#Recruitment Archives - Astute Financial

In today’s rapidly changing work environment, connecting the right people to the right roles has never been more crucial. The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way we work, catalysing the widespread adoption of remote and hybrid work models. Fast-forward to 2025, and hybrid work is no longer a trend, it’s the standard across many industries. Yet, with its rise comes a new set of expectations, challenges, and innovations in the recruitment space. Companies and candidates alike must now navigate a landscape where flexibility is balanced with performance, culture, and long-term value.

Hybrid work, where employees split time between remote and in-office settings, has become the preferred model for many companies. According to a 2024 report by Gartner, 71% of knowledge workers globally now work in a hybrid model, which is expected to rise.

Recruiting for hybrid roles involves a blend of strategies to ensure that candidates can thrive in both remote and in-person environments. This means evaluating more than just technical skills. It includes digital communication ability, self-motivation, and adaptability.

Role Clarity Is Essential

Clear job descriptions have become even more important with Candidates wanting to know:

What days (if any) are expected in-office?
Are there flexible working hours, does it follow traditional 9 – 5 hours or is there an expectation to be available at specific times?

Transparency at this stage sets the tone and reduces conflicting expectations down the line.

For businesses, hybrid models can boost employee satisfaction and retention. Employees who are granted flexibility often report higher job satisfaction and engagement levels, which in turn leads to improved productivity. When companies recognize that flexibility can enhance the employee experience, they are better positioned to attract and retain top talent, especially in competitive industries.

Hybrid working also reduces overhead costs for businesses. Companies can downsize their physical office spaces, saving on rent, utilities, and maintenance, while still maintaining a dynamic work environment that supports both collaboration and flexibility.

Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of the shift to remote work is the ability to recruit from a much wider geographic area. From a recruitment perspective, location is no longer a limiting factor. Businesses are no longer confined to sourcing talent within commuting distance of their offices. This means that roles traditionally based in Nottingham, Derby, or Leicester can now attract candidates from across the UK or even globally.

While the benefits of hybrid and remote work are clear, these models also come with challenges that employers must navigate. Managing a distributed workforce requires thoughtful planning and strong communication. Employers need to ensure that remote workers feel connected and engaged, even if they are not physically present in the office.

Building a cohesive team culture in a hybrid or remote setting can be challenging. Regular communication, virtual meetings, and team-building activities are essential to maintain a sense of belonging and ensure that employees feel supported. It’s also critical to equip managers with the skills to lead remote teams effectively, fostering trust, accountability, and clear expectations.

Additionally, businesses must invest in the right technology and infrastructure to support hybrid and remote work models. From cloud-based collaboration tools to secure networks, ensuring that employees have the resources they need to work productively from anywhere is key to long-term success.

Another consideration is the potential impact on career development and progression for remote workers. Employers need to ensure that remote employees have access to the same opportunities for advancement, professional development, and mentorship as their in-office counterparts. Transparency and fairness in promotions and career growth are crucial for maintaining morale and retention across a distributed workforce.

The Future is Flexible
The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. What works for one company or individual may not work for another. However, the hybrid model offers a promising path forward, which balances the need for collaboration and connection with the desire for flexibility and autonomy.

As we navigate this new era of work, it’s clear that the companies that succeed will be those that listen to their employees, adapt to their needs, and embrace the possibilities of hybrid and remote work.

Between the 13th-19th June, the world acknowledges Men’s Health Week 2022. This annual event is organised by the Men’s Health Forum and aims to raise awareness of preventable health problems that disproportionately affect men and encourage them to gain the courage to tackle their issues.

Over the last two years, Men’s Health Week has been focused on COVID-19 and the impact the virus has had on physical and mental wellbeing. The theme this year is ‘Time For Your MOT’ – which emphasises taking notice of what’s going on in your mind and body. As such, the campaign focuses on taking notice of all the health problems that have been brushed aside due to the pandemic.

Men and mental health

According to the Mental Health Foundation, approximately 1-in-8 men have a common mental health problem such as anxiety, stress, or depression. When left unattended, these problems can worsen and be detrimental to those affected. This is highlighted in current statistics: for example, in the UK, 3 out of 4 suicides are men. Furthermore, suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45. These statistics underline the importance of removing the stigma surrounding men’s mental health, helping men reach out, talk about their problems and seek treatment.

It is no secret that a stigma exists regarding men’s mental health, and sadly some men still feel uncomfortable discussing their problems openly. According to recent statistics, 40% of men won’t talk about their mental health with their friends or family. Therefore, many individuals suffer in silence. While the topic is becoming more prevalent with more awareness campaigns, there is still a need to help men feel comfortable enough to speak out about their mental health.

Identifying the symptoms

There may not always be clear signs you’re dealing with a serious issue, not just a bad day. If your life satisfaction seems to have taken a knock or feeling like you want to be alone a lot, there could be more going on. Here are some of the common signs and symptoms associated with mental illness:

Anger, irritability, or aggressiveness
Noticeable changes in mood
Difficulty sleeping
Avoiding friends and social activities
Constant low energy
Drug or alcohol abuse
Ignoring personal hygiene

Men often feel embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about their mental health. But the bravest thing you can do is tackle the issue before it becomes a bigger problem. You are not alone. Many other people are going through the same emotions and struggling to find the best way to cope.

