The three scariest things in finance hiring (and what actually keeps them away)
The three scariest things in finance hiring (and what actually keeps them away)
It's Halloween. Finance hiring doesn't need a costume — it's already got its own monsters. The ghost, the zombie and the vampire.
The ghost: the new starter who never arrives
Offer accepted. Start date agreed. Day one arrives, and nobody does. In CIPD's 2026 resourcing survey, 17% of UK employers that recruited had a selected candidate fail to arrive on their first day, and 29% had a new hire resign within 12 weeks.
The fix is unglamorous. A call between offer and start date. A message from the manager. Someone who knows their name on day one.
The zombie: the counteroffer that won't stay dead
Someone resigns. Their boss panics, finds the money, and they stay. Everyone relaxes. The reason they were looking in the first place hasn't gone anywhere. CIPD's 2026 survey found 20% of UK employers use counteroffers to ease recruitment difficulties, down from 28% in 2024. And in earlier CIPD research, for some employers a counteroffer bought time rather than a fix.
Worth finding out why someone is leaving before the money conversation starts.
The vampire: the hiring process that drains everyone
Round one. Round two. A "quick catch-up". A panel that can't find a shared diary. Adzuna's had the average UK role taking c.35 days to fill. In our experience, strong finance candidates rarely sit still that long.
What actually keeps them away
No garlic required. Staying in touch after the offer. Asking why before reaching for the cheque book. A process with momentum. Candidates on the other side of the table: our finance interview do's and don'ts (/company/blog/finance-interview-dos-and-donts-2026) should help.
Happy Halloween. No ghosts, no zombies, no waffle.