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Before the best candidates are willing to engage about an opening, they need to hear what’s really going on in that department and the company. They want to hear about the day-to-day life and culture of the company they would be walking into and a recruiter with credibility tells that story best.

A proper job description for an Indeed or LinkedIn post is just that – a description. It’s filled with corporate buzzwords, bullet points, lists of technical, even sterile, requirements, but without soul. It seems to work great for HR and CYA and you think it will help dissuade those that are not qualified from wasting your time. How’s that going? 

In reality, not only does it not keep the unqualified away, no one that you should probably hire even really reads them. Why? The best candidates aren’t looking. And if they were, the things that they really care about are hidden between the lines, waiting to either jump out and celebrate a surprise birthday or take you as the next victim in a horror movie.

These super candidates need to be reached out to as part of a professional network with an approach that consistently is sharing news and opportunity just in case someone may be ready for a new challenge. 

They listen to professionals like our CSP team who have been in their shoes, who can break down a position for what it really is (and isn’t), and often help them honestly compare where they’re at and going now versus this new path. In doing so, many issues come up that can’t really be a part of a formal interview or evaluation process but are vital to identification and advancement of the crown jewel candidates for your open position. 

The “perfect fits”  want, rather need, to know what it’s really going to be like in your accounting or finance department along these lines:

• What sort of hours will be expected of me?
• How supportive, respectful is the company of the department?
• How well are the underlying systems “plugged in” to help us do our job?
• Is there room for advancement?
• What’s the overall culture of the company and industry?
• Since I’ll be spending more time with my coworkers than I will my own family, how well will I fit in there as an older or younger professional, or perhaps a working mom, single dad, minority, etc…?
• Can I accomplish work/life balance here?
• Will I be paid fairly here?
• Will this job give me what I need out of my career? (Some candidates are just looking for stable companies where they can be part of the team and some need a challenge that’s a step up and will get them that much closer to their goal of becoming a CFO or Controller.)

Some of these subjects are tricky and dangerous to even blog about yet alone make legally defensible hiring decisions upon, but they are the real world issues that individuals think about when contemplating working for your company and they are matters that you should be addressing going forward to ensure survival of the scrutiny that will eventually visit your company. 

How could we possibly know the answers to these often sensitive questions?

When we do an intake on a particular position before looking for qualified candidates we have to get a feel for all of these factors. Thanks to our years of experience and connections, we can not only help you find great candidates but we also can help you see your unintentional blindspots and counsel you on how you may be able to improve upon your department and increase its capacity exponentially. 

At the end of the day, our team knows what you need but more importantly, you get a chance to design and define your ideal candidates with much greater depth than a bland bullet point list of corporate double-speak. Everybody wins!

About The CSP Group

Based in St. Louis with offices in San Diego and searches performed nationwide for companies of all sizes and industries, the CSP Group prides itself on uncovering the very best candidates for the most well defined positions, drawing upon their own personal experience as senior level Finance and Accounting professionals to uncover and convert passive potential hires into excited, motivated candidates.  We represent our clients with commitment and integrity while also building and placing great value on our reputation amongst the strongest and most upwardly mobile candidates in every market segment and geographic region we serve. 

Contact The CSP Group today to discuss your current or projected openings.