When it comes to hiring accountants in Spokane, you’re looking for a top number cruncher who can keep your company financially on track and in compliance. However, beyond their technical abilities, are you evaluating the soft skills of candidates, too?
If not, you’re missing out on an important opportunity to assess whether an individual is truly the right fit not only for the job, but your company’s culture. When an individual meshes well, there’s a better chance they’ll thrive and perform successfully. Where do you begin?
To help you find candidates who have the right soft skills, you have to start with the job description. It’s important to go beyond the technical and also include what personality traits and other interpersonal abilities are vital for the role.
For instance, if the position requires regular presentations to key stakeholders, then strong written and oral communication skills are a must. This should be highlighted in the job description.
When you have a job description that more accurately conveys your needs, you’ll have a better chance of receiving resumes from candidates that are a strong fit. Once you do and you’re ready to schedule interviews, here are some other soft skills to look for in accounting professionals in Spokane:
Collaboration and teamwork.
While an accountant might be doing a lot of their work solo, they also have to meet with the internal team at large, as well as clients and communicate key findings. It’s why they need to be comfortable collaborating and strategizing with others.
Problem solving.
In accounting, unexpected issues can arise at any time. You need to find candidates who can recognize discrepancies in the numbers or complications on the horizon and then offer viable solutions for resolving them.
Creativity.
To stay on the competitive edge, it’s important to hire those individuals who can find new and innovative ways to overcome challenges and improve the financial performance of the company. Those who are creative will also be able to add value through developing new ideas for expansion and growth, which is an asset to your company.
Critical thinking.
Another important soft skill when it comes to hiring accountants in Spokane is the ability to think logically and analyze information objectively. You also want those who can then derive information from the data and put it to use in guiding the company.
To ensure you’re able to find candidates with the soft skills you need, ask behavior based interview questions that focus on interpersonal and soft skills. For instance, ask them about a time they had to solve a difficult problem for a client. This way, you’ll be able to uncover important traits, like a candidate’s work ethic, curiosity, creativity, and others.
If you’d rather bring in professionals to help you hire accountants in Spokane with the soft skills you need, turn to Provisional Recruiting. We have a robust network of talented accounting professionals ready to go to work. Whether you need a bookkeeper, an accounting manager, or a CFO, we’re your local source in Spokane for accounting talent. Contact us today to learn more.