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Recruitment

Find news and best practice for recruitment procedures, assessment methods and interviewing with our selection of articles, guides and online resources.

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Latest on recruitment

Read our latest features and articles on recruitment.
Looking through door to meeting table in office building
CIPFA urges action to tackle council finance staff shortages
  • Article
  • 14 Nov 2024
As a new poll shows English councils are struggling with vacancies in accountancy, internal audit and business partnering roles, a CIPFA and LGA report sets out four-point action plan.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Economic update: is the UK economy flattering to deceive?
  • Article
  • 02 Sep 2024
The UK economy enjoyed a strong first half of the year, but falling productivity suggests that significant structural challenges remain. ICAEW Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
A person holding a tablet device displaying various graphs
Is AI really taking your job?
  • Article
  • 13 Jun 2024
Fresh analysis suggests AI skills could help to bridge the UK productivity gap with other nations.
Flexible working law changes come into effect
  • Article
  • 05 Apr 2024
New flexible working laws come into force tomorrow (6 April) giving employees greater rights to flexible working. Are you ready for the reforms?
Accountancy jobs market buoyant despite slump
  • Article
  • 20 Mar 2024
Job confidence growth sits at near record high since research began in 2009 regardless of current economic conditions, new analysis reveals.
ICAEW opens recruitment drive to reshape Board
  • Article
  • 23 Jan 2024
As part of ICAEW’s efforts to modernise its governance, the institute is recruiting new Board members. ICAEW is looking for six chartered accountants with leadership experience to help lead the profession over the next decade.
Mass exodus of FTSE 100 CFOs in 2023
  • Article
  • 14 Dec 2023
Personal motivation and a challenging business environment are factors at play, according to headhunter Russell Reynolds Associates. For their replacements, recruiting organisations are increasingly focusing on capabilities, behaviours and values.
Off-payroll working and umbrella companies – what good looks like
  • Article
  • 05 Dec 2023
HMRC has published guidelines to help organisations and contractors involved in off-payroll working (OPW) / IR35 understand what HMRC considers good practice.
Read more

ICAEW recruitment resources

  • Helping you to recruit
    ICAEW programmes and services to help ACA employers promote their firms to students.
  • ICAEW Jobs
    Job portal advertising qualified accountancy roles in business, practice and the not-for-profit sector

Reports

Exclusive SR72 The aspiring CFO
  • Report
  • 2021
  • PDF (1,950kb)
A practical, realistic, hands-on and immense learning opportunity of all you need to know to become the CFO
Exclusive Special Report 69: Effective collaboration
  • Report
  • 2020
  • PDF (2,073kb)
Collaboration has been a trendy buzz word in business lexicon for some time now, but, as the pandemic has done with many other ‘nice-to have’ skills, it has now become absolutely necessary to master. With your colleagues, business partners, suppliers and all other stakeholders more than likely working from home, and maybe even across different locations and time zones, effective collaboration is essential
Exclusive Special Report 68: Commercial Insight
  • Report
  • 2020
  • PDF (1,761kb)
This special report explores how to be more commercial to add value and generate profit for your firm.
Exclusive Special Report 66: Managing Change
  • Report
  • 2019
  • PDF (1,804kb)
Change is inevitable, it is all around us. Brexit, political upheaval, increasing regulation and a growing protectionist agenda make it incredibly difficult to run your business.BAM are here to help, with our special report on managing change, we can help successfully guide you through inevitable change with our practical tips and hands on approach.
Exclusive Special Report 64: Managing People
  • Report
  • 2019
  • PDF (1,487kb)
Managing people is one of the most important skills needed to successfully navigate your way to the top of the corporate ladder. This report provides practical tips and advice on topics such as team management, dealing with difficult people and the effect of technology on recruitment.
Exclusive Special Report 63: Innovation
  • Report
  • 2018
  • PDF (1,674kb)
Innovation is key to improving productivity and efficiency. This report covers the subject with practical and interesting articles.
Finance business partnering - a guide
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2018
  • PDF (2,833kb)
This report provides practical advice for those considering business partnering initiatives and those looking to improve their approach.
Exclusive Special Report 56: Soft skills that FDs need
  • Report
  • 2017
  • PDF (5,953kb)
A special report looking at the soft skills that FDs need to succeed

Webinars

How to stop accountancy’s brain drain
  • Podcast
  • 23 Aug 2024
In this episode of Behind the Numbers, we discuss ways to improve recruitment and retention in accountancy.
How accountancy can win the talent war
  • Podcast
  • 02 Mar 2023
In this ‘Insights In Focus’ episode, we discuss ways to attract and retain talent in the accounting profession.
Surviving the cost-of-doing-business crisis
  • Podcast
  • 04 Oct 2022
In this Insights in Focus episode, we discuss the major challenges facing UK businesses, including energy costs, recruitment and retention of staff, and wage inflation.
The changing landscape of job hunting
  • Webinar
  • 09 Jun 2020
Hear from expert recruiters on the impact this pandemic has had on the job market, and gain tips on how to still successfully job hunt during Covid-19.
Recruitment
  • Webinar
  • 18 Feb 2019
This ten minute webinar presented by ACAS, is part of a series on essential employment issues. This webinar covers recruitment.
More webinars

