September has a habit of changing the mood. The holidays are over. The inbox is full again. Everyone suddenly remembers the targets they set before summer, and across the recruitment market, something else happens, people start moving. Candidates who spent August thinking about their careers begin updating CVs, replying to recruiters and exploring opportunities. Businesses that delayed hiring decisions over the summer suddenly want people through the door before year-end.
Recruitment activity starts building again. It’s often called the September Surge.
If you work in finance, September can be one of the most important periods of the year to get your recruitment strategy right. Whether you’re considering your next move or preparing to hire into your finance team, the same principle applies:
September rewards people who are ready to move.
Is the September Recruitment Surge Actually Real?
Yes, but perhaps not quite in the way LinkedIn would have you believe. There isn’t a magical switch at midnight on 1st September where thousands of finance vacancies suddenly appear. What we do see is a recurring increase in recruitment activity as businesses and candidates return from the summer period.
Historical data from Reed’s September Job Market Reviews supports the pattern.
In September 2023, 184,828 jobs were posted on Reed, an increase of 3% compared with August. In September 2021, Reed also reported increases in vacancies across several professional sectors, including an 11% rise in Financial Services vacancies during the month.
Candidate activity can increase too. In Reed’s September 2021 data, applications increased across professional services, including a 6% uplift within Financial Services.
So the September Surge isn’t simply recruitment folklore. It reflects something fairly logical – people come back from summer ready to make decisions.
Why September Creates a Recruitment Reset
August is an unusual month for recruitment. Hiring doesn’t stop, despite what people sometimes assume, but decision-making can become harder.
One hiring manager is away, then the CFO disappears for two weeks, then your preferred candidate goes to Spain. Before you know it, everyone agrees to “pick this back up in September”.
We recently looked at exactly this in Out of Office, Out of Mind? Keeping Your Job Search Alive in August.
September removes much of that friction. Teams return, budgets are revisited, businesses look at what needs delivering before year-end, candidates reflect on whether they really want to spend another year in the same role.
And suddenly both sides of the recruitment market have a reason to act.
For Finance Candidates, September Can Be a Brilliant Time to Move
If you’ve spent the summer thinking: “I might start looking after my holiday.” This is your reminder. The finance talent market contains a significant number of professionals considering change.
ACCA’s 2026 Global Talent Trends research found that 52% of finance professionals expect their next career move to be outside their current organisation. That is a huge proportion of the finance workforce potentially open to something different. It also means something else… You’re probably not the only candidate considering a move this autumn.
Don’t Wait Until You See the “Perfect” Job Advert
One of the biggest mistakes candidates make during busy recruitment periods is becoming too passive. They open LinkedIn, scroll through a few vacancies, nothing immediately jumps out, so they decide they’ll look again next week. But some of the best finance opportunities never spend very long on job boards. Recruiters are already speaking with businesses about upcoming vacancies, hiring managers are already discussing succession plans, candidates are already being introduced. By the time the perfect role appears in your search results, somebody else may already be interviewing for it.
September is therefore a good time to do three things:
✅ Update your CV
✅ Speak to specialist finance recruiters
✅ Get clear about what you actually want next
Not just the salary. Think about progression, flexibility, leadership, culture, responsibilities and the type of business you want to join.
As we discuss in What Finance Candidates Want in 2026 (It’s Not Just Salary), compensation remains important, but it is only one part of how finance professionals evaluate opportunities.
Employers: September Creates Opportunity, But Also Competition
The September Surge works both ways. Yes, there may be more candidates thinking about moving, but there are also more employers trying to hire them and strong finance professionals don’t suddenly become less selective because September has arrived.. quite the opposite.
The best candidates can find themselves running several recruitment processes simultaneously.
- Financial Controllers.
- Finance Managers.
- Finance Business Partners.
- FP&A professionals.
- Heads of Finance.
- Finance Directors.
- CFOs.
If they have the right experience, there is a good chance other businesses want to speak to them too. This is where speed matters.
As we explored in Why You’re Losing Great Finance Candidates Before You Even Make an Offer, unnecessary interview stages, slow feedback and internal delays can result in excellent candidates disappearing before an employer reaches offer stage.
Don’t Confuse Moving Quickly With Rushing
There is an important distinction here.
Moving quickly does not mean:
“We’ve got a CV. Interview them tomorrow. Offer Friday.”
That’s rushing.
Moving quickly means having your recruitment process organised before candidates enter it.
