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Sharp Consultancy's Salary Survey 2025/26: Resetting the Landscape: Strategic Shifts in Finance Recruitment

It would be remiss not to start by addressing the elephant in the room — 2024 was a challenging year.While there were many reasons for this and numerous industries were affected, recruitment likely bore the brunt of it, particularly in the 6 months post-election(s).Whilst key roles and critical hires remained unaffected, certain head counts and processes were scrutinised and investment paused with internal restructures and automation utilised to reduce costs, in some instances, at the expense of employees. We subsequently saw an increase in candidate activity, with the talent pool strengthening. As those pressures eased in Quarter 4, recruitment processes saw improvement and green shoots have emerged. Optimism is on the rise in key hiring processes, albeit with a caveat. The cloud of additional cost increases in April, which is still dissipating. The senior finance and C-Suite market remains relatively unaffected, both regarding opportunities and candidates, it is the levels below that we have seen more change. In the evolving landscape of working dynamics, the volume of hybrid working is gradually waning despite sustained interest from candidates, presenting fewer job opportunities. While the blend of office and remote work remains desirable, it is no longer the predominant factor, indicating a notable shift in priorities for clients and candidates’ acceptance alike. Conversations with candidates underscore a growing desire around the importance of having a supportive mentor or manager and many professionals are increasingly open to a full-time return to the office if it guarantees enhanced guidance and avenues for professional advancement. "The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region."Throughout the professional practice market, some similar trends have been observed but there have been noticeable differences in the past year. Salaries across the range of candidates in professional practice, from AAT to fully Qualified (ACA/ACCA) individuals are still rising and those firm’s able to offer competitive salaries alongside stronger training contracts are beating out the competition in a candidate market with a growing focus on study support packages and career advancement opportunities for Part-Qualified candidates, indicating an increase in demand from employers and the volume of available job seekers. The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region, in what feels like the longest period of stability seen since Q4 2020 and we expect transactional finance salaries to remain stable throughout 2025/26, with anticipated salary increments to be moderate compared to the significant increases observed throughout the last 2 years. AI & Systems (process automation) continues to impact accountancy and finance, in particular, across larger functions but this has increased the need for wider interim support to assist with the transition and implementation especially with large, automated processes. Whilst 2025-26 will not be the same marketplace for recruitment as seen in previous years, there is certainly a growing level of optimism and whilst a more settled market may be seen as a negative in some areas, for those that have weathered the peaks and troughs over a longer period of time, it will feel very normal and a strong setting for both employees and employers to take advantage and thrive, with an increasing emphasis on growth and development.Download the full Salary Survey here!

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It probably seems a strange question to be asked; why would an interviewer want you to admit to something you are not very good at in order to get a job? However, this is a very common question that interviewers deploy for that very reason – the strongest candidates will be able to handle a tricky situation like this in their stride and it’s a great way for would-be employers to see how you deal with potentially uncomfortable scenarios.

Firstly, it is important to remember that whilst it can be a tricky question, the interviewer is not trying to catch you out! They want to understand if you have the ability to recognise areas that are not your strengths and can identify how you can improve your own performance. To deliver an impressive answer to this question, there are a few dos and don’ts to consider.

Don’t say that you haven’t got any weaknesses. Everybody will have at least one weakness and to try and suggest you don’t have any will come across as disingenuous and arrogant to the interviewer
Don’t try and present a ‘strength’ as a weakness. For example; ‘I can be a bit of a perfectionist but that is because I have such a keen eye for detail’ - an interviewer will see this as you trying to avoid answering the question
Don’t offer a weakness that has little or no relevance to the role you are interviewing for; ‘I am not a very good cook’ doesn’t really matter if you are applying for a position in a finance team
Don’t put forward a weakness that could have a bearing on whether or not you are successful; if the job role states that strong IT skills are an essential criteria, don’t suggest that you struggle to grasp anything beyond the basics
Do consider where you have been able to overcome a particular weakness; for example if you have previously struggled to say no when colleagues or managers have asked you to take on additional tasks and this has had a negative effect on your ability to meet deadlines, describe how you addressed the issue and how you know handle similar situations
Do try to ensure that your ‘weakness’ is something that you have been able to identify yourself rather than something which has been pointed out to you; the interviewer is looking for you to outline what the weakness was/is, how it was impacting upon your work and what steps you have taken to improve in that area to demonstrate your proactivity and self-awareness.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today for expert advice on your next career move.

ASK THE EXPERT - In a previous interview I was asked what my weaknesses were. I struggled to deliver a good answer - now I have another interview coming up and would like to know how best to handle the question?

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