There are two candidates scheduled to be interviewed for an open position at a public accounting firm. On paper, they are almost identical — similar education, experience, and qualifications. After the interview is over, how does the recruiter decide?
“The answer is simple,” he says. “I choose based on fit. I make the offer to the person who shows the characteristics we believe will fit best with our firm’s culture.”
Using a personal profiling tool as well as his own intuition and experience, Toussant aims to hire only those candidates who display a passion for learning and client service as well as a willingness to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
“First and foremost, they have to display a developed interest in public accounting,” he says. “When I ask a candidate, ‘Why do you want to work in public accounting instead of a corporate environment?’ we look for clarity and a response which shows he or she has thought the issue through.”
A game plan is important too. Toussant wants to hire someone who has a clear vision of where he or she will be in three, five, even 10 years.
“The public accounting environment is a stimulating one — and it can also be quite demanding,” he says. “Firms want to hire staff who want this environment — someone who can thrive and be successful under these demands.”
Other qualities Toussant looks for?
- Related work history. Toussant prefers to employ new hires who have completed an accounting internship.
- Initiative and entrepreneurial drive. Toussant looks for people who have some type of business experience. “If you have owned or managed a business — a pizza shop, a lawn cutting service, or even a paper route — you’ve learned some things which translate well in our world,” he says. “If a candidate can show a capacity to do reliable tax and accounting work, that’s great. But if he or she can do that on top of bringing real-world, practical business experience to the table, that’s even better.”
- A sense of urgency. “We are an organization that thrives on a sense of urgency to get things done well,” says Toussant, “not only to keep work moving but to contribute to the profitability of the client’s business and our firm’s operation as well.”
- Integrity. Do your references not only respect you but admire you too?
- Creative thinking. “In growing a practice or building a specialty,” says Toussant, “creative thinking capacity means just as much — if not more — than a high GPA. If you display these qualities — integrity, initiative, drive, and a capacity for intuitive thinking — we are not too concerned about whether you had a 3.2 or a 3.8. An acceptable academic record with these other characteristics makes a good candidate.”
CPA firm recruiters like Toussant want to see more than who you are on paper. They want to see how you, as a person, will fit as an employee. Do your homework on the industry and determine if it is what you want before your first interview. Then, show your true colors, and you will find success in the interviewing process and in the world of public accounting.
Dan Toussant can be reached at dan.toussant@reacpa.com or 330-339-6651.
