As a small accountancy firm, you might find it difficult to attract and hire new staff. This is because the entire recruitment process can be daunting, especially if you have a number of larger accountancy firms to compete with. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to attract the right candidates, and being a small firm can actually work in your favour.
How to Hire the Right Accountancy Staff as a Small Firm
● Promote Your Firm Positively - A lot of small accountancy firms make the mistake of focusing too much on promoting themselves to clients, forgetting that promoting themselves to candidates is just as important. Promoting yourself and highlighting your unique strengths is a good way to ‘sell’ yourself as an employer, as candidates are always looking for a pleasant and positive working environment. It’s a good idea to have a clear vision of what you are looking for and to market your firm with this in mind.
● Boost Brand Awareness - Though you are a small firm, brand awareness is still important when you are attracting new employees. Placing job advertisements in local newspapers, being active on social media, entering local accountancy awards and promoting yourself in the local area can make a big difference. It showcases your firm as one that is respected and trusted in the area.
● Get Ahead With Your Recruitment - Don’t make the mistake of being behind on your recruitment, as this could lead to gaps in staffing and a rush to find a suitable candidate. By being proactive, you could have multiple candidates lined up for when you do decide to hire. You can get ahead with your recruitment by promoting job openings on your website, connecting with candidates on LinkedIn and working with a recruitment agency. You could also consider offering internships and work experience to local schools, which might put you in contact with potential candidates for the future.
● Offer Flexible Working - A lot of companies now offer flexible and hybrid working opportunities, and doing so can help to retain loyal staff. By saying goodbye to strict working hours, you can allow staff to plan their work day in a way that works for them. This could include early starts, late finishes, remote working or condensed hours. Not only does it attract new employees, but it helps to retain existing members of staff.
● Be Adaptable in the Workplace - It’s important to ensure your workplace works for all staff, which means being adaptable and flexible. This doesn’t just make the workplace more enjoyable for workers, but it helps to create a loyal and dedicated team. This could mean allowing staff to listen to music, swapping to standing desks or investing in new technology to make daily tasks easier. When staff are happy, they are likely to be more productive.
As you can see, there are a number of things that you can do to attract talent to your accountancy firm. There is no need to feel held back just because you aren’t as big as other companies.