Highlight emerging hiring trends in finance: remote work, cross-functional skill demands, DEI considerations, and data-centric screening.
If you’re still hiring finance professionals the same way you did three years ago, you’re already behind.
The finance hiring landscape has shifted dramatically, and frankly, many CFOs are still playing catch-up. What worked in 2022, posting a job description focused solely on technical skills and expecting candidates to show up in person, just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Here’s what’s happening: 67% of finance professionals now consider remote work options a deal-breaker when evaluating job offers. Meanwhile, 84% of hiring managers say they’re struggling to find candidates with the right mix of technical and soft skills. The old playbook isn’t just outdated; it’s actively hurting your ability to attract top talent.
I’ve been tracking these shifts across hundreds of finance teams, and the patterns are clear. The organizations that are winning the talent war aren’t just adapting to these trends; they’re getting ahead of them. Let’s break down what you need to know to stay competitive in 2025.
Remote Work: The New Default, Not the Exception
Remember when offering remote work was a nice-to-have perk? Those days are over. Remote and hybrid arrangements have become the baseline expectation for finance professionals, especially for roles that don’t require physical presence for cash handling or document review.
The numbers tell the story: 78% of finance job postings now include remote or hybrid options, up from just 23% in 2019. But here’s the twist, it’s not just about location flexibility anymore. Today’s candidates are evaluating your entire remote work infrastructure. Do you have robust collaboration tools? Clear communication protocols? Performance management systems designed for distributed teams?
Smart finance leaders are redesigning their hiring process around this reality. Instead of asking “Can this role be done remotely?” They’re asking, “How can we structure this role for maximum flexibility while maintaining efficiency?” The job description should clearly outline your remote work policies, technology stack, and collaboration expectations from day one.
This shift also means rethinking how you evaluate candidates. Traditional in-person interviews might miss great talent who’ve mastered virtual collaboration skills. Consider incorporating remote work scenarios into your interview process, how would they handle a virtual month-end close or lead a cross-functional budget meeting over video?
Cross-Functional Skills: The Finance Professional as Business Partner
Gone are the days when finance professionals could stay in their lane. The modern finance hire needs to speak marketing’s language when discussing customer acquisition costs, understand operations when analyzing supply chain impacts, and collaborate with IT on system implementations.
This trend is reshaping job descriptions across the board. A recent survey found that 91% of finance roles now require some level of cross-functional collaboration, compared to 64% just five years ago. The most in-demand candidates aren’t just technically proficient; they’re business translators who can bridge the gap between financial data and strategic decisions.
When you’re crafting your hiring process, look for evidence of cross-departmental experience. Has the candidate worked on ERP implementations? Led cost reduction initiatives that require buy-in from multiple departments? Presented financial insights to non-finance stakeholders? These experiences matter more than ever.
Here’s a practical tip: include representatives from other departments in your interview process. If you’re hiring a financial analyst who’ll work closely with sales, have a sales leader participate in the interview. You’ll get better insights into the candidate’s communication style and collaborative approach.
The best finance professionals in 2025 are part accountant, part consultant, and part project manager. Your hiring process should reflect this reality by evaluating soft skills alongside technical competencies.
DEI: Beyond Compliance to Competitive Advantage
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in finance hiring isn’t just about doing the right thing, though that’s important. It’s about building better teams that make better decisions. Research consistently shows that diverse finance teams spot risks earlier, generate more innovative solutions, and improve overall performance.
Yet the numbers in finance are still sobering. Women hold only 31% of senior finance roles, and underrepresented minorities account for just 18% of finance leadership positions. The good news? Organizations that prioritize DEI in their hiring process are seeing real results.
Start with your job descriptions. Research from Harvard Business School shows that job postings with more inclusive language receive 42% more applications from diverse candidates. Remove unnecessary requirements that might discourage qualified candidates, do you really need an MBA for that analyst role, or would equivalent experience suffice?
Expand your sourcing beyond traditional channels. Partner with professional organizations like the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) or the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). Consider candidates from non-traditional backgrounds who might bring fresh perspectives to your team.
Structure your interview process to minimise bias. Use standardised questions, diverse interview panels, and objective scoring criteria. The goal isn’t to lower standards; it’s to ensure you’re evaluating all candidates fairly and capturing the full range of available talent.
Data-Centric Screening: Let Analytics Guide Your Decisions
Here’s where finance hiring gets really interesting in 2025: we’re finally using data to make better hiring decisions. The most successful finance teams are applying the same analytical rigor to talent acquisition that they do to business decisions.
This starts with defining success metrics for each role. Instead of vague job descriptions, create specific, measurable outcomes. For example, “reduce month-end closing time by 20%” or “implement automated reporting that saves 15 hours per week.” When you know exactly what success looks like, you can evaluate candidates more effectively.
Use skills assessments and case studies that mirror real work scenarios. Ask candidates to analyze actual financial data (anonymized, of course) or walk through a budgeting exercise similar to what they’d handle in the role. This approach gives you much better predictive validity than traditional interviews alone.
Technology is also transforming the screening process. AI-powered tools can help identify patterns in successful hires, flag potential red flags in resumes, and even assess soft skills through video interviews. Some platforms now use machine learning to match candidates with roles based on competency patterns rather than just keyword matching, which means you’re more likely to find that hidden gem with non-traditional experience but perfect skill alignment.
But remember, technology should enhance human judgment, not replace it. The best results come from combining AI insights with human expertise in finance-specific requirements.
The most forward-thinking finance leaders are also tracking hiring metrics like time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, and first-year retention rates. This data helps them continuously improve their hiring process and make more informed decisions about where to invest their recruiting resources.
Building Your 2025 Hiring Strategy
These trends aren’t just interesting observations; they’re reshaping how successful organizations attract and hire finance talent. The CFOs who adapt their hiring process to these realities will build stronger, more capable teams. Those who don’t will find themselves struggling to compete for the best candidates.
Start by auditing your current hiring process against these trends. Are your job descriptions inclusive and outcomes-focused? Does your interview process evaluate cross-functional skills? Are you offering the flexibility that top candidates expect?
Many finance leaders are finding that specialized talent platforms make this transition easier. Companies like Onefinnet, for instance, focus specifically on finance roles and understand these evolving requirements, from remote work capabilities to cross-functional skill assessment. The key is finding partners who get the nuances of finance hiring rather than trying to adapt generic recruiting tools.
Remember, hiring is ultimately about finding people who can drive your organization forward. In 2025, that means looking beyond traditional qualifications to find candidates who can navigate complexity, collaborate across functions, and adapt to an ever-changing business environment.
The finance profession is evolving rapidly, and your hiring strategy should evolve with it. The organizations that get this right won’t just fill positions; they’ll build the foundation for sustained competitive advantage.
Ready to modernize your finance hiring approach? Start with one trend and gradually incorporate the others. Your future team will thank you for the investment in getting this right.
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