Most finance teams have the systems they need. Few have all the people they need. The seats that stay open longest are rarely the ones that call for a new tool. They call for someone who can make a sound decision on messy information and then explain it to a person who does not speak finance.
That is a hiring problem, and it starts with how the role is written and how candidates are tested.
Why the checklist stopped working
For years, finance hiring ran on a simple formula: the right degree, the right designation, the right software list. That worked when the work was stable. Reporting packages looked the same from one year to the next, and the rules changed slowly.
Now the platforms change, the reporting requirements change and the business asks for answers faster. A software list written today is stale in two years. A designation shows someone passed an exam. It does not show whether they can handle a controller's question at 4 pm on a close day.
This applies beyond banks and insurers. A mid-sized manufacturer, distributor or services firm needs the same things from its finance and operations hires.
Four skills that carry the most weight
Judgment under ambiguity. In credit, compliance, risk and FP&A, the inputs are often incomplete. The strong hire says what they know, what they are assuming and what they would do next. The weak hire waits for a cleaner data set.
Translation. A good analyst can present to a plant manager, a sales leader or a lender without losing them. A good accountant can explain a variance in two sentences. This skill is scarce, and it is rarely on the posting.
Client and stakeholder trust. Commercial banking, advisory and account-facing finance roles depend on relationships. Software produces the numbers. A person has to sit across the table and stand behind them.
Willingness to keep learning. Every finance role asks for more than it did five years ago. Someone who treats learning as ongoing will outlast someone with a longer credential list and a fixed way of working.
There is a fifth for those who manage people. As routine tasks get automated, a finance manager's job leans more on coaching, setting priorities and developing the team.
What to change in the posting
Many postings open with 15 technical requirements and mention communication in the last line. Candidates read that as a signal about what matters.
- Lead with the work: the decisions this person will make and who they will explain them to.
- Cut the list to the tools that are truly required on day one. Mark the rest as learnable.
- Name the human skills in plain terms, such as presenting findings to non-finance leaders or challenging a forecast.
- Drop credentials that are habit rather than need.
This widens the pool. Strong candidates who would have screened themselves out of a long list will apply.
What to change in the interview
A resume shows what someone has used. It does not show how they think. Add exercises that make reasoning visible:
- Give a short case with a gap in the data and ask what they would do before the numbers are final.
- Ask them to explain a variance or a forecast change to a non-finance manager, out loud, in two minutes.
- Ask about a time they pushed back on a number or a request, and what happened.
- Have the hiring manager and one peer from sales or operations both sit in, and compare notes.
Score each exercise against the same few points for every candidate. Otherwise the most confident talker wins.
Keep the people who have these skills
The people with strong judgment and communication hold teams together when things change. They are also the first to leave if the work turns into data entry or the path forward is unclear.
Retention comes down to a few practical moves:
- Give them visible work with decision-makers, not only back-office production.
- Set a clear development path that rewards these skills, not just technical depth.
- Review pay against the market once a year, since these are the candidates others will approach.
- Ask them directly what would make them leave.
In Canada and the US alike, the finance candidates who combine sound technical grounding with these habits are in demand, and they have options. A slow process or a vague posting costs you the strongest of them first.
What to do next
Pick one open or recent finance role and read the posting as a candidate would. Move the human skills to the top, trim the tool list and add one scenario exercise to the interview. Then see whether the pool and the quality of finalists change.
If you are hiring for finance, operations or data roles and want a second set of eyes on the posting or the screen, a Traverse recruiter can help.