Get your Mens MOT here https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw

Liz only started with our team at Astute Recruitment Ltd a few short weeks ago.

Her first week was a record breaker too having managed to get her first permanent and temporary placement within just 3 days of starting. She also managed to pick up a brand new job to work on with her very first BD call!

We’ll let Liz tell you herself: –

“My first few weeks at Astute… Where do I start?

Its been a great way to start the New Year, in a new job with such an established leadership team!

Amazing morale and I’ve made lots of new friends here. I wasn’t nervous at all and fitted straight in.

Did I mention our Lunch Club Pub Fridays? No one mentioned this on my interviews so it was a lovely surprise to be taken to the pub for a couple of hours after a successful weeks work! Even better – this happens every week!

What I’ve really embraced here is how everyone works as a team. We’re like one big family, all helping each other out, recommending candidates for each other’s roles, sharing the latest information and tips! None of that typical ‘me me me’ culture that often comes up in Sales Teams!

Top class training……I quickly became busy so the 12 week training programme went out the window, but what better way to learn the systems than hands on! As I’ve done recruitment previously, it was great to have such a flexible attitude to tailor the training to my specific needs!

Didn’t I break a company record with first candidate placed on day 3 ?

I’m feeling excited for my future with Astute Recruitment, and how busy the office support and HR side is, and is getting busier by the day!

Great to be in the right environment to put my skills and experience to good use

Thanks Liz! we love your feedback and welcome to the team!

Liz does all temporary, permanent and temp to permanent back office recruitment including HR, admin, customer services and all other office, non-finance jobs.

Newly promoted for the second time to Managing Consultant, Tom Norton, has finally moved into a new home. Here at Astute we always try our best to support our team in any way we can.

From our Friday pub lunch club, to our office treat box we keep topped up, we make sure we can have fun!

But all of our team have busy lives, and ‘stuff’ happens. From the renovations for a new kitchen (Matt Morgan) to repairing garden fences after storms (Richard Bowe). We’ve allowed them to WFH and have the flexibility to do what they do best – recruitment clearly) but to also enjoy their own lives and deal with that ‘life stuff’ that sometimes gets in the way.

Back to Tom. After numerous possible homes that fell through, finally he was able to exchange – but it was all a bit short notice.

He was a bit anxious!

His saved holiday from last year technically expired with the start of a new holiday year.

He needed a week off to move in and get all the plumbing, wiring and decorating sorted.

Then there were some internet delays and problems.

So how did our owners, Sarah and Mary, help Tom out?

They allowed him to carry over the holiday from last year.

They allowed him to take a week off at very short notice to move in – with their blessing.

The result?

Tom has just moved into his fab new home and we couldnt be happier for him.

(Plus, we’re all waiting for invites to the house-warming party!)

“That’s it, I’ve had enough, I need a new job!”

Picture the scene…..

Awful work experiences through the pandemic.

More work, less pay, less interaction with management.

Less collaboration more isolation.

No job satisfaction anymore.

Uncertainty or broken promises on hybrid working/ WFH.

“That’s it, I’ve had enough, I need a new job!”

So you start to Google jobs in your sector. You start to Google recruitment agencies.

Here we start to encounter the wonderful world of artificial intelligence (AI).

Your googling will rely on AI, keyword search bots and all sorts of techy stuff way over my head, to bring into your browser certain roles, opportunities and companies. More or less, these algorithms are OK. The bots and AI work well. From squillions of possible results, you have your very own shortlist of job opportunities and companies, maybe recruitment agencies to call. Targeted by your smartphone and courtesy of Google to your location, and your own very personal preferences.

Then the fun starts.

Depending if you are applying direct to a small company or large corporate, or to a smaller recruitment agency or one of the huge national ones (you know who I mean!) will dictate what occurs about now – i.e. a big fork in your recruitment experience looking for a new job.

1. The SME local job advert.

There may be a telephone number.

There may be an email.

You get in touch. Probably leaving a voicemail or pinging off a hopeful email.

You then wait.

Now, depending on the business, you may get a response really fast.

Otherwise, you may end up waiting.

And waiting.

2. The big corporate client.

Often adverts whether on job boards or on social media will look great. Impressive graphics, Marketing mastery of the highest order.

Sadly all the graphic wizardry doesn’t make up for the details.

A “competitive” salary is not the same as a defined quoted salary range with benefits on a job advert.

This my friends, is the crux of the corporate recruiter’s problem when trying to recruit directly into their business. By definition, a massive company with an ‘audience’ of thousands of employees, will not want to bandy around what a typical grade x earns in management accounts or HR or IT, to existing current staff in said departments doing similar or the same grade of job.

So, the words on these glossy, lovely adverts will sound great, but one of the most important things will usually be missing.

Salary.

No ones fault.

But the outcome means that the reader of said advert, the job seeker/ candidate gazing at their smartphone, can easily ignore the advert.

The candidate may decide not to apply.

They might not think they are suitable from

the tone of the advert, when actually they could be the perfect applicant for the job!

Then again, they could apply, expecting the salary to mirror their expectations.

