Hiring the right talent is the difference between leading your market and falling behind — especially in accounting, finance, human resources (HR) and information technology (IT). As more organizations outsource transactional back-office work, in-house roles increasingly act as “strategic partners” that drive decisions and deliver measurable business outcomes.
Yet, despite a soft market in 2026 (with more job seekers than jobs available), hiring top candidates remains a challenge, as employers compete for specialized talent. Working with a Recruiting & Staffing Services team, such as Cherry Bekaert, and leveraging their proven strategies and recruitment techniques, leading employers can win the “talent war.”
2026 Hiring Strategies at a Glance
- Prioritize roles that drive outcomes (revenue, risk reduction, operational efficiency) over purely transactional tasks.
- Meet candidate expectations for clarity and speed — clear role outcomes, transparent expectations and a streamlined interview process.
- Positioning and process matter — publish total compensation ranges, highlight key perks, and remove friction from the process.
According to recent insights from Cherry Bekaert’s Middle Market CFO Survey, 58% of chief financial officers (CFOs) report a critical skills gap within their internal teams, slowing their modernization efforts towards cleaner data, better forecasting, reduced manual work and tighter cross-functional alignment.
As a result, hiring is no longer about filling a seat — it’s about ensuring teams have both the capacity and the systems-focused capability needed to accelerate transformation near and long-term. Organizations that hire for outcome ownership and digital integration skills gain a meaningful competitive edge. These shifts make it even more important to start the hiring process with clarity and speed.
1. Co-create Outcome-focused Job Profiles
Finding top candidates starts with how you define the work — job descriptions. During intake with your staffing and recruiting partner, co-create job listings that translate real business needs into early-impact deliverables (30/60/90 days) and clarify “what success looks like.”
This approach attracts candidates who can connect their past results to your future outcomes and aligns hiring managers on evaluation criteria. Some examples of high-impact roles to write outcome-focused job descriptions for include:
- Accounting & Finance:
- (Financial Planning & Analysis) FP&A Lead
- Pricing/Revenue Operations Analyst
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)/Reporting Owner
- HR:
- Talent Acquisition Manager
- HR Analytics Specialist
- HR Information Systems (HRIS) Specialist
- IT:
- Cybersecurity Engineer
- Data/Business Intelligence (BI) Engineer
- ERP Platform Owner
- Cloud/Infrastructure Engineer
2. Clarify Systems and Interfaces for Candidates
Ensure your job descriptions specify the systems, tools and integrations the role touches (ERP, BI, HRIS, cloud platforms, etc.) Candidates with integration literacy ramp faster and deliver results from day one. This clarity reduces mismatches and supports smarter screening and interviews.
3. Publish Total Compensation Up Front
Transparency builds trust and accelerates hiring decisions. This is especially true regarding compensation. Publish base salary, bonus targets, benefits and equity (if applicable) in your job postings.
Recruiters can advise on market compensation ranges. Cherry Bekaert’s 2026 Salary Guides offer up-to-date compensation trends across accounting and finance, HR and IT, providing insight into how you can budget effectively while still remaining competitive.
4. Streamline Interviews and Communication
Eliminate unnecessary interview rounds, define a role-specific interview plan and set timelines (e.g., 48-hour feedback, five-day decision). This keeps high-impact candidates engaged and reduces drop-off from first contact to offer.
Ready-to-Use Interview Kit
Opening Script
“We’re hiring this role to achieve [two outcomes]. Can you share a time you delivered similar outcomes — what you built, how and the business impact?”
Sample Evaluation Rubric:
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Business Impact & Outcome Linkage |
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Did the candidate tie actions to measurable results (e.g., revenue lift, cost reduction, risk mitigation)? |
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Systems & Integration Literacy |
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Can they articulate data flows, controls and cross system interfaces relevant to the role (ERP/BI/HRIS/Cloud)? |
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Stakeholder Influence & Change Enablement |
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Evidence of aligning finance/IT/HR/business stakeholders and overcoming resistance. |
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Problem solving & Execution Velocity |
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Clear method, timeline discipline and ability to resolve blockers. |
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Communication Clarity |
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Concise, structured answers; ability to translate technical detail for non technical leaders. |
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Culture & Values Alignment |
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Alignment with the organization’s values. |
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Total Score: |
Scoring Guidance:
- 24 – 30: Strong hire; proceed to final round or offer with targeted reference checks.
- 18 – 23: Conditional; address gaps via assignment or second round scenario.
- ≤ 17: Decline or consider alternative role.
Closing Script:
“You’ll hear from us within 48 hours. Next step is [panel/assignment]. We’ll move quickly.”
Action Checklist: Immediate Staffing Wins
- Publish total compensation and interview timelines on all job postings.
- Rewrite three job descriptions with 30/60/90-day outcomes and a systems/stakeholder section.
- Cut two interview rounds; set 48-hour feedback and five-day decision targets.
- Refresh careers content with real hiring success stories (your recruiting team can help source and shape these).
Collaborate With Cherry Bekaert’s Recruiting & Staffing Team
Cherry Bekaert delivers temporary, permanent and interim talent solutions across accounting and finance, HR and IT. With national recruiting reach and extensive executive search experience, we help employers like you efficiently source, evaluate and hire high‑impact professionals who deliver measurable value.
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