Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses operate, and recruitment is no exception. From drafting job descriptions to managing information, AI is becoming an increasingly common workplace tool. Technology can improve recruitment efficiency, but understanding what candidates want from their next opportunity requires a human connection.
After more than a decade in recruitment, I’ve seen strong accounting professionals make career decisions based on factors beyond their qualifications. Compensation matters, but career goals, flexibility, workplace culture and meaningful responsibility matter too. These priorities rarely appear on a résumé or job description. They emerge through conversation.
At Stevenson & White, we don’t use AI to screen candidates or manage the recruitment process. We take the time to understand what an organization needs and what a candidate is looking for. For Ottawa employers, making that human connection can be the difference between finding a qualified accounting professional and hiring the right person.
The opportunity must match the market.
Compensation is one of the biggest challenges in recruitment. Employers may establish salary ranges based on historical internal benchmarks or what a previous employee earned. Compensation expectations vary significantly depending on experience, industry, company size, technical expertise and the scope of the position.
Consider a controllership role; if the position involves financial planning, team leadership, systems implementation and interaction with senior management, the responsibilities are broader than traditional accounting duties.
Employers need to understand the entire scope of the position and how it compares with the current market before beginning the search. The goal is not to offer the highest salary; it’s to be realistic and transparent about the responsibilities while understanding the other factors that are important to the candidate.
Efficiency shouldn’t come at the expense of communication.
AI can make some recruitment processes faster. But hiring is about people, and a process that becomes too impersonal can cause strong candidates to lose interest. Highly qualified accounting professionals are often considering multiple opportunities. If an organization takes weeks to schedule interviews, provide feedback or approve an offer, there is a much greater risk of missing out on that candidate.
Delays can create uncertainty for candidates. When communication stops, candidates may question whether the organization is genuinely interested. Employers can avoid these delays by defining the hiring process up front. Who needs to be involved and how many interviews are necessary? Who makes the final decision and how quickly will feedback be provided? The goal isn’t to rush the decision; it is to eliminate unnecessary delay while maintaining meaningful communications.
A résumé doesn’t tell the whole story.
Another recruitment challenge is creating a candidate profile that is too specific.
Organizations want someone with the right education, professional designation, industry experience, software knowledge and leadership capabilities, but when every qualification is a requirement, the available talent pool becomes very small.
A strong accounting professional does not need to have every qualification on day one. The right candidate can bring the technical foundation, communication skills and ability to learn that will allow them to drive success in the role. This is where human judgment matters.
A résumé can tell an employer what someone has done; a conversation can reveal why they made certain career decisions, what motivates them and what they want to accomplish next. Those details are important when determining whether a candidate will succeed in a particular organization.
Candidates are evaluating employers too.
Recruitment is a two-way assessment.
Employers are considering whether a candidate can do the job, while candidates are deciding whether they want to work for the organization. Salary matters, but it isn’t the only factor. Accounting professionals also consider flexibility, benefits, professional development, career progression, leadership exposure and opportunities to take on greater responsibility.
The strongest candidates are often asking a simple question: Why should I leave my current organization to join yours?
Employers need to be prepared to answer that question through genuine conversation. That doesn’t mean offering every possible benefit. It means understanding what makes the opportunity compelling and communicating that clearly.
The offer isn’t the end of the process.
An offer should be the culmination of the conversations that came before it, not simply the final administrative step. By the time an offer is presented, employers should understand what matters most to the candidate. If career progression is important, the employer needs to explain what that can look like. If flexibility is a priority, that conversation needs to happen before the offer is made. If the candidate is looking for greater leadership responsibilities, the organization needs to clearly explain how the role provides that opportunity.
Understanding these priorities doesn’t mean the employer has to accommodate every request. It means both sides can make an informed decision.
The human connection still matters.
AI will continue to change how businesses operate, and technology has a valuable role in improving efficiency. But hiring the right accounting professional requires more than matching qualifications to a job description.
For Ottawa employers, the most effective approach is to understand the market, define the role clearly, communicate consistently and take the time to understand the person behind the résumé.
In our experience, the strongest long-term hires happen when there is alignment between what an organization needs and what a professional wants from their next opportunity. Technology can help businesses be more efficient, but when it comes to understanding people, asking the right questions and building trust, there is no substitute for human conversation.
About the author
Matt Stevenson is a Partner at Stevenson & White, an Ottawa-based specialized recruitment firm focused on finance, accounting and payroll professionals. He takes a people-focused approach, listening to clients and candidates to understand their needs, expectations and long-term goals. Matt connects skilled finance professionals with organizations where they can thrive, recognizing the importance of attracting and retaining top talent. His approach reflects Stevenson & White’s core values of honesty, integrity and professionalism, and he has over a decade of dedicated experience in finance and accounting recruitment.