But it doesn’t.

Now let us flip, as if by magic, to the poor, hardworking internal recruitment team for the corporate client.

These internal recruitment specialists are often highly trained, often with deeply successful previous careers in recruitment.

They are great, talented individuals who often source candidates for many more general roles successfully. 👏

However, their faces fall when they look to their bulging inboxes after job campaigns for niche finance or IT or other roles, filled with CVs from those too senior, or too junior applying.

Those many souls who have applied ‘cos the business looks amazing’ but who are not equipped to do the job actually being advertised.

They trawl through the responses.

Without success.

Then what happens to their confidential role in Finance/ IT/ Marketing or other department?

They go to their preferred supplier list. This will probably have one or two ‘national’ agencies on there. Possibly, one or two local specialists.

They may have a dedicated ‘go to’ person, or Independent local recruitment agency who they know and trust to headhunt for their specific opportunity.

A business who will have the inside knowledge of them as a client, and who will be able to provide honest feedback on the likelihood of finding that unicorn candidate.

And the most important thing in today’s record busy job market to a client?

That trusted recruitment partner will be a proven employer brand ambassador for the corporate business, able to showcase that company, to a candidate who may or may not be looking on the job boards or

registered with other recruitment agencies.

Alternatively, that trusted recruitment business will be able to highlight possibly unknown benefits to the candidate that sets their job opportunity above other roles they are interviewing for.

Back to our job seeker…..

They may get a courtesy email, ‘Thanks but no thanks for your job application’. 😪

Or.

They may hear nothing. 😪😪

Or,

‘Yes can we arrange an interview!’ 😃

But after an online or face to face meeting, their lack of suitability becomes all too apparent.

Whether in terms of the salary, actual hours, or experience required.

Let’s not even get started on things like ‘team fit’ or ‘interpersonal skills’ for the specific team. 🤔

3. Our hopeful job seeker, on their smartphone applies to one of the national agencies for a Job advert.

Now our little AI friends really kick into gear at this point. If our job seeker doesn’t have the right key words on their CV, or application email, ‘uh oh, AI says no’.

Our job seeker may get an autogenerated email saying ‘no’. Or, sadly may just be ignored without even speaking to an actual human being.

A real shame, as that potential candidate’s recruitment experience has been tarnished before it had a chance to begin.

Just because someone isn’t right for the initial role they have spotted advertised, doesn’t mean they might not be the perfect candidate for another job that very agency are recruiting for, now or in the future.

Doesn’t mean that candidate might not

know someone, a friend, a peer, who may be suitable for a different role.

Liklihood of our job seeker recommending that agency to a friend?

Absolutely zero.

4. May the ‘4th’ way work? 😊 “Google accountancy recruitment agencies will you?”

So, our tenacious job seeker Googles, ‘accountancy recruitment agency’ for their area.

Up comes a shortlist, and after the paid-for adverts by the biggy national firms, will be the three or four best rated agencies according to Google, followed by the recruitment specialists with the best SEO, website gradings by Google.

No bias, oh OK a little, (😊) as my business, Astute Recruitment Ltd, are top on Google 5 star reviews AND are among the first agencies underneath if you google ‘accountancy recruitment derby’ or similar search words.

Astute Recruitment is the only finance Recruitment specialist to have over 140 5* Google reviews. 🌟

There are lots of recruitment agencies with higher numbers of reviews, but their overall ratings are 3 or 4 stars. Not the 100% 5 ⭐rating that Astute Recruitment Ltd has. 😀

Anyway, enough about us!

A Google browser search is a great place for our job seeker to look up a really experienced, specialist recruitment team for their sector experience and location. AI is at it’s finest in enabling this to happen!

The specialist recruitment agency, usually an independently owned business with 1 to 3 or 4 offices, typically has a different attitude to collaborating with our disgruntled job seeker.

The independent agency will be able to call back the candidate and, wow! Shock! Talk to the job applicant.

They will be able to have one of their experienced team spend quality time talking to the job seeker.

Talking with knowledge and understanding of their specific financial/ management accounting/ transactional accounting expertise.

You see, AI can do many things, but it won’t recall a fondly remembered conversation with a rare technical accountant from 5 years ago, who might be looking again.

AI won’t ask a candidate incisive interview questions specific for a niche finance or other role.

AI can’t begin to understand the personality, interpersonal skills and actual human being applying for a specific job opportunity.

AI cannot pivot to work real time to appreciate emotions and formulate opinions on the way someone comes across.

AI is brilliant to whittle down searches and capture data, but the finer points of recruitment should firmly be left in human hands.

That’s why AI will always be a useful tool in recruitment but will never replace talented recruitment professionals.

It’s also the reason why real conversations with real people will always be at the heart

of successful recruitment processes.

If you would like to talk to an actual person about your career in accountancy/ finance,

give my team at Astute Recruitment Ltd a call. 01332 346 100.

We’re always here to listen, advise and guide your career in the right direction,

and make your career dreams come true.

