Why Your Hiring Process Is Costing You Top Finance Talent (And How to Fix It) Hiring finance professionals is more competitive than ever. Candidates with in-demand skills, whether in financial planning, data analytics, business partnering, or transformation, are often juggling multiple offers and moving quickly through the market. Yet too many businesses are losing out on top talent. Not because of poor compensation or lack of opportunity, but because their hiring process is too slow, too unclear, or too frustrating. This post explores the hidden costs of a broken hiring process and what finance leaders and hiring managers can do to fix it—before losing another great candidate. The Real Cost of a Poor Hiring Process You might think your recruitment process is “fine”—but candidates see it differently. And in a candidate-led finance market, their perception is what matters. Here’s how a substandard process costs you more than you might realise: 1. Lost Candidates Top finance professionals often have multiple opportunities on the go. If your process drags out by a week longer than necessary, they will simply move on. Once interest drops, it is rarely recovered. “We really liked them, but they’d already accepted another offer” → Translation: You were too slow. 2. Brand Damage Even candidates you do not hire become brand advocates—or critics. A disorganised or impersonal process reflects poorly on your business and damages future engagement with talent. 3. Internal Strain Delays in hiring can place additional stress on finance teams already stretched thin, affecting month-end close, project delivery, and team morale. 4. Higher Cost Per Hire Longer hiring cycles mean more time spent by internal teams, higher agency fees, and possible temporary cover—all of which hit your budget. Common Hiring Process Failures in Finance Having recruited for finance teams across growth businesses, SMEs, and corporates, these are the most common pitfalls we see: • Delayed Feedback Loops Managers take too long to review CVs or provide feedback after interviews, creating bottlenecks and giving candidates the impression you are not serious. • Overly Complex Processes Five interview stages, lengthy assessments, and unclear timelines frustrate candidates. If they cannot see a clear path to offer, they disengage. • Unclear Role Definition If hiring managers are not aligned on what they need, the interview experience becomes inconsistent. Candidates leave uncertain—and unimpressed. • Poor Communication Silence after an interview. Vague next steps. Lack of feedback. All of these are red flags for candidates—especially those with high standards. • No Flexibility Rigid scheduling, inability to accommodate virtual interviews, or insisting on full-time office presence when the market is moving hybrid-first—all drive talent away. The Solution: A Smarter, Faster, More Human Process The good news? Most of these issues are fixable. Here is how: 1. Define the Role and Ideal Candidate Up Front Before advertising, align all stakeholders on what success looks like. Agree on core skills, culture fit, and key outcomes. This will reduce decision-making time later. 2. Streamline Interview Stages Aim for no more than three meaningful interactions: Initial screening (can be recruiter-led) Hiring manager interview Final stage (with stakeholder, task, or panel) Each should have a clear purpose and add value to both you and the candidate. 3. Set and Stick to Timelines From first CV received to offer, aim to complete the process within 3 weeks. Communicate this upfront and hold everyone accountable internally. 4. Improve Communication Keep candidates in the loop, even if there is a delay. Provide feedback after every stage—even brief, constructive feedback is appreciated and enhances your reputation. 5. Invest in Interview Training Ensure your hiring managers know how to run an effective interview. Poor interviewing is a top reason candidates turn down offers—especially in finance, where credibility matters. 6. Use Tech for Efficiency, Not Avoidance Applicant tracking systems and scheduling tools are helpful—but don’t hide behind them. Candidates value personal engagement and responsiveness. Bonus: What Exceptional Hiring Looks Like We recently worked with a finance leader hiring a Financial Controller for a high-growth SaaS business. The role was defined in detail before the search began. Interview stages were clear and spaced over 10 days. Feedback was given within 24 hours after each stage. An offer was made—and accepted—within 3 weeks. The result? A high-calibre candidate turned down another opportunity to join them, citing “the professionalism and pace of the process” as the key reason. That is what great hiring looks like. Final Thought You cannot control the market—but you can control your process. In a competitive finance talent landscape, businesses that move faster, communicate better, and respect candidates’ time are the ones winning the best people. The cost of a bad process is high. But the return on getting it right? Transformational. If you are serious about hiring top finance talent—start by fixing your process.

