How to Stretch in Hiring

​As recruiters, we often talk with clients that have an extensive list of everything they would like in their next hire. Sometimes this includes items that cause employers to voluntarily get in their own way of filling their open roles. We hear things like, “We want an up-and-comer that can grow with the company” or “This person needs to be 100% on-site” or “They need to have an accounting degree.” While it’s good to know what you want, more often than not these kinds of limitations lead employers to pass on candidates who are actually well qualified for their roles. For this reason, it may be worth stretching your hiring parameters to get an open role filled.

We all know that unemployment continues to be at near record lows (and it’s even lower in the accounting and finance field!), which means you need to be prepared to be flexible. Removing the assumptions of what you need from your mind may be the first step in the right direction of getting your role filled. Even if it feels a little bit uncomfortable at first, stretching is good for your hiring efforts!

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​Stretching Hiring Parameters
We are going to look at three different ways employers can stretch their thinking around hiring. If you stretch your hiring parameters in these directions, you will likely get your role filled faster and with better, more qualified people.

Stretch Direction 1 – Being Open to All Kinds of Candidates
Being open to all kinds of candidates is perhaps the first way you stretch. This would look like expanding your hiring parameters to include:

• Late career professionals nearing retirement age.
• Employees who have done the same job for many years.
• Candidates who are experienced versus degreed.

​Late Career Professionals
Late career candidates have often been there and done that and can get the job done faster and more efficiently than the up-and-comer that employers are looking for to grow with the company. They are typically also more intrinsically motivated (love the work that they do) rather than extrinsically motivated (chasing after a higher salary). As Quinn Finnigan explains when discussing the benefits of hiring late career professionals, 

Remember, a candidate in the last third of their career is likely a subject matter expert. Review the candidate’s resume for a group of responsibilities and skills that show a pattern of specializing in an area that is meaningful to you. In addition, late-career candidates often have much more lived experience and bring much needed perspective, patience, and gained wisdom to many situations, whether in a manager role or as an individual contributor.

​Several factors have contributed to the growing share of older adults who are working, including changes in retirement plans from old-style pensions to 401(k)s as well as a rising retirement age requirement to receive full Social Security benefits. Yet, sometimes employers are concerned about how long late career employees may want to continue working. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in January 2022, the median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 4.1 years. So, hiring an earlier career candidate is no guarantee they will stay longer. As a matter of fact, they often want to move around to see different things and gain new experiences, which means they may be even more likely to leave than their older counterparts.

Employees in Same Job Forever
Another candidate often overlooked is the “Steady Eddie” that has been in the same role forever. Employers might think someone who has been at the same level for a long time is not who they want to hire because that person must not be very industrious if they have never been promoted. However, employers need to realize that not everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder. Some people are perfectly content staying at the same level, and they do an excellent job there.

For whatever reason, although they are proud of their work and excel at it, they aren’t interested in the next level. Maybe they are secondary income earners so they don’t need the highest salary possible, or they like feeling comfortable with the same tasks, or they just want to do a great job of what’s in front of them without taking on more. Maybe they would rather do the hands-on work of the role instead of managing others who are doing it. Everyone has different motivations, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t perform. Instead of looking at staying in the same role as a negative, view it for what it is – a firm dedication to their employer and the role day in and day out.

Non-Degreed Candidates
​Lastly employers may pass up on non-degreed candidates even though they have held similar roles and have experience that is right in line with the requirements of the role. This is another group that may be worth a second look because their experience may serve as their education.

Look at whether the candidate holds a degree in an adjacent area that may benefit them in the role. Just because their diploma does not have an accounting or finance discipline listed doesn’t mean it’s useless. If they don’t have a degree at all, look at their work history. They may have comparable (or greater) years of experience in a family business or another type of organization that has given them transferable skills instead of a degree, and that can be extremely valuable too!

Additionally, some employers may feel like they need an accountant who holds a CPA license to get the kind of experience they are looking for, when they really don’t need a CPA at all. Before requiring a particular degree or license, try to understand what you hope to accomplish with that requirement so you can determine if another kind of candidate could also fit the bill.

Stretch Direction 2 – Being Open to a Hybrid Work Environment
These days many candidates simply are not open to working 100% in-office and are only looking for hybrid or remote opportunities. Some are willing to be in the office every day but only during the hours when their kids are in school. Others may be coaching their kid’s sports team and need to leave early some days. When thinking about how to rethink your hiring expectations ASP’s Recruiting Services Leader, Quinn Finnigan, hits the nail on the head in saying, 

It’s important to maintain at least an openness to hybrid work schedules when hiring… [because] even for people who are okay with working 100% in-office, their commute radius has shrunk significantly... That means a geographical search radius for a fully in-person role now is smaller than it was pre-pandemic. Therefore, the main benefit of offering a hybrid work model is that it increases the size of the candidate pool by expanding the geography of the search.

​Many employees need flexibility to care for their children or aging parents. Some are fed up with the hassle of commuting and sitting in traffic, while others may just not want to be in the office every day. By not allowing for flexibility in location and schedule, employers could be missing out on the perfect candidate.

Stretch Direction 3 – Open Mindedness to Matching your Company to a Candidate
This is the most difficult kind of conversation to have, but it’s important nonetheless. You need to be realistic about the type of candidates who are going to be attracted to your company. It’s just a fact that “grade-B” companies won’t get attention from “grade-A” candidates just like “grade-B” candidates won’t get attention from “grade-A” companies. If your company has some challenges or limitations to consider such as budget constraints, poor work/life balance, or no room to grow, know that you may not get everything you are looking for in a candidate. The opportunity and candidate must align for there to be a match.

Getting Hiring Help
When you need help finding candidates for your open role, experienced accounting and finance recruiters can help! Leaning on someone who is working with hiring organizations every day and continuously talking to candidates will give you a greater perspective to better understand what you truly need versus what is nice to have so you can stop looking for unicorn candidates. They inherently understand the hiring market better than an individual organization because they are so continually immersed in it.  

Top recruiting companies will also understand where to look for candidates and how to present your role to them to give you the best chance at hiring success. This is especially important when you are stretching your hiring parameters because it requires a “thinking outside the box” kind of mindset that they have finely honed over time. 

Read “10 Things the Best Recruiters Will Tell You” Now!

Use our accounting recruiting services today! At The ASP Team we work with all industries and all kinds of organizations from small businesses and emerging companies to Fortune 500 firms. We place qualified candidates in accounting and finance roles at public and private companies as well as nonprofit organizations. Contact us today to find out more!

About the Author
Joss Stokke – Recruiting Services Leader
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​Joss joined The ASP Team in 2022, bringing with her over 6 years of experience in accounting and finance recruiting and financial services recruiting.

Joss’s prior 15-year accounting and finance career, with experience in tax, audit, SEC reporting, management reporting, investor relations, treasury, mergers and acquisitions, financial performance and analysis, budgeting, forecasting and valuations, makes her uniquely qualified in assisting both clients and candidates in filling accounting and finance positions.
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She began her career in public accounting at EY in Atlanta, Georgia. She worked there for six years before joining a Fortune 100 company where she held a variety of corporate accounting and finance roles, eventually growing into the Director of Finance.

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