Want to accentuate your team with a talented accounting and finance professional? Contract positions offer an affordable and flexible way to get the expertise you need. You just have to know where to find the top candidates.
First, it’s important to understand the growing significance of contract workers in every field, including finance.
In 1995, about 10% of the workforce were engaged in what’s called “alternative employment arrangements,” which includes independent contractors and similar working situations. A decade later, that figure had barely moved, climbing to just 10.7%.
What about the next decade? From 2005 to 2015, the portion of the business world working in these alternative arrangements soared by 60%. Sure, it still made up only 16% of the overall workforce (about 1 out of every 6 workers), but that still represents a massive acceleration compared to previous growth rates.
And now, with COVID reconfiguring every company’s operational structure, contract workers are poised to become an even more important part of the workforce.
Are you ready to find the best accounting and finance contractors you can? Here are some factors to help you attract the best talent possible:
What to Look for in a Contract Accounting and Finance Candidate
The process of finding talented contractors starts with knowing what to look for. List the traits you’ll want in an ideal prospect. This will help you with every step of the process, from crafting the job description to running the interview to evaluating your final candidates.
Here are a few items to keep in mind:
Strong Finance Skills
When bringing in a new team member, you want a strong foundation on which to build. It may sound like a simple goal but make sure any candidate can excel at the routine tasks of the job. From there, you can look for other higher-level or soft skills that define an exceptional contract hire.
Flexibility
Given the fast-paced evolution of the modern economy, you need accounting and finance professionals who can change with the times. This includes skills like learning new technology or mastering new finance practices. It also involves practical aspects of the job, like thriving in a hybrid work environment.
Teamwork
To get the most out of your contract worker, you want to integrate them into your team. That can become complicated. A freelancer with poor collaboration skills can easily fall behind or accidentally stray from the team’s objective. As such, you should prioritize candidates that show the ability to operate within a team setting.
Communication
You are contracting a finance and accounting professional because you need their expertise. You may require them to explain their work to stakeholders who don’t have the same in-depth knowledge of the subject. To get the most out of your investment, look for someone who can explain financial topics to any audience.
Self-Management
You won’t have the same oversight over your contract employers as you do with your full-time staff. As such, you’ll need to rely on your contributor to manage themselves. Look for someone with this experience on their resume.
Contract Experience
Operating as a contractor has a different rhythm than contributing full-time to a single employer. Ideally, you will find someone used to this type of work.
It isn’t necessary — there are plenty of first-time contractors who can provide an excellent boost to your team. But having someone used to the process will tamp down the learning curve and limit the number of avoidable hiccups.
Where to Find a Contract Accounting and Finance Candidate
Now that you know what you’re looking for, it’s time to hunt down the perfect accounting and finance contractor for you. It’s important to take a diverse approach. By leveraging multiple sources of potential candidates, you raise your chances of finding the perfect addition to your team.
Here are some places to look:
Job Boards
You can start with traditional job websites. General sites will give you the widest net, but you should also seek out niche options that focus on particular skills or on specific regions. As you’re searching for contractors, track down websites catering to this audience.
Social Media
Use social media to track down candidates. Post your job openings on your feed and see if you get any responses. Additionally, you can seek out passive talent by hunting down specific contractors who you want to recruit.
Networking Contacts
Job seekers use networking to find jobs. You can dip into this tried-and-true method for the opposite task. Contact former employees or other business leaders to see if they have any suggestions for you.
Also, consider involving your employees. A referral program could bring you meaningful leads.
Get Help From A Recruiter
Turn to a professional to get the talent you need. A top recruiter, like Elby Professional Services, can find the perfect accounting and finance contractor to take your business to the next level.
Contact Elby today to find out more.
