Seven steps from brief to day one
The same repeatable process on every finance hire, with no handovers.
Step 1: Pre-hire discovery / strategy briefing
A 30-minute brief: technical requirements, culture, what success looks like, the salary range you'll sign off, who decides and two sets of interview dates. We also look at your current process and where it loses people.
Example: for a Financial Controller brief we'll agree whether the role is site, group or first-controller, and hold both interview dates before we approach anyone.
Step 2: Pre-hire preparation / develop your EVP
We define your employee value proposition in a one-page summary that sells the opportunity, refine the job specification and optimise the advert.
Example: replacing a list of duties with the three things the hire will have changed after a year.
Step 3: Pre-sourcing – research & market mapping
Our network plus digital tools to map active and passive candidates who match the brief, not just the most visible ones.
Step 4: Sourcing – outreach / approach
Direct, consultative approaches to people who may not be looking but fit your business. We ask about motivation and counter-offer risk from the first call.
Step 5: Shortlist presentation
Three or four standout candidates, each assessed against the Gravitate Baseline. Quality before quantity. Then a two-stage interview process, targeting shortlist to offer within two weeks.
Example: each candidate comes with notes on salary expectations, notice period and what would make them stay where they are.
Step 6: Offer management
Advice on the package, expectations managed on both sides, and the counter-offer planned for before resignation day.
Example: agreeing with the candidate before they resign what they'll say if they're offered more to stay.
Step 7: Onboarding
We stay close to you and your new hire through notice and the first weeks, checking progress and smoothing early challenges.
A structured two-stage process targeting shortlist to offer within two weeks.
The two weeks start when we present the shortlist: briefing, research, outreach and screening happen before that. Hitting it relies on you holding interview slots, giving feedback within a day or two and making decisions promptly. Start dates then depend on each candidate's notice period. It's a target we plan around, not a guarantee.
The Gravitate Baseline
Every candidate we introduce is assessed against five equally weighted criteria. We score each one 1 to 5 when we screen, and you receive the scores with written notes. It keeps shortlists consistent, so you compare like with like. Download the free interview scorecard (PDF) · Word
Proactivity
Takes ownership of problems and improvements without waiting to be asked.
Accountability
Owns their numbers, deadlines and mistakes, and fixes what's theirs to fix.
Commitment to the role
Wants this role for reasons it can satisfy, not just the salary.
Communication
Explains the numbers clearly to finance and non-finance colleagues.
Technical background
Has the qualifications and hands-on experience the role needs from day one.
What each criterion assesses
| Criterion | What it assesses | Evidence that supports a rating |
|---|---|---|
| Proactivity | Whether the candidate spots problems and improvements and acts on them without waiting to be asked. | Specific examples of finding an issue, such as a slow close, a weak control or a manual report, and fixing it unprompted. |
| Accountability | Whether they own their numbers, deadlines and mistakes. | Honest accounts of errors, what they changed afterwards, and no shifting of blame to systems or colleagues. |
| Commitment to the role | Whether they want this role for reasons it can actually satisfy, not just the salary. | Clear, consistent reasons for moving that this role meets, and having thought through the commute, notice period and how they would respond to a counter-offer. |
| Communication | Whether they can explain the numbers clearly to finance and non-finance colleagues. | Explaining a variance or technical point in plain English, listening, and adapting to the audience. |
| Technical background | Whether they have the qualifications and hands-on experience the role needs from day one. | A relevant qualification (or qualified by experience) and recent, hands-on examples of the core work: month-end, reporting, systems and controls. |
How a rating is given
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5: 1 no evidence, 2 limited, 3 meets the bar, 4 strong, 5 exceptional. Three is the bar, not a safe middle, and a 4 or 5 needs specific examples behind it. We score every shortlisted candidate this way when we screen them, and base each score on what the candidate can evidence, not on general impressions. You receive a 1–5 score and written notes for each criterion. You can also use the same scorecard at your own interviews.
