What to think about before hiring... A quick checklist
A few things to think about before you go to market...
Hiring the right candidate is crucial for the success of any organisation. Here are the most important factors to consider before you hire:
Job Requirements and Role Clarity:
- Clearly define the job description, responsibilities, and expectations.
- Identify the essential skills, qualifications, and experience needed.
Legal Compliance:
- Ensure compliance with UK employment laws, including right-to-work checks.
- Be aware of anti-discrimination laws and fair hiring practices.
Candidate Experience and Qualifications:
- How you will assess the candidate's educational background and relevant qualifications.
- How you will evaluate their work experience and track record in similar roles.
Cultural Fit and Values Alignment:
- Consider if the candidate's values align with the company's culture and values.
- Assess their ability to integrate and work well with the existing team.
Skills and Competencies:
- Test the candidate’s technical and soft skills through interviews, assessments, or practical tasks.
- Check for necessary certifications or professional memberships, if applicable.
References and Background Checks:
- Conduct thorough reference checks to verify the candidate's past performance and reliability.
- Perform background checks, including criminal records, if relevant to the role.
Salary Expectations and Budget:
- Ensure the candidate’s salary expectations align with the company's budget.
- Consider additional costs such as benefits, bonuses, and pension contributions.
Potential for Growth and Development:
- Evaluate the candidate’s potential for future growth and their willingness to develop new skills.
- Consider how the candidate's career goals align with the company's long-term objectives.
Diversity and Inclusion:
- Strive to create a diverse and inclusive workplace by considering candidates from various backgrounds.
- Implement unbiased recruitment processes to ensure fair opportunities for all candidates.
Soft Skills and Interpersonal Abilities:
- Assess the candidate’s communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
- Consider their adaptability, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
Availability and Notice Periods:
- Check the candidate’s availability and any notice periods they need to serve.
- Consider any potential start date and how it fits with the company's timeline.
Feedback from the Hiring Team:
- Gather input from all members of the hiring team to ensure a balanced decision.
- Consider feedback from initial interviews, assessments, and any trial periods.
Taking these factors into account will help ensure a thorough and effective hiring process, leading to the selection of the best candidate for the role.
There is a lot of confidence right now in finance. AI will fix reporting. AI will speed up forecasting. AI will improve insight. AI will free finance teams up to be more strategic. Some of that will be true. But there is an uncomfortable truth that rarely gets discussed. Most finance teams are not ready for AI. And AI is not the reason why. The illusion many finance leaders are buying into AI has become a convenient shortcut. A way to believe that technology will solve problems that are actually rooted in people, structure and decision making. If the tools are smart enough, the thinking will improve. If the dashboards are better, decisions will follow. If the output is faster, the function will become more strategic. That logic sounds attractive. It is also flawed. AI does not fix weak judgement. It does not fix unclear ownership. It does not fix poor challenge. It does not fix a finance team that lacks confidence or commercial understanding. It simply accelerates whatever already exists. Why AI exposes finance weaknesses rather than solving them In many organisations, finance already produces more information than the business can properly use. More reports have not led to better decisions. More data has not led to clearer strategy. More analysis has not led to better outcomes. AI increases volume, speed and sophistication. But it does not tell you: Which numbers actually matter What trade offs to make When to challenge a decision When to say no Those are human responsibilities. If a finance team struggles to influence decisions today, AI will not suddenly give it a stronger voice tomorrow. The real risk leaders are ignoring The real risk is not that AI replaces finance professionals. The real risk is that it exposes which finance roles never moved beyond production in the first place. As automation removes transactional work, the remaining roles become more exposed. They require: Judgement Commercial awareness Confidence Influence Accountability for decisions Some people step into that space naturally. Others retreat from it. AI does not create that divide. It reveals it. Where most organisations are getting this wrong Many businesses are investing heavily in tools while changing very little about: How finance roles are defined What finance people are hired for How performance is measured Where decision ownership sits So finance teams are asked to be more strategic without being hired, structured or rewarded to do so. That is not transformation. It is expectation inflation. Why hiring matters more than technology right now Two organisations can implement the same AI tools. One gets better decisions. The other gets faster confusion. The difference is not software. It is capability. The businesses seeing real value from AI are: Hiring people who can interpret and challenge outputs Building finance roles around decisions, not reports Developing commercial confidence, not just technical depth Being honest about who can step up and who cannot They understand that AI raises the bar. It does not lower it. The conversation finance leaders need to have The most important AI question for finance is not: What tools should we buy? It is: Do we have the people who can actually use this well? Because AI does not replace weak finance functions. It makes their weaknesses impossible to hide. And for leaders willing to face that honestly, that is not a threat. It is an opportunity.
Most finance transformations do not fail because of systems
Speed has become a badge of honour in recruitment