Before you start sourcing and selecting candidates for your open accounts receivable position, it’s a good idea to know exactly what you’re looking for. Don’t assume the hiring process will take the form or dating or house buying and you’ll just know what you’re looking for when you see it. Here at Cordia, we engage with hiring managers like you on a daily basis, and during out years of experience, we’ve noticed that companies find more success with the process when they seek these specific qualities:
1. At least three years in the field.
An AR track record of about three years conveys two things: your candidate is seasoned and she knows what to expect from the adult working world, specifically in billing, collections and account management. But she’s also inexperienced enough to be open to new methods, new policies, and new forms of proprietary software.
2. The ability to resolve payment issues and generate reports.
If you ask your candidate to discuss her experience with these two tasks, she should take the floor and begin speaking. She shouldn’t stare blankly or sit still waiting for clearer instructions or a more specific question. When she starts talking about her most challenging payment issues or her typical approach to reporting, the things she says should sound familiar, confident, and reassuring.
3. A flexible and resourceful attitude.
Average AR specialists thrive when they’re confronted with standard payment problems that they’ve seen hundreds of times in the past. They also thrive when they’re faced with very standard communications challenges, easygoing clients, supportive coworkers and low levels of personal accountability. But excellent AR specialists can handle difficult days just as well as easy ones.
4. An interest in management.
In most organizations, this position involves a degree of upward mobility. Ideally, your candidate should be interested in professional growth and should be looking for ways to step into a management role. And of course, you should make sure you can support her ambitions and provide her with the opportunity she needs.
5. Practical alignment.
Can your candidate accept a salary offer within your range? Will she live close enough for a daily commute? Can you accommodate her needs in terms of benefits, insurance, and schedule flexibility, and vice versa? Don’t overlook the small details that can support or undermine a sustainable relationship.
For more on how to find your AR candidate-- from the resume review process to the final interview—contact the financial staffing experts at Cordia.
