Aside from poor performance, executives at firms of all sizes cited a mismatched skill set as the leading contributor to hiring failures, according to research released today by Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Nearly four in 10 US CFOs interviewed, 38%, responded this way, up two percentage points from a similar survey conducted five years ago. Another 27% of financial executives think unclear performance expectations is the top reason new employees don’t work out.

While executives at firms of all sizes cited a mismatched skill set as the leading contributor to hiring failures, CFOs at the smallest companies, 20 to 49 employees, were more likely than their peers at the largest organizations, 1,000 or more employees, to fault unclear performance expectations.

CFOs were asked, “Aside from poor performance, which one of the following factors is most likely to lead to a failed hire?” Responses include:

• Mismatched skill set: 38%, up from 36% in the 2011 survey
• Unclear performance expectations: 27%, down from 30%
• Failure to fit into corporate culture: 15%, up from 14%
• Personality conflicts: 20%, up from 17%

“Often, when companies hire the wrong person for the job it’s a result of failing to clearly define what it will take for a candidate to succeed in the position,” said Greg Scileppi, president of Robert Half, International Staffing Operations. “Set potential new employees up for success by going beyond a generic job description; outline the necessary skills and provide a roadmap for how new hires can excel in the role initially and in the future.”

The survey was developed by Robert Half Finance & Accounting and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CFOs in the US.