Working with a qualified accountant has the potential to take your business to new heights. A bookkeeper may do an excellent job of keeping the records, but won’t really be able to navigate the maze of taxation laws well enough to ensure a hassle-free tax season. An accountant is also more qualified to provide financial and business advice.
Contrary to what many believe, accountants don’t just handle tax preparation and filing. They also keep employers updated on current tax policies and provide information critical for making big business decisions.
That said, looking for an accountant should not just be about finding one who’s great on paper. It also means hiring someone who is a great communicator and has years of experience with your type of business. Let’s look at the ways you can get a good accountant on board your team.
Four Ways to Hire an Accountant
Use the following methods to help you hire an accountant who could be a potential game-changer for your business.
Get Referrals
There are all kinds of professionals capable of giving you a list of potential candidates. Among them is your lawyer, banker, or co-worker. You can also reach out to your state’s association of certified public accountants to help you find a fill-in for the opening in your company.
CPAs are usually the more flexible of the bunch, preferring to diversify their skills by working for all sorts of companies. They’ve also passed the nationally standardized exam; hence, their title of CPA. Aside from a college degree or an equivalent, CPAs might also be required to do post-graduate work to increase their chances of getting suitable employment.
On the other hand, accountants who aren’t CPAs tend to work for larger organizations to establish themselves.
Schedule an Interview
The interview portion lets you know if a candidate is exactly what you’re looking for. Most of the time, accountants are hired to record, organize, and input business transactions. They’re also expected to present this information in financial statements accordingly.
After lining up your candidates, ask them about their experience with the specific job you need them for. Prepare for your meetings thoroughly by listing the appropriate questions and booking an ideal venue.
Assessing candidates based on their fees, services, and personality also helps you decide faster. You might also want to look into a candidate’s past professional experiences to see if they’re hiding any skeletons in their closet that could affect your business.
Make Your Choice Candidate Feel Welcome
It would be advantageous for both parties if you started things off on a good note. Make sure the terms are crystal clear to your new hire to ensure fewer challenges in your relationship down the road. Both you and your chosen candidate also have to be fully aware of what to expect from this new association.
Your end of the bargain is just as important as your new hire’s. Fulfilling your part of the agreement makes your accountant secure in their new job, which in turn, will make them want to give their best for your company. Imagine your progress towards your goals if you have a loyal and efficient accountant working for you.
Schedule Meetings Regularly
Most of you probably think your accountants have got it all figured out, and there’s no need to butt in. That may be true to a certain extent, especially when your accountant has proven himself or herself trustworthy, but shouldn’t be the case early on.
During the first few months of your accountant learning the ropes, schedule weekly meetings to stay updated on their progress and make sure they’re doing their job correctly. As soon as they get the hang of things, you’ll still want to arrange meetings, but less frequently. By this time, monthly meetings would suffice for going over problems and getting updates on where your money is going.
It is understandable how some might not want to get into the numbers and figures behind their company more often than they need to, but it is important to remember that an accountant’s job is more than just that. It is also about finding ways for your business to become more cost-effective and maximizing profit.
What Should Your Interview Questions Be Like?
While interview questions for accounting positions vary depending on the company and the tasks involved, most of them will still revolve around the following:
- Fees, services, and personality
- Technological proficiency
- Strategy development (particularly for companies that do exporting)
How Critical Is a Good Accountant to Your Business?
If you want to run a competitive business in today’s industry, you must learn how to designate roles well. So, when hiring an accountant, you don’t want to just pick one at random; you have to choose the individual that fits your business best. You can arrive at that decision quickly and efficiently with the help of the above-mentioned tips for hiring accountants.
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