Article
What a good candidate brief includes
Start a Search Financial Headhunters Salary Guide
Financial Headhunters: A résumé says where someone worked. A brief says what they did and whether it fits.
This is what we do all day: recruit accounting, finance, banking and insurance professionals.
- Controller
- CFO
- VP Finance
- FP&A Director
- Accounting Manager
- Director of Accounting
- Assistant Controller
- Tax Director
- Treasury Manager
- Internal Audit Director
- Senior Accountant
- Financial Analyst
- Head of Financial Reporting
- Commercial Lender
- Chief Credit Officer
- Business Systems Finance Lead
Scope and ownership
What did the person actually own? The close, the audit, the model, the lender package? Titles hide this.
Systems and team
Which systems they ran and how many people they led. Light and heavy exposure are not the same.
Motivation
Why they would move and what would stop them. This is the part that decides if an offer lands.
Gaps and our read
Every candidate has gaps. A brief names them. It ends with a plain view on whether to meet the person.
What should you send or read next?
A resume gives you titles and dates. An interview brief should explain what the person actually owned. If an accountant says they ran month end, ask which accounts they reviewed and who approved the final statements. If a lender describes relationship management, ask which parts of the customer decision and credit process belonged to them. Write down the responsibility, not just the title.
The brief should also state what remains unverified. A system name on a resume does not prove that the candidate configured it or used its reporting tools. A claim about audit exposure may mean preparing one schedule rather than coordinating the audit. A useful note distinguishes what the person explained in detail from what needs another check. That gives the employer a focused interview agenda.
Reasons for moving belong beside experience. An applicant who wants to leave an unpredictable schedule may not accept another desk with the same pattern. Someone seeking decision ownership may find a heavily supervised role frustrating. Present the reason as the candidate described it, then compare it with the opening. Do not turn a preference into an invented account of their personality.
Discuss practical conditions before calling the brief complete. Work location, notice obligations and restrictions on contacting customers can affect a move. The employer needs enough information to decide whether an interview is worthwhile, but not private material unrelated to the hiring decision. This article describes a review format. It does not display a sample person or imply that a fictional candidate is available.
Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?
Questions people ask
What is the main distinction in what a good candidate brief includes?
A resume gives you titles and dates. An interview brief should explain what the person actually owned. If an accountant says they ran month end, ask which accounts they reviewed and who approved the final statements. If a lender describes relationship management, ask which parts of the customer decision and credit process belonged to them. Write down the responsibility, not just the title.
What should an employer clarify before acting?
The brief should also state what remains unverified. A system name on a resume does not prove that the candidate configured it or used its reporting tools. A claim about audit exposure may mean preparing one schedule rather than coordinating the audit. A useful note distinguishes what the person explained in detail from what needs another check. That gives the employer a focused interview agenda.