“I love to hire. Particularly when I’m busy,” said no one ever. Hiring accountants is a time-consuming process.
Each candidate’s resume needs to be perused, interviews need to be scheduled and decisions made. More irritating than a high pollen count, are resumes that are not well done. Here are 3 resume red flags to take note of when you are hiring accountants.
Grammar and Spelling Errors
In an industry where being detail-oriented is highly prized, a resume that has grammar and spelling errors is less welcome than a neighbour with a new outdoor sound system and a penchant for Barry Manilow. Resumes need to clearly and accurately outline a candidate’s skills and accomplishments. Those with grammar and spelling errors, potentially representing carelessness and lack of attention to detail, are cause for concern.
Lack of Professional Development
Whether it’s additional Excel courses, or a designation, you want a resume that shows the candidate has invested time in their professional development. This type of commitment and focus will typically translate into a candidate who is adaptable, resourceful and invested in the organization.
Multiple Roles
This particular red flag comes with a caveat – if your candidate has switched roles repeatedly because of promotion, or the desire for professional development than this red flag becomes a dance of joy. But, if switching roles reflects their inability to soldier on, or a lack of commitment, this is definitely worth noting. Either way, to get to the bottom of it, you’ll need to address it during the pre-screening, or interview process. In other words, don’t put them on the discard pile just yet.
By keeping your eye out for the red flags mentioned above, you could save your self the time and money it takes to fix a bad hire.
