Credit@work.

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Dear Andy,

Recruiting skilled professionals to join our growing credit department is an ongoing challenge. Do you have any suggestions that might help us better identify and hire strong candidates?

Many employers continue to find it challenging to recruit skilled candidates. Several factors are contributing to the talent crunch, including surging demand for credit personnel in recent years, a dearth of highly skilled practitioners, a low unemployment rate for college-educated workers and a growing number of employees who are reaching retirement age.

To compete effectively for the best workers in this environment, employers must be increasingly resourceful and dedicated in their recruiting efforts. The following strategies, proposed by members of the Robert Half International Financial Leadership Council--a group consisting of executives from business and private industry, public accounting, academia and professional associations--have proven successful in other organizations. The Council's recommendations are contained in greater detail in Charting the Future of the Accounting, Finance and Audit Professions, a new report from Robert Half.

Capitalize on internships. Internship programs can give companies an edge in hiring entry-level talent. Some employers are successfully using a double internship model, which involves inviting top college students to do consecutive internships after both their junior and senior years. Firms often find that it's more likely that interns will accept an employment offer if they return for a second internship. But whether or not a second internship is involved, don't hesitate to extend a job offer to promising students.

Use a dedicated hiring professional. Improve and accelerate the recruiting process by taking advantage of a human resources professional or team ...