Resources

UK Accountancy Practice Salary Benchmarks Tax salaries are one of those subjects that look straightforward until you start comparing actual roles. Two vacancies may both be advertised as Tax Manager, but one could involve managing a compliance portfolio with limited advisory work, while the other expects the successful candidate to lead restructuring projects, advise owner-managed businesses and identify new work....

When a hire doesn’t work out, the explanation is often surprisingly similar. “Their CV looked great.” “They interviewed really well.” “They had exactly the experience we were looking for.” On paper, the decision seemed straightforward. The candidate ticked every box and appeared to be the safest choice. Yet six months later, they have either left the business or failed to...

One of the things I’ve been reflecting on this week is how differently recruitment businesses are structured, and how much that structure directly impacts the outcome for candidates and clients. In the last few weeks, I placed two candidates: one as an Audit Manager and another as an Accounts Senior. What made both placements interesting was that neither opportunity was...

Why Your Interview Process Is Costing You Top Legal & Accountancy Talent (And How to Streamline It) So we have all been there when a candidate is interviewing and the Client comes back to be surprised they accepted another offer. It is not because your team was bad or the role wasn’t of interest, it was solely because the interview...

Audit Salary Guide 2026: Salaries Across UK Accountancy Practice Recruitment within the Audit market remains highly competitive across the UK, with firms continuing to face challenges attracting and retaining experienced professionals. Demand remains particularly strong for qualified and part-qualified Auditors, with firms of all sizes looking to strengthen their teams as client portfolios grow and regulatory requirements continue to evolve....

The Questions You Should Be Asking in an Accountancy Practice Interview (And the Ones You Should Stop) Candidate Resource We need to talk about interview questions. Not the ones they ask you. The ones you ask them. Because let’s be honest most candidates preparing for an interview in accountancy practice spend hours rehearsing answers to technical competency questions, polishing their...

I Asked AI 10 Questions About Employment References… Here’s What Happened One of my favourite things about being a journalist was asking the questions everyone else was thinking but nobody wanted to ask. Yes did I use that to put people on the spot, Yes do I still use “I just have to ask as I used to be a...

Before any recruiters start panic-applying for new jobs after reading this… Yes, candidates tell recruiters a few porkies from time to time. In fact, last week’s blog was all about that. But if we’re being honest, recruiters aren’t exactly innocent either. Now, before the good recruiters start throwing their coffee at the screen, let me be clear: Most recruiters aren’t...

We are delighted to announce that David Hawthorne-Finch, Managing Director of Hawthorne-Finch Talent Solutions, has been recognised as Ethical Legal & Accountancy Recruitment MD of the Year 2026 at the SME News Managing Dihttps://smenews.digital/awards/managing-director-of-the-year-awards/rector of the Year Awards 2026. When David was first contacted to advise that he had been nominated, he was both surprised and delighted. The nomination itself...

The 5 Biggest Lies Candidates Tell Recruiters Let’s get one thing straight before we start. Candidates are generally good people. Most aren’t trying to deceive anyone. Most are trying to improve their lives, secure a better opportunity, or escape a frustrating situation. But after more than a decade in various areas of recruitment, I’ve learned something important: Candidates lie to...

The conveyancing market continues to be one of the busiest and most candidate-driven areas of legal recruitment. Demand remains strong across residential conveyancing, commercial property and specialist real estate practices, with firms competing for experienced conveyancers who can effectively manage files, maintain client relationships and support fee generation. Whilst activity levels vary by region, one trend remains consistent: experienced conveyancing...

Property Law Continues to Dominate Hiring Demand If you’re a solicitor in Yorkshire or the North West and you’ve been wondering whether it’s “a good time to move”, here’s what we’re seeing day-to-day. Over the last 43 days, the most consistent hiring demand we’ve observed has been in: The headline isn’t “look at our vacancies”.The headline is: Property law isn’t...

Recruitment has a reputation problem. Most people have a story where they felt like a number, a CV was sent without permission, or a conversation suddenly turned pushy the moment money was involved. If that’s been your experience, you’re right to be cautious. But here’s the honest truth about how we’ve built Hawthorne-Finch Talent Solutions: I’d rather lose a fee...

You hand in your notice. You’ve rehearsed the conversation. You’ve been respectful. You’ve done it properly. And then your employer comes back with: “We’ll match it.” Same salary. Sometimes a title tweak. Maybe a promise of flexibility. So why does it still feel… off? This is one of the most common moments candidates describe to me, and it’s rarely because...

Counteroffers are one of those moments where leadership gets tested. Handled well, they can save a key person and reset trust. Handled badly, they can create a bigger problem than the resignation itself: pay resentment, a wobble in team confidence, and a culture where people learn they only get valued when they threaten to leave. This guide is a practical,...

In recruitment, both sides can feel like they’re the one with the power, right up until they don’t. The recruiter’s value is making sure neither side overplays their hand. It sounds simple. It rarely is. I’ve been doing this long enough to watch the same dynamic play out repeatedly, across legal sector hiring, accountancy recruitment, and just about every salary...

For a long time, I was trained that being a good consultant meant being quick. Get the brief, get the CVs, get them out, keep the process moving. Speed matters in recruitment. But over time, confidence and experience have changed how I work. Not because I care less about pace, but because I care more about quality. If you’re applying...

Why Your Job Ad Isn’t Converting (and the 6 Lines to Fix First) If your job advert is getting views but not the right applications, it’s rarely because “there aren’t any candidates”. Most of the time, the advert is missing clarity in the first few lines. Good candidates skim. They decide in seconds whether a role is worth their time....

Hybrid Working:  What Candidates Mean vs What Firms Hear Hybrid working should be simple. In reality, it’s one of the biggest sources of frustration I see on both sides of the market, because “hybrid” isn’t a standard term. In this guide, I break down what candidates usually mean when they ask for hybrid working, what firms often hear, and how...

Offer drop-outs are one of the most frustrating parts of hiring. You do the hard work, you find someone good, everyone agrees they’re the right fit and then it wobbles at the last moment. The good news: most drop-outs aren’t random. They’re usually the result of avoidable gaps in process, communication, or expectations. Here’s a practical guide UK firms can...

Are These Killing Your Ability to Hire? Most hiring issues are not “a candidate problem”. They are process problems. If you are struggling to land the people you actually want, here are three common culprits I see in professional hiring markets (legal and accountancy included). Use these as credible internal conversation starters, not as hard promises externally. 1) Speed wins...

Accounts Roles Salary Bands in Accountancy Practice (London vs UK-Wide) Hiring or job-hunting in practice can feel messy because “accounts” titles aren’t always consistent between firms. Below is a clear, practical guide to typical salary bands for core accounts roles in accountancy practice, split into London and UK-wide (outside London). These figures are designed to be a helpful benchmark, not...

Family Law Solicitor Salary Bands (UK-Wide): London vs Outside London (by PQE) Hiring solicitors in 2026 is weirdly simple and weirdly hard at the same time. Simple, because the pattern is consistent: candidates aren’t “inactive”, they’re cautious. They will move for the right role, but they need clarity fast. Hard, because too many firms are still hiring like it’s 2019:...

Why tailoring your CV matters (and why good candidates get ignored) If you’re applying for roles and not getting traction, there’s a good chance it’s not your experience. It’s how your experience is being presented. We recently advertised for a Recruitment Consultant role and received 109 applications. A few people told us in messages or cover notes that they had...