After countless interviews, you still haven’t hired a good fit for your company. You’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let Controller’s Group, Inc., make the interview process seamless for you.

Finding the Right Fit

Finding a qualified candidate who’s a good fit for your company starts with asking the right questions. If you don’t ask the right questions, you won’t get the answers you’re looking for, which ultimately will lead to the possibility of hiring the wrong candidate.

So before you even post a job opening for your company, it’s crucial to develop a set of specific questions to ask job seekers during the interview process.

Here are some good questions to think about including in your interview process:

How did you prepare for the interview?
- If the job candidate has some background knowledge about your company and can relay the information to you, it shows they took the time to learn more about your business and the job description.
What are your short and long-term goals?
- A candidate who expresses short and long term goals shows that they put thought and effort into planning their professional development.
Why should we hire you over other potential employees?
- A qualified candidate will answer this question with confidence but also be modest about their skills and experience.
What do you think about social media at work?
- This is a crucial question to ask in today’s world. A candidate’s take on social media usage in the work environment could be a game-changer, good or bad, when moving forward with the interview process.
How do you handle conflict?
- When a candidate answers this question with a well-thought-out answer, it shows they can handle work frustrations well.
What are some of your favorite tools that keep you organized?
- This question will tell you two things about the candidate: If they have a personal task management structure and if they are up to date on modern task management software.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Another set of questions to consider when preparing for the interview process is behavioral interview questions. A candidate’s answer to a behavioral question can give you a more comprehensive understanding of how the potential employee handles specific situations in the work environment. We’ve put some examples of behavioral questions into several categories:

Leadership
- Do you have an example of a time when you delegated efficiently?
- How have you led by example?
Time management
- How do you handle a lot of responsibility?
- What’s an example of how you strategically work to get everything done on your to-do list?
Communication
- Can you give an explanation of how you’d communicate an involved idea/solution to a client or colleague who’s confused or misunderstood?
- What major challenges and problems have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
Client-facing
- What have you done that has been most effective in persuading others to your own ideas?
- Can you describe a situation where you disagreed with someone who had more authority than you?
Teamwork
- Can you give me an example of a team project that failed?
- Do you prefer to work with a team or on your own?

A well-developed interview process has a variety of behavioral and general questions to ask job candidates. Controller’s Group helps employers analyze and choose the best questions to ask to ensure quality candidates move forward in the selection process.

Attracting Job Candidates to Your Business

Before beginning the candidate interview process, you should also take some time to think about how you’re going to sell yourself and your company to quality candidates. It’s common for business owners to forget that job seekers often interview the hiring manager just as much as they interview candidates.

But to attract job candidates, it’s essential to think about the pros and cons of working at your company.

Here are some common company perks that you might want to emphasize to potential employees:

Free snacks and beverages
Holiday parties
Part-time remote work
Bonuses and incentives

While these are positive things to consider, they might not be enough to seal the deal with a quality candidate. Consider how your team supports each other and what human resources do to ensure each employee’s needs are met. These are essential points to emphasize during the interview that will make or break a candidate’s decision to accept your job offer.

What Finance and Accounting Leaders Should Watch for in Q3 and Q4

As we move into the second half of 2026, finance and accounting leaders face a familiar challenge: planning for growth in an environment that remains anything but predictable.

Inflation continues to influence business decisions. Hiring has become more selective. Advances in AI are changing workforce expectations. And organizations are being asked to do more with less while maintaining profitability and operational efficiency.

The question isn’t whether uncertainty exists.

The question is how leaders should respond.

By the Numbers: Where We Stand Today

Several economic indicators provide insight into the current business landscape:

• U.S. job openings stood at approximately 6.9 million in March 2026.
• The unemployment rate remained near 4.3%.
• Hiring activity has slowed significantly compared to the post-pandemic hiring surge.
• Employers continue to face pressure from labor costs, technology investments, and economic uncertainty.

While these numbers do not suggest a recession, they do point to a more cautious operating environment heading into Q3 and Q4.

For finance leaders, this means balancing cost management with strategic investment in talent.

Workforce Planning Is Replacing Workforce Expansion

Over the last few years, many organizations have focused on rapid growth. Today, the conversation has shifted. Instead of asking, “How quickly can we hire?”

Many executives are asking, “How can we build the right team to support long-term goals?”

This shift is leading organizations to take a more strategic approach to workforce planning.

We’re seeing finance and accounting leaders focus on:

• Identifying critical skill gaps

• Evaluating succession plans

• Improving retention strategies

• Leveraging technology to increase efficiency

• Hiring only where talent can deliver a measurable business impact

The most successful organizations align talent decisions with business objectives rather than react to short-term market changes.

The Finance Talent Market Remains Competitive

Although overall hiring has slowed, demand for highly skilled finance and accounting professionals remains strong.

Organizations continue to seek talent in areas such as:
• Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
• Accounting Management
• Corporate Accounting
• Internal Audit
• Compliance and Risk
• Financial Systems and ERP Expertise

At the same time, employers are looking for professionals who can combine technical expertise with strategic thinking, business partnership skills, and technological proficiency.

Today’s finance leaders need teams that can not only report the numbers but also help interpret them and drive better decisions.

Why Contract-to-Hire Is Gaining Momentum

One trend we continue to see across industries is the growing adoption of contract-to-hire staffing models.
In a market where economic conditions can change quickly, organizations are looking for flexibility.

Contract-to-hire solutions allow employers to:
• Fill critical gaps quickly
• Evaluate skills and cultural fit
• Reduce hiring risk
• Maintain productivity during periods of uncertainty.

For professionals, contract-to-hire opportunities can provide a pathway to permanent employment while allowing them to showcase their expertise and create immediate value.

As organizations become more selective with hiring decisions, workforce flexibility is becoming a competitive advantage.

Preparing for Year-End Starts Now

While many organizations focus on year-end planning during Q4, the strongest teams begin preparing much earlier.

Finance and accounting leaders should consider:
✓ Reviewing workforce capacity before year-end close
✓ Identifying critical hiring needs before budgets are finalized
✓ Evaluating retention risks among top performers
✓ Assessing where automation can improve efficiency
✓ Building talent pipelines for anticipated growth in 2027

Organizations that proactively address talent needs today will be better positioned to execute successfully tomorrow.

Looking Ahead

The second half of 2026 will likely reward organizations that remain disciplined, adaptable, and intentional.

Economic conditions may continue to evolve, but one thing remains constant: people are still the driving force behind business success.
For finance and accounting leaders, the challenge isn’t simply managing costs or filling positions. It’s ensuring the organization has the right talent, skills, and workforce strategy to support future growth.

At Controller’s Group, we partner with organizations to navigate both sides of that equation, providing market insights that support strategic decision-making while helping companies identify and secure exceptional finance and accounting talent.
Because in today’s market, workforce planning isn’t just an HR initiative.
It’s a business strategy.

What workforce challenges or hiring priorities are top of mind for your organization as we head into Q3 and Q4?