated, who would you decide to go with, an offer from my firm or one from KPMG?” he asked.

That sort of hammered home his point.

Interestingly enough, a recent survey from accounting and financial recruiter Robert Half said that according to more than 2,000 managers nationwide, accounting jobs often go unfilled for up to a month. According to the company, on average it takes up to a month to fill an open staff-level accounting post and at least five weeks to fill a management role.

A lot of that delay falls squarely on the hiring companies who often get entangled in a maze of paperwork and protracted decision-making.

So, to help accelerate the hiring process, the folks at Robert Half proffered the following:

1. Develop a plan in terms hiring benchmarks and a list (preferably short) of potential hires.
2. Have a clear and updated job description: complete with the skill sets needed for each open position.
3. Solicit input from your senior staff.
4. Make your firm stand out by promoting the culture, opportunities and benefits of working there.
5. Work with a recruiting firm. Yes, they can be expensive, but more often than not, they will be more successful in locating talent for smaller firms than doing it in house.
6. And most perhaps most importantly, please don’t call me; at best I can only give you a referral.