When considering hiring a potential fractional accountant, you want to ensure they’re both technically qualified and the right fit for your specific needs. We have outlined seven important questions to ask in order to help you gauge their expertise, professionalism, and suitability for your business’s accounting needs.
1. Do you have experience in this specific industry or sector?
Industry-specific experience can be a huge asset, especially if your specific industry has significant nuances or a steep learning curve involved. However, specified experience isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. Generalized experience might be able to highlight blind spots you may have missed and bring other best practices to the table. While it’s important to ask about specific industry experience, don’t assume it’s the most important factor in your decision-making process. Understanding an accountant’s greater background and expertise will help you determine whether they’re the best fit for your support needs.
2. What software tools are you familiar with? This includes accounting software, bill pay, payroll (if applicable), productivity tools, etc…
Ensuring each prospective professional has familiarity with your accounting system(s) is essential to finding the right fit for your organization. Conversely, if you’re looking to set one or change accounting tools, it’s important to understand each individual’s knowledge base. Onboarding a fractional accountant who already understands your technology, tools, and platforms will minimize the learning curve and allow them to get up to speed as quickly as possible. Furthermore, they might be able to advise better options if you’re unhappy with your current system(s). Either way, it’s important to understand the depth and breadth of their knowledge of common tools and systems within the trade.
3. How do you operate your fractional business?
This question opens up a conversation to understand their hours, time zone, whether they are fully remote/able to meet face to face, etc… What does responsiveness look like? How do they manage multiple deliverables from multiple clients? What is their aptitude for technology?
It’s important to find a fractional accountant with a work style that matches your organization. This includes the frequency of communication, cadence of monthly deliverables, and overall approach to running a business.
4. What is your preferred communication approach?
Discussing communication methods, strategies, and tools is crucial conversation with any freelance accounting candidate. Not only do you need to understand how they prefer to communicate – email, texts, phone calls, video chat, Slack, etc… – but it’s also key to understand if that style syncs with your preferences as a business owner. An effective partnership will require strong communication from both parties, with expectations and clarity set up front.
5. What does the freelance accountant expect from me [the business owner]?
Before entering into any service agreement, it’s important to understand your role in the engagement. Your freelance accountant will only be successful if they are equipped with the right data at the right time. Often the owner is a bottleneck, so you need to have an honest dialogue about what is expected from you. When do you need to make yourself available? What approval and review processes do you want in place?
6. Can you provide examples of how you’ve helped businesses similar to ours meet their goals or improve financial processes?
Asking about past success stories lets you gauge the accountant’s ability to identify financial challenges and develop effective solutions. It also demonstrates their capacity to address potential issues and reveals their creativity and innovation. Concrete examples reveal their ability to deliver tangible results and illuminate measurable improvements rather than just going through the motions.
7. What can you tell us about your freelance business and your goals?
The best interviews are a conversation. So it’s important to move past the tactical and get to know the candidates themselves.
- What motivated them to start doing freelance work?
- What do they enjoy about it?
- What energy do they have to bring to your needs?
- How many clients do they have and what are their goals?
At the end of your initial consultation, you should feel strongly one way or another if this accountant is a good fit to fill this crucial role in your business.
At Empower, we believe that when you bring a qualified accounting professional with a dedicated, supportive community to a business owner with a clear vision, their businesses grow faster and healthier, and entrepreneurs thrive.
If you’re ready to hire an accounting professional, reach out to our team at any time here.
Or if you’re ready to step out and start your own fractional accounting firm, please connect with us here.