Increase Your Batting Average In Employee Recruitment With Technology

From the Nov. 2006 Issue

[Note to sole practitioners: Even if you don’t intend to hire new staff, this article will help you develop a game plan for leveraging technology for your personal benefit.]

I’ll be the first to admit that technology can’t solve all of the problems of the world; in fact, it is the catalyst for some of them. However, when it comes to solving the top problem facing accounting and tax practitioners — getting and keeping quality staff — technology plays a very significant role. This article will help you understand why and how you should put technology at the top of your recruiting and retention strategy.

Time is NOT money, time is time For as long as I can remember, people have proclaimed “time is money,” and nowhere is this ideology worshipped more than in the accounting profession, where money earned is directly tied to hours worked. Fortunately (or unfortunately), depending upon your perspective, the younger generation entering the profession understands that “time is time,” and that it’s more valuable than money. They also have a very keen sense of awareness of the opportunity to leverage technology to maximize the use of their time. Whether it is to carry on five separate conversations simultaneously via instant messaging while typing a term paper on their PC, or listening to their iPod while taking their daily 10k run. Conversely, they see an organization that doesn’t understand and demonstrate the value of technology to get things done faster and better as being out of touch with today’s reality, and is, therefore, a company that is not on a path for future growth where challenging career opportunities await them.

I’m not an HR expert, but having a pool of 15 nieces and nephews ranging in age from 13 to 31, plus a couple of teenage kids of my own, gives me a nice “control group” for observing what makes them tick and what doesn’t. Here are some of the key observations I have made about the younger generation in the workforce and technology:

• They like to work hard and play hard. This means they are looking for access to all of the tools that can help them get the job done quicker and better. In other words, they want to optimize their personal productivity.
• They like spontaneity in terms of being able to do things on a whim. This means operating in an environment that affords them maximum flexibility to get the job done at a time and place of their choosing. This is a tough concept for us Baby Boomers to accept.
• They are capable of having solid working relationships and team camaraderie without working face to face. Their mastery of cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail and personal portals is the next best thing to being there. By the way, they expect to be able to connect instantly, using these tools, to their co-workers and supervisors.

The point of all of this: You need to understand the potent value of the role technology plays in recruiting and retaining the kind of people who are going to help you move your practice forward. Let’s take a look at how you can position technology as a key enticement to new recruits and compete effectively with the large firms in recruiting new staff, as well as to keep your existing staff engaged. The following is an outline for a 10-point plan for you to put technology at the forefront of your staff recruitment and retention strategy:

1 — Don’t try to be something you’re not
Let’s start on a solid foundation. If you don’t have a really compelling story to tell about how you leverage technology in your firm, don’t try to mask the truth. Instead, make a commitment to build a digital practice model, and send a clear message to potential recruits about what you intend to accomplish and why you need them to help you get there. If you are sincere in communicating this type of message, it may be the most powerful weapon you can use to compete for new staff. Everyone likes to feel like they are making a difference and to be a part of building something special.