We’re also real human beings who enjoy life and laughter and are experts in placing great

finance people into great accountancy jobs! 😊

After 12 years in business, Astute Recruitment Ltd has become one of the premier accountancy recruitment businesses in the East Midlands. We’re also the only East Midlands recruitment expert to have secured over 15 business awards as finalists or winners. You can see some of the awards our team and Directors have received clicking on the following link www.astuterecruitment.com/about-us/awards/

So, we were thrilled for the Derbyshire Life magazine to contact us and ask us if we would like to be included in their special 90th edition in their feature on award winning businesses in Derby!

Great for Astute Recruitment Ltd to be featured in this very special 90th edition of Derbyshire Life

Why have we strived to secure business awards?

Over to one of our MDs – Mary Maguire – who does all our award entries herself, and manages all Astute’s marketing and social media.

“The biggest hurdle setting up a business and brand is getting that brand and what it stands for ‘out there’. Being able to showcase multiple business awards is a brilliant way to show your target audience that you are a recognised expert in your field. It flags to potential clients that they can have total confidence in using your services.

Winning business awards also builds trust for potential staff who may be researching local businesses to see whether they would like to work for that company too. So, from an Employer branding point of view, success in winning awards is key.

As most people recognise, there is a talent shortage of workers skilled in several business sectors currently, from finance and accountancy professionals to skilled IT software developers to drivers, healthcare specialists, hospitality workers and so many more.

So, What better way to help your business and team attract the very best staff than to demonstrate credibility from successful business awards! You could be flagging your company to potential clients, but also raising your company’s profile to potential staff of the future as a credible potential employer!”

For Astute Recruitment Ltd, this means that our current and potential clients can see that we’re a thoroughly professional business and are acknowledged experts in our field. Our awards have also been an additional attraction in our recruitment strategy to appeal to the very best potential recruitment staff wanting to develop their careers and also to experienced recruitment professionals seeking to utilise their knowledge and relationships in a really professional but friendly, fun environment!

Business awards are awarded by impartial business organisations. For different organisations, this means targeting specific awards relevant to your industry.

Sarah Stevenson, our MD of Astute Recruitment Ltd with Dominic Heale, after being presented with the IoD’s prestigious Director of the Year Award – Small SME Business

How to start winning awards for your business?

While Mary has been hugely successful in writing awards entries for Astute Recruitment Ltd over the years, this is not something that every business owner has the natural flair or time for.

Instead, there are ‘go to’ experts who will be able to understand your company, and successfully craft an award-winning application for you. One such expert in crafting winning words for an array of businesses is the Founder of Derby’s ‘Ask the Chameleon’ – Rachel Hayward.

Rachel herself has had a tremendous 12 months in winning several business awards including: Female Entrepreneur of the Year, by East Midlands Chamber of Commerce (EMCC) and Derbyshire Live Business Awards in the Professional Services category.

Business Owner Rachel Hayward and some of her business awards in 2021

We asked Rachel to sum up why Business Awards should be a critical part of every company’s marketing and branding strategy. Over to Rachel!

“Awards really do confirm your place in the marketplace. They help in the buying decision and are hugely motivational for your staff team as well as yourself. Running a business is challenging and to be judged as excellent by your peers is extremely rewarding.

The key is often choosing the right category for you and your business. Certain categories will be hugely competitive, so consider other areas in your business that you shine. Maybe you have an excellent apprentice or can demonstrate consistently high levels of customer service? Maybe you go the extra mile as an employer, or you are a third-generation family business? With over 3,500 awards at any one time, there really is an award and category for everyone. “

“My top tips are:

Do your research, look at your competitors and peers, even those businesses/entrepreneurs who inspire you. What awards have they won?
Do you fit the criteria, can you prove it (you will always need factual information to demonstrate success)
Give yourself plenty of time to create those winning words.
Don’t wait for a secret nominator – many award organisers fully expect you to write your own application.

Make 2022 your year to gain your first award success”

We completely agree with Rachel! Its great to hear from Rachel being an award winning expert on winning business awards for her clients! Her insights and tips are really useful. You can contact Rachel at her business, Ask The Chameleon on her website askthechameleon.co.uk/about/

For our own team at Astute Recruitment Ltd, from the ICAEW’s award of Best East Midlands SME Business, to the IoD’s Small Business Director of the Year award, our awards have pride of place in our new office in Derby’s Cardinal Square and on our website!

What our business awards mean to us at Astute!

Business awards reward exceptional business success, ultimately building trust to use your company. Awards inspire confidence to our clients, candidates and potential staff of the future, as we continue to grow, that Astute’s team are unrivalled leaders in financial recruitment.

Sarah Stevenson and Mary Maguire receiving their award for Best East Midlands SME Business by the ICAEW for Astute Recruitment Ltd

We want to bring our business to the attention of new audiences to truly stand out, and for us, securing business awards

really is the best way to cement our reputation as the ‘go to company’ in our sector, Financial Recruitment.

So, be ‘Astute’ and give your marketing strategy a ‘reboot’.

Strive for awards to boost

your business to the next level!

Article by Mary Maguire, MD Astute Recruitment Ltd

IMPORTANTLY: BE CHOOSY!

CHOOSE YOUR RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT/ RECRUITMENT AGENCY CAREFULLY!