AI Tools Every CFO Should Be Exploring in 2025 CFOs are under increasing pressure to deliver faster insights, improve accuracy, and lead strategic decisions across the business. Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept; it is now central to how finance operates. From forecasting to fraud detection, AI tools are transforming the finance function and giving forward-thinking CFOs a serious competitive edge. But with so many tools on the market, which ones are truly worth your attention? This guide highlights the most impactful AI-powered tools CFOs should be exploring in 2025, categorised by the problems they solve and the value they add. 1. Financial Planning and Forecasting Modern FP&A is being redefined by AI. No more building static models from scratch. These tools use historical data, real-time feeds, and machine learning to build rolling forecasts and simulate multiple business scenarios in minutes. Recommended Tools: Pigment: A cloud-native FP&A platform that combines financial modelling with collaboration. It uses AI to spot trends and create dynamic forecasts. Planful: Known for its ease of use, Planful provides real-time forecasting, budget variance alerts, and smart scenario planning. Datarails: A flexible Excel-native tool that uses AI to automate consolidation and financial reporting while maintaining spreadsheet control. Why It Matters: These tools cut hours of manual work, improve forecasting accuracy, and allow finance teams to deliver real-time insights to the boardroom. 2. Cash Flow and Working Capital Management AI is helping finance leaders optimise cash flow by analysing customer payment behaviour, forecasting receivables, and even suggesting optimal collection strategies. Recommended Tools: Tesorio: Uses AI to automate collections and give visibility into cash flow forecasts. HighRadius: Offers a complete AI-powered treasury suite, from invoice delivery to collections prioritisation. Why It Matters: Cash flow remains one of the most critical financial indicators—especially in uncertain markets. These tools reduce debtor days and strengthen financial agility. 3. Spend Management and Procurement AI tools are bringing visibility, control, and predictive insights to procurement and expense management. They help CFOs track spending patterns, spot savings opportunities, and prevent maverick spending. Recommended Tools: Spendesk: Combines spend approvals, virtual cards, expense claims, and reporting in one platform, with AI-driven categorisation. Procurify: AI-enabled purchasing workflows, spend tracking, and vendor performance analysis. Why It Matters: With inflationary pressures and supply chain risks, controlling spend is more important than ever. These tools allow real-time budget tracking and policy enforcement. 4. Fraud Detection and Risk Monitoring Traditional controls are no longer enough to detect sophisticated fraud or anomalies. AI can analyse large datasets across finance and operations, flagging outliers and predicting risk exposure in real time. Recommended Tools: MindBridge: Uses machine learning to analyse financial transactions and identify potential errors, fraud, or misstatements. Darktrace (for Finance): Originally developed for cybersecurity, now offering AI solutions that monitor transactional risk and system access patterns. Why It Matters: Risk is no longer static. These tools give CFOs early warnings, enabling more proactive risk management and tighter internal controls. 5. AI-Enhanced Business Intelligence and Decision Support The ability to extract insights from data is a top priority for finance leaders. New AI-powered tools can automatically build dashboards, summarise financial performance, and even recommend actions. Recommended Tools: Microsoft Copilot (Excel, Power BI, Teams): AI embedded directly into your Microsoft ecosystem. Ask questions in plain English and receive charts, forecasts, and insights. ThoughtSpot: An AI-driven analytics tool that enables non-technical users to generate insights through natural language queries. Why It Matters: Finance can become a true driver of decision-making by reducing reliance on data analysts and enabling faster, data-backed decisions. 6. AI Assistants and Workflow Automation Beyond data and forecasting, CFOs can now automate approval flows, report generation, and even board pack creation with the help of AI. Recommended Tools: UiPath or Automation Anywhere: Robotic process automation (RPA) platforms that integrate with finance systems to automate repetitive tasks. Sage Copilot (for SMEs): An AI assistant built into accounting software to simplify reconciliations and reporting. Why It Matters: Removing repetitive work saves time, reduces errors, and frees your team to focus on strategy and analysis. Key Considerations Before You Invest Before rolling out new AI tools, consider the following: Integration: Will it work with your ERP, BI, and finance systems? User experience: Will your team adopt it easily? Governance: Is the data secure and compliant? Scalability: Can it grow with your business needs? AI is not a trend—it is a toolset that can completely transform your finance function if used wisely. The CFOs who will lead in 2025 and beyond are those who understand where AI adds value, choose the right tools for their goals, and build teams that are confident using them. It is not about replacing finance, It is about enhancing its impact across the organisation.