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Boards that lead
  • eBook chapter
  • 2016
  • John R.S. Fraser
  • Handbook of Board Governance
This title provides comprehensive, expert-led coverage of all aspects of corporate governance for public, nonprofit, and private boards. This chapter looks at board leadership and maps out what active leadership from the board should look like. Includes a section on recruiting directors who add value and a checklist for recruiting new board members.
Exclusive CEO Succession planning
  • eBook chapter
  • 2016
  • David F Larcker, James Irvin Miller, Brian Tayan
  • Handbook of Board Governance
This title provides comprehensive, expert-led coverage of all aspects of corporate governance for public, nonprofit, and private boards. This chapter reviews the process of hiring, evaluating and occasionally removing or replacing the CEO.
Exclusive Developing executive talent: best practices from global leaders
  • eBook
  • 2006
  • Jonathan Smilansky
A book for human resources managers and senior executives with responsibility for employee management.
Exclusive Handbook of model job descriptions
  • eBook
  • 2008
  • Barry Cushway
A managers' guide to constructing job descriptions.
Exclusive Numbers business: how to grow a successful cloud accountancy practice
  • eBook
  • 2018
  • Della Hudson
This book is a road map that will help a qualified professional to start and grow a successful business from scratch.
Exclusive Recruiting staff
  • eBook chapter
  • 2017
  • Barry Cushway
  • Employers Handbook
This chapter of the Handbook looks at the process of staff recruitment including: preparing a job description; how to recruit; interviewing and other selection methods; avoiding discrimination; making a job offer; and rejecting candidates.
Exclusive Resourcing strategies
  • eBook chapter
  • 2006
  • Michael Armstrong
  • Strategic Human Resources Management
This title provides guidance on combining human resource management with business strategy. This chapter looks at strategies for obtaining and retaining the people required and employing them efficiently.
Exclusive Staff recruitment: Selecting and picking winners
  • eBook chapter
  • 2011
  • Pat Wellington
  • Effective People Management
Chapter 6 of this title deals with the staff recruitment process: starting the selection process; interview preparation; carrying out the interview; after the interview; and the induction.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More HR eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive Employee ownership trusts: An emerging strategy for HR leaders
  • Article
  • 29 Jul 2024
  • Derek Razo
Employee ownership has emerged as an effective strategy for attracting, engaging and retaining top talent. The author discusses the use of employee ownership trusts in the US and how they can provide opportunities to increase employee satisfaction, foster collaborative cultures and drive consistent business growth.
Exclusive Recruiting older workers
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2024
  • Ken Dychtwald, Robert Morison, Katy Terveer
It's time for a new deal between employers and older workers, say the authors. They give advice for employers on how to hire, retain and engage older and retired workers, resulting in mutually productive employment matches. They also take a look at the value of older workers and bust some of the most prevalent myths about their working styles.
Exclusive Should I stay, or should I go?: Salary and recruitment trends for the year ahead
  • Article
  • 01 Feb 2024
  • Natascha Whitehead
The article discusses the findings of the Hays 2024 UK Salary and Recruiting Trends guide, highlighting the increased optimism among accountancy and finance employers about the economic climate, the persistent skills shortages in areas like credit management, and the growing importance of skills over degrees for accountancy employers. Topics include credit professionals' job satisfaction, the importance of flexible working and a benefits package to candidates and the impact of the rising cost of living on job moves.
Exclusive Effective onboarding in the age of remote work
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2024
  • Santiago Poli
The rise of remote work and international teams has made it necessary to redefine onboarding, focusing on creating meaningful connections and instilling company culture through virtual methods. The author recommends achieving effective onboarding for remote workers through three key elements: social integration, technical preparations and cultural training.
Exclusive Reimagine how you recruit and train managers
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2023
Traditionally companies focus on skill and development programs to help prepare their managers, but a Gartner study suggests that a fundamental shift in the managerial pipeline is crucial. The study recommends a better selection process, where employees can nominate themselves for managerial roles, preventing biases and diversifying the pipeline. Training programs should prepare aspiring managers for the complexities of the role, focusing on issues like pay equity, remote work and redundancies.
Exclusive Embracing the Flexible Staffing Model
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2023
  • Steve Saah
How flexible staffing can help organizations gain access to specialized skills, save costs, and reduce burnout. If you’re considering bringing in highly skilled contract talent to work alongside your permanent staff, here’s a look at some of the top advantages you can realize from this move. These include increased access to in-demand talent and specialized skills, improved competitive position, and avoiding costly bad hires.
More articles

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports related to recruitment. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).
Staffing for success
  • Library book
  • 2019
  • A.Bernstein
  • LexisNexis
Short guide covering the process of recruiting, the legal niceties of hiring, and techniques to keep staff motivated and on board.
Essential knowledge for a first year audit staff/intern at a Big 4 accounting firm: a true insider's perspective on Big 4 accounting
  • Library book
  • 2013
  • K.Hsu
  • CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
A short guide to the experience of joining a Big 4 accounting firm, written from the perspective of a US Certified Public Accountant.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources - Guidance and advice

Access Accountancy
  • Access Accountancy
A collaboration between employers and professional bodies to improve access to the profession for young people. The Member Resources section has a set of messages for talking to young people about a career in accountancy (requires login).
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
  • CIPD
The CIPD website features news, training courses and research publications on a wide range of employment issues including including diversity, performance management, employee relations, recruitment and training.
Employing disabled people and people with health conditions
  • HM Government
Government guidance on how to attract, recruit and retain disabled people
Minimum wage: work experience and internships
  • Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Government guidance on the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage for organisations who offer work experience, including placements and internships.
Recruitment and disabled people
  • HM Government
Government guidance on employers' responsibility to not exclude disabled people from applying for a job and reasonable adjustments they must make in the workplace.
Recruitment and hiring
  • HM Government
Collection of government guidance for various recruitment and hiring topics such as child employment, employment checks, right to work and employing ex-offenders
Recruitment and induction
  • Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
CIPD factsheets, podcats and reports on staff recruitment, selection methods and induction processes
Right to work checks: an employer's guide
  • UK Visas and Immigration / Immigration Enforcement
Government guidance on how to carry out right to work checks, why you need to do them, and which documents you can use.
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