INTERVIEW MISTAKES THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE

5 Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring Finance Professionals

Here at Sharp Consultancy, we know just how important it is to hire the right person-not just in terms of experience, but also personality and overall fit within your business.Getting this wrong can be costly, not only financially, but in terms of time and effort spent on onboarding and training someone who ultimately might not work out.To help avoid this, Soraya Downing has put together 5 key red flags to watch out for when reviewing CVs or interviewing finance candidates: 1. Vague or General Responses A genuinely interested candidate will come to job interviews prepared with detailed answers that clearly link their experience and skills to the role they’re applying for. If their responses are vague or lacking depth, it can be a sign that they haven’t taken the time to prepare—or worse, they’re not truly engaged with the opportunity.Ideally, you want to hear specific examples backed up with figures or results. It’s worth noting that bad answer doesn’t always mean the candidate isn’t prepared or doesn’t have the required experience, it could be that your question is confusing and needs rephrasing.For example, asking “Can you walk me through your main responsibilities in your most recent role, particularly those related to [payroll/management reporting/credit control/etc.]?” is likely to generate more specific and useful answers than a vague question like “Tell me about your most recent role.”Try practising your question on a colleague or someone you manage and see if they struggle to answer. They will be able to help you scrutinise the question and suggest better wording or elaboration to avoid any confusion.If you require support with conducting job interviews or creating targeted interview questions, we’re always happy to help. With a team of over 25 consultants who each specialise within different areas of finance and accountancy recruitment, we’ve interviewed thousands of candidates — and we know what works. 2. Inconsistent Career HistoryWe fully support career moves—most of the time, they signal progression and ambition, which is great to see. However, when a CV shows a pattern of short-term employments with no solid explanation, or recurring reasons for leaving, this can indicate potential issues with commitment, adaptability, or performance.There can be many reasons why a candidate has several short-term roles on their CV. For example, they could have completed several temporary or short-term interim contracts without making this clear on their CV or they may have experienced a series of redundancies beyond their control. Always dig a little deeper in these cases, they may be acceptably explained but there could also be something bigger at play.When you engage with us as your recruitment partner, we will never put forward a candidate that hasn’t been fully vetted and their career history and suitability examined. We will have all already done the ‘deep digging’, so all short-term roles and employment gaps are explained to you from the get-go. It takes the guesswork out of the process and saves you valuable time. 3. Poor Communication SkillsIt’s natural for candidates to be a little nervous in interviews, but for senior finance roles in particular, strong communication is non-negotiable. If someone consistently gives vague answers, struggles to explain their experience, or avoids eye contact, it could raise concerns about how they’ll present to stakeholders or collaborate across teams. At this level, you’re looking for clear, confident communication—even under pressure.If you’re unsure about a candidate’s communication skills, especially in a senior finance role, consider including a short task or second-stage interview focused on presenting or explaining a topic. For example, ask them to walk you through a recent financial project or prepare a brief summary of how they’d present key financials to non-finance stakeholders. This gives you a clearer sense of how they structure information, handle questions, and communicate under mild pressure. When you engage with us we’ll work with you to understand whether a candidate’s communication style will align with your specific team dynamics and stakeholder environment—something that is key to a successful long-term hire but often overlooked.4. Lack of Curiosity or InitiativeTop finance professionals are naturally curious and proactive. They’re the ones who suggest improvements to systems or processes without being asked. If a candidate shows no interest in how they can add value to your business and the role, or doesn’t ask questions during the interview, that could be a red flag that they’re more reactive than proactive.Sometimes that might be exactly what you are looking for, but other times, recognising this about a candidate early on could be your saving grace in hiring someone unfit for the role in question. 5. No Signs of a Growth MindsetIf you’re hiring with the goal of developing someone long-term, look for signs they’re committed to personal and professional growth. This could be studying towards a qualification like ACCA, CIMA, or ACA or asking thoughtful questions about the business’s future.A lack of interest in development can often translate into a lack of long-term engagement to the role and your company. Even when not looking for a long-term hire, a candidate who exhibits no desire for their long-term career and growth can be a sign that they might not even stick it out for a shorter period of time.As your recruitment partner, it really helps to understand what you want out of a hire. Don’t be shy in telling us what skills and qualities you want and don’t want a new employee to have for the role you are hiring for. If you give us as much information about the role and the company as possible, we can then use this knowledge in our candidate selection process to only suggest candidates which have the necessary qualities you are looking for. Final Thoughts Sharp Consultancy has been recruiting finance professionals across Yorkshire for over 30 years. Our proven process allows us to spot these red flags early, helping our clients avoid costly hiring mistakes. By keeping the above points in mind, you’ll be in a much stronger position to hire the right finance talent for your team.If you're currently hiring, or planning to, and want to avoid the common pitfalls, we’d love to support you. From advising on interview strategy to identifying candidates with the right mix of skills and mindset, we’re here to make the process easier—and more successful.Soraya specialises in recruiting for permanent Part Qualified, Qualified by Experience and Qualified finance roles with salaries ranging from £30,000 to £50,000 across Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley, Worksop, Hull and the surrounding areas. Get in touch with Soraya today – sorayadowning@sharpconsultancy.com – 0114 261 1700 or SUBMIT A VACANCY.

