Category: Human Resources

A Practical Guide to Hiring an HR Specialist

Bringing an HR specialist on to your team can dramatically improve efficiency, reduce friction and free up leaders to focus on strategic growth. But hiring without a clear plan can also create confusion and frustration. The key is to approach HR hiring intentionally, understanding what your organization truly needs and how that role will contribute to your people strategy.

Step 1: Assess Your Current HR Challenges

Before hiring, take a close look at where your team is struggling:

  • Are recruiting processes taking longer than they should?
  • Are managers spending too much time answering benefits or policy questions?
  • Is onboarding inconsistent or incomplete?
  • Are compliance tasks causing stress or errors?

Identifying these pain points will help you determine which HR expertise will have the most immediate impact.

Step 2: Decide Which Type of HR Specialist You Need

HR is not a one-size-fits-all function. Different specialists address different challenges:

  • Recruiting-focused HR specialists handle job postings, candidate communications, interview scheduling and offer management.
  • Benefits-focused HR specialists manage enrollments, answer employee questions and coordinate with vendors to streamline benefits administration.
  • Employee experience or engagement specialists focus on onboarding, training, retention programs and initiatives that strengthen company culture.

Choosing the right type of specialist ensures your hire solves real problems, rather than just filling a role.

Step 3: Write a Clear Job Description

A well-written job description is critical for attracting qualified candidates. Go beyond listing tasks, define results and expectations:

  • What specific challenges will the employee address in the first 90 to 180 days?
  • How will success be measured?
  • Which systems, policies or programs will the specialist manage?

Include interpersonal expectations, as well. Strong communication skills, empathy, professionalism and good judgment are just as important as technical knowledge.

Step 4: Consider Flexible Hiring Options

Not every HR need requires a full-time hire immediately. Flexible approaches such as contract, temporary, or contract-to-hire arrangements can:

  • Provide immediate support for pressing HR tasks.
  • Allow your team to evaluate fit and cultural alignment.
  • Give your organization flexibility during periods of growth or change.

These models reduce risk while ensuring essential HR functions are handled by qualified professionals.

Step 5: Hire for Ability and Growth Potential

Waiting for a candidate who meets every requirement can slow your progress and cause you to lose strong talent. Instead, look for someone with:

  • A strong foundation in HR practices
  • Good judgment and problem-solving skills
  • The ability to adapt and learn quickly

Once you identify the right person, act quickly. Top HR talent is in demand, and delays can cost you the best candidates.

Step 6: Treat HR as a Strategic Investment

HR is more than an administrative function, it’s a strategic asset. The right HR specialist improves consistency, reduces errors, enhances employee experience and allows leaders to focus on driving growth. When aligned with your organization’s goals, HR adds momentum and clarity across all people-related processes.

Next Steps: If your team needs guidance on identifying the right HR role or hiring approach for your organization, our team can help you find skilled human resources professionals to keep your business running smoothly.

From Skills to Strategy: Future-Proof Your Organization

The ground is shifting beneath your workforce faster than most organizations can keep up. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, 39% of workers’ core skills are expected to become obsolete by 2030, a trend driven by AI and automation. For finance, accounting and HR leaders, this change is happening now. It demands a fundamental rethinking of how you build and deploy talent.

While upskilling your existing team is valuable, it’s not always fast enough for urgent business needs. Future-proofing your organization means being strategic about when to build talent internally and when to bring in external expertise, and having the agility to do both at the speed of business. Strategic staffing solutions that combine permanent hires with flexible, on-demand expertise give you that agility.

Here’s how to make it happen.

1. Hire People Who Can Evolve With Your Business

Traditional hiring focuses on checking boxes: Do they have the right degree? The right experience? In a world where skills expire faster than credentials, this approach leaves you vulnerable.

Instead, prioritize candidates who demonstrate learning agility, problem-solving capacity and the ability to pivot. In finance and accounting, this might mean valuing someone who has successfully navigated multiple ERP implementations over someone who is only familiar with one system. The former will adapt when you inevitably need to change platforms again. The latter becomes obsolete along with the technology.

