Your vision: Consistently recruit and onboard accountants who match your expectations. Transforming your vision into a reality, however, remains an uphill climb. But with the right approach, you can quickly and easily recruit and onboard outstanding accountants.
Your business is an industry leader. However, you may need more than your brand reputation to differentiate your brand to top candidates for accountant jobs. This is because accountant jobs are readily available in many cities and towns across the United States.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) research shows the national unemployment rate reached 4.8% in September 2021—a decrease of 3% year over year. It also reports the number of accountant jobs is expected to increase through 2030. These figures indicate many U.S. businesses want to hire accountants, and these companies look poised to continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
Companies are increasingly rebounding from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and need accountants who can provide immediate and long-lasting support. This demand could create steep competition for the top accountants. Yet a wide range of talent recruitment challenges can hinder your company’s ability to stand out to exceptional accounting job candidates.
For instance, your business may struggle to offer lucrative salaries and benefits packages to candidates for accounting jobs, or you may struggle to source viable candidates for accounting jobs. You may even have problems supporting candidates throughout your recruitment and onboarding processes.
The bottom line: You want to identify, attract, and retain the best accountants. To achieve your goal, you need to plan accordingly. Otherwise, you risk missing out on opportunities to hire top accountants.
It Pays to Prioritize Training
Recruitment and onboarding typically go hand in hand with training. If you offer training as part of your recruitment and onboarding processes, you’re well equipped to hire accountants who can hit the ground running starting on day 1.
A training program gives new hires insights into what they need to do to perform at peak levels, so you need to build an accountant training program that seamlessly integrates into your recruitment and onboarding processes.
First, consider what you want an accountant to accomplish in the role. You can then craft a job description and posting that aligns with your role requirements. Also, you can develop a training program that ensures an accountant can thrive in the role right away.
Educate accounting job candidates about your training program as you recruit them. Explain how this program works, and answer any concerns or questions about it. Furthermore, collect feedback from candidates. This can help you find out if your industry rivals are offering similar training programs to accountants, as well as give you a glimpse into how candidates feel about your program and ways you may be able to improve it, too.
Track the results of your accountant training program. Even if you find your program hits the mark with experienced and entry-level accountants, continue to search for ways to enhance it. With ongoing improvement, you can get the most value out of your program.
Don’t forget to leverage your accountant training program with your current staff, either. For instance, if you’re working with an employee who has chosen to transition into an accounting role, there are some tips you can give him or her. You can also encourage the employee to join training programs, in which he or she can then build the skills required to succeed as an accountant.
Stay Ahead of the Curve
In addition to accountant training, you need to go all in on recruitment and onboarding. That way, you can raise the bar for your industry—and stay ahead of competitors that also want to hire the best accountants.
Learn as much as you can about the accountant job market. The BLS publishes research you can use to monitor accountant hiring trends; you can use this research to assess the demand for accountants.
Moreover, you can audit the salaries you offer to accountant job candidates. There may be times when your compensation packages fall short of candidates’ expectations. In these instances, you can increase the salaries you provide to candidates, and you may be able to provide alternative benefits, as well.
Accounting work can often be done remotely. Therefore, if you provide opportunities to work in an office or at home, you may be able to attract top candidates to accountant roles. And, you can offer flexible work hours, free lunches, and other incentives that distinguish accountant roles with your company from others.
Of course, as the accountant onboarding process begins, keep the lines of communication open. Ideally, you want this process to be straightforward. If you remain in contact with a new hire, you can ensure that he or she gets comprehensive support during accountant onboarding. Plus, you can make it easy for this accountant to get in touch and receive instant responses any time he or she has concerns or questions.
Lastly, remain diligent with accountant recruiting and onboarding. Any recruiting or onboarding mistake can have far-flung effects on your business and its ability to attract and retain top accountants going forward. Strive for continuous improvement with accountant recruiting and onboarding. This ensures you will get the best results from your recruitment and onboarding process now and in the future.