In our privileged positions as experts in all things accountancy recruitment, we certainly see our fair share of interview processes.
Some firms like to keep things really informal and opt for a relaxed coffee meeting or a half hour remotely. At the opposite end of the spectrum we see firms who require multiple face to face interviews, a range of aptitude and psychometric tests and a requirement for role plays, presentations, pitches and more.
In this blog, we wanted to examine where the line falls between reasonable and thorough due diligence when it comes to choosing the right accountants for your firm and essentially asking someone to travel extensively and work unpaid with no guarantee of any reward.
So, what constitutes too much when it comes to your interview process?
Much of the reply to this question is dependent on how badly you need to find great candidates, i.e who holds more power in the interviewer:interviewee dynamic and at what point does what you’re asking of a candidate become unreasonable or just not worth the time/stress investment.
Let’s start by considering what recruitment due diligence is absolutely essential and should never be compromised on.
- A full and up to date CV
- Identity checks
- Proof of right to work in the UK
- At least one virtual or in person face to face interview
- Reference checking
Next consider the role that the candidate is interviewing for.
Junior Accountants, Semi Seniors and even Seniors could, in our opinion, reasonably be offered a role based on the above minimum checks and meetings. A second interview might be appropriate and at the far end of the spectrum some kind of practical test that ensures that your preferred candidate has the skills that are essential for the role.
Roles at management and perhaps Director level certainly warrant much more time and attention. If the role you’re looking at has the potential to really jeopardise your business if you make a bad hire, two or three interviews may be appropriate. You’ll want to take the time to really understand the candidate’s styles of communication, how they respond to conflict, their ability to think about the big and little pictures and how well they will merge in to your existing team and indeed inspire it. Asking candidates to prepare short action plans in response to potential problems they might encounter might be appropriate too.
At Partnership level it’s fair to say that most candidates would anticipate a bigger commitment when it comes to the interview process. Certainly a formal interview, a second, perhaps a third and then we know many partnerships like to arrange a dinner or some kind of opportunity to get to know the candidate on a deeper level in a less formal setting. Depending on what the partnership looks like and whether a buy in or equity is involved then it’s likely that this level of due diligence will be important for both parties.
Generally the scenarios that we’ve experienced where an interview process has become too great, occur when firms are asking candidates to prepare presentations or solve problems in a way that could be considered unpaid work. We wouldn’t expect an artist to paint a picture we’d commissioned on the understanding that we wouldn’t pay for it if it wasn’t quite our taste! The same should apply to candidates.
And in the same vein, we urge firms not to forget that the process of searching for a new job can be stressful, time consuming, expensive when it comes to travel and potential loss of earnings and many candidates carry a serious risk of damaging their existing employer relationships if they need to take too much time away from work or the process isn’t managed sensitively.
The unfortunate outcome in this situation, one that we’ve seen happen on multiple occasions, is that the candidate concludes that the reward isn’t worth the risk and stress and withdraws from the opportunity. With a shortage of talented staff on the market it is, more often than not, possible for candidates to find multiple other opportunities with firms who demand less from the interview process.
So, if you’re the firm who is asking for lengthy pitches, enhanced testing, multiple face to face interviews with limited flexibility over where or when they take place, we urge you to consider if this might be hampering your search for talent.
‘My team and I are on hand to be your trusted recruitment partners through the whole process of advertising your roles through to onboarding. We’re only too happy to advise on interviews and we’ll do our utmost to ensure that the candidates you meet are the right ones for your firm, saving everyone precious time and energy. ‘
Garry Howling, MD
If your firm would benefit from a recruitment overhaul or you’re feeling frustrated by the impacts of the public practice hiring crisis, our team of experienced accountancy recruitment professionals are always at the end of an email. Reach out to us today to learn more.