Know:
- Who needs to interview
- How many stages there will be
- What you’re assessing
- What salary you’re offering
- Who can approve an offer
- How quickly feedback will be given
That preparation means when the right person appears, you can act.
At We Do Group, our recruitment process is built around agreeing clear timelines, mapping the relevant talent market and maintaining feedback throughout the hiring journey.
September Is a Terrible Time to Discover Your Salary Is Wrong
Imagine spending September doing everything correctly.
1️⃣ You’ve written the brief.
2️⃣ Found candidates.
3️⃣ Completed interviews.
4️⃣ Identified your preferred person.
Then you discover your salary is £10,000 below what the market is paying. Now you’re negotiating, the candidate is hesitating, another employer enters the conversation and suddenly the September Surge has worked against you.
Salary conversations need to happen before recruitment starts. This is exactly why we created We Do Benchmark.
Our free salary benchmarking service helps employers independently benchmark finance and accounting salaries and benefits based on factors including company size, location and specific role requirements. It can also provide a live candidate shortlist to help employers understand what the available market actually looks like. Because a salary guide tells you what a role might pay. The market tells you what you’ll actually need to pay to hire the person you want.
Candidates Are Assessing Employers Just as Closely
September isn’t simply about employers choosing candidates. Candidates are choosing employers too, and the finance workforce is becoming increasingly clear about what matters.
ACCA’s 2026 Global Talent Trends research found 55% of respondents were dissatisfied with their current compensation, while 75% said an employer’s reputation on social and human rights was an important attraction factor.
So simply advertising a competitive salary and expecting applications isn’t enough. Candidates are evaluating:
- Culture
- Flexibility
- Leadership
- Career progression
- Development
- Benefits
- Purpose
- Employer reputation
Your recruitment process itself becomes part of that assessment. Which raises a slightly uncomfortable question… Would you apply for your own job? We’ve explored exactly that question in Would YOU Apply For The Job You’ve Advertised?
Candidates: Don’t Apply for Everything
More vacancies do not mean you should send more applications. September enthusiasm can quickly turn into: “I’ll apply for anything vaguely relevant and see what happens.”
Don’t.
Ten thoughtful applications to genuinely relevant opportunities are likely to be far more useful than 100 applications fired into the internet. Know what you’re looking for. Think about:
- Your target salary
- Your ideal commute
- Hybrid working expectations
- Your preferred company size
- The responsibilities you want
- The experience you want to gain
- Where you want your career to go next
Then build your search around those criteria. A recruiter can help here too. Sometimes the most valuable recruitment conversation isn’t about a vacancy, it’s about understanding what your next move should actually look like.
Employers: Don’t Hire Just Because Everyone Else Is
There is another side to the September Surge. Urgency can create bad decisions. You see competitors hiring, your leadership team wants vacancies filled before Q4. Suddenly, speed becomes the only objective. That’s dangerous.
Research cited by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation has previously estimated that a poor middle-management hire on a £42,000 salary can ultimately cost a business £132,000 when the wider costs of getting the appointment wrong are considered.
September might be busy. That doesn’t mean standards should drop. Move quickly, but still hire properly. We explore the wider consequences in The Real Cost Of A Bad Hire In Finance.
September Is the Start, Not the Deadline
Perhaps the biggest misconception around the September Surge is that there is some tiny window of opportunity.
There isn’t.
September typically marks the beginning of a busy autumn recruitment period rather than the end of one. Recruitment activity continues through October and November as businesses push to complete hires before year-end and candidates look to secure their next move.
The advantage of acting in September is simply that you are starting earlier. Candidates have more time to explore opportunities properly, employers have more time to run good recruitment processes, everyone has more room to make the right decision.
And that’s ultimately what good recruitment should be about.
So, Are You Ready for the September Surge?
If you’re a candidate, now is the time to get clear about what you want next.
✅ Update your CV.
✅ Speak to your network.
✅ Talk to recruiters.
✅ Explore the market.
✅ And don’t wait until January to make a change you’ve been thinking about since June.
If you’re an employer, get ahead of the competition.
✅ Define the role.
✅ Benchmark the salary.
✅ Agree the interview process.
✅ Get decision-makers aligned.
✅ Then move when the right person appears.
At We Do Group, we work with finance and accounting professionals and businesses across the UK to make those conversations easier. Whether you’re looking for your next finance opportunity or building your finance team this autumn, September is a brilliant time to start, because the September Surge isn’t about panicking and doing everything faster.
It’s about being ready when everyone else starts moving.
If you’re a candidate looking for work, or an employer looking to fill a role,