Recruitment consultants all offer varied services for candidates; they can vary in the way they interact with their candidates, the type of clients they focus on, the geographies they cover and of course the specialisms they focus on. Look at the website, have they any accreditations? Have they won any business awards? What are their testimonials like from candidates and clients they have worked with? How string are their reviews on Google? Check them out on LinkedIn.

A really professional recruitment consultancy will have positive testimonials, great reviews on Google, and super testimonials.

We do! A bit biased but we like to shout about what we do well.

Check out our 5* reviews from happy candidates and clients HERE.

To look at some of our candidate testimonials HERE

See what our client’s have to say about us HERE.

client range and career markets. Make sure you pick an agency that is compatible with you.

Remember it’s a partnership- both you and the consultant need to work together pro actively in order to reach the ultimate goal of securing you a new job. The measure of a good relationship is remembrance and re-occurrence over time; At Signet Resources we have had candidates contact us who we helped over a decade ago!

Here are a few words from our consultants….

‘It’s all about the partnership- It’s a two way thing’

‘The best candidate relationships I have developed start with Honesty right from the beginning with expectancies set from both sides.’

‘Keep open and direct lines of communication in order to develop honest and collaborative partnerships with each individual candidate.’

Here we have listed some key tips to help you develop and manage a really good relationship with your recruitment consultant.

Be CLEAR:-

About the specific job you want.
The areas you want to work in and contact relevant sector recruitment agencies accordingly.
Is career progression important to you? Tell the consultant!
What are the most important things you are looking for in the next job?
What are the best channels for quick communication with you throughout the recruitment process (texts/ emails/ WhatsApp)?
What minimum notice must you give?
Your availability for interview.
What areas do you need help with? (Interviews? Offer Management? CVs?).
How flexible can you be for meeting up/ online chat/ calls?
When is the best time to contact you about job opportunities?

Agreeing the above, will confer to the recruitment consultant that you are seriously looking for a new position and that you are ready to be fully active on the job market.

If you can show you are serious about looking for a job the recruitment consultant will take YOUR application seriously.

A consultant needs to know what you want. If you need advice/ help support be clear on this.

Remember recruitment consultants WANT to find you a job but they are not mind readers.

Be REALISTIC:-

Salary expectations:- If you are a part qualified accountant you are not going to command as much salary as a fully qualified accountant. Yes – salaries are creeping up but be realistic!
Have a reasonable timeline to secure a new job.
Time Management: Interviews and preparation for interviews take time. Make sure you have built in time for the next few weeks to attend interviews, take calls and research companies pre-interview. If you are about to enter the busiest point of the year work wise, (year end anyone?) then now is not the time to also squeeze interviews in. The quality of interview you give could be compromised. Instead allocate a month when you know attending interviews/ do an online MS Teams or Zoom recruitment call will be easier for you!
Hours:- Can you do overtime on a regular basis if that’s key? Or do you need to be home by 5pm/ 6pm for dependants etc. Be upfront with the consultant on this and they can work with you to flag the most relevant opportunities with the right mix of flexible benefits.

Be RELIABLE:-

Keep in touch/ Regular Communication:- Return all calls/ messages /emails promptly.
Follow instructions!
Be punctual for interviews/ agreed meetings;
Provide feedback as agreed;

If you can be CLEAR, REALISTIC, and RELIABLE, congratulations! You will be a sought after candidate to any recruitment consultant and you can look forward to securing a new role soon!

BACK TO BLOGS

I would love to hear your views on this as it is consistently one of the top 3 issues senior and junior accountants have raised whilst looking for new job. If you have enjoyed this post please click here to view other posts on our website.

Good Recruiters are like swans. Clients and candidates should experience a smooth, calm recruitment process, and not see the way our legs are kicking madly under the water! Clients do need to realise that there is a lot of work that proper professional recruiters do behind the scenes though!

Take client 1. Long-standing, and currently we are on an exclusive recruitment campaign to hire two permanent qualified accountants and appoint for a 12 month maternity leave Qualified Accountancy role for them. Open, regular dialogue with the hiring line managers as to our headhunting progress, ongoing guidance on the salary budget, and whether the annual salary for the roles is accurate market rate to entice the ideal profile of the candidate.

This strategy of clear communication and collaborative recruitment partnership means that we can achieve near 100% CV sent to interview requested ratio.

The client knows that for every single applicant forwarded to them, our team will have already contacted and reached out to many, many more potential candidates that did not make the grade. When headhunting, we will investigate if they are looking for a role, and challenge the candidates on their aspirations, technical financial skillset for these particular finance roles and ‘team fit’ to see if they align with our client’s employee value proposition and ethics.

Our client knows that one CV in their inbox could have meant many man hours in the background, skilfully interviewing and deep diving into potential candidates’ skills, experience, and career/ life aspirations.

The result? A seamless process whereby quality interviews take place, with smooth, transparent communication and honest, constructive feedback the whole way through.

Our client benefits from one agency acting as a true ambassador for their brilliant finance teams, with a justified expectation of quality not quantity of applicant.

Our candidates benefit from a targeted search that takes their aspirations AND their accountancy skills into account.

This is a recruitment partnership that has lasted many years.

Client 2/

A qualified accountant with specific industry sector background and key system skills was urgently required. Our client needed an incredibly quick turnaround and wanted to conduct interviews and ideally offer a suitable candidate within a week. The job was taken at 2pm on a Friday.