Tailored to your role
The five criteria stay the same for every hire. What changes is the technical detail: in the 30-minute brief we agree the technical requirements and what success looks like, and the role-specific must-haves (for example, owning a full month-end close or standard costing in a manufacturing environment) are assessed alongside the Baseline. Our interview scorecard (PDF) has rows for exactly this.
How it helps you compare
Because every shortlisted candidate is assessed against the same five criteria, you can compare them like for like and see where each is strong and where to probe at interview. The Baseline is a consistent, structured way to assess and compare candidates. It informs your decision; it doesn't replace your interviews or guarantee how anyone will perform.
Illustrative assessment example: fictional candidate, Financial Controller shortlist
This example is illustrative. The candidate, employer and evidence are fictional and do not describe a real person, client or past assessment. It shows three of the five criteria in the format you receive.
| Criterion | Example evidence (fictional) | Rating (1–5) |
|---|---|---|
| Technical background | Ran a 10-day month-end close for a fictional food manufacturer and walked through the balance sheet reconciliations she owned. | 4 · strong |
| Communication | Explained a fictional margin variance clearly, but relied on finance jargon when asked how she would brief an operations manager. | 3 · meets the bar |
| Commitment to the role | Wants a broader commercial role than her current one offers; has checked the commute and a one-month notice period. | 4 · strong |
What we ask of you
The two-week target only works if both sides keep things moving. These are the things that make the difference.
- A named decision-maker and agreed salary range before we go to market
- Interview slots held in diaries for both stages
- Feedback on CVs and interviews within a day or two
- A quick decision and written offer after final interview
- Time with your new hire during their notice period
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“Finding a recruiter you can rely on consistently to deliver isn’t always easy. Gravitate have helped us recruit in multiple disciplines and have changed how we view the hiring process”
“Our recruitment methods were a bit archaic and we were struggling to get people into the business. Since we have used Gravitate exclusively, we have hired four candidates seamlessly with our hiring managers feeling much more confident about having to recruit”
Eliot Acton
I've recruited finance professionals since 2014, so over 10 years. I started in part-qualified finance recruitment across Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, then led a newly qualified finance and accountancy desk focused on practice-to-industry and second or third industry moves. From 2017 to 2022 I set up and ran a South West qualified finance recruitment operation from Exeter. In June 2022 I founded Gravitate on what I'd learned: most growing businesses lose more time and money to a weak hiring process than to the market itself. Today I work with FMCG, food & drink, retail, and manufacturing & engineering leaders to hire finance talent with the commercial, technical and AI skills to drive change, from Finance Manager to FD.
Outside work, I'm usually out in the Devon countryside with my family or at Bradninch & Kentisbeare Cricket Club, where I'm chairman.
- Finance and accountancy roles only.
- Every brief taken and every process managed personally.
- Straight advice on salary, even when it's not what you want to hear.
Frequently asked questions
What is your 7-step methodology?
Our seven steps are: pre-hire discovery and strategy briefing; pre-hire preparation and EVP; research and market mapping; outreach; shortlist presentation of three or four candidates; offer management; and onboarding. The same repeatable process runs on every finance hire, managed by one specialist from brief to start date.
What is the Gravitate Baseline?
The Gravitate Baseline is our quality standard: five equally weighted criteria we assess every candidate against before introducing them: proactivity, accountability, commitment to the role, communication and technical background. We score each criterion 1 to 5 when we screen, and you receive the scores with written notes. It keeps shortlists consistent, so you can compare candidates like with like.
How do you handle counter-offers?
In our own offers over the last 12 months, about 1 in 3 met a counter-offer. We ask every candidate the counter-offer question at screening, flag the risk on the shortlist, shape the offer around what they told us they want, and prepare them for resignation day. It doesn't remove the risk; it reduces it.
How long does it take to hire a Financial Controller or Finance Director in the South West?
We run a structured two-stage interview process that targets shortlist to offer within two weeks. Sourcing and screening happen before the shortlist, and the timeline relies on prompt interview slots and decisions on your side. The start date then depends on the candidate's notice period, which is often longer for senior roles such as Financial Controllers and Finance Directors, so plan for that when you set the hiring timeline.