Interview Red Flags to Be Mindful of When Hiring

Being mindful of red flags when interviewing helps you make effective hiring decisions. Adding the right candidates to your accounting and finance team helps reduce hiring, onboarding, and training costs.

Discovering red flags during the interview process decreases the number of candidates who advance to the next step. Narrowing down your candidate pool helps you make more informed hiring decisions.

Be mindful of these four interview red flags when hiring.

1. Disinterest in the Job

A lack of interest in the role indicates the candidate likely does not anticipate remaining with your organization long-term. The candidate might just want an income source until they can find a position that better fits their interests.

If the candidate cannot provide a clear source of motivation to work for your company, they likely do not care enough to stay for an extended time. Therefore, you should focus on other candidates instead.

2. Speaking Negatively of Previous Employers

A candidate who shares negative opinions of previous managers, colleagues, or coworkers might be difficult to work with. The candidate could have a poor work ethic, lack accountability for their actions, or have difficulty getting along with others. As a result, you should continue to look for a different candidate.

3. Lack of Questions During the Interview

A candidate who asks questions during an interview is interested in the job and company. They want to learn as much as they can to determine whether the role and organization are a good fit for their goals and qualifications.

As a result, a candidate who asks no questions likely is not invested in working for your company. Therefore, you should find other candidates to interview.

4. Questionable References

An inability to reach any of the references a candidate provided suggests the references might be fictional. Because professional references are highly responsive, you should be able to get a hold of them within a reasonable amount of time.

Listing questionable references implies the candidate might have poor interpersonal skills and be difficult to work with. As a result, you should focus on other candidates instead.

Would You Like Help with Interviewing?

Be mindful of interview red flags such as disinterest in the job, speaking negatively of previous employers, a lack of questions during the interview, and providing questionable references. Candidates who display any of these issues might not be a good fit with your organization. Therefore, you should look for other candidates who could provide more value to your company.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources is available to help you interview accounting and finance professionals. Contact us today to get started.

Four Ways You Can Support Your Employees and Their Mental Health

Increasing sources of stress at work and at home are adversely impacting employees’ mental health. As a result, many employees are struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Ongoing exposure to stress can lead to burnout.

As an accounting and finance manager, you must take steps to support your employees and their mental health. These suggestions can help.

Choose among these four ways to support your employees and their mental health:

1. Model Healthy Behaviors

Demonstrate healthy behaviors you would like to see in your employees. Examples include prioritizing self-care and maintaining boundaries.

For instance, you might share that you are taking a walk to clear your head, engaging in a therapy appointment after work, or planning a staycation for the following week. These behaviors support mental health and help prevent burnout.

2. Offer Flexibility

Provide your employees with the flexibility required to fill their changing personal needs. Examples include working remotely, having a flexible schedule, and taking additional time off as needed.

Regularly talk with your employees as they go through transition points. Find out whether your employees require additional support and how you can help them out.

3. Support Employee Connections

Regularly check in with your employees to see how they are doing. For instance, find out how your employees are handling their workloads, whether they have any questions or concerns, and whether they have any issues to address. Also, ask whether your employees require additional support and how you could best provide it.

Actively listen to your employees. Also, ask follow-up questions to gather more information. Additionally, repeat what you heard to check your understanding. Plus, respond with empathy.

4. Normalize Mental Health Discussions

Talk with your employees about mental health concerns. Because virtually everyone experiences problems with their mental health at some point, open discussions help reduce the stigma.

Be honest about your own mental health struggles. Include your methods for gaining support, such as taking antidepressants and seeing a therapist twice weekly.

Create a safe space for your employees to share their own mental health issues. Provide as much support as possible.

Discuss employee benefits that provide mental health support. Examples include employee resource groups (ERCs), meditation groups, and counseling services.

Do You Need Hiring Support?

Modeling healthy behaviors, offering flexibility, supporting employee connections, and normalizing mental health discussions help support your employees and their mental health. These actions increase employee engagement, performance, and productivity. The results include greater job satisfaction, employee morale, and attraction and retention rates.

If you are struggling to hire qualified accounting and finance professionals, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources can provide support. Reach out to us today.

Is Your Hiring Process Too Long? Six Strategies to Speed it Up.

Is your hiring process getting in the way of hiring the best candidates? Sometimes, we get into a hiring rut, and those bad habits may be preventing you from making a great hire.

How can you shorten your hiring process? “One of the first lessons I learned as a young recruiter was, ‘Time kills all deals,’” according to Mary Newgard, a senior search consultant. “Rarely do candidates or hiring managers mean to slow down the process, but it happens.”

Newgard offers these six ways to “push the pace in the hiring process.”

  1. Give Permission to Abandon Your Process. If you find a great candidate and the hiring manager believes the candidate is a great fit, go ahead and make an offer. Don’t lose good people because they haven’t gone through two or three rounds of interviews.
  2. Write Simple, Easy to Update Job Ads. You want your job ads to deliver qualified candidates. Keep the ads short. Make sure to add specific job qualifications and then post it. This more condensed version of the job ad can be quickly updated or refined during the search or for the next similar position.
  3. Deputize One Person to Screen Resumes. Having one person screen resumes provides consistency in selecting candidates for interviews.
  4. Automate Information Gathering. Consider what processes in the hiring process can be automated – correspondence emails, critical screening information, and some interview questions. Don’t let more than 24 hours pass between communications with ideal candidates.
  5. Scripting Interviews. Your hiring managers aren’t HR generalists, too. They may not know all the interview rules. Providing a script or list of Do’s and Don’ts prepares hiring managers, keeps interviews on track, and avoids EEO issues.
  6. Combine Hiring Teams for Similar Positions. For similar job openings, combine job ads and interview activity as much as possible.

Be prepared to move quickly with hiring decisions by having salary ranges, optional benefits, and other negotiating points at the ready. This will prevent more time wasted.

If you don’t want the hiring process to linger on and on, review your hiring processes and see where you can abbreviate steps. In this era of “instant gratification,” job seekers crave constant communication and a quicker process. Look for opportunities that will improve your hiring process.

We Can Help With Your Open Positions

Slowing down the hiring process costs time and money, and you might lose out on top talent.

If you want better results, talk with a Casey Accounting & Finance Resources team member today.