This skills-first mindset requires rigorous candidate evaluation that goes beyond the resume. At Century Group, we use our proprietary Blue Methodology to assess and rank candidates not just on experience, but on their ability to meet your company’s evolving needs. This means only the top five to six candidates ever reach your desk.

2. Deploy Flexible Staffing Models Strategically

You can’t predict exactly which skills you’ll need two years from now. So why commit to permanent hires in every role when flexibility could be your competitive advantage?

Contract-to-hire and interim placements are strategic future-proofing tools. They give you the ability to test specialized skills in real-world conditions before making long-term commitments. Need a controller who can navigate a complex system integration? Bring them in on a contract basis. If they prove adaptable and deliver results, convert them to permanent. If the project evolves or priorities shift, you’ve maintained agility.

This “try before you buy” approach dramatically reduces hiring risk. Century Group clients achieve a 4.9:1 interview-to-hire ratio because we match the right staffing model to each strategic need. That means direct hire for core positions or professional staffing for specialized, time-sensitive demands.

3. Access Specialized Expertise On-Demand

Some skills are too specialized or time-sensitive to develop internally. When you need expertise in tax law changes, M&A integration or regulatory compliance, bring in professionals who already have it.

The best candidates, like those with Big 4 and Fortune 500 experience, aren’t actively job hunting. Century Group’s network gives you access to that passive talent pool, delivering specialized expertise when your business needs it most.

4. Map Skills Gaps Before Urgency Hits

Most hiring happens reactively. Someone leaves, a project gets greenlit, or priorities shift. You post a job, start interviewing and hope to fill the gap before it derails your timeline. But future-proofing requires getting ahead of demand — not constantly playing catch-up.

Conduct regular skills assessments. Which regulatory changes are on the horizon? What systems implementations are on your road map? What M&A activity might be coming? Each of these shifts creates new skill demands.

Some skills warrant permanent hires. Others are better suited to contract specialists who bring deep expertise for a defined period. Still, others might justify upskilling existing team members. The key is making these decisions proactively.

Is Your Workforce Ready for What’s Next?

Future-proofing your organization means having talent that can adapt when the future inevitably surprises you. That means hiring for potential, deploying flexible staffing models, strategically accessing specialized expertise and moving fast without sacrificing quality.

Contact us today to begin building the adaptable workforce your business needs to thrive through change.

Why Hiring HR Pros Is Hard — And How Staffing Firms Help

Have you noticed that hiring HR professionals is harder than it used to be? Companies struggle to fill critical positions for months, leaving teams understaffed and overwhelmed. These HR hiring challenges create ripple effects throughout organizations. Fortunately, firms can provide HR staffing solutions to break this cycle and connect you with the talent you need.

Contributing Factors to the HR Hiring Challenges

HR represents one of the smallest professional functions in the workforce. So, when it comes to HR professionals, hiring means you’re fishing in a very small pond. Companies outside major metropolitan areas face even greater challenges, as HR talent concentrates heavily in large cities.

The Network Gap

Traditional HR recruitment strategies often fall short because they miss out on qualified candidates who lack access to established networks. That’s where specialized expertise and a well-cultivated pipeline make all the difference.

Skills Mismatch and Evolving Requirements

Modern HR roles demand much more than traditional administrative tasks. Today’s HR professionals need business acumen, data literacy and technology skills to drive strategic initiatives. However, many HR job descriptions still focus on generic requirements like “communication skills” and “attention to detail.”

This disconnect creates problems for everyone involved. You struggle to attract candidates with modern capabilities while qualified professionals pass over positions that seem outdated. HR hiring best practices require understanding what today’s HR function needs to succeed.

Time Pressure Leading to Poor Decisions

When your HR team is understaffed, pressure mounts quickly. A bad hire can cost significant time and money, yet you might rush decisions when desperate to fill roles. This creates a dangerous cycle where business hiring strategies prioritize speed over quality, leading to even more turnover.

