Why the Best Accounting and Finance Jobs Aren’t Always on Job Boards

 

If you’re looking for your next role in accounting and finance, your experience may look something like this: Sitting at home on your laptop, submitting dozens of applications via LinkedIn or Indeed. And you may only receive a few responses, one interview, and limited (or no) offers. 

 

This isn’t ideal for anyone. Employers don’t prefer this because they have to wade through hundreds or thousands of applications to find the right hires, and job seekers like yourself don’t prefer it because the process can be exhausting and discouraging. 

 

Fortunately, there’s a better way to look for your next career opportunity. Instead of relying solely on job boards,  you can partner with an agency who has connections with top employers, top positions, and, perhaps, the perfect next step for your career. 

Why the best accounting and finance jobs don’t always hit job boards

After nearly 30 years in business, we’ve seen many evolutions in the accounting and finance job market—including the rise of job boards, social media, and AI.. And while many people have been able to find opportunities through public job posts, the reality is that most high quality positions are not found there. 

 

Instead, companies find finding top accounting and finance candidates through one of the following methods:

 

• Promotions of internal high-performing employees
• Trusted referrals from colleagues and partners
• Confidential searches (especially for C-suite and executive leadership roles)
• Shortlists from executive search and staffing firms 

 

There are a number of reasons why employers choose these methods above public job boards. In some cases, a key person on the team is leaving in the near future. In other cases, they simply don’t want to field hundreds of applications from unqualified candidates. 

 

Regardless of the reason, your best way to break into this “hidden” job market is to engage an experienced finance and accounting recruiter <link to finance and accounting practice area page>. 

How high-quality employers source candidates instead

As a recruiting partner to many of Boston’s top employers, we’re often the first place they go when they’re looking to hire. These employers are often looking for: 

 

• Discretion and confidentiality, to attract the highest quality talent 
• Quality control to reduce noise and avoid wasting hiring managers’ time
• Emphasis on sourcing passive talent, as many high quality candidates aren’t actively searching for roles
• Speed in sourcing and placing talent, which a curated shortlist of candidates can help with

 

As such, we often find that top accounting and finance employers adopt methods like the following when looking for key candidates, especially specialized and leadership roles. 

Targeted sourcing, not “post-and-pray”

When an employer wants to hire a high-impact accounting and finance role, they’ll start by coming to us with a detailed profile of what they’re looking for. We’ll often recommend adjustments based on market realities and other factors we’re seeing on the ground. This profile is the North Star of the process.

 

Then, we seek out our curated network of candidates, some of whom we’ve built relationships with for years, to determine a short list of people who meet those requirements. After discussing it with them to ensure it’s a good fit, we’ll set up an introduction and interview with the hiring manager.

 

Which means that for many of these roles, the advantage that a candidate has is not whether they apply to the public job board first, but whether or not they have a relationship with an experienced staffing firm <Link to Submit a Resume page>. 

Passive job seeking

Anyone who’s been in the job market has no doubt heard the adage that “looking for a job is itself a full-time job.” So if you’re comfortably employed and are merely looking for your next step, the search can feel like pulling double duty. However, when you’re connected with the right recruiter, they’ll be out there looking on your behalf while you continue with your current role. 

 

And if you’re not currently employed, being connected with an agency can help to complement your current efforts. In fact, if you come across a job on a job board, you can send that job to a recruiter and they may be able to get you in through the back door based on their employer relationships. 

What to do instead of applying to job boards

Here are some tactics we recommend to find your ideal next rol: 

 

• Identify top recruiting partners (like ProPivotal) who are sourcing passive candidates for quality positions with reputable employers
• Engage your network, working with former coworkers, alumni network, and even mutual connections on LinkedIn to create easier introductions
• Update your profile with your most recent successes (outcomes achieved, not only roles and responsibilities) to encourage them to reach out to you
• If you do continue posting on job boards, focus your efforts on fewer, high-impact opportunities where you can carefully craft your resume and work your network to find your own inroads

If you’re ready to engage an experienced accounting and finance recruiter, submit your resume today. Even if we don’t have a position ready for you right now, we’ll keep our eye out for the perfect fit. We’re excited to have you join our network!