What to Avoid When Hiring an Accountant
An accountant is one of the most important individuals at a company. Updating corporate accounts, advice can also be provided by an accountant. Some accountants are more competent than others and it is important that the appropriate individual is hired because they will have access to corporate information. Here’s what not to do when hiring an accountant:
Choosing the first person that is interviewed
Many organisations make the mistake of hiring the first person they find. By asking other companies if they used an employment agency or a particular firm, the right individual can be found.
Not carrying out a background check
When a potential accountant has been found that could be hired, their background must be looked into. By asking to see their license and also their educational background, it can be determined if their qualifications are accurate. Even when an accountant has impressive grades, their other qualities must be assessed such as whether the companies that they claim to have worked for do exist. An accountant could put false information on their CV and it is important to find out if all of it is correct.
Failing to find out what their area of expertise is
Some accountants might specialise in maintaining corporate accounts whereas others could specialise in handling. When an accountant is solely required for entering new corporate information onto an organisation’s accounts so that they can be submitted to HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs), they should specialise in doing so and not another area of accounting. By asking them what their specialties are, the best individual will be hired and not someone that doesn’t have a lot of experience.
Not knowing what their fees are
So that an organisation is able to budget more effectively, it should find out how much an accountant will charge for their services. As it can be expensive to hire an accountant, it is important to know their fees in advance. Consequently, an organisation will be aware of how much they’ll have to pay. If not, the total cost of hiring an accountant will only be discovered after an invoice is submitted and might be far more than what an organisation can afford. By asking an accountant about how much they would charge for full-time or part-time hours, an organisation will know what their salary is.
Forget to carry out a Criminal Records Check
Although an accountant could state that they don’t have a criminal record, they might be lying. If an accountant has embezzled funds or been involved in money laundering, an organisation can decide not to hire them based on this information. By carrying out a Criminal Records Check, it can be determined if an accountant has committed a crime. When several accountants will be hired to manage a large organisation’s accounts, a Criminal Records Check should be carried out on every applicant. As a result, peace of mind is guaranteed because an organisation will know that an accountant hasn’t been involved with any criminal activities.
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Category: Business
