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​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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ASK THE EXPERT – HOW DO I KNOW IF A COMPANY WILL BE RIGHT FOR ME?

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I’m searching for a new role and I want to make sure I make the right decision about my next move – what should I be considering to ensure that my next company is right for me?

This is such an important part of the job search process and one, which if overlooked, can end up turning what initially looks like a dream job into a wrong move.

It’s very easy when you are caught up in the excitement of the prospect of a new role to somewhat ignore some of the red flags or warning signs which can appear at different stages of the journey. And whilst finding – and securing – the right role is difficult; you shouldn’t overlook how important it is to opt for an organisation where the culture and values align with your own.

During the interview process, potential employers will be looking to hire candidates that will flourish in their corporate culture, and it is essential that you also use this as an opportunity to evaluate whether or not the company, your new colleagues, the leadership team and your boss will be right for you.

So what should you be looking for? An organisation’s culture will be based upon the ideas and beliefs that the company has, and this will – or should – run all through the business and every aspect of its operations to shape how it does business and the way in which its employees behave.

Ensuring the right cultural fit is important both from an employee and employer perspective; individuals are most likely to thrive when they are in an environment that they feel comfortable in and are able to operate and express themselves confidently. Whilst there will be slightly different approaches, each member of the team needs to be on the same page and working towards the same operational goals, particularly as your own professional growth and progression are likely to be entwined with surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals and a team that you can get along with.

There’s no right or wrongs when it comes to determining if an organisation has a ‘good’ culture as it is very much down to individual characters and personalities; for example a highly driven and sales focused environment may suit someone who thrives in that atmosphere whereas for another person, a business that is built around collaborative team working might be more suitable.

How to gain an insight into an organisation’s culture:

1.Do your research. Take a look at the company’s website, follow them on social media, read articles in various media titles to help you build a picture of how they are looking to present themselves.

2.If you are attending the interview in person take a good look around. Does the environment seem formal or more relaxed? Look for clues such as the layout of the office, how members of the team are interacting with each other – is there seem to a lot of communication between them or is the workplace more subdued – what is the dress code, are the senior management working alongside other members of the team or are they in separate offices?

3.Read between the lines. During your interview ask key questions about the aims and objectives of the organisation and how they plan to achieve these – listen carefully to the answers they share to get an indication of how much emphasis they place upon the various factors needed to reach success.

4.Show an interest in the person who is interviewing you and their experience of the company. How long have they been with the organsiation, what training and development opportunities have they benefited from, what is their management style, do you feel motivated and inspired by them?

5.Talk to others. Ask if there is an opportunity during the recruitment process to meet the team you would be potentially working with to see if these are people that you could gel with.

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.