Anyone recruiting in the London in-house tax market right now knows how difficult it is to hire recently qualified professionals, particularly those with 1-2 years’ PQE. The reasons are well-rehearsed:

• Compliance & accounting experience gaps: Many newly qualified tax professionals from the advisory firms have deep technical knowledge but lack the breadth of compliance and accounting exposure smaller in-house teams often require.
• Career management by firms: The Big 4, in particular, are much better today at career development and retention. They’re keeping talent engaged with structured career paths and interesting work.
• Pay pressure: Newly qualified salaries in practice have risen sharply, in some cases outstripping in-house market rates.

The result? Hiring managers can end up fishing in an increasingly shallow pool of candidates. But that doesn’t mean hiring managers have to compromise. It may just mean they need to think differently.

Case Study: A smart way one Head of Tax thought differently about their hiring

James Rodgers, SRM’s Head of Tax Recruitment, recently worked with a Head of Tax at a well-known retail business who faced exactly this problem. Rather than insist on hiring someone with a classic corporate tax background, he took a more flexible approach. His view was simple: if someone is ACA or CTA-qualified, the letters demonstrate strong technical ability, regardless of whether their experience was in employment taxes, VAT or transfer pricing. He hired a talented employment taxes specialist, brought her into the team, and began to train her in corporate tax while giving her responsibility in a broader managerial role.

The outcome? A win-win.

• The Head of Tax gained a highly motivated, capable team member who brought a fresh perspective and was keen to learn.
• The candidate secured an opportunity she thought would never be open to her – a corporate tax-focused in-house role – while leveraging her existing expertise.

This approach highlights an important lesson: sometimes the best hires aren’t the obvious ones. By broadening the criteria, Heads of Tax can secure strong people in a tough market, and talented professionals can unlock career opportunities that once felt out of reach. For hiring managers facing a candidate-short market, broadening the lens might just be the difference between an empty seat and a thriving team. Flexibility and open-mindedness can make all the difference.

GET IN TOUCH:

If you’re looking to hire tax professionals, we’re here to help. James Rodgers is our Head of Tax Recruitment at SRM – contact him on jamesrodgers@srmrecruitment.com or call 07852 322955