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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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Lee Sweeney, Executive Director standing in front of our word wall in the Leeds office.

Professional Practice Testimonials

Trusted, Respected, Recommended

With nearly three decades of experience at Sharp Consultancy, Executive Director Lee Sweeney has built an outstanding reputation within the professional practice market across Yorkshire. His long-standing client relationships are a testament to his deep market knowledge, commitment to quality, and personal approach to recruitment. Here’s what some of our clients have to say about working with Lee.

Lee Sweeney, Executive Director of Sharp Consultancy and Partner of The CFO Partnership

Ben Peacock - Partner - Park Place Corporate Finance

"​We have worked with Sharp Consultancy and Lee Sweeney for over 20 years. Whenever we have a role available at Park Place, Lee is our first port of call. He knows the types of candidates that are most suitable for us and, given his unmatched coverage of the Yorkshire market, does a great job of filtering the list down to the best candidates based on our specific criteria. He is also extremely proactive, bringing us exceptional candidates even when we are not necessarily in the market, but still keen to be introduced to great people"

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Chris Butt - National Head of Audit - Azets

"​I have used Lee and Sharp Consultancy on both a personal and candidate search basis numerous times over many years. Having built up a trusted relationship with Lee from the point of qualification c18 years ago, I always felt comfortable having independent career discussions with Lee, with no pressure to make the ‘wrong’ decision, but a feeling of genuine interest in helping me to make the right career moves at the right time. This has extended to a sounding board relationship at other critical decision points in my career. Lee is my primary referral to other professionals who talk to me about seeking moves within the practice and I have no hesitation in making that referral. In my capacity of recruiting and growing our team, Lee and his team have been involved in a number of pivotal senior appointments as well as a steady flow of very credible candidates at all levels both in response to recruitment need, but often out of courtesy in respect of strong candidates who they think would be a good fit for our teams. I think the trust in the relationship is both ways given 2 of the Sharp senior team have encouraged their children to join Azets to begin their accountancy careers!"

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Mark Thornton - Partner, Business Restructuring - BDO

​"I have worked with Lee and his colleagues at Sharp for many years to help recruit a number of people into our professional practice. There is always a deep understanding of the position and the requirements of the role, some of which can be demanding. Furthermore, beyond the technicalities of the role, consideration of broader skill sets and personalities has helped to find the right people for my team, many of whom have I have now worked with for many years. A successful process has to see both the candidate and business benefit and thrive; based on my experience, Lee and the team at Sharp Consultancy consistently help achieve this. I look forward to many more years working with Lee and Sharp Consultancy to help maintain a high performing and successful team."

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Andrew Barlow - Partner - Sentio Partners

"​We’ve worked with Lee at Sharp Consultancy on numerous occasions over the years, with Lee both supporting us in relation to specific roles we’d had under consideration, as well as taking the opportunity to alert us to outstanding individuals who were looking for new opportunities. The Sharp Consultancy team has built a really good understanding of our Business and culture, so can quickly identify where a candidate’s talent and aspirations match our approach and culture. Lee’s relationship-based approach has always given us great confidence in his judgement – from an honest assessment about a candidate at the outset, Lee is straightforward to deal with and always takes the time to keep in touch, even when we’re not discussing a vacancy or specific candidate."

Sentio Partners

Tony Chapman - Partner - BHP

​I have had the pleasure to work with Lee over the years from both the perspectives of an employer looking for professional staff and as a candidate. He is great to work with not only because of his personable, sensible and professional approach and advice but also because of his fantastic connections across the professional and business community in the region (and beyond). His wide experience means there is very little that phases Lee (and his colleagues) and unlike some of his professional competitors, he consistently delivers on what he promises.

BHP