Accountests

I was reading a post earlier today about how low wages are in India for accountants, and how can accountants in developed countries ever compete. Why would anyone hire an accountant in the USA / Australia / NZ / UK when they can find one in India for 20% of the cost? The answer is of course the context and understanding they and bring to the numbers when advising either business owners or management. We need to train accountants who can do this. Accountants need to understand the technicals - yes. But be able to interpret and explain them - yes x5. Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand have realized this and come up with a revolutionary way to admit members to the professional body - if you are following the debates with AICPA check this out.

This week's Friday Funny!

“I’m really good at interviewing”

I was really encouraged today by the presentation given by Naomi Walsh FCA and Charlotte Evett at the HB Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand breakfast. The range of pathways for new entrants to the accounting profession gives me a lot of hope that we can encourage more people to join. Having a clear process for both school levers and non-accounting University / college graduates should make the process much less daunting. As a profession we just need to encourage others to take a look. Thanks Neal McDiarmid for inviting Donna Roughan CA and me along!

I didn't make it to hashtag#intuitconnect but for all of you there thinking about how you will grow your business over the next year I'm sure staffing is either No1 or close to it on your list. In my discussion with ☕ Kate Josephine Johnson ☕on the Bookkeeping Side Hustle show the other day we talked about the steps to making a good hire. I surprised her with my Step No1 "When a potential employee sees or hears about a position with your firm where is the first place they go (your website). And which page do they visit? (About Us). Where do they go next? (Your LI profile and your teams LI profiles). What will they see? Lists of your services? That's exciting (not). If you want to see what might in Step 2 onwards try out our Hiring Health Check Quiz - where does your firm fit between 0% and 100% of a great hiring process?

Do you have a QuickBooks Hiring Test? We heard that every week. The answer was 'no' - until now. With the help of Alicia Katz Pollock and Royalwise we've got a QuickBooks Online Beginner Test available, with an Intermediate one in beta testing. In 40 minutes, with 40 questions, find out what level your candidate is at and what training they need. With the inclusion of remote proctoring you know the test is taken in 'exam' conditions. Have a look! https://lnkd.in/gSikFYr6 #hirefastwithconfidence

Accountests out an about in Melbourne!

We often hear accounting firms express fear that asking good candidates to complete assessments will risk them dropping out of the process. Handled well testing will actually ensure your candidates engage with you in a more meaningful way.  It's worth thinking about the way you discuss testing with candidates and how you put them at ease. #hirefastwithconfidence

Hiring the right accounting professionals has never been more challenging, with AI-generated resumes and rehearsed interview answers making it hard to identify truly qualified candidates. Join me on an Earmark webinar where I will show you how to use testing to obtain objective, unbiased evidence that simplifies and accelerates your hiring decisions. Learn the benefits of various testing methods and how to select the best ones for hiring accountants, tax pros, auditors, and bookkeepers. Join me to make smarter, faster, and fairer hiring choices that will strengthen your firm. October 22 12pm Pacific / 3pm Eastern. Register here:

Did you ever hire or promote someone who might have all the right technical skills, but when it came to it they couldn’t juggle multiple client demands? Emails unanswered or acknowledged. Deadlines missed without communication. Even though you asked the interview question “Tell me about a time when you had to manage competing priorities”…. It takes a good interviewer to see past a candidate who has a practiced response. Good personality tests can assess this with scientific accuracy. #hirefastwithconfidence