By Frank Wdowczyk, CGA
Frank, Senior Recruitment Partner at Clarity Recruitment, has over eight years of practical accounting experience, and seven years as a finance recruiter. He lends his extensive expertise to finance professionals across the GTA.
When I first got into accounting and finance recruiting, specializing in contract placements, I thought I would be doing a plethora of maternity leave placements. Boy was I wrong. It’s not that I haven’t filled my share of maternity leaves, but it definitely wasn’t the majority of my work. The reality is that the bulk of contract roles are opened to fill immediate needs in the accounting department. Here are some of the main reasons to hire an accounting contractor for quick wins.
Staffing Shortages
There are a number of reasons you may face a staffing shortage on your accounting team. Maybe someone got sick. Maybe someone got promoted. Whether the circumstance is positive or negative, the people left standing likely have to complete the same amount of work with one less person. Employees must get paid, cash receipts need to be accepted, and financial results published. The proverbial show must go on.
…Enter the accounting contractor.
A contractor can be used when the company or hiring manager isn’t sure which way to go in a new hire. An accounting contractor provides that ideal ‘try before you buy’ scenario. The contractor gets the opportunity to strut their stuff for several months, executing work and delivering real-time results, while the employer gets to do a live assessment of the person and the role itself.
If you need to buy time to build out the exact role requirements or an ideal candidate profile, hiring an accounting contractor in the short-term means you can do this while the essential accounting tasks still gets completed.
Major Growth or Project Implementation
In another scenario, if your company is going through a major growth period, implementing a new ERP system like SAP, or new Government legislation has been passed down like Bill 198, you may need extra support. If your Accounting Manager is asked to help out on the SAP project because he or she knows the month-end process inside and out, there will be a definite gap on your team. Just because your manager is supporting the SAP project doesn’t mean their month-end duties disappear.
Again, enter the accounting contractor.
In this situation, a contractor would be a perfect solution. Your manager gets started on the SAP right away and your new contractor takes over for month-end duties. Hiring an accounting contractor that lives for the month-end process and can hit the ground running will help you keep things moving.
In any of these scenarios, the good news is that you can hire someone with the expertise to:
- Run or support a special project;
- Help backfill a gap on your team whilst they partake in the special project
- Hit the ground running, and contribute to your team immediately
So whether you are dealing with a gap on your team, responding to massive growth or facing a major project, hiring an accounting contractor may be your best solution.
Let us know what you think! At Clarity Recruitment, we’re always interested in hearing from accounting and finance professionals like yourselves, who are ready for new, exciting opportunities that can take their careers to the next level. And be sure to follow us on Twitter (@clarityrecruits) and connect with us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more great tips and advice.
