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10 Accounting Manager Interview Questions You\u2019ll Get in Your Next Interview and How to Answer Them?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s happening! You\u2019re finally invited to interview<\/a> for that accounting role you\u2019ve been searching for. You\u2019re not sure what to expect, but you know you want to put your best foot forward by getting prepared and knocking this interview out of the park.<\/p>\n Here are 10 questions<\/a> that you may be asked in your accounting interview<\/a> so that recruiters and hiring managers can see whether or not you have the skills and experience needed to do the job\u2014plus advice on how to answer them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This might feel like a broad or vague questions<\/a> to ask in an accounting interview, but here recruiters want to understand the depth of your accounting experience, Robbins says, as well as how you think and talk about your career trajectory. If you\u2019re interviewing for a tax role, what type of returns have you worked on? If audit, what was the size of your client and industry? What type of projects have you worked on?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t tell your whole life story; briefly summarize your career and the work that you\u2019ve done at a high level. The recruiter will most likely ask follow-up questions<\/a> based on what you share in your response. Think about using stories of how you gained an interest in the field and what led you to the roles you pursued. This is also a great opportunity to share your future goals and further express your interest in the company. If there was something specific about the company or position that caught your attention, say what it was! Share how your prior experience has prepared you for the position you\u2019re interviewing for. Remember, it\u2019s all about relevance and connecting the dots.<\/p>\n For example: Recruiters typically ask this question<\/a> to get an idea of what type of functions you\u2019ve performed within accounting\u2014as it looks different from department to department and company to company\u2014and how the work you\u2019ve done is relevant to the work you would be doing in the new role.<\/p>\n Think about your past and current responsibilities as they relate to performing technical accounting work. For example, if you worked as a staff accountant, you may be responsible for month-end close procedures and can share what that work entailed. If you worked in a financial accounting role, you may be responsible for reviewing quarterly financial statements and cross-referencing workpapers.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to go as in-depth as possible for the recruiter to understand the significance of your role. You would want to include the accounts you\u2019re responsible for (i.e. accounts receivable, derivatives, accounts payable, or cash) or, if you\u2019re responsible for specific parts of the financial statement, share which parts as well as which financial statements (i.e. balance sheet, income statement, or cash flow statement). Include dollar amounts of accounts (if it\u2019s not confidential) or the number of accounts you worked with to further substantiate that you were a key player on the team.<\/p>\n This would also be the perfect time for you to share with the interviewer<\/a> any processes you improved or implemented, especially if your changes minimized error. If you do this, back up your response with examples and numbers. The interviewer will ask this question<\/a> to assess your experience using accounting tools and software in your day-to-day work. Bonus points if you have experience using the specific software that the company you\u2019re interviewing with uses. Some companies use common industry software while others might have customized software\u2014this varies by company size and industry.<\/p>\n To prepare yourself to answer this question<\/a>, take a look at the job description<\/a> of the role to see which software and tools the company uses. You\u2019ll want to be prepared to speak to your experience with using the ones specified in the job description. But you won\u2019t know every system out there and that\u2019s OK, so emphasize the experience that you do have with specific tools and with learning new tools\u2014especially if you can show that it will help you succeed in the role you\u2019re applying for. Also think about how your technical background has positively impacted your team or company.<\/p>\n For example, your answer might sound like: Recruiters want to see if your experience aligns with the company’s size and industry, says Chris Robbins, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist with Dixon Huges Goodman, a top 20 public accounting firm. Since accounting is such a vast profession, rules and processes differ across industries.<\/p>\n For this answer, you want to think about the role and company you\u2019re interviewing for. If you\u2019re interviewing to be a private, or internal, accountant, hiring managers primarily want to hear about your experience and interest in the company\u2019s industry. But if you\u2019re interviewing<\/a> for a public accounting role, they\u2019ll want to hear about your experience across<\/em>\u00a0industries since you\u2019ll likely have clients of different types.