When it comes to accountancy recruitment, should you prioritise someone with years of proven experience or give an ambitious candidate the opportunity to step up? Experience can often feel like the safest option. Searching for a candidate who has already worked in a similar accounting or finance role, used the right systems and dealt with comparable responsibilities may be able to step in quickly and make an immediate impact.

However, the most experienced candidate is not always the best long-term hire. As we explored in our guide on how we help Lincolnshire businesses avoid bad hires, making the right recruitment decision is about looking beyond the CV and understanding whether a candidate is genuinely the right fit for the role and the business. Successful accountancy recruitment is about understanding what your business genuinely needs today, what can realistically be taught and which qualities will matter as the role develops.

When Experience Matters in Accountancy Recruitment

There are certain accounting and finance roles where proven experience carries significant value. Perhaps you need someone to take responsibility for a finance function from day one, manage complex reporting requirements or provide strategic financial insight to senior leadership.

In these circumstances, an experienced senior finance executive can bring confidence, technical knowledge and valuable perspective gained from dealing with similar situations before.

Experience may be particularly important when:

• The position has significant technical or regulatory responsibilities.
• There is limited capacity within the business to provide training or supervision.
• The successful candidate needs to manage or develop an existing finance team.
• You need someone capable of making an immediate impact.
• The role requires specialist sector, systems or commercial knowledge.

An experienced accountant may also bring ideas, processes and knowledge from previous organisations that could help strengthen your own finance function.  However, experience alone should never be the deciding factor. Someone may have performed a similar role for ten years without necessarily possessing the adaptability, leadership qualities or commercial thinking your business needs next.

Why Potential Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Recruitment becomes much more effective when you stop asking:

“Has this person done exactly this job before?”

and start asking:

“Could this person become exceptional at this job?”

Candidates with less direct experience can bring enthusiasm, new perspectives and a willingness to develop alongside the organisation. They may already have many of the foundations you need, including strong accounting knowledge, analytical ability, communication skills and commercial awareness. What they may lack is simply the opportunity to demonstrate those qualities at the next level.

The accounting profession itself is also changing. ICAEW research into in-demand accounting skills highlights the growing importance of capabilities beyond traditional technical accounting, including communication, technology, systems integration and the ability to explain financial information effectively. This means hiring purely against a checklist of previous responsibilities could cause businesses to overlook candidates who are well equipped for the future of finance.

Look at Transferable Skills, Not Just Job Titles

One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make during accountancy recruitment is looking for an exact replica of the person who previously held the position.

A candidate’s current job title does not always tell you what they are capable of. For example, someone stepping up from a Management Accountant position may already have significant experience with budgeting, forecasting, management reporting and working with senior stakeholders. They may not yet have held the title of Financial Controller, but that does not necessarily mean they are incapable of taking that next step.

Instead of focusing only on job titles, consider the underlying skills required.

• Can they analyse information and identify what matters?
• Can they communicate financial information clearly to people outside finance?
• Do they understand how their work influences wider business decisions?
• Can they solve problems independently?
• Have they demonstrated progression and a willingness to learn?

Looking at these qualities can considerably widen your candidate pool.

Consider What You Can Teach

Before creating a long list of essential requirements, separate what someone genuinely needs to know before joining from what can realistically be learned. A particular accounting qualification or depth of technical expertise may be essential. Experience using one specific piece of software might not be.

Likewise, a candidate may never have worked within your exact industry but may have successfully moved between sectors previously, demonstrating that they can quickly understand new business models and challenges.

Ask yourself: Could a strong candidate learn this within their first three to six months?

If the answer is yes, making it an absolute requirement could unnecessarily restrict your search. This is particularly important in a competitive recruitment market where employers may already be competing for a limited pool of experienced finance professionals.

ICAEW has reported that accountants remain in high demand, making it increasingly important for employers to think carefully about which requirements are genuinely essential and where there may be room to develop the right candidate.

Think About the Team You Already Have

The right recruitment decision should also complement the people already within your organisation. If you have an experienced Finance Director and a strong senior finance team, you may have the infrastructure to recruit someone with potential and support their progression. That could allow you to attract an ambitious candidate who grows into the position and stays with the business for several years.

On the other hand, if you are recruiting the organisation’s most senior finance professional, you may need someone who already possesses the experience and confidence to operate independently. There is no single correct approach. The decision depends on what already exists around the role and how much support will be available once the successful candidate joins.

Potential Doesn’t Mean Taking a Blind Risk

Hiring for potential should not mean lowering your standards. It means assessing candidates differently. Look for evidence of progression, curiosity and achievement.

• Has the candidate consistently taken on more responsibility?
• Can they give examples of solving problems outside their formal job description?
• Have they actively developed their technical or professional knowledge?
• Do they understand where they want their career to go?

Someone’s career trajectory can sometimes tell you more about their future performance than their current job title. A candidate who has progressed quickly over four years may ultimately offer greater potential than someone who has spent ten years completing essentially the same responsibilities.

ACCA’s Global Talent Trends research also explores changing expectations among accounting and finance professionals and the importance of development, progression and workplace opportunities in attracting and retaining talent.

The Best Candidate May Be Somewhere in the Middle

Accountancy recruitment does not have to be a choice between an experienced professional who ticks every box and a completely inexperienced candidate. Often, the best appointment sits somewhere between the two.

They may meet 70–80% of your requirements while bringing the attitude, personality and ability to develop into the remaining areas. This is where clearly separating your must-haves from your nice-to-haves becomes particularly valuable. Think about what the successful person genuinely needs on their first day and what you would realistically expect them to develop over their first year.

That distinction can completely change the candidates available to you.

How to Find the Right Balance in Accountancy Recruitment

The best recruitment decision isn’t always about finding the person who can do the job perfectly today. It is about finding someone who can deliver what your organisation needs now while having the ability to contribute to where the business is going next. For some positions, that will mean recruiting a highly experienced accountant who has encountered similar challenges before. For others, investing in an ambitious candidate who is ready to take the next step in their career may provide greater long-term value.

The team at Benjamin Edwards accountancy and finance recruitment, work closely with businesses to understand more than a job description. By looking at the responsibilities, team structure, business objectives and future direction of a role, we can help identify the experience that is genuinely essential and where there may be opportunities to consider candidates with the potential to grow.

Whether you’re recruiting an experienced finance professional or searching for someone ready to make their next career move, taking a more flexible approach to accountancy recruitment can help you find the person who is right for the role, rather than simply the person whose CV looks closest to the job description.

Are you looking to add elite talent to your finance team, or are you a qualified professional searching for your next career move? Contact the Benjamin Edwards team today to find out how our tailored recruitment solutions can help you achieve your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions for Accountancy Recruitment

What should you look for when recruiting an accountant?

Look beyond qualifications and years of experience alone. Technical ability is important, but communication skills, commercial awareness, problem-solving ability, adaptability and cultural fit can also play a major role in long-term success.

Is accounting experience more important than potential?

It depends on the role. Senior, specialist or highly technical positions may require proven experience, while other accounting roles may provide more opportunity to recruit someone with strong foundations and the potential to develop.

Should you hire for skills or potential?

Ideally, you should look for the right balance of both when looking at accountancy recruitment. Identify which skills are essential from day one and which can be developed through training, mentoring and experience. This can help you access a wider and potentially stronger pool of candidates.