Forget the outdated image immediately. The accountant locked in their office, buried under folders, speaking only to a calculator—that era is over. If this is the profile you are looking for today, you are recruiting for a world that no longer exists.
In 2026, the reality on the ground—from Brussels to Liège via Ghent—is radically different. Mandatory B2B electronic invoicing has reshaped the profession. Manual data entry? Almost a relic of the past. Artificial intelligence and tools such as Odoo, WinBooks, and Silverfin now handle most transactional work.
So what remains?
What remains is added value. Analysis. Advice. Relationship.
Today, an accounting firm or a finance department no longer sells hours of data entry. It sells security and strategy. Clients no longer expect just a balance sheet; they want to understand why their margin is shrinking while revenue is growing. They want to know whether it is time to invest—or to play it safe.
This is precisely where your current recruitment process is probably failing.
You receive technically flawless CVs. Candidates master IP taxation, registration duties, and the latest ITAA circulars. On paper, everything looks perfect. But once on the job, things fall apart. The employee is abrupt with a client on the phone. They panic on the eve of a VAT deadline. They refuse to support a junior colleague.
The result? You hired a technician—but you needed a consultant.
Talent Shortage: An Accelerator of Hiring Mistakes
The Belgian context is unforgiving. According to the latest Forem and Actiris lists (2025), finance professions remain at the top of the critical shortage rankings. This is a full-blown war for talent.
Faced with scarcity, the temptation is strong to lower standards. “To take the candidate because they have the diploma, they know VAT—we’ll deal with the rest later.”
This is a major strategic mistake.
In 2026, a junior accountant typically starts between €2,400 and €2,800 gross (excluding company car and net benefits). A senior or manager profile reaches €4,500–€5,000. Add onboarding costs, software licenses, and training time.
If that employee leaves—or must be dismissed—after six months due to poor interpersonal skills, the cost is severe. Not to mention the damaging impact on team morale, as remaining staff must absorb the workload.
Hard Skills vs Soft Skills: The Balance Has Shifted
Let’s be clear: technical competence (hard skills) remains the entry ticket. An accountant who does not master the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations (CSA) is useless. This is non-negotiable.
But technical knowledge has an expiration date.
What was fiscally valid in 2024 may no longer be in 2026. Laws change. Software evolves—just look at the speed at which AI is being adopted in accounting firms.
Soft skills, on the other hand, endure. They are the employee’s operating system.
- The ability to learn (learnability)
- Resilience under closing-period stress
- Empathy toward clients in financial difficulty
This human capital is what allows your organization to adapt to shocks.
Recruiting solely for technical skills is investing in a depreciating asset. Recruiting for soft skills is investing in growth potential.
Your challenge as a recruiter or manager is therefore immense: How do you detect these invisible skills in a one-hour interview? How do you know whether a technically brilliant candidate will collapse during the first intense tax period?
That is exactly what we are about to break down.
ANALYSIS GRID – THE SOFT SKILLS OF THE “BUSINESS PARTNER” ACCOUNTANT
Let’s get to the core. You know the profile has changed—but what exactly should you be looking for? If you scan CVs only for “rigor” and “organization,” you stay on the surface. In 2026, an accountant’s performance in Belgium rests on four key behavioral pillars.
1. Digital Agility (Tech-Savviness)
This is no longer optional—it is the engine of the profession.
In most modern firms, manual posting has disappeared. Your future hire will not spend days entering purchase invoices. They will supervise data flows between client ERPs, pre-accounting platforms (Yuki, Codabox), and your core accounting software.
Digital agility is not about knowing Excel. It is a mindset.
It is the ability not to panic when an API disconnects. It is the curiosity to test a new automation feature in Bob 50 before being asked.
A candidate who says “I’ve always done it on paper” is an immediate productivity risk. You want someone who sees AI not as a threat, but as an assistant that removes low-value tasks. This openness is the first soft skill to validate.
2. Financial Translation (Client Communication)
This is where client retention is decided.
A good accountant speaks two languages:
- Accounting (Debit, Credit, Depreciation, DNA)
- Client (Cash, Profit, Taxes)
Too many technicians remain stuck in the first.
