Hire bookkeepers
A bookkeeper keeps your numbers right month after month, so you can pay people, file on time and know where the business stands. A careless one leaves a mess your accountant has to unwind. Optihire Staffing recruits bookkeepers and accounting clerks for small and growing businesses across the United States.
Contingency Recruitment
You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.
What a bookkeeper does
Bookkeepers record transactions, manage accounts payable and receivable, reconcile bank and credit card accounts, send invoices and often process payroll. Many prepare monthly reports and hand clean records to an outside accountant or CPA for tax work.
In a small business one bookkeeper may handle everything from vendor bills to sales tax filings. In a larger one the role may focus on a single area, such as payables or payroll. Most work in accounting software such as QuickBooks or Xero.
What to screen for
The skills, credentials and habits worth checking before you make an offer.
Accounting software
Ask which software they use and what they do in it. Someone who reconciles accounts every month knows the tool better than someone who only enters bills.
Month-end close
Ask them to walk through their month-end process. A clear, ordered answer shows real experience.
Credentials, where useful
Many good bookkeepers have no formal credential. Some hold the Certified Bookkeeper designation or a QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification. Verify any you rely on.
Payroll
If the role includes payroll, ask which payroll system they used and how they handled a correction. Payroll tax rules vary by state.
Trust and background checks
Bookkeepers handle money and private records, and many employers run background checks. If you use a background check company, the federal FCRA requires written disclosure and consent, and some states and cities add limits, so check with an employment attorney.
How we recruit bookkeepers
Tell us the software, the scope of the role, the volume of transactions, who the bookkeeper reports to and the pay range. We ask detailed questions about software and month-end process on the phone screen, and suggest a short practical exercise in your interview, such as a sample reconciliation. You get a ranked shortlist with notes on each candidate's strengths and gaps.
With contingency recruitment, you pay a fee only when a successful candidate is hired, under terms agreed in writing first. Our article on recruitment agency vs in-house hiring can help you decide whether to use a recruiter. See the other administration and operations roles we fill and our recruitment services.
Interview questions to ask
Open questions that make candidates describe real work. Follow up on anything vague.
Which accounting software do you use, and what do you do in it each month?
Walk me through your month-end close.
Tell me about a reconciliation that didn't balance. How did you find the problem?
Have you run payroll? Which system did you use?
How do you keep records ready for the outside accountant at tax time?
Hiring bookkeepers?
Send us the role, the shift and the pay range. You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.