How do you know if you need to hire a financial controller? A controller is essential when:

• The owner or CEO does not have the time or experience required to effectively oversee bookkeeping and accounting functions
• There are numerous, ongoing, or unexplainable financial errors
• Deadlines are being missed on closing the books or completing financial reporting
• The company’s accounting has become increasingly complex due to growth

​A controller can implement internal controls to mitigate financial risk, improve cash flow, and facilitate profitable growth. As a result, hiring a financial controller is a key strategic move, but it hinges on correctly defining the role and seeking out the best candidate.

​Recruiters play a unique role in the hiring process for accountants and other financial personnel. We are tasked with fulfilling a hiring manager's requirements and are also deeply in touch with the reality of the candidate market. Often there is a gap between the two that we must navigate.
In finance and accounting recruiting, one request we frequently receive is that candidates hold active CPA licenses. This requirement has come from all industries, all size companies, and all positions from staff accountants to CFOs.
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Understandably, most companies desire the best person for their position for various reasons – from wanting the most intelligent person to wanting someone to do their taxes to just wanting someone more trustworthy. But do you need a CPA on your accounting team? 

Nothing sends chills down a business owner's spine, quite like being notified that you are being audited. The worry that you have accidentally overlooked something critical or done something incorrectly can be extremely nerve-wracking. Furthermore, trying to understand why you are being audited can cause business leadership to fret from the very beginning. Even before the audit has begun, the entire process can be confusing and stressful.

Preparing for and weathering an audit is a lot of work for business owners that likely have too much on their plates already, especially when the audit is dragging on. Therefore, it is crucial to have an accountant (especially a CPA) or consulting CFO to lean on throughout the audit process, no matter how long it takes. But if your audit seems to be taking longer than it should, it is essential to understand what the hold up is to mitigate your future audit risk.

​According to recent data, 76% of companies report that attracting well-qualified candidates is their biggest hiring challenge, making recruitment a serious concern for most businesses.

Hiring a recruiting firm is the best way to find top-notch candidates for your open positions. While some recruiting agencies use a retainer model, others use a contingency agreement. How do you decide which approach is best for your needs?

With contingent recruitment, the recruiting agency only gets paid when they find and place a qualified candidate into the role they are hiring for on behalf of their client. Contingency recruiting fees are typically structured as a percentage of the candidate’s first-year base salary and can vary widely from one recruiting company to another based on geography, industry, and position level.

Why Use Contingency Recruiting?
Unlike retained search, where recruiting fees are typically paid in installments at the beginning and throughout the process, contingent recruiting is based on the idea of only paying once results have been achieved. Many companies prefer to work with a recruiting agency that uses a contingency model because it is often much less expensive, and the fees are easier to understand. It is reassuring to hiring companies, especially smaller businesses, to know that they will not be paying a recruiting fee until after a qualified candidate has been hired.