The consultant worked hard.

Very hard.

Conversations were had with over 100 potential candidates – most calls lasting 20 minutes, up to an hour.

The result? 4 x CVs were in our client’s inbox for Monday morning.

All were interviewed, one person was offered the role straight away with just a few days.

Scroll forward.

A friendly phone call to follow up as our bill was unpaid.

Why?

Our candidate was still in post – and very happy in the role. His boss was equally happy.

The reason for the bill not being was that they did not believe that we had ‘worked hard enough on the role. They felt that just a couple of quick calls were made and that was it so expected a reduction in our fee as a result. They had not realised all the man-hours and dedicated time sourcing and speaking to potential candidates behind the scenes.

This is why Good Recruiters are like swans.

Clients and candidates should experience a smooth, calm recruitment process, and not see the hard work going on beneath the surface.

They should understand that there is a lot of work going on out of sight, to make that process seamless and smooth.

Good employees are also S.W.A.N.s too!

The SWAN formula is an acronym created by an executive recruiter, John Swan, and is a very useful tool to improve candidate selection processes.

Four Simple Letters: S. W. A. N.

SMART. Always look to recruit intelligent, smart people into your business/ team. But how can you measure the intelligence of a candidate? The answer is simple. Questions! Intelligent people tend to be more curious than average people.

Successful people are smart, especially when it comes to the skills and competencies required for their specific job. This is what Jim Collins meant in his business classic, Good to Great, when he wrote about “getting the right people in the right seats on the bus.” People who have a gift for their particular job tend to work faster, make fewer mistakes, and are far more productive.

WORKS HARD. When recruiting, look for people who are willing to work hard and who have backgrounds and achievements that show how they have gone the extra mile and exceeded expectations. As we emerge from the pandemic, employers need staff who don’t just work lots of hours. Instead they want employees who can work smarter and handle their workloads to deadlines. The years of presenteeism are fading away and rightly so.

People who actually want to “work hard” are more successful at their jobs. The basic rule is that “people don’t change.” A person who is unaccustomed to hard work is not suddenly going to transform under your supervision.

AMBITION. An excellent candidate is someone who wants to move ahead in life. Ambitious people are willing and eager to take additional training; they are already reading and studying and seeking opportunities to grow, both personally and professionally. They value continuous improvement and genuinely want to be the very best they can be.

This is not about only selecting candidates who want to be the FD of a Plc. It is the ambition to be the best at whatever level they are working at and the willingness to learn/ read/ train to become the best.

Candidates should be “ambitious” and able to demonstrate to you why they want this particular job.

We love this quote by Steve Miles, Vice Chairman of Heidrick & Struggles; “Don’t seek a flame-chaser, find people who are anxious to be effective and ambitious about this assignment, not some future promotion or benefit. They have to live for today in that job, not chase the flame of future possibilities.”

NICE. The likability of the candidate is a critical factor. Where this quality was once mainly prized in customer service/ public facing jobs, being ‘kind’ is a highly valued strength in people applying for all levels of employment and professions. Whether in finance, accountancy, or other professions, employers are looking for people who they can work with and who can share and believe in their team values, and who they like. Team fit is one of the most consistently important attributes that our clients are looking for.

When we say “nice,” we mean people who are cheerful, positive, easy to get along with, and supportive of others. They fit within the culture of your organisation. Their beliefs are in alignment with your values and the customers your organisation serves.

In the final analysis, your ability to pick the right people for your team is the key to motivation. You cannot hire the wrong people and then expect to motivate them to be excellent performers for your team. You need to look hard for your ‘A’ players, or use an ‘astute’ recruitment expert who can do a thorough search for you!

The saying, ‘measure twice, cut once’ is particularly true in the world of recruitment.

Other blogs you may be interested in: –

Candidate Blogs

Do you know what time it is on you’re your career clock? Hints and tips to keep your career on track!
From Abacus to Ai, why a career in accountancy is a great career choice!
What does it take to be a great Financial Director?

Client Blogs

Why its OK to talk about mental health at work. We discuss a new, free initiative available to East Midlands businesses
Why recruiting the right people at the right time is key for business success
Why good recruiters are like swans / How to hire the right candidate for your business!

If you would like to discuss anything regarding this article or any of our other articles, please email [email protected]

As a leading provider of accountancy staff, we look at what does accountancy mean, it’s history and importance to businesses today. Plus we explore the huge variety of careers available in the accountancy profession, and why accountancy really is a great career choice! We’ve included some great, useful links at the end too!

First, ‘WHAT IS ACCOUNTANCY?’

Historically, ‘Financial Accounting’ referenced how information was communicated on the financial position and performance of a business to its owner(s). An instant snapshot of how a business is really performing.

Financial statements, i.e. balance sheets and the income statement of a business revealed the real financial health of a company.

The word ‘accounting’, however, referred to one of the three principles of accountancy namely the process of reading, understanding, and maintaining the financial records of a business.

The other two? – Bookkeeping and auditing.

Accountancy and accounting are now synonymous, both referring to the methods of identifying, measuring, processing, classifying, recording, and reporting the financial status of an individual, company, business or organisation.

