Looking to recruit new accountants in the fall?

As fresh grads finish their CPA exams and polish their resumes for employers, it’s also time to start thinking about how your accounting firm can stand out from the crowd. Here’s an overview of the hiring market for new accountants and how you can stand out as a top employer.

What to expect from this year’s hiring market

In the midst of an ongoing accountant shortage, you’ll have to make sure your firm stands out in the market. Market-rate salaries and lowering the bar for entry-level candidates are now table stakes – so if your job description (and your firm) doesn’t stand out, it’s going to be much harder to find the talent you’re looking for.

When you’re writing job descriptions, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that the candidate experience and employee experience are closely related. Work on both, and you’ll have a much better chance of attracting (and retaining) the right fit.

1. Cultivate a positive and adaptable culture – and showcase it

When selective candidates think about applying for a job, the first thing they’ll do is look at either your “About Us” page. When they do, will they get a good sense of your company culture? If all you have are a few headshots of the team and a brief description, it might be time to think about adding some elements that give them a better sense of what your firm is like to work for.

That could include:

• Quotes from employees about why they like working for you
• A brief video explaining what your values are as an employer, and how new employees can contribute
• Information about perks and benefits you offer

If you haven’t checked your Glassdoor and Google reviews, it’s also a good idea to take a look and encourage happy employees and satisfied clients to leave you a review.

2. Offer upskilling opportunities

In a rapidly changing market, people also want to see that you’ll help them grow in their roles. Give new accountants a chance to learn advisory skills or data analysis skills, and you’ll do more than just add to the competencies of your team. You’ll also position yourself as a forward-thinking employer that cares about the career trajectories of your workers.

When you have skill paths in place, make it clear on your job descriptions that you offer professional development and what new skills candidates might learn from you.

3. Set good boundaries for tough clients (so new accountants don’t have to)

Setting boundaries for tough clients is important, both for your bottom line and for your team. When leadership sets good boundaries with clients, junior employees don’t have to scramble to meet outsized client demands.

Once you have a policy in place, you can let candidates know that you have a process for dealing with difficult clients. That signals to them that you won’t leave them to fend for themselves when client relationships get tough.

4. Collect employee feedback and incorporate it into your hiring strategy

What kinds of perks and benefits do your employees value the most? Do they feel a sense of purpose working at your firm?

Collecting employee feedback can help you answer these questions, which can then feed into your hiring strategy. For example, say your employees are looking for more flexible work. You can come up with some ways to offer more flexible schedules, and then add that as a bullet point in your job description.

5. Prioritize communication, especially for remote teams

Creating a positive, collaborative work environment comes down to good communication strategies. That’s particularly true for remote teams, where data silos, miscommunication, and misunderstandings can happen more easily.

But since remote work will expand your hiring pool, it’s also important to consider offering it as an option. If you do, it’s ideal to have communication policies optimized for remote collaboration. This includes good onboarding strategies that help new employees feel included and get up to speed easily.

6. Take steps to prevent burnout before it happens

Are you looking for new team members because others quit? If burnout is a problem at your firm, make sure you take steps to address the issue before taking on new staff.

Autonomy, impact, and job security can help offset burnout, even during tax season when long hours are unavoidable. When you advertise your new role, make sure you spell out what impact your new hire’s contributions will have and what choices they’ll be able to make about how they get the job done.

7. Standardize your processes

Taking the time to standardize your processes makes it a lot easier to replicate the consistency, quality, and volume of work you expect from new hires. Rather than leaving it up to new hires to figure out how to work for you, show them exactly what you need from them with clear onboarding, training, and documentation.

Standardized processes can also help you know what to look for in candidates. For example, ProCharted’s dashboard lets you see exactly how many hours projects tend to take, and which projects are most common at your firm. That can help you select candidates who have the skill sets you need the most.

So before you take to the job boards, it’s a good idea to start from the inside out to flesh out what makes you the best fit for your next star candidate.