Accountancy Practice Recruitment: A Day in the Life an Audit and Accounts Researcher

Posted by Loren Von Sternberg

Recruitment is one of those careers that the majority of the industry ‘fell into’. It’s rare for someone to wake up one day and think – I want to be a recruiter! Most of us realised a career in an industry that is rapidly growing, can be very lucrative and have a clear and steady career progression actually hits a lot of what we were looking for in a role. An opportunity to utilise our sales and influencing skills whilst working in an industry where every day is different and offers a lot of perks for success!

Whilst recruitment in any industry is essentially the same thing (matching the right candidate with the right role) across each sector and industry there are many differences. In a recent poll I conducted on LinkedIn, 33% of recruiters said the focus of a desk they enjoy the most is Headhunting and Resourcing, whilst another 29% chose Account managing a portfolio. One of the opportunities we are hiring for internally at Pro combines both of these aspects as your main focus and is a fantastic starting point for a recruiter who has some experience but is now looking to specialise and make a name for themselves in the field.

The accountancy practice market is absolutely booming, and our current team is performing, and billing more than they ever did in a pre-pandemic world. The nice things about the accountancy practice market and having a career within it are;

1. It is candidate short – if you have a good candidate, you WILL place them!
2. You are working in a less saturated market than others – Including Finance Commerce and Industry. It means you will really make a name for yourself and be seen as a specialist
3. Pro-Finance has one of the best names in accountancy practice – you will have clients that WANT to work with you, in fact, seek you out!
4. You will be resourcing candidates who know who you are, know you work with the best clients, and WANT to talk to you!
5. You will progress to managing a portfolio of your own accounts to manage and build and develop relationships with

I spoke to Kate Green, one of our resident Finance Recruitment Managers. After several promotions and progressing to her current position after starting as an Associate a few years ago, she shares her insight into the day-to-day role of a Researcher in her accountancy practice team. You will be

1. Working closely with Senior Consultants to resource and generate candidate for clients
2. Writing attractive job adverts to promote on a variety of job boards and social media
3. Speaking to candidates, building relationships, and understanding their career aspirations and goals
4. Informing clients and candidates of up-to-date market knowledge, advising on the types of practice and opportunities that fit what they want
5. Searching for active candidates using a variety of job boards
6. Headhunting passive candidates using a variety of social media and other outlets
7. Preparing candidates for interviews, talking to them about roles, giving them tips, career advice and feedback
8. Placing Accountants into their dream role in practice!

If you are currently working in recruitment and looking for a role where you really can focus on candidates and delivery, then a move into accountancy practice can be for you! Speak to Loren on or email loren@pro-recruitmentment.co.uk for more information about opportunities here at Pro.