<\/p>\n In either situation, be sure to emphasize your experience in and tailor your answer to the industry or industries relevant to the role. If you aren\u2019t sure what those are, this is a great opportunity for you to ask the interviewer. \u201cWhile my experience has ranged across manufacturing, energy, and financial services, I found myself most interested in manufacturing due the complexity of the work. In my last job, I prepared taxes for a number of manufacturing clients and got to learn about the many intricacies of that industry\u2014so much that I became the go-to person to ask when my colleagues had questions<\/a> about manufacturing clients. And the large manufacturers that your website mentions as clients are actually what initially drew me to this role.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Certified Public Accountant license is the ultimate certification, and it shows commitment to the profession. If you have your CPA, it will make you stand out against the competition. However, there are many other certifications in accounting that you could pursue\u2014having a CPA isn\u2019t the only way.<\/p>\n There are no tricks to this one. Tell the interviewer<\/a> briefly and straightforwardly about your CPA or other certifications or your progress toward them:<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have my CPA license yet but I am actively working toward it. I have passed two out of four parts\u2014BEC and FAR\u2014and am planning to take the other two sections within the next six months.\u201d<\/em> \u201cI obtained my CPA during the first two years of my career and have maintained it ever since\u2014keeping up with the CPE annual requirement by attending trainings and conferences. I am also pursuing my CFE as I\u2019ve developed an interest in forensic accounting and that certification will be valuable for the direction my career is going in.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Accountants don\u2019t work in silos and will<\/em> be working with internal or external clients to get the books in order. There may be times when you encounter a discrepancy with a client or when an account reconciliation is inaccurate and you have to confront your colleague about the error. Recruiters want to see that you have no issue handling difficult conversations and are efficient at quickly solving problems that may arise, especially if you\u2019re under a tight deadline. Be sure to avoid badmouthing your company or colleagues as this could reflect poorly on you as a future employee or coworker.<\/p>\n For behavioral questions<\/a> such as this, the STAR method is a great approach to follow to ensure you answer the question completely, emphasize your specific contribution to handling the situation, and describe the outcome. Hey, if it helps, you can literally say these four words (situation, task, action, and result) in your interview<\/a> like in this sample answer:<\/p>\n \u201cI handle difficult conversations with others by making sure I address the problem directly with the right people while maintaining a solutions-oriented and collaborative approach. I have quite a bit of experience with this, because in my current work it\u2019s not out of the ordinary to find problems in the financial statements or with payroll that have to be rectified before an audit is complete. <\/p>\n There are many moving pieces in an accounting role, so the interviewer<\/a> will want to understand how well you balance and prioritize your work when things<\/a> get busy.<\/p>\n The work of an accountant is driven by processes, impending deadlines, and a ton of cross-functional collaboration. So organization, time management, and healthy communication between your team and clients are all super crucial to demonstrate here. According to Holt, it\u2019s important for accountants to explain how they are able to keep track of their schedule and effectively split time between accounting procedures, client check-ins, and team check-ins. \u201cI like to stay as proactive as possible, especially during busy times such as month- or quarter-end close. I keep a running to-do list and have each task marked as high, medium, or low priority, as well as how many hours it will take to complete. I also give myself deadlines for my tasks, especially those that need to get sent over to another team member\u2014for example, budgeting has to get done before the financial analysis can be created, so I\u2019d make sure to complete my work in plenty of time to set my colleague up for success. I also check in with my leadership often to make sure things<\/a> are on track and communicate with my team regularly to understand any potential delays or risks to completing our work within the allotted time frame.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Time management is a crucial skill for any job in the accounting world as there are many regulations that companies must abide by for compliance measures. Working with a short or difficult-to-meet deadline at some point is almost inevitable, and interviewers<\/a> want to see that you\u2019re up to the task.