An accounting professional is an essential key to the success of any business and the right one is especially important to small and medium sized companies. You may wonder why you need one for your organization or you may wonder how to go about hiring the right person. Continue reading to understand the why’s and how’s of hiring an accounting professional for your team.
- Why do you need an accountant? An accounting specialist does a lot more than prepare your company’s tax returns in time for April 15th. Of course, they do handle the tax planning and the preparation of your annual return, but there are year round duties. An accountant, especially for a smaller organization, can take an active role in the financial planning and management of the company. Also, the tax code is a difficult to understand tome and an accountant, CPA, or EA is trained to understand what it means and how to work with it.
- How do you find the right accountant? There are a surprisingly large number of accounting specialties and there may be ones that fit better in your business than others. Often referred to as a controller, a corporate accountant is someone who can handle all of the financial decisions and book keeping of the organization. The most familiar type of accountant is a CPA or Certified Public Accountant. One way to find an experienced accountant is to ask for referrals from your professional network. Another way, which will give you a qualified and pre-screened candidate, is to contact a local staffing firm to help you understand your needs and interview potential candidates.
- What is a typical salary? A mistake you don’t want to make as a business is to under pay the individual who is controlling your finances. You want to make sure they have a proper background check and are vetted, particularly by the staffing service, prior to starting with you. According to Salary.com the median salary for a Controller in the Washington DC area is about $190,000. Of course you have some negotiating room based on the individual’s previous experience. At the low end of the salary curve is $120,000 to $150,000. Consider the background of the individual and your specific needs when determining a salary. The staffing professionals who help you with recruiting can also advise on this.
Are you looking for a professional accountant to add to your existing team? Contact the recruiters at NRI to help you find the right person for your organization.