This information is mainly reported in the form of five key financial statements, prepared in accordance with relevant accounting standards, (IFRS, FRS, and various national GAAPs – including US GAAP – i.e. ‘generally accepted accounting principals’) to provide useful information to the users of these financial statements.

The two most important and most used accounting standards are IFRS and US GAAP.

USEFUL LINK: https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/advocacy/issues/gaap

Accounting is one of the key functions of every business. Every company, charity, and organisation around the world will have the use of an accounting department, internally or externally, to look after it’s transactions, i.e. sales ledger and purchase ledger.

The size of the accounting department of a business depends on the scale and type of business. In larger companies, the accounting department usually has many more staff compared to SMEs.

Smaller SME companies and businesses typically have one or two bookkeepers/ accounts all-rounders, who can manage the day to day transactions, and either have an external accountant to refer to, monthly or yearly, or employ a company accountant/ financial controller or finance director/ Chief Operating Officer (CFO).

Similarly, businesses with a larger number of transactions per day will need more employees in their accounting department than ones with a smaller number of transactions.

Where did Accountancy come from?

Accountancy is one of the oldest professions, with a very rich past woven through history.

The modern guidelines we use today were formed from accounting principles started thousands of years ago in ancient region of Asia, called Mesopotamia.

When the idea of counting, tallying money and writing were conceived, that’s when the concept of accountancy is thought to have been born.

The Romans brought order and more formal processes in accounting. Logging and filing transactions.

Double-entry bookkeeping as we know it today, was credited as being first created in 1494 by Luca Pacioli, an Italian mathematician.

Pacioli is commonly credited as the first person to describe the concept of debits and credits in journals and ledgers.

His work in the field of accounting earned him the title of “Father of accounting” and he laid the foundation of modern accounting systems and processes.

The industrial revolution in the mid to late 18th century, created the need for a more advanced system of accounting.

The old, ancient accounting systems, while intrinsically sound, did not provide a solution for the then emerging modern structures of corporations.

For example, corporations had complex structures of ownership that did not exist in ancient times. Investments in those businesses were hard to make due to the lack of credible, detailed information available to investors.

To tackle this problem and attract more investors, corporations adopted a system of reporting their financial activities by publishing financial statements.

At the beginning, these financial statements were limited to the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. The rise of the system of financial statements also gave rise to agency problems.

Agency problems arose because the shareholders of a corporation did not believe the management. This led to the development of a mainstream auditing system.

While the concept of auditing was already developed in ancient Egypt, it became a mainstream practice during these times.

So, what is an Accountant? What is their job?

An accountant is a professional practitioner of accountancy. Accountants are trained, competent professionals who have worked through different professional certification exams, or through their careers, have become ‘Qualified By Experience’.

Accountants are members or associates of professional accounting bodies such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Association Accounting Technicians (AAT).

Useful links to all of the professional accountancy bodies are at the foot of this blog if you would like to find out more about their courses, the training and examinations these really good organisations can offer to aspiring accountants.

In ancient times, accountants were viewed as solicitors that offered accounting services to their clients. However, in the mid-19th century, the Institute of Accountants in Glasgow petitioned Queen Victoria no less, for a royal charter.

This permitted them to legally define themselves as ‘accountants’ in their own right, rather than as ‘solicitors’. Even before the petition, accountancy as a profession was already recognised in Scotland. The petition to Queen Victoria meant that accountants could for the first time, be seen as professionals in accountancy rather than mere solicitors in the rest of the world as well.

This petition also laid the foundation for many professional accounting bodies such as the London Association of Accountants, later renamed to Association of Chartered Certified Accounts (ACCA) in the United Kingdom and the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) in the United States.

Aided by the industrial revolution, this created a demand for technically sound professionals who were capable of handling modern accountancy problems.

Branches of Accountancy – Our Astute ‘Accountancy Tree’ gives some clues!

Most people think of accountancy as simple bookkeeping and debits and credits. While these are a part of accountancy as a profession, there are several branches you can follow, each leading to varied, exciting and commercial accounting and finance jobs that are very different from each other.

**Choosing Accountancy as a profession really can offer contrasting, fulfilling, and varied career choices.**

We’ve broken down the key ones for you below: –

1) Financial Accounting

Financial accounting is the most popular and widely implemented branch of accountancy. Financial accounting branch is related to the reporting of the financial status of a business, through the financial statements, and any process that helps with the preparation of these financial statements.

For example, any process involved from entering source documents into the accounting systems of the business up to the preparation of the key financial statements falls under the financial accounting branch.

Careers can develop from training within a firm of accountants – local, regional firms including Dains, to the so called ‘Big 4’ – PWC, EY, Deloittes, and KPMG.

Or, you can choose commerce and industry (C&I), and secure Graduate Trainee Accountancy positions or Trainee Transactional jobs, such as Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR) – also commonly referred to as Credit Control, and Accounts Assistant positions.

2) Management Accounting

While financial accounting has to do with the preparation of the information that is reported externally, management accounting is related to the preparation of information for internal use.

Daily or monthly operating reports, budgets, variance analysis, etc. all fall under management accounting.

