The hiring process for accounting roles is challenging, especially when you need to find, interview and hire skilled talent remotely. And the hiring market is competitive, with a high demand and limited supply of quality candidates. Bringing aboard the wrong job applicant is a costly mistake that wastes time, money and resources. That’s why it’s so important to make sure all of the questions you ask count when you're trying to fill accounting jobs in your organization. Don't be afraid to ask deeper accounting questions to get a more complete picture of the candidates and a better sense of how they'll work with your team. Here are top accounting interview questions you should consider asking:
1. What is the difference between accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP)?
When you’re interviewing job candidates for bookkeeping or accounting clerk openings, you want to test for basic skills. Questions like this one will reveal whether potential hires understand accounting fundamentals.
2. When a company is using double-entry accounting, what elements of a given ledger must be equal?
This is another relatively simple question. Job candidates with some accounting training or experience should have no trouble with their answer. As with the question above, how applicants reply will show whether they’re ready for an entry-level job at your company.
3. What are two or three types of special journals?
This is another basic question, but you could also present a few journal samples for the applicant to read and explain as a skills test. How a candidate responds will help reveal their ability in identifying mistakes or omissions.
4. If a company has three bank accounts for processing payments, what is the minimum number of ledgers it needs?
Use this question to explore a candidate’s knowledge of ledgers and as a launch pad for further discussion of skills related to the available position. A good response will reveal that the applicant has thought through how accounts relate to lines of business and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
5. What methods have you used for estimating bad debt?
Accounting interview questions like this one can help bring to light how the applicant has approached a routine process with previous employers. For recent grads, this line of inquiry allows them to apply theoretical knowledge in venturing educated guesses, which could open a dialogue about how your company handles this issue.
6. Why is it easier for someone to perpetrate fraud using a journal entry than with a ledger?
Accounting professionals, particularly those who have managed ledgers or had jobs as full-charge bookkeepers for more than a couple of years, should be able to speculate on this scenario. A candidate with more formal training specific to auditing or fraud analysis will likely explain this thoroughly and be able to provide examples.
7. Which enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have you used?
Candidate answers should not be vague here; either they have direct experience with an ERP system or not. Candidates should describe the brand or system they used, which tends to vary depending on company size. Applicants who worked with smaller companies may describe a more customized or hybrid ERP solution they used. The more specificity they can give around the ERP system, the better. The way applicants answer this interview question will reveal how much training they would need on your system. (For entry-level candidates, you might turn this into a discussion of future training possibilities.)
8. What is your experience with developing or monitoring business metrics?
Answers should include specifics about how candidates were involved in business metrics, such as helping to determine and monitor a business's gross margin or the cost of finding new customers. This question will give you assurance that the candidate clearly understands business metrics and help you evaluate entry-level business or financial analyst candidates all the way up to midcareer professionals who aspire to roles that come with budget and staff oversight responsibilities.
9. What do you consider the top three skills of a great accountant?
You want to hire someone with numerical abilities but not necessarily a mathematician. You also need someone with analytical know-how who can communicate effectively with others. Accounting skills will vary by specific job title. Look for responses that show a recognition of the importance of general business knowledge, technology expertise, customer service orientation and specialized experience that might apply to the role.
10. If a private company with break-even operations received a $10 million investment, how would you develop a strategy to spend or invest that money?
This is an example of a situational interview question. Here, you’d be gauging an applicant’s ability to think through a scenario like one that might be faced in a more senior finance role.
11. What challenges have you faced in leading a team through an analysis project?
As with the previous interview question, the answers to this inquiry will give you a hint as to the candidate’s critical thinking skills. It will also elicit a better picture of their leadership aptitude. Look for answers to this interview question that include actual situations the accountant handled. The solution they describe will tell you something about their thought process, problem solving skills, customer service orientation and ability to think on their feet.
12. Can you give me an example of how you would explain a complex accounting process or finance data to someone in HR, tech support or another team?
Here’s where you’ll learn about a candidate’s communication skills. Look for an ability to simplify and present information to people who may not speak the language of “FIFO” (First In First Out, a method of valuing inventory) or “EBITDA margins” (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization).
13. When you buy a piece of equipment for a company, what is the impact on the three financial statements?
This is another basic accounting question that lets you assess a potential hire’s understanding of cash flow statements, balance sheets and income statements. Before they reply, the best interviewees will have threshold questions for you, such as, should they answer for the time of acquisition or for some time in the future, and how is the equipment financed?
14. How do you define big data, and why is it important for accounting teams to have expertise in it?
You may not need big data experts right now, but hiring someone who has knowledge of data retrieval, interpretation and analysis will be useful down the line when you decide to upskill your team and build their expertise in this area.
15. Describe a time when you’ve made an accounting error and how you handled it.
Rather than making a judgment on the mistake, look for the lessons learned. Did the candidate take responsibility for the error? How did they manage the situation? Were they proactive in making things right?
Answers should cover not only the failure in an accounting project but also offer a view into the mind of the candidate and how he or she might have learned something substantive as a result.
16. How do you minimize the risk for error in your work?
This is the second part of the previous question. The best responses will shed light on the candidate’s process for reviewing their work and minimizing miscalculations.
17. How do you differentiate between auditing and accounting?
If you’re interviewing recent graduates, you’re looking to see how well they paid attention in class, rather than a deep level of expertise. Look for an ability to explain the fundamentals of key roles and processes in finance and accounting.
18. What accounting software are you most familiar with?
While it may be ideal to find expertise in the same accounting programs you use at your company — Excel, Hyperion, IBM Cognos, QuickBooks, ERP and so on — it’s even more valuable to find someone who is software savvy and able to get up to speed with a variety of programs.
19. What criteria do you use to assess the reliability of the financial information you receive?
Look for answers that show high performance standards. Perhaps the candidate has designed methods to check for bookkeeping errors or quality control in the data entry process. What you’re looking for are answers that help you evaluate attention to detail and accuracy.
20. How do you stay current on accounting legislation, rules and policies?
No job candidate could remain completely up to date on all of these, but the most promising applicants will answer this interview question by describing the methods they use to keep as current as possible with notable industry developments. These may include having attended a recent professional conference or seminar, membership in professional organizations such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) or subscriptions to an impressive variety of industry publications.
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