7 minute read
Steve Jobs once said, “The secret of my success is that we have
gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.” It’s easy to say you want to hire great people, because doesn’t every company — in theory — want to hire the best? Your firm is likely no different.
Notice what Steve Jobs said. His company went to “exceptional lengths” in order to hire well. That means he had a process; it wasn’t haphazard. Today, we’ll look at some steps you can take to build a streamlined accounting firm hiring process for yourself, which will give you the best chance to hire the right people.
Many employees have actually been asking this question recently, but in reverse. Workers are thinking, “Who do I need to work for and why?” This is leading to a mass exodus of resignations, so much so that a new term, the “Great Resignation,” has been born. So, for starters, if you want the best, your firm must become attractive to the best.
That said, how should you define a successful hire? Unless your new employee has been on board for at least 18 months, is productive and is doing exactly what they were hired to do, you aren’t hiring well. A great hire results in a satisfied, engaged employee and positive business outcomes.
Meanwhile, a failed hire is when the employee voluntarily leaves or is asked to leave within the first 18 months, and this exit has a negative effect on business outcomes.
If you’ve had failed employees in the past, it’s likely because of one of the following:
While you can’t change the past, here’s what you need to prepare in the present in order to identify who you need and why:
By preparing these six items in advance, you’ll be more ready to identify your ideal candidate when you meet them.
As you write the job description, treat it like a sale. Remember, you are trying to hire the best people, and the best people want to work for firms with a clear purpose. Think about these questions as you create your job post to help you craft a compelling story about your firm:
In order to get a good pool of potential candidates, you need to post your job ad far and wide. For tax positions, you should post on the following seven job boards:
You should also consider the following places to advertise your open position:
For ideal candidates, direct outreach on LinkedIn can be a great strategy. When doing so, you can either send an InMail message or a direct message. You can also consider making a connection request message.
As you’re looking for ideal candidates on LinkedIn, here’s what to keep an eye out for in profiles.
Scan client returns. Uncover savings. Export a professional tax plan. All in minutes.
It’s recommended you have interview scripts prepared in advance of the job interview. Try to have a handful of background questions, job-focused questions and “culture” questions. Your main task is to decide if someone’s skill will match what they want to do at your company.
Examining skill is important for obvious reasons — the candidate must be able to achieve the outcome you desire. But it’s also important to evaluate will, or the motivations a candidate brings to the table.
After the interview, ask yourself:
In order to really feel good about answering these types of questions in the affirmative, somewhere in the interview process you should do the following:
Firms that typically succeed with hiring usually have a structured process to help new hires succeed. While every firm can be different in how they go about this, here is a list to get started on making your own onboarding process:
Keep in mind through all this that the biggest mistake most firms make is not providing any training or support to their new hires, yet expecting them to succeed. Your new hire is able to thrive only as much as the environment they are placed in!
See how Corvee allows your firm to break free of the tax prep cycle and begin making the profits you deserve.
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