Picture this: a Brussels-based restaurant owner calls, worried about cash flow. The bad accountant recites the income statement line by line. The client hangs up confused and frustrated.
The good accountant—the one you want—translates: “Your payroll costs increased by 12% this quarter while revenue stagnated. That’s where your margin is leaking. Let’s review staffing schedules together.”
This ability to simplify requires empathy and mental clarity. Test it rigorously in interviews. If a candidate cannot explain a complex tax concept in simple terms, they will not be able to do it with your clients.
3. Stress Management (Fiscal Resilience)
The Belgian tax calendar is relentless.
Monthly or quarterly VAT returns, payroll withholding, annual closings, corporate tax returns, 281 forms… Deadlines are legal and often collide.
Here, rigor alone is insufficient. Resilience is critical.
Some candidates collapse under pressure. They become aggressive, make costly errors, or go on sick leave at the worst moment (often October–November).
Others thrive in urgency. They prioritize. They say: “I can’t do everything today, but here’s what’s critical to avoid penalties.”
Stress management is essential to team mental health. One anxious employee contaminates the entire open space. You want a stress absorber, not an amplifier.
4. Ethics and Advisory Posture (Critical Thinking)
The accountant is the business owner’s confidant. They see everything.
In Belgium, ITAA ethics are strict—but beyond written rules lies professional posture.
A client asks: “Can you expense this vacation invoice?”
- The people-pleaser says yes—exposing the firm to risk.
- The rigid accountant says no bluntly—damaging the relationship.
- The trusted partner says: “No, that’s illegal and risky. But we can optimize your net income legally through copyright income or a warrant plan.”
This solution-oriented yet principled mindset is what defines senior value.
METHODOLOGY – HOW TO RECRUIT WITHOUT MAKING MISTAKES
Knowing the skills is one thing. Detecting them in an hour is another.
The STAR Method: Your Lie Detector
Forget hypothetical questions like “How would you handle conflict?” Everyone answers perfectly.
Use STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Example to test error management:
Avoid: “What do you do if you make a mistake?” Ask: “Tell me about your last significant mistake on a client file—one with financial or relational consequences. What happened? How did you communicate it? How did you fix it?”
Red flags:
- “I never make mistakes.”
- Blaming software, interns, or clients.
Green flag: A detailed, accountable explanation ending in learning and prevention.
The Technical + Behavioral “Crash Test”
Never rely on words alone.
Give the candidate a messy aged receivables report or an unbalanced balance sheet. Ask them to analyze it.
Then ask: “Now explain this problem to the client (played by you), who has no financial knowledge and is in a hurry.”
You will instantly see whether they simplify or drown in jargon, whether patience holds or breaks. If it fails here, it will fail on the job.
Belgian Legal Framework (Unia): What You Must Respect
Belgian anti-discrimination law is strict.
Forbidden: “Do you have children?” “How old are you?”
Allowed: “Between January and March, overtime after 6 p.m. is common. Is that compatible with your personal organization?”
Judge availability—not private life. Behavior—not identity.
Onboarding: The Final Step of Recruitment
Contract signed. Start date Monday. Done? No.
In Belgium, many contract terminations occur within the first six months—not due to competence, but integration failure.
Assign a buddy, not a manager. Schedule weekly feedback check-ins. Guide, don’t overwhelm.
This time investment turns a new hire into a pillar of the firm.
IN SUMMARY
The Belgian accounting recruitment market in 2026 is ruthless for passive employers. Talent has options. People are not just looking for salary—they seek purpose and culture.
Stop chasing the perfect technician. Recruit the well-built mind: adaptable, communicative, resilient.
Technical skills can be trained (and ITAA requires it). Soft skills are the cornerstone of your future profitability.
Recruit the human behind the accountant. It is the best investment you will make this year.
RESOURCES & SOURCES
Further reading:
- Le Forem – Shortage Occupations
- ITAA – Institute for Tax Advisors and Accountants
- Unia – Anti-discrimination in recruitment
Sources used:
- Internal Fed Group & Fed Finance data (2024–2025 placements)
- Actiris & Forem annual reports
- ITAA Code of Ethics
- Belgian legislation on workplace well-being and psychosocial risks
