Whether you have recruited recently or not, it would be a surprise if you haven’t heard how competitive the tax talent market currently is. Following the post-lockdown hiring boom and the consultancy firms aggressively promoting and giving out pay increases and bonuses, tax candidates have been left with a plethora of jobs to choose from alongside a higher salary expectation.

This might all sound like recruiting in the current market is a bit of a troublesome affair, but having completed a number of successful placements in the past year, it’s not as difficult as you may think. Candidates are realising that opportunities are plentiful, they’ve had their promotions and pay increases, and are now coming to the market to further their careers, to make hay while the sun shines!

So, knowing that candidates will be involved in multiple processes, how does a Head of Tax influence their hiring process to ensure they secure the candidate that they want? We all spoke with candidates that have recently moved to discuss some key points on what they thought went well and what could be improved in some interviews they have recently conducted:

“A clear job description and future vision for the role and team helped me chose my next role”

• Being able to confidently discuss what the person will be doing in the role both now and in the future is a great way to get a candidate keen on joining your business.
• A great example from a candidate was that one interviewer thoroughly understood their experience and talked through how they thought the person’s skillset would fit within the role and most importantly, what they envisaged their career would be like at the business.  

“Getting to know the Head of Tax and senior leaders within the business helped make my mind up”

• Influential people within the business and the team can really help sell a role. It can make a candidate feel incredibly valued if they have the opportunity to have an open conversation with someone they want to work with.

“They made it feel like they wanted me to join, the interview was a two-way process”

• A key point that comes up with a lot candidates we speak with. Ensuring that the interview process is an open dialogue with opportunities for questions, answers and thoughts from both parties.
• There’s no better person to sell the role and business than the head of the team. When meeting candidates, it’s an excellent opportunity to separate yourself from the rest by highlighting the great things the position has to offer.

“The business knew my expectations, the market rate and moved quickly from seeing my CV to offering me the role. This made me feel valued”

• Almost every candidate will be uncertain about a role if it takes too long to move through the processes. If you like somebody, be as efficient as possible to move through the stages and understand what their expectations are. Speak to the recruiter to understand the market rate and be confident in your offer to ensure you secure the person you want.

Whilst the above might not be groundbreaking, the quotes are directly from candidates that have been through multiple processes in the last six months. The key thing here is that it implies that not everybody is doing the basics right. If you can get the above points in place for your next interviews, the candidates will have a positive experience, you will ensure you have maximised the interest of the best talent and you should succeed in making the best hire possible.

If you found the above insightful and would like to read more content from our recent Heads of Tax Journal, please click the thumbnail below to download a copy for yourself.