The information produced through management accounting is used by the management of the business to make decisions for the future of the business. These can be used for short-term or long-term strategy making.

3) Cost Accounting

Cost accounting is similar to management accounting and often considered a type of management accounting.

Cost accounting is the area of accountancy that is commonly used in the manufacturing industry. Costings are used to derive the cost of a product for decision-making purposes.

This cost can be calculated using different costing techniques such as absorption costing, marginal cost, activity-based costing, target costing, etc. Once costs are determined, cost accounting is also concerned with monitoring those costs. Some companies typically have a dedicated Cost Accountant while others employ a Management Accountant whose job description will also embrace Costings.

4) Auditing

While auditing does not involve preparing any accounting information, it is related to reviewing the information produced through other branches of accounting.

Auditing can either be internal or external. Internal auditing is performed by the management of the business to review accounting information produced for internal use.

External accounting is related to reviewing the information produced for external use, which mainly includes reviewing the financial statements of a business.

Auditing can also be used to determine level of internal control of an organization.

Just as with Financial Accounting, careers can develop from training within a firm of accountants – local, regional firms including Dains, to the so called ‘Big 4’ – PWC, EY, Deloittes & KPMG.

Each will have their own trainee schemes and will look to recruit staff directly through LinkedIn or use the services of an accountancy recruitment agency or recruitment consultancy.

5) Forensic Accounting

Forensic accounting is closely related to auditing. Forensic accounting is related to the use of accountancy techniques, skills, and knowledge in circumstances that might have legal implications.

Forensic accounting is the process of carrying out forensic investigations to present in a legal proceeding. Forensic accounting is mainly used for fraud investigations within the business, professional negligence cases, or insurance claims.

6) Accounting Information System – or System Accountants

Accounting Information System (AIS) is related to the collection, development, deployment, implementation and monitoring of the accounting procedures and systems that are used in the accounting process.

With the computerisation of the accounting process, AIS has become a computerized methodology for conducting accounting processes with information technology resources.

7) Tax Accounting

Tax accounting is the branch of accountancy that deals with the application of tax planning to benefit the business and preparation of tax returns.

It also involves calculating the income tax and other taxes of the business. Tax accounting is used to legally decrease the taxes of the business. Tax accounting should not be used for tax evasion.

The rules of tax accounting are defined and dictated by the local tax body of the country the tax is being paid in.

8) Fiduciary Accounting

Fiduciary accounting is the branch of accountancy that is related to the management of funds in trusts. This branch is mainly concerned with the trustee communicating any financial information about the trust to the beneficiaries.

Fiduciary accounting is regulated by the law and court and, therefore, the information produced through this branch must be accurate and precise.

9) Nonprofit Accounting

Nonprofit accounting mainly applies to charities and nonprofit organisations. In this branch of accountancy, incomes and expenses are recorded according to the nonprofit accounting standards. (SORPS)

This is the alternative of financial accounting for nonprofit organizations. In this branch of accounting, expenses are recorded in the statement of functional expenses.

Furthermore, both the income and expenses are recorded in the statement of activities.

10) Social Accounting

Social accounting is the branch of accountancy that is related to reporting the effect of the business’ activities on the society and environment.

For companies, social accounting is used in the context of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and companies may be required by law to do so.

However, other types of organisations such as not-for-profits, charities or government departments, may also choose to adapt social accounting voluntarily.

So, in summary, ‘Accountancy’ or ‘accounting’ is the process of identifying, measuring, processing, classifying, recording, and reporting the financial information of a business.

Accountancy has many branches such as financial accounting, management accounts, financial analysis, cost accounting, auditing, tax accounting, and many, many more.

Modern popular careers in accountancy and finance that are increasingly key in today’s collaborative business world, are Finance Business Partners – blending the worlds of management accounting, financial analysis and stakeholder engagement.

If you are looking for a career in accountancy, or are wanting to develop your CPD / training – here are some useful links: –

USEFUL LINKS: –

CIMA – https://www.cimaglobal.com/

ACCA – https://www.accaglobal.com/uk/en.html

ICAEW (ACA) – https://www.icaew.com/

AAT – https://www.aat.org.uk/

FRC (Financial Reporting Council) – https://www.frc.org.uk/accountants/accounting-and-reporting-policy/uk-accounting-standards/statements-of-recommended-practice-(sorps)

If you are looking for training providers for the professional accountancy examinations you can contact these two great organisations: –

KAPLAN – https://kaplan.co.uk/

BPP – https://www.bpp.com/

You can view our latest permanent and temporary vacancies on the following link;

https://www.astuterecruitment.com/all-jobs/

If you would like any further help, guidance or support, please contact our MD, Mary Maguire by email to; [email protected]

Or of course you can contact our team on 01332 346 100 – we are always happy to help.

Mary Maguire

Managing Director
Astute | Accountancy & Finance | HR | Office Support

Suite One, Ground Floor West, Cardinal Square, 10 Nottingham Road, Derby, DE1 3QT

T: 01332 346100
M: 07717 412911

E: [email protected]

W: www.astuterecruitment.com

LI: https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/mary-maguire/18/73/553

LI: www.linkedin.com/company/astute-recruitment/

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Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.

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Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊

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