Hiring For

[Heidid]

"The firm is hiring accountants."
"The firm is hiring for accountants."

Could the second sentence be grammatical/idiomatic, and if so, how is it different from the first sentence?

[bhaisahab]

"The firm is hiring accountants."
"The firm is hiring for accountants."

Could the second sentence be grammatical/idiomatic, and if so, how is it different from the first sentence?

The second sentence is incorrect.

[Heidid]

Would:

"The firm is hiring for accounting positions."

be okay?

[5jj]

Would: "The firm is hiring for accounting positions." be okay?

Examples in COCA suggest that it would.

[Heidid]

But,

"The firm is hiring for a single accountant."

is not okay, according to bhai?

[5jj]

But, "The firm is hiring for a single accountant." is not okay, according to bhai?

I suppose that was the inevitable follow-up. Many speakers would consider 'hiring for' in the sense of something like 'advertising for/and hoping/intending to hire' ugly, but you see it used. It seems to be used more when firms want several employees, though its use with a singular post is not impossible. This form may well become more acceptable in the future.

My own view is that 'hiring for an accountant's post' is more likely than 'hiring for an accountant'.