You face an impossible choice: move fast and risk a poor fit, or take time for thorough vetting while your operations suffer.

Tap Into a Well-Cultivated Network

Professional HR recruitment firms maintain relationships with candidates across multiple markets and industries. Whether you want a direct hire or contract-to-hire, staffing firms invest time building these networks so companies don’t have to start from scratch for every search.

Matching You With Today’s HR Skills

HR talent acquisition specialists can translate a company’s needs into effective search strategies. They understand which skills are most important for various industries and company sizes. This expertise helps create better matches between candidates and positions.

Speed Without Sacrificing Quality

Professional staffing firms can deliver qualified candidates quickly because they’ve already done much of the groundwork. They maintain pre-vetted candidate pools, enabling faster placements without compromising quality.

We Solve HR Hiring Challenges

Century Group is positioned to solve your HR hiring challenges. Our extensive network and proven three-phase process deliver qualified candidates quickly, often with same-day interviews and placements within 24 hours. Let us help you build the HR team to drive your business forward.

Key Questions Every Manager Should Ask in Employee Reviews

Employee reviews. A time when managers can find themselves intimidated with what questions to ask, and how to deliver meaningful feedback. Sure, while the idea is to assess an employee’s performance, identify areas for improvement and set goals for the future — the objective of these meetings is flooded with intention and purpose. And as a manager, to maximize the productivity and meaningfulness derived from these one-on-ones, you need to ask the right questions. That’s why we’ve rounded up the essential questions you should ask during employee reviews.

1. What have you achieved this year that you’re proud of?

The best way to put both parties at ease during the annual review? Starting off on a positive note. By asking this question, you’re able to shine a light on the employee’s strengths and provide validation for their hard work. Plus, this will help you when it comes to highlighting contributions toward the organization’s overall goals.

2. What were the biggest hurdles you faced this year?

Equally important to discussing accomplishments: recognizing challenges within your team. Likely you’re already aware of the key obstacles your team members have faced throughout the year, but utilize this as an opportunity to follow up. Ask the employee how they managed to overcome this challenge and if they would do anything differently. By encouraging employees to reflect on their problem-solving abilities, you can lead them to insights on how to tackle future obstacles. It also provides visibility into the challenges your team is facing, which better equips you in helping your team avoid those hurdles in the coming year.

3. What professional skills would you like to develop? How can I support you in this?

According to a Gallup survey, 61% of American workers say upskilling opportunities are an important reason to stay at their job, and 48% of workers would switch to a new job if offered skills training opportunities. So, consider this question important in the eyes of employee retention. Specifically, this question demonstrates your interest in the employee’s professional growth and shows that the organization is committed to helping them advance their career.

4. What are your goals for the upcoming year?

As a birds-eye-view type of follow-up to the previous question, ask your team members what their short- and long-term career goals are. Take time to consider if the skills they’re interested in developing align with the goals they share. If not, make recommendations for specific skills and focus areas to help them reach these goals.

5. What feedback do you have?

While the primary goal of the review is for you to provide feedback to your team members, it’s also crucial to allow time for your employee to share their own feedback with you. Often, there aren’t many organic opportunities for the employee to do so. By asking if they have any opinions or concerns, you’re demonstrating that you’re open to receiving input and are committed to improving the work culture.

Employee reviews are a crucial aspect of being a people leader — but they don’t have to be intimidating. By asking the right questions, you can ensure that employees feel valued, acknowledged and motivated to continuously improve. For more insights, check out our 2023 Q3 Accounting and Finance Employment Report.

Unlocking Untapped Talent: Why You Should Hire for Potential

If you’ve posted a job listing, you’re likely aware about the emphasis on experience when hiring a new team member. However, times might just be changing as new approaches to evaluating job candidates are emerging. In the realm of accounting and finance, companies need skilled professionals who can handle financial data, interpret trends and make strategic decisions that impact the bottom line. As a manager in this industry, you know just how valuable experienced employees can be. However, you may be missing out on an untapped source of talent by focusing solely on experience. Let’s explore why hiring for potential might just be as important (if not more so) as hiring for experience in the accounting and finance industry.

