Looking to Hire Accountants for Your GCC in India? 7 Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make

If you’re planning to set up or scale your Global Capability Center (GCC) in India, and your finance team is top priority, you already know this: it’s not as simple as posting a job and waiting. Many MNCs and enterprise teams assume that hiring accountants in India is easy because of the massive talent pool. But the truth is, hiring the right accountants for a GCC, ones who understand MNC reporting structures, global compliance, and collaborative cross-border workflows, is anything but straightforward.

You might be thinking: “There are so many commerce graduates in India, how hard can this be?”

That’s exactly where companies slip. The sheer volume of applicants doesn’t guarantee the right hire. In fact, most of the businesses we work with have tried hiring independently before approaching us. By then, they’ve already made 3–4 of the 7 hiring mistakes we’re going to talk about in this article : mistakes that cost them time, compliance exposure, and team momentum.

Let’s break down those critical mistakes and how you can avoid them.

1. Assuming All Accountants Have the Same Skills

Many MNCs mistakenly believe that an accountant is an accountant. But if you're hiring for your GCC in India, you need professionals who can do more than just bookkeeping.

You need someone who can:

• Understand IFRS, IND-AS, and US GAAP frameworks, not just Indian tax law.

• Manage multi-entity consolidation and reporting cycles.

• Collaborate with remote teams across time zones.

• Work comfortably on tools like SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or Microsoft Dynamics.

• Understand the finance workflows within shared services or global business services.

When companies don’t define these nuances in their job descriptions, they end up screening the wrong talent and wasting 3–5 weeks before they realize it.

At Exlcareer, we work with companies from Mumbai to Munich who need accountants with specific GCC-ready experience, including tools like Power BI and integrations with cloud ERP systems. If you’re unsure what profiles to target, we help clarify that for you before the hiring even starts.

Want to see 2–3 vetted accountant profiles today? Just reach out to us.

2. Overlooking Compliance-Heavy Hiring Requirements

Hiring a junior accountant and hiring someone who will be handling transfer pricing, intercompany billing, or internal audit for your GCC are not the same thing.

But we’ve seen firms try to handle this in-house, only to run into:

• Delays in SOC1/SOC2 or ISO audit readiness

• Untrained hires struggling with SEZ/STPI documentation

• Gaps in GST reconciliation due to incorrect jurisdiction filings

India’s regulatory environment is complex. And your GCC accountants will need to manage:

• Statutory audits

• Direct and indirect tax filings

• ESG reporting

• SEZ compliance (if applicable)

Don’t assume every candidate knows this. And don’t assume your internal recruiter can screen for it.

We’ve helped several MNCs in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune streamline hiring for roles like:

• Financial Controller – GCC Setup

• Manager – Statutory Compliance

• FP&A Analyst – India Shared Services

All of these roles require different compliance capabilities and different screening criteria. That’s where our specialized finance hiring team steps in.

3. Not Vetting for Cultural and Communication Fit

Let’s be honest. Technical skills are just half the battle.

One of the biggest challenges our clients face is finding accountants who can:

• Work with US or EU-based controllers without miscommunication.

• Proactively flag compliance issues rather than waiting to be told.

• Present numbers with confidence on Zoom, not just shuffle spreadsheets.

This becomes critical when you're hiring for hybrid or fully remote accounting roles in India. Many of the resumes you’ll receive will tick the boxes on qualifications : CA, CPA, CMA, MBA-Finance, but will lack the ability to work in a high-accountability, global-facing environment.

That’s why at Exlcareer, we don’t just screen for qualifications. We assess:

• Communication fluency through mock stakeholder presentations

• Responsiveness and ownership through scenario-based tasks

• Familiarity with working in remote setups using tools like Slack, Teams, and Zoho Books

When you hire accountants in India through a general job portal or your internal TA team, these filters are often missing. That’s where we help you de-risk your hiring.

Ready to see sample assessment templates we use? Just drop a line now.

4. Misjudging Salary Benchmarks (and Losing Candidates)

Are you benchmarking your accountant roles using Glassdoor data or global averages?

You might be under-offering by 25–30%.

Accountant salaries in India, especially in Tier 1 cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Gurugram, and Mumbai, have become highly competitive over the past year. Roles like FP&A Analyst, Finance Business Partner, or Audit Manager can easily go unfilled if you don’t align with current market trends.

Here’s what we typically see:

• Accounts Payable Analyst (3–5 yrs) in Bangalore: ₹8–10 LPA

• Senior Financial Analyst (6–8 yrs) in Hyderabad: ₹15–20 LPA

• GCC Finance Controller (10+ yrs) in Pune: ₹30–35 LPA

Many MNCs lose candidates at the offer stage because their benchmarks are outdated. Worse, they go back to the drawing board and restart the hiring cycle.

At Exlcareer, we share real-time salary benchmarks based on thousands of offers rolled out through our platform, not just theory.

Want to know the latest salary trends in Chennai or Noida? We’ll send them to you. Send us a quick message now.

