Why the “Perfect Candidate” Isn’t Applying (And What That Means for Finance Hiring)

HIRING WITHIN FINANCE HAS CHANGED.

Not just because of skill shortages or increased competition but because the expectations placed on finance professionals are evolving rapidly.

Today’s finance hires are expected to deliver far more than technical capability alone.

Commercial awareness. Systems expertise. Digitalisation exposure. Business partnering skills. Change management capability.

Increasingly, businesses are searching for candidates with broad, almost “unicorn” skill sets.

And when those individuals don’t appear?

The assumption is often:
“They don’t exist.”

But in most cases, that’s not the issue.

The issue is that the best candidates aren’t actively looking and they’re not engaging with traditional recruitment processes.

RECRUIT DIFFERENT

At Emmerson Kitney Financial & Business, we specialise in finance recruitment across Yorkshire and the wider region, supporting businesses with everything from qualified finance appointments through to strategic leadership hires.

And one thing has become increasingly clear:

The market has changed.

The strongest finance professionals:

• Aren’t scrolling job boards
• Aren’t actively applying to adverts
• Aren’t engaging with generic recruitment campaigns

They are selective, passive, and highly targeted in the opportunities they explore.

Which means businesses need to adapt their hiring strategy accordingly.

That’s what we mean when we say:

Recruit Different.

A REAL EXAMPLE: IDEAL HEATING

Recently, the Emmerson Kitney Financial & Business team partnered with Ideal Heating to support the appointment of a Finance Business Partner.

The brief required:

• Strong financial expertise
• Senior stakeholder engagement
• SAP knowledge
• IT and systems project exposure
• Experience supporting digitalisation and change initiatives

Adding further complexity, the role involved replacing a long-standing team member whose experience had naturally broadened over time.

On paper, it was a challenging brief.

But difficult does not mean impossible — provided the process is approached in the right way.

STEP ONE: REFINE THE BRIEF

One of the most common reasons finance recruitment processes struggle is because businesses focus solely on replacing a person rather than redefining the role for the current market.

Our first step was to work closely with the client to:

• Separate essential skills from desirable experience
• Refine the structure and positioning of the role
• Benchmark salary expectations against the market
• Align the title and opportunity with current candidate demand
• Create a compelling narrative around the position

Because the reality is:

The best finance professionals do not move for job descriptions.
They move for well-positioned opportunities.

STEP TWO: ACCESS THE PASSIVE MARKET

Once the brief was clearly defined, the focus shifted towards targeted market engagement.

Not job boards.
Not volume advertising.

Instead, the process centred around identifying and engaging passive finance professionals with the right blend of technical and commercial capability.

Through targeted search, local market knowledge, and consultative engagement, we introduced candidates who not only met the brief — but exceeded expectations in key areas such as systems exposure and digitalisation experience.

THE RESULT

Ideal Heating successfully secured a highly capable Finance Business Partner who is already making an impact within the organisation.

More importantly, the process reinforced a wider point about modern finance recruitment:

The strongest candidates are rarely found through traditional hiring methods alone.

They are identified through:

• Clear role definition
• Strong market positioning
• Specialist finance recruitment expertise
• Access to passive talent networks

That is what it means to Recruit Different.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY:

“They presented a number of high-quality candidates who not only met our core requirements but also exceeded expectations in areas we initially thought would be hard to find.”
Ben Colgrave, Finance Director

“It was clear Emmerson Kitney had excellent market knowledge… we successfully secured a highly capable candidate who is already thriving.”

And from the successful candidate’s perspective:

“I was well prepared at every stage and fully supported through to offer and beyond.”
Samuel Breen, Finance Business Partner

IT’S NOT A TALENT PROBLEM. IT’S AN APPROACH PROBLEM.

If your business is struggling to secure the right finance talent, it’s worth asking:

• Are you relying solely on active applicants?
• Is your opportunity positioned effectively within the market?
• Have you clearly defined what is essential versus desirable?
• Are you working with a specialist finance recruitment partner who understands the local market?

Because more often than not, the challenge is not that the candidate does not exist.

It is that the hiring strategy is not designed to reach them.

RECRUIT DIFFERENT.

At Emmerson Kitney Financial & Business, we help businesses secure high-performing finance professionals through a consultative, market-led approach to recruitment.

Because in today’s market, successful finance hiring requires more than advertising a vacancy.

It requires businesses to Recruit Different.

To discuss your finance recruitment requirements, contact:

Sam Horton
📧 sam@emmersonkitney.co.uk
📞 07794 617368