<\/p>\n This is the perfect time to show that you\u2019re solutions-focused and don\u2019t mind stepping up to the plate when duty calls. Remember the STAR method again for this behavioral question. Choosing which story to tell can be difficult, so before the interview<\/a> you\u2019ll want to prepare a story about a time you stepped up and successfully navigated the situation by demonstrating your leadership and time management skills. \u201cI was getting through a quarter filing and someone on my team fell sick halfway through, so we were down one person. We had to make it work with our timeline since there was no flexibility with it. I was tasked with getting our team through the filing period and keeping team motivation and engagement high while we were short-staffed.<\/em> Depending on the company or path you\u2019re on within accounting, and especially if you\u2019re an external auditor, hiring managers might want to understand how well-rounded you are and how committed you\u2019d be to getting involved internally.<\/p>\n This is a fairly easy and straightforward question<\/a> and a great way for you to show leadership skills beyond the day-to-day requirements of your accounting work. If you’ve helped with business development activities to grow the practice or led a committee or initiative, those are positive factors to demonstrate your versatility. \u201cOutside of my daily responsibilities, I have gotten involved on the recruiting side by serving as a company representative during on-campus recruiting events. This includes volunteering at career fairs, conducting mock interviews<\/a>, or taking candidates out to lunch during in-office interviews<\/a>. I also lead our office social<\/a> committee, so I am responsible for planning community outreach events and social<\/a> events for staff.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n As an accountant, there are a plethora of paths, fields, and organizations to choose from. Whether you want to work at a nonprofit, corporation, or university, you have quite a few choices. A recruiter will want to assess how committed and enthusiastic you are about joining this company in particular.<\/p>\n This is when you connect those dots between your career goals and the company. You should show your interviewer<\/a> that you\u2019ve done your research: Always check out the company\u2019s website and social<\/a> media for insight and take the time to make sure your professional goals and values align with the company\u2019s. For example, is one of your goals to work with a specific company size or industry? Have you been fascinated by this organization\u2019s approach? Are you passionate about their mission? If so, you will want to share that during your interview<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m interested in working for the XYZ Art Museum because I\u2019ve long been passionate about art\u2014art history was my minor in college!\u2014and would be so excited to have the chance to bring my accounting skills into an environment where everyone is similarly enthusiastic about the visual arts and uses their expertise (whether they\u2019re curators or accountants like me) to advance this mission of introducing more people to modern art. I\u2019ve worked at a couple of large nonprofit organizations that function similarly to a museum and spent a few years volunteering at ABC Museum\u2019s outreach events back when I lived in Chicago\u2014which only makes me more certain this would be an environment where I could thrive and contribute.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Google staff can use Work Location Tool to calculate pay for remote work<\/a><\/p>\n Permanent work from home an answer to many of India\u2019s problems: Zerodha Office<\/a><\/p>\n What does agile HR actually look like?<\/a><\/p>\n HR\u2019s role in building the future skills needed for tomorrow\u2019s workforce<\/a><\/p>\n Gaurav Pokhariyal to take over from PV Murthy at Indian Hotels<\/a><\/p>\n Baggage Delivery Delayed at Mumbai Airport as SpiceJet Loaders go on Strike Due to Salary Cut<\/a><\/p>\nYou can start by reviewing the most common interview questions<\/a>. But don\u2019t stop there\u2014you should also make sure to be ready for some more accounting-specific interview questions.
\nHow do I know? Some might call me a \u201crecovering CPA\u201d\u2014I used to work as one at a Big Four accounting firm. And before becoming a career coach, I spent years handling recruiting efforts at a public accounting firm for five offices spanning up and down the East Coast. I worked directly with leadership to identify top talent, built recruiting processes, and screened candidates for accounting opportunities. Based on my experience, I have some advice on how to answer the most common senior accountant interview<\/a> questions and what qualities recruiters are looking for when they ask them.<\/div>\nWhat Are Recruiters Looking for in Accountants?<\/h2>\n
According to recruiters in the accounting industry, the most desirable candidates have experience working in public accounting for a large firm. But if you don\u2019t have that, don\u2019t let it deter you! There are many other skills and experiences that you can demonstrate to set yourself apart.
\nWhen interviewing for accounting roles specifically, it\u2019s important to demonstrate a healthy mix of both<\/em> technical acumen and soft skills. One of the biggest myths I hear about accountants is that they sit behind a computer for hours, looking at numbers and ridiculous formulas in Microsoft Excel with no human contact, ever. On the contrary: Accountants must demonstrate skills in a variety of areas to be successful in the job hunt, such as communication, client engagement, data analysis, and time management.
