Work Simulation: The Ultimate Strategy for Hiring Top Accounting Talent

At KBS CFO we pride ourselves on providing our clients with high quality CFO, CAO and anticipatory accounting services. Our team members are dedicated to helping our clients and we find joy in the work and in their success. 

When my firm is growing to meet the needs of our thriving clients, I have to bring on new team members to meet demand. But finding the right candidate can be a challenge, to say the least, especially given the workforce shortage our industry is facing. And getting it wrong can be incredibly costly to all involved. 

I have implemented a unique approach by using a work simulation to screen potential candidates. I believe in being “slow to hire and quick to fire” so that we are bringing on the best candidates to help our clients. Work simulation allows us to see how applicants handle skill-related tasks, how they manage their time, and if they will enjoy the work that they will be doing. By investing time in this process, we are able to save money and avoid hiring the wrong people.

This is a process I talked about on a recent Earmark Webinar, hosted by Blake Oliver. Watch the full discussion below or read on for an overview of my process and how it works. 

The KBS CFO Hiring Process

The first step in our hiring process is creating a job posting on Indeed or Zip Recruiter. Once candidates have submitted an application they will receive a template email from the system with five questions for them to answer. This automation saves time and helps screen candidates more effectively–having them all answer the same questions makes comparing responses faster and more fair. 

An important part of the preliminary screening process is asking applicants about their minimum salary requirements. I prefer to have this taken care of in the beginning so that it isn’t an issue later on in the screening process. If they require more than we are willing to pay, no hard feeling! But it’s a simple screening question that can ensure we are talking to candidates that have expectations in line with what we can offer. 

Next, I conduct a phone interview to get to know the potential candidates on a more personal level. This is an automated phone call that is recorded. It provides applicants with questions to answer that we are able to listen to at a convenient time, again baking in efficiencies into the entire process.. Listening to these responses provides valuable feedback and allows us to better understand them as candidates and as people. 

Work Simulation Process

If candidates clear these initial screenings and I’m interested in taking the process further, they will receive an email that outlines our 3-day work simulation. Our work simulation is different from other firms’ work simulations because ours is very broad in how we screen our candidates. 

We not only test their skills, but also their work ethic, time management, and if they are a good fit for KBS CFO. Company cultural fit is incredibly important and it’s one of the ways we leverage this process. 

The simulation requires 4-6 hours of their time over the next 3 days. One reason why this is a great tool for screening is because some candidates will never even respond to the email outlining the work simulation, and it helps to easily sort through candidates that are not interested, and those that are. 

The work simulation includes a wide variety of tasks and assignments and is set up in Asana. This is also a benefit because we can assess their comfort level with tools and tech stacks they will be using if they come on board. 

Some of the questions we ask in the work simulation include: “ How do you plan your day?” and “How would you deal with a client who is unresponsive?”. We also give candidates tasks to complete to assess their skill level. An example of these tasks would be to have the candidate go to the website of one of our clients and give an example of a revenue item. In this simulation we are looking for critical thinking and candidates who are going to ask questions to ensure understanding. 

It is very important to us that our applicant will be a team player and fit in with the culture at KBS CFO. To that end, one of the tasks in our work simulation is to contact one of the team members to candidly discuss the challenges of working in our firm. 

Nothing beats a 1:1 conversation with someone else on the team. This helps us to determine if the candidate is going to be committed to our company and be a good team player. AND, as the business owner, I get the perspective of someone else on the team from their interaction with the candidate. 

Benefits of the Simulation

There are many benefits to using this work simulation process. It allows us to see how interested the candidate is, if they can follow instructions, and their motivation. 

Another one of the major advantages that benefits not only KBS CFO but our candidates as well is that the work simulation provides them an opportunity to see if they are actually interested and excited about the work they would be doing if hired. 

We all genuinely LOVE what we do and it’s one of the reasons we serve our clients so effectively! If the applicant does not find excitement in the work, then they are not going to be the right fit for our team. 

The work simulation also allows us to see how candidates will perform in a remote environment. KBS CFO was remote way before it was a worklife norm. Working remotely isn’t for everyone, and it’s a great opportunity to see if applicants will be able to complete the tasks and the deadlines. It allows them to prove that they are able to manage their time and complete their work, even when we are not together in a physical office environment.

Why We Started Using Work Simulation

Over the years I have learned that many accountants lacked skills such as time management, technologically savvy, and self-management (along with many other nuanced capabilities) that working remotely in our field (or any!) requires. 

Hiring the wrong people is very expensive and wastes time that we could be using to provide quality service to our clients. That is why we implemented our 3-day work simulation. And it has worked really, really well at helping us hire the right people that stay and keep doing the great work our firm and our clients expect. 

Our firm receives many inquiries from people wanting to work with KBS CFO. We pride our company on being tech forward and providing an environment where people are required to learn every day and being challenged. Our clients require a higher level of knowledge and we strive to ensure that our team is meeting their needs. Work simulation helps us stay aligned with those values.

Valuing Our Team Members

We care about our team members, which is why we provide AICPA’s Professional Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners program. We know that career change is a fact of life. This apprenticeship program provides structured training and hands-on experience. 

We are committed to investing in the development of our team members because we know it will, in turn, benefit our clients and the accounting industry on a whole! I believe in the power of apprenticeship and have put my firm’s money where its mouth is on this effort, hosting more apprentices than firms far larger than KBS CFO. 

At KBS CFO we are committed to providing our clients with services that exceed their expectations. Our work goes “beyond the books,” partnering with our clients to help them achieve all they dream of and more for their businesses. 

Implementing our work simulation has helped us to effectively screen potential applicants and ensure that only the most qualified and best fit for our firm are hired and can help our clients do big things.

Are you interested in working with KBS CFO, as a team member or as a client? Get in touch! We are always looking for great people to work with, on both sides of the virtual table.