Competing for Talent: Understanding the Recruiting Challenges and Strategies of Small Accounting Firms

Abstract

Recruiting talent is a major issue for the accounting profession and is particularly salient for small accounting firms with limited resources and brand recognition. In this study, we investigate the challenges faced by small accounting firms when recruiting from universities and their strategies for overcoming these challenges. Drawing on interviews with 30 individuals directly involved with recruiting at 22 small firms, we create a process model of small firm recruiting and present evidence related to each phase of the model (i.e., developing organizational familiarity, image, and legitimacy). Consistent with theory, our findings indicate that small firms adopt a combined strategy of emphasizing their distinctiveness to discerning job candidates through strategic use of peripheral and central communication while also adopting certain practices of larger firms to establish their legitimacy. We conclude with a discussion of respondents’ perceptions of recruiting success including the quality-related implications of small firms’ recruiting approach. 

Keywords: small accounting firms, recruiting, field study, peripheral communication, central communication, organizational familiarity, organizational image, organizational legitimacy

JEL Classification: M12, M41, M42, M51