1. It’s a long-term investment

Experience is valuable, but it can also be limiting. People who have been doing the same thing for years may not be open to new ideas or ways of approaching problems. By contrast, hiring someone for their potential — or hiring someone based on their skill set rather than their years of experience — can prove valuable.

When you hire someone with potential, you’re investing in their long-term growth and development. They likely have fresh ideas, are eager to learn and, ultimately, they’re more likely to take on new challenges that can benefit your business.

2. It creates diversity

When it comes to diversity, it’s important not to overlook diversity of thought. When you hire strictly based on experience, you tend to hire people with the same qualifications, with similar backgrounds. This opens the door to a lack of creative thinking and problem-solving skills within your team. But when you pursue candidates with different experience levels, backgrounds, education levels or interests, you’re more likely to build a well-rounded team that is more apt to look at challenges from a multitude of perspectives.

3. It can add unique skills and strengths to your team

Hiring for potential is not synonymous with hiring inexperienced candidates. Rather, it means hiring someone whose potentially nonlinear professional background has led to unique skills or strengths that may look different from those typically in the accounting and finance path of progression. For example, someone with experience in a different industry might bring skills (like attention to detail, for example) that can be applied to the field of accounting and finance. Or, a candidate with strong analytical skills from a different field can still be a valuable asset to your team. The key ingredient in successfully hiring for potential is looking for an eagerness and a willingness to learn.

4. It can reduce the risk of burnout

Burnout is a hot topic in today’s accounting and finance industry. If an individual has been doing the same day-to-day tasks for years, chances are they’re going to become bored or dissatisfied. But by focusing on someone’s potential, you’re hiring candidates that are eager and excited to take on the new challenges of the role. This creates a healthy culture of growth while also reducing the risk of burnout. 

Ultimately, by focusing on potential, you can build a team that is passionate to learn and eager to grow with your business. Are you currently looking to add a member to your team? Contact us today; we’re here to help you with your talent search.

Managing Hybrid Staff: 4 Insights for Success

Many companies are making the switch to hybrid, and as a manager, understanding and adapting to this new style of work is essential. How can you successfully manage a hybrid workforce? Here are four tips to help you out.

Be Flexible

You’re likely familiar with the fact that your employees — and their work preferences — don’t fall under a one-size-fits-all category. The good news? Knowing what types of hybrid workers you have in your organization can be a huge advantage. So, how can you determine employee preferences and personality types?

One way is to send out a simple survey. Ask your associates questions regarding in-person versus remote work preferences, hybrid work concerns, and opportunities they’re looking forward to. You’ll likely find that your employees fit into a few distinct categories: those that are happy with a hybrid schedule, those that are unsure about the change, and those that crave help with potential hybrid challenges.

Additionally, consider asking team members to take a workplace-based personality test. This list of the top employer-used personality tests might be a good place to start. Understanding the different personality types on your team will propel you to a more efficient way of working; once you know what workstyles are complementary to each other, you can have confidence in task assignment and navigating team synergy.

Be Strategic

If you know what types of hybrid workers are on your team, it’s time to be strategic. The importance of deadlines, expectations and accountability is heightened when considering a hybrid environment. Setting clear priorities for what work should be done in-person and what work should be done remotely is key to optimizing your team’s time.

Be Inclusive

Exclusivity is the enemy of hybrid work. That’s why it’s essential to be mindful of those who are working remotely while others are in the office. Ensure all-team meetings are held online, and create dedicated channels for team-wide and company-wide communications. That way no one misses a memo.

Also be sure to encourage communication and collaboration. To combat feelings of isolation, facilitate team-building activities such as social events or group lunches. This will help employees feel more connected to one another and foster a sense of teamwork.

Watch for Signs of Burnout

As employees adjust to the new routine of a hybrid workstyle, it’s important to be mindful of the key indicators of burnout. Worried about your team finding a healthy work-life balance? Here’s how to handle employee burnout and prioritize wellness in your workplace.