Accounting, finance HR managers emphasize good cultural fit
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More than two-thirds of HR managers or recruiters who have responsibility in recruiting accounting and finance positions have indicated that they are planning to hire in the next six months.
When identifying the qualifications of their ideal candidates, the vast majority (86 percent) of survey respondents indicated that work experience was the most important factor, according to a new Accounting & Finance HIRE Intelligence Survey conducted by Monster.com [1], on behalf of professional placement firm The Mergis Group [2].
Hiring plans
- Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents indicated that they are planning to hire in the next six months, with more than half (60 percent) within the accounting and finance sector. This is down from the 74 percent indicating so in our previous report, with 49 percent of those new hires in the accounting and finance sector.
- Of the hiring taking place, 42 percent are a mix of new openings and replacement positions, while one-third are strictly new positions.
Sourcing techniques, recruitment strategies
- When asked which techniques they use to recruit accounting and financial services talent, the top methods included: job boards (72 percent); referrals (68 percent); classified ads online (44 percent); social media (35 percent); recruiting firms (26 percent); and newspaper classified ads (14 percent).
- When asked which qualifications were of greatest importance when identifying the ideal candidate for accounting and finance positions, top responses included: types of work experience (86 percent); personality/cultural fit (67 percent); years of work experience (66 percent); education (64 percent); soft skills/business knowledge (47 percent); and professional certifications (32 percent).
- The highest ranked factors in recruiting accounting- and finance-oriented talent were: stability of position (92 percent); salary (88 percent); company’s reputation (87 percent); health care benefits (87 percent); opportunity for career advancement (79 percent); recognition of employees for hard work (77 percent); and corporate culture (76 percent).
"While the bulk of hiring managers and recruiters surveyed believe that the type of work experience is the most important factor in determining the ideal candidate, more than two-thirds place an emphasis on the job seeker’s personality and cultural fit within their organization," said Brendan Courtney, president of The Mergis Group.
"Today, employers are no longer just looking at someone's skill set and experience. Cultural fit has become extremely important,” Courtney said.
Economic outlook
- Fifty-one percent of both accounting and financial HR managers and recruiters are confident the economy will improve in the next six months, as compared to 67 percent who were confident in the spring.
- More than three-fourths (78 percent) of accounting and finance hiring managers are confident that their company’s performance will improve in the next six months, down one percentage point over the past six months.
“Although accounting and finance HR managers and recruiters’ economic confidence appears to be lagging a bit, it is still quite encouraging to see that more than half of survey respondents are planning to hire in the next six months," Courtney said.
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