Industry Insights

Proctoring — the act of supervising exams to prevent cheating — has evolved from in-person monitoring to sophisticated online methods. With remote work and online hiring assessments now common, ensuring test integrity has become critical. Employers must confirm that candidates complete tests honestly and without outside help, as misuse of tools like Google or AI can distort results. Accountests notes that cheating attempts are rare but detectable through test data patterns.

Hiring accounting graduates is tricky since they often lack real-world knowledge, so success depends on their ability to learn quickly, think critically, and adapt. A Critical Reasoning Test helps firms spot these traits by showing how candidates handle data, ambiguity, errors, logic, and communication. Without it, firms risk misstatements, rework, missed deadlines, and rigid thinking. Using such tests is an easy, cost-effective way to ensure new hires meet expectations and develop into strong professionals.

Allowing candidates to retake recruitment assessments can increase fairness but also carries risks to test integrity.

Hiring offshore talent can bring huge benefits to accounting firms — but only if you know what to look for in interviews. Offshore candidates often come from different cultural and professional contexts, which means certain “red flags” may actually be normal. Check out the six signs to pay attention to, and how to interpret them

This blog highlights that writing a job ad is much like writing any other advertisement—you’re selling an opportunity, not just listing duties. A strong job ad should filter out unqualified applicants while attracting top talent by blending clarity, creativity, and storytelling.

Checking references can be time-consuming but it is a vital part of the hiring process. It verifies the information provided by the candidate on their CV, during the interview, and as part of the testing and assessment process. It also allows for any red flags & concerns to be debunked or confirmed.

The blog discusses whether, in the age of AI, accounting students still need to learn traditional fundamentals like debits and credits, or if education should focus more on practical tools like QuickBooks, Xero, and AI-powered analytics.

While testing is commonly used in the hiring process to improve decision-making, many employers fail to use the valuable insights gained from these assessments after the hire. The blog urges companies to keep using the data for onboarding, personal development, and long-term growth.

Maintaining a robust selection process with choosy candidates in a labour shortage is just another day in the challenges of management. Here’s a guide for landing great selection decisions in a tough job market.

Hiring globally brings valuable diversity but adds complexity, especially when assessing cognitive ability in candidates who speak English as a second language (ESL). Accountests has developed a Bookkeeper and Admin Ability (Cognitive Test) Suite that is accessible and insightful across language backgrounds.

This blog reflects insights gathered from webinars and workshops with aspiring partners, Managing Partners, and HR teams. It identifies six key personality-related obstacles that commonly hinder accountants' progression toward partnership and offers guidance on how to address them.