A light display made by Daktronics on the State Theatre in Sioux Falls, S.D. Investment firm Alta Fox Capital Management this year sought the removal of the CEO and CFO at Daktronics, a maker of LED displays. Photo: Joe Ahlquist/Associated PressCompanies are taking more time to vet CFO candidates despite brisk competition for top talent, a return to typical hiring practices spurred by demand for recession-ready finance leaders as well as increased investor activism. Many companies in search of a chief financial officer over the past two years or so eased up on due diligence during the hiring process as CFO candidates often had more than one offer and hiring managers had to act quickly, recruiting experts say. What was typically a three- to six-month search and vetting process before the pandemic was sometimes cut to around two months last year.

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