If you’re a CFO, you’ll know the finance function has changed. It’s evolved into something more than just financial reporting. Your expertise are needed to help shape strategy, influence decisions and steer your organisation through constant change.
That transformation has brought new expectations, especially when it comes to hiring. Technical skills are still essential, but they’re only half the story. Human skills matter just as much, if not more if you want to make a real difference in your organisation.
More Than the Numbers
We wrote a blog at the start of the year, diving into how the CFO’s role is evolving. The focus used to be on compliance and control, but now you’re required to act as business partners, tell compelling stories with data and lead with agility (because nobody can predict the future!).
But you can’t deliver that kind of impact with technical know-how alone. Skills like communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability and critical thinking are so important. Without them, how will you collaborate across departments, influence stakeholders or translate complex data into easy-to-digest pieces so you can help your leadership team drive the business forward?
In other words, technical brilliance might grab the headlines on a candidate’s CV, but it’ll be their human skills that determine whether they’ll thrive in the role.
This means, when you’re building your team, you need people who can do more than deliver reports. You need people who can communicate insights, influence direction and drive decisions.
The Human Skills Gap
There’s a growing feeling that the soft skills gap in finance is getting wider. While the digital age has been revolutionary, it’s also been a huge distraction that’s causing people skills to be forgotten about.
We often hear CFOs say: “They’re technically brilliant – but they struggle to present ideas clearly or navigate ambiguity when it matters.” But we’ve all heard the phrase ‘people do business with people’, right?
It’s not just anecdotal. Research consistently shows that human skills, especially in leadership, collaboration and communication, are among the most in-demand across finance functions.
In fact, Pearson analysed over 21 million job adverts across the UK, US, Australia and Canada using AI and found that the top five most sought-after skills were all human: communication, organisation, customer service, attention to detail, and teamwork.
While technical skills still have their place, they change rapidly and can often be taught. What can’t be easily replicated (or automated!) are the qualities that help people build trust, navigate ambiguity and work effectively with others. That’s why employers are increasingly placing greater long-term value on human skills over technical experience alone.
And it’s not just about what’s valuable today. It’s about what will matter tomorrow. Pearson’s predictive analytics suggest that by 2026, the most valuable workplace skills will still be deeply human: collaboration, customer focus, a willingness to learn, achievement orientation, and cultural intelligence.
Rebecca Kellogg, Global Head of UBS University, captures this perfectly. “We need people who can not only understand, contextualise and interpret, but can then tell a story and inspire people… Technology, for the sake of technology doesn’t do it. How humans interpret that technology – that’s what makes us stronger, and that’s what makes us more effective as an organisation.”
What Smart CFOs Are Doing Differently
CFOs who are ahead of the curve aren’t just tweaking their hiring criteria, they’re rethinking what great finance talent really looks like.
Instead of focusing purely on technical qualifications, they’re looking for people who bring more to the table. Things like curiosity, resilience, a collaborative mindset and the right attitude.
They’re also investing in their teams, not just with technical training, but with opportunities to grow human skills. Storytelling workshops, mentoring sessions and creating the time and space for people to learn how to influence and communicate more effectively.
On top of that, they’re creating environments where feedback is welcomed, ideas are heard, and everyone, regardless of job title, feels empowered to step up and contribute.
Spotting Human Skills in the Hiring Process
So, how do you know if a candidate has those all-important soft skills before you give them the job?
Here’s how we help CFOs look beyond the CV to uncover the traits that truly matter:
- We get them to ask about behaviours, not just results
For example, during an interview you can ask the candidate to tell you about a time they had to influence someone without authority. Or ask them how they handle conflict in a cross-functional team.
- We get them to put their candidate in a real-world scenario
Present your candidate with a bit of ambiguity, an incomplete data set or a vague stakeholder ask, and see how they handle it. Do they clarify, adapt and explain their thinking clearly?
- We encourage them to look beyond the employment history
Some of the most valuable traits come from outside the office. Find out if they’re part of a sports team, mentor others, volunteer or lead community projects. These all speak volumes about someone’s interpersonal skill set.
Also, take note of how someone engages with you during the hiring process. This is often a great early indicator of how they’ll interact with your team, your stakeholders and your board.
Why Balance is the New Benchmark
We’re not saying you should solely focus on human skills. You need to find the right balance. The best finance teams are made up of individuals who bring both sharp analysis and strong interpersonal capabilities.
When someone can dive into the data and then step into the boardroom and communicate it with clarity and confidence, then you’re on to something. It’s not a case of either/or. It’s both. And your hiring strategy should reflect that.
“We have to go and find what we can be unique at,” says Lara Partridge, HSBC’s Head of Talent for Asia Pacific. “It’s the human aspects: empathy, flexibility, adaptability, resilience, relationship-building. That’s where I think the world of work will be contested in the future.”
The Bottom Line
So, remember, even in a world of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and highly qualified people, you need to keep it human. Your people can learn the tools, but it’s far harder to teach someone how to communicate with impact, build trust or lead through complexity.
CFOs who prioritise human skills today will have teams that can not only keep pace with change, but lead through it.
So, what’s driving your hiring decisions – qualifications or qualities?
If you’re ready to rethink what great finance talent looks like, we’d love to help you build a team that’s ready for whatever comes next. Get in touch today.
