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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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Leaders Insight - with Matthew Jowett, CFO at Kelling Group

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​Welcome to the third instalment our insightful blog series ‘Leaders Insight’ where we continue to delve into the professional lives of these experienced senior-level experts and highlight their multifaceted expertise to inspire the next generation of CFOs.

In this chapter we caught up with Matthew Jowett, CFO at Kelling Group.

Kelling Group is a leading provider in the hire of specialist access equipment, access platforms, welfare unit hire and services to growing infrastructure and associated end markets. Kelling Group also recently won the award of Mid-Market Corporate of The Year in the 2023 The Yorkshires. Business Awards.

  1. What, in your opinion, are the major differentiators between the role of a CFO and a Finance Director?

As a general rule, the role of CFO is more strategic and forward looking than that of a Finance Director. Whereas the Finance Director will spend the majority of their time in the Finance function, ensuring a solid financial foundation for the business and managing the ‘day-to-day’, a CFO typically spends more time in the wider business as well as managing external stakeholders e.g., investors, banks, key customers / suppliers. The reality can be very different, however, and depends on the size and nature of the business concerned; there is often quite a blurred line between the two roles, especially in smaller businesses where scale / complexity may not yet justify the cost of both in the organisation. As CFO, I am in my stride delivering a new banking facility, carrying out due diligence on an acquisition or presenting our 5-year plan to investors, but the thought of reviewing the month end consolidation or VAT return would give me cold sweats!

  1. What do you think future leaders should prioritise or focus on most when they initially make the step up to CFO?

Build a good team around you to ensure you can delegate and focus the necessary time on the more strategic areas. If you don’t have the appropriate resource and expertise in the team, you’ll quickly get sucked down into too much detail and lose sight of the bigger picture.And on that note….

Spend time getting out and about in the business – you’ll need to force yourself to do this, it’s easy to get stuck behind the desk in the office. Speak to your staff root-and-branch and take a genuine interest; it’s amazing what you’ll learn and be able to bring back to the boardroom table. And take the time to learn your products and services inside out. Know your key costings and pricings to the penny; it will help you make better sense of your P&L and KPIs and to make better business decisions.

Your network is increasingly important as you step into a more strategic role. Being able to pick up the phone to a trusted advisory contact or an industry peer to sense check something new or unfamiliar is invaluable.

  1. Reflecting on your first couple of years in the role of CFO what were the pitfalls you wish you had been aware of and would advise future leaders to try and avoid?

Pace yourself! Map out key objectives over a sensible / realistic timeframe and don’t try to do too much too quickly. Identify and execute the quick wins and by all means make your mark but take your time to understand the key dynamics in the business (and the industry, if the new role involves a change in that regard) before making too many strategic / structural changes – you’ll spread yourself too thin and, potentially, cause chaos!

On a related point, never underestimate how reluctant some people can be to change, however small it might seem to you…ensure you engage with the workforce and bring them on a particular journey with you at the earliest opportunity.

Finally, back yourself. You’re in this role for a reason – somebody has recognised your expertise and/or potential and you might well be surprised just how well your prior roles have prepared you for this. Don’t be afraid to ask the daft or obvious questions that no-one else is asking.

  1. What are your opinions about the relationship between a CFO and CEO? What is critically important in building a successful partnership and providing the right support to the CEO?

I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great CEOs and a healthy relationship is crucial – you’ll spend more time speaking to them than you do your other half!In addition to the official job description, as CFO you’ll need to be the sounding board, voice of reason, agony aunt and many other things to the CEO.My observation is that being the CEO can be quite a lonely existence – ultimately the buck stops with you for everything in the business – so to have a trusted confidant in your CFO, who understands your strategy but who can provide challenge in a ‘closed’ environment, is essential.

  1. What new key skills or attributes do you think the next generation of CFO’s are going to need to develop?

The fundamental skills will always be required – strategic thinking, commercial negotiation etc etc. In terms of specifics, there is a lot of talk around AI at the moment, and it is something we’re looking at in our business. I’m not suggesting that CFOs will need to become experts in the inner workings of this, but they will need to understand its capabilities and consider the impact, both in terms of opportunities (e.g. automating processes) and risk (e.g. more sophisticated fraud attacks etc).But standing back, this is just about being adaptable and embracing change – if you asked the same question to a CFO twenty-five years ago, you could probably replace “AI” in the response, with “the Internet”. Or four years ago it would have been the ability to adapt quickly and steer the business through a pandemic.

  1. When considering a new CFO job opportunity what do you believe are the most important things for candidates to consider when deciding, in order to have the best chance of a successful move?

Do your homework and make sure you find the right business and the right team for you.

We’ve already talked about the crucial relationship with the CEO – do you align with their vision for the future? If not, you could be in for a very uncomfortable journey.

Who are the key stakeholders? Plc world is very different to private company world, for example, and has different demands for a CFO. Which suits you best?

How big is the business and where is it on the maturity curve?

What are the key challenges and aspirations for the business, and does this suit your skillset and ambition?

Is there a transformational event on the horizon and what would this mean for you?

  1. Away from core accounting knowledge, what personality traits have been critical to your success as a CFO? Are these natural or have you worked on developing them?

Be inquisitive, tenacious and challenge the status quo - this is fundamental to driving organisational change and implementing new strategies. I love being told something can’t be done in response to a suggestion that could clearly add-value – so I can prove it can! Don’t get me started on “we’ve always done it this way” …

Also, you spend a huge amount of time dealing with people matters. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, as is the need to adapt for different cohorts of employees across the business. This also plays into the requirement to build strong relationships with external stakeholders.

Attention to detail is paramount; as CFO you’re often dealing with highly analytical counterparties. Likewise, missing something important in the small print of a contract can be very costly down the line.

Whether these are my natural characteristics – perhaps - but all were ingrained / beaten into me (!) before I moved into industry during my years in Corporate Finance, for which (in hindsight) I’m very grateful.

  1. What is the one single best piece of advice you were given early in your career that still holds true today?

The “5 Whys”. I still use this technique today when I want to get to the root cause of a problem. Look it up and use it – so simple and effective!

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 and see how we can help.