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A job interview can be a nerve-wracking experience and it can be all too easy to come out of the meeting and feel that you have blown your opportunity. There are some common interview mistakes which are easy to make, but thankfully, when you know what to look out for, straight-forward to avoid.

Here are our top five interview trip hazards and our suggestions for how not to fall foul of them:

1.Lack of preparation

The single biggest mistake you can make is a lack of preparation ahead of the big day. It is vital that you do plenty of research into both the job role and the company and there is a wealth of information that can be found by looking at websites, social media platforms and LinkedIn profiles of current employees. It is also essential that you fully familiarise yourself with your CV, understand how your knowledge and experience matches the key criteria outlined in the job role description and review answers to questions that you are most likely to face. And do not overlook some basic preparation steps; make sure that you know when and where your interview will take place, check your journey time if it is in person or ensure that you have the correct log in details and set up if it is to be held remotely.

2.Not being confident

It is important that you demonstrate confidence in your interview and convince your would-be employer that you are absolutely the right person for the role. Ensure that you come across in the right manner – you do not want to appear arrogant or that you believe the job is already in the bag. Communicate your confidence not only in the answers that you give but also through positive body language such as eye contact and appearing enthusiastic and engaged in the conversation.

3.Being dismissive of your current role or employer

It is understandable that you are looking for a new role because you are unhappy with at least some aspects of your current position whether that is lack of promotion or progression opportunities, a poor relationship with your line manager or desire of a better salary package. However, it is important that you take a positive approach and communicate your reasons for seeking a new role in a professional manner.

4.Not selling yourself strongly

It can be difficult to strike the right balance between demonstrating your suitability for the role and coming across as a bit of a know-it-all. One of the biggest failures is leaving the interviewer unsure about what your personal contribution is to a particular project or success – an easy way to rectify this is to make sure that you use the word ‘I’ rather than ‘we’. However, make sure that you clear on what part you did play and do not try to take credit for work that you had little or no involvement with – a small amount of careful probing from an astute interviewer could soon see you come unstuck!

5.Failing to make a lasting impression

It is important you stand out from the crowd (for the right reasons!) and when interviewers are faced with a decision between two of more candidates that demonstrate similar skills and experience, it can often be personality that will tip the balance in favour of one individual over another. Demonstrating that you are the right fit for a company’s culture and values as well as the team you would be joining is just as important as showing that you have the technical attributes needed for the role. Be sure to let your personality, as well as your experience, shine through.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to discuss your recruitment needs with a member of our team.