5. Relying Too Heavily on Job Portals

Posting on job boards like Naukri, LinkedIn, or Indeed might seem like the easiest way to hire. But for niche finance roles in a GCC setup, this often results in:

• 100+ irrelevant applications per role

• Poor candidate response rates

• Limited access to passive candidates who aren’t actively applying

Think of it this way: Your best-fit candidate is likely already working at another MNC’s GCC, not scrolling job portals.

That’s why we build custom headhunting pipelines instead of relying solely on inbound applications. We also maintain a pre-vetted pool of 4,000+ finance professionals with experience in GCC, Shared Services, and FP&A setups.

This is how we helped one of our clients in Coimbatore staff 8 senior accounting roles within 3 weeks, roles they had been trying to fill for 2 months.

Need access to our GCC accounting talent map? Let us know you're interested.

6. Underestimating Notice Period Challenges

Even after you’ve found the right candidate, you might still hit a roadblock - long notice periods.

In India, 30–90 day notice periods are standard, especially for mid and senior finance roles. If you don't factor this into your project timelines, you might end up:

• Rushing onboarding without proper handovers

• Missing audit or closing deadlines

• Burning out existing team members while you wait

At Exlcareer, we mitigate this by:

• Proactively flagging notice period expectations during screening

• Maintaining a bench of immediate joiners for urgent projects

• Offering contract-to-hire solutions to fill the gap temporarily

We’ve seen MNCs avoid 2–3 months of downtime using this approach and we can do the same for you.

7. Not Working With a Specialized Recruitment Partner

You’re not hiring generic finance talent. You’re building the financial backbone of your India operations.

Working with a generalized recruitment firm, or worse, a job board-only strategy, puts your growth and compliance at risk.

Here’s how Exlcareer solves this differently:

• We work only with GCCs, shared services, and finance transformation teams

• We understand nuances of remote accounting roles in India

• We assess for global reporting readiness, not just Excel proficiency

• We deliver vetted profiles in under 72 hours, not weeks

MNCs that partner with us hire faster, with better retention and less rework. We’ve staffed for leading firms in Mumbai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, and Chennai, across roles like:

• Senior Statutory Auditor – India GCC

• Treasury Analyst – Remote India

• Global Tax Specialist – Hybrid Delhi

  
  

Ready to scale your GCC finance team with confidence? Reach out now.

By avoiding these 7 common hiring mistakes, you’re not just hiring faster, you’re hiring smarter. If you're looking to hire accountants in India who can truly support your GCC's growth, Exlcareer is here to make it frictionless.

We don’t just help you fill seats, we help you build high-performing finance teams that scale with you.

FAQs - Hire Accountants for Your GCC in India? 7 Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make

• What are the biggest hiring mistakes companies make when building a finance team in India?

  Hiring based only on resumes, ignoring soft skills, delayed decision-making, and not partnering with experts like Exlcareer are common errors. These lead to low retention and missed deadlines.

• How do I find qualified accountants for my GCC in India?

  Use targeted job boards, employee referrals, and specialized firms like Exlcareer. They pre-screen candidates with finance domain knowledge, Indian compliance understanding, and ERP system expertise.

• Is it better to hire accountants directly or through a recruitment agency?

  Direct hiring gives more control, but agencies like Exlcareer help you hire faster, avoid bad fits, and tap into passive talent pools. It’s ideal when scaling up or hiring in bulk.

• What salary should I offer to attract top accountants in India?

  Salaries vary by location, role, and industry. For senior finance roles in GCCs, expect to offer between ₹8–18 LPA. Working with Exlcareer helps benchmark pay and avoid lowballing.

• What skills should I prioritize when hiring accountants for a GCC?

  Prioritize IFRS/GAAP knowledge, Excel proficiency, experience with tools like SAP/Oracle, and strong communication skills. For tax roles, deep Indian compliance knowledge is a must.

• How can I make my GCC more attractive to top accounting talent in India?

  Offer competitive pay, hybrid flexibility, growth opportunities, and a strong employer brand. Many firms partner with Exlcareer to improve visibility among top finance professionals.

• Why do some accountants leave shortly after joining a GCC?

  Common reasons include misaligned job expectations, poor onboarding, or lack of career growth. An agency like Exlcareer ensures role clarity and screens for long-term fit.

• Can I hire accountants in India who already have international experience?

  Yes, especially in metros like Bangalore, Gurgaon, and Hyderabad. Exlcareer specializes in sourcing Big 4 alumni, shared service veterans, and returning expats with global exposure.

• How long does it usually take to hire an accountant in India for a GCC?

  On average, it takes 3–6 weeks for mid-level roles. With Exlcareer, companies often fill roles in under 3 weeks due to their curated talent network and pre-vetted pipelines.

• What is the best way to scale an accounting team quickly in India?

  Use a staffing partner like Exlcareer with experience in bulk finance hiring. They help you avoid compliance delays, streamline onboarding, and fill 5–50+ roles within your timeline.