Most hiring managers who work with a recruiter get out of the relationship about what they put in. That is true for any function, but it shows up fastest in finance and accounting, where good candidates are usually employed, usually talking to more than one company, and usually decide in days.
Here is what we have learned over decades of filling controller, FP&A, reporting and accounting roles on both sides of the border, and what makes the difference between a search that closes and one that drifts.
Who the recruiter works for
The recruiter works for you. You set the brief, you make the offer, and the result has to hold up in your team. A good recruiter also treats candidates fairly, because a hire that goes badly helps nobody and a reputation for straight dealing is what gets strong people to return calls.
In practice, that means you should expect a recruiter to push back on you as well as present candidates. If the role is not what the market will supply, you want to hear it in week one, not week six.
Give the brief a recruiter can actually use
A job description copied from the last person's hiring file is not a brief. Before the search starts, settle these points:
- The real problem. Month-end close that runs 12 days, a forecast nobody trusts, an audit file that needs cleaning up. Candidates respond to a problem, not a list of duties.
- Must-haves versus nice-to-haves. Pick two or three non-negotiables. A designation such as CPA, a specific ERP, or experience in your industry may be essential or may not. Decide before you see people.
- A pay range you will honour. Not a hope, a range. If you are unsure, ask for a read on current market pay for the role and city.
- Timeline and decision makers. Who interviews, how many rounds, who signs off on the offer.
- The reason the seat is open. Candidates will ask. Better your recruiter knows the honest answer first.
Expect straight feedback on the market
Sometimes the useful thing a recruiter tells you is unwelcome. The title is too senior for the pay. The hybrid policy is tighter than competitors. The requirement for 10 years of experience plus a specific niche system narrows the pool to a handful.
Treat that as information, not resistance. Adjust one variable, such as pay, flexibility, or the experience threshold, and watch how the pool changes. Employers who revise the brief early usually fill sooner than those who wait and hope.
Speed is the variable you control
Strong finance candidates do not sit in a queue. A person with solid FP&A or financial reporting experience may be speaking with three employers at once. Slow scheduling, a gap of a week between rounds, or silence after a final interview gives a competitor the opening.
A few habits that help:
- Hold interview slots open before the first resumes arrive.
- Limit the process to two or three rounds, and say so at the start.
- Give feedback to your recruiter within 24 hours of each interview.
- Decide on the offer range before the final round, so approval is not a second search.
Be open about the rest of your process
Tell your recruiter if you are also interviewing internal candidates, running a posting, or talking to other agencies. It changes how they pace the search and what they tell candidates. Surprises hurt both sides: a candidate who learns late that an internal person was always the favourite will not come back, and neither will their network.
The same goes for changes. If the role is on hold, the budget moved, or the team has reorganized, say so. A recruiter can pause a search honestly. They cannot repair a candidate's trust after the fact.
Expect updates, including the empty ones
You should hear from your recruiter on a set rhythm, even when the news is that nothing has changed. Ask for it at the start: a short weekly update covering who has been contacted, who is interested, and where the pool is thin. If a week passes with no word, ask why.
Think past the single seat
The best employer and recruiter relationships last beyond one requisition. A recruiter who knows your team, your close calendar, your culture and your pay bands can move faster the second time, and can often flag people before you have a formal opening. Share what you expect in the next 12 months: a new reporting requirement, a system migration, growth that will need another analyst. That lets them build a shortlist in advance.
This applies beyond finance. Operations, sales, manufacturing and contract hiring all reward the same clarity, speed and candour.
What to do next
Before your next search, write a one-page brief covering the problem to be solved, your two or three must-haves, the pay range, the interview steps and the decision timeline. Then block the interview time on your calendar. Those two steps alone remove most of the delays we see.
If you have a finance or accounting seat to fill, a Traverse recruiter can help you sharpen the brief and test it against the market before you post.