FEATURE TOPIC
There are two main paths into the payroll profession – one with a foundation of experience and the other leading from education. So, what are the relative merits of each route, and to what extent should the paths be merged? To find out, Jerome Smail, freelance journalist , asked the industry experts…
Recruiting Trends Guide , employers are increasingly turning to skills-based hiring to attract a range of professionals from different backgrounds; more than half (54%) of accountancy employers believe it’s not important for a job applicant to have a degree, followed by 38% who say a degree is quite important, but not an essential requirement. Although academic achievements and work experience undoubtedly help to equip payroll professionals with a valuable skillset to take forward throughout their career, an aptitude and willingness to learn is thought to be of greater importance than existing skills by over three-quarters (77%) of finance employers. Therefore, jobseekers ought to emphasise their enthusiasm to put in the work necessary to progress. Most (78%) accountancy employers say they’re likely to hire a professional who doesn’t possess all the required skills, with the intention of upskilling them, which is an effective way to attract a diverse talent pool, create opportunities and bridge the skills gap. Emma Watson: Take the payroll role back 20 years – there were limited payroll qualifications available. Therefore, hiring for the job was based on previous work experience. Even though payroll qualifications are now becoming increasingly popular and more readily available, speaking from experience, when advertising for payroll juniors, job applicants have been school leavers with
This issue, Jerome spoke to: ● Emily Cocking ACIPP , payroll manager, Streets Steele ● Paul Hammond MCIPPdip , director, national payroll / business services and outsourcing, BDO ● Helen Livesey , senior business director, Hays ● Emma Watson MCIPPdip , payroll and human resources (HR) manager, Payroll Pal.
In your view, how does the hiring process balance the needs of payroll regarding the potential of employees with experience, against those with theoretical skills based on education? Emily Cocking: I opened this question out to my managers, Ben Steele and Ryan Saward, the directors of Streets Steele, and they explained what they were looking for when recruiting for my role (payroll manager) and other payroll roles in the business. Ben stated that he feels experience overpowers education as a general rule for payroll roles as there isn’t capacity to teach an employee how to deal with the day-to-day business responsibilities. He would put experience over education when recruiting for a payroll role but this changed for my role as payroll manager. Ben and Ryan felt both were essential for my job as it’s a senior and complex role and they wanted to ensure the employee had experience in payroll processing but also had technical skills and qualifications which could help them fill the role as manager, deal with payroll queries and help the team.
Paul Hammond: It’s about striking the right balance and recognising the unique combination of a candidate’s experiences, skills and educational background. That’s how you find the perfect match for the role and ensure both the individual and the organisation thrive. A candidate might have a string of qualifications and a wealth of knowledge but find themselves out of their depth in the fast-paced environment of a payroll bureau. At the same time, qualifications can be a game- changer, acting as a differentiator among candidates with similar experience levels. It’s a sign of their dedication to learning and self-improvement. Helen Livesey: Employers typically look for how much experience an applicant has under their belt when scanning CVs. However, across most organisations today, the hiring process is centred around the skills an applicant can bring to the table. Whether their skills were obtained through hands-on experience or by achieving qualifications through education, employers are interested in hearing how these skills are transferable to help facilitate success in the role in question. According to our 2024 Salary and
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | June 2024 | Issue 101 28
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