\nHere are the five main skills that I found most valuable as a recruiter:<\/p>\n\n
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4 Questions to Ask Yourself When Starting a New Job.<\/a><\/h4>\n
1. Tell Me About Your Background.<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019ve always had a love for numbers and really enjoyed my accounting courses in college so I\u2019ve known this was the path for me since I was young. I started my career in public accounting with a Big Four firm in audit. Audit allowed me the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and industries. I focused on testing controls, writing audit reports, and overseeing the work of my audit team. I also trained our new hires and interns. I got a lot of experience auditing complex accounts such as derivatives and statement of cash flow. What I\u2019ve enjoyed most throughout the course of my career is building relationships with my clients and helping them understand their financials better. I also am up to date on my CPA license and recently obtained my Masters in Accounting, and I\u2019m looking for a position that will allow me to use my experience auditing financial statements to have a hand in creating financial statements.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n22 Phone Interview Tips to Help You Nail the Call (and Move to the Next Round)<\/a><\/h4>\n
2.What Accounting Processes Are You Most Familiar With?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nOne possible answer might be:
\n\u201cIn my current role, my company wants us to get the month-end close done in six days. I focus on reconciling accounts, posting closing journal entries, and reviewing general ledgers. I also work with my leadership to look at analytics and assess uncommon fluctuations, primarily for high-risk accounts. I work for a large organization, so I\u2019ve also spent a lot of time working with my internal clients or business group leaders to request documentation necessary for processing and completing my tasks. While there is a lot of technical<\/a> work involved, there\u2019s quite a bit of communication that I handle between coordinating with my team and other business groups and reporting back to my supervisor. As part of my day-to-day responsibilities, I handle the books for accounts of up to approximately $2 million.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n20 TIPS FOR GREAT JOB INTERVIEWS<\/a><\/h4>\n
3. What Is Your Technical Experience With Accounting Software?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u201cI have seven years of experience working with SAP and Oracle with clients in the healthcare and financial services industries. I also used QuickBooks in a former role. Along with these accounting tools, I have been using Microsoft Excel throughout my entire career and have become very adept with it, often teaching myself new things<\/a> and bringing them back to my team. For example, in my current role, I create<\/em> pivot tables and use the VLOOKUP function to get our financial analysis and budgeting done more efficiently. I\u2019d be excited to share my Excel expertise with a new team here and to quickly get up to speed on your proprietary software\u2014as I have with other tools in the past.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nRead 6 secret ways employers test you during job interviews<\/a><\/h3>\n
4.What Is Your Background Working in Various Industries?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nOne answer might sound like:<\/p>\n10 Interview Questions You MUST Ask Before Accepting an Offer<\/a><\/h4>\n
5.\u00a0Do You Have Your CPA?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nOn the other hand, if you have a CPA, you might answer like this:<\/p>\n6.\u00a0How Do You Handle Challenging Situations or Difficult Conversations With Others?<\/h2>\n
\n20 things to never do in an interview.<\/a><\/h3>\n
How to Answer Accounting Manager Interview Questions?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n\u201cIn one<\/em> situation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0in particular, I served as the In-Charge Auditor for a large public filing client. I had a team of two staff auditors who reported to me, and I also handled the budget and schedule and served as the main point of contact for the client relationship. The client was upset since the entire audit team had changed more than once, so he would be working with new people each year after he had grown to trust the prior year\u2019s audit team. He was frustrated and seriously considering taking his business to another firm.
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\n\u201cI was<\/em> tasked<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0with getting him on board with our audit team and assuring him that we would handle the audit effectively and professionally\u2014so that we could keep his business.
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\n\u201cI took<\/em> actions<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0to resolve this matter by setting up a meeting with him and the rest of company leadership to run through the schedule and answer questions<\/a> they had going into the audit, followed by a lunch with the entire audit team. I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable and confident in our capabilities to get the audit completed. I also set up weekly one-on-one check-ins with the client as the team worked through the audit to keep him up to date on progress and any high-level issues.
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\n\u201cThis\u00a0<\/em>resulted<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0in a strong relationship with the client, and we had good communication throughout. By the end of the audit, we celebrated with the client. It was great to see the relationship completely turn around, and he is still a client of ours four years later.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n7.\u00a0How Do You Organize and Prioritize Your Day?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nFor instance, how often are you checking in with your clients? And when you do, are you sending them updates on documentation needs or where things<\/a> may be held up in the process (if you\u2019re waiting on something from them)? Do you keep a running to-do list, use a checklist, or note due dates on your calendar? There\u2019s no right or wrong answer here\u2014share what has worked for you to stay on task and on time.
\nSo you could say something along the lines of:<\/p>\n8.\u00a0Tell Us About a Time When You Were Up Against a Tight Deadline. How Did You Handle It?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nFor example:<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cI rearranged our work to spread it out evenly and based on everyone’s expertise. I held weekly team meetings\u2014twice a week closer to the deadline\u2014to discuss any areas where we were struggling, lagging behind, or running into issues and to support each other and brainstorm solutions. I also set up a shared calendar with reminders for important milestones to help everyone stay on task.
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\n\u201cThis resulted in us building strong communication even after the filing was successfully completed on time. We motivated and supported one another through the process and each person felt valued as a member of the team. This actually worked out so well that I plan to use this approach with my teams going forward to ensure future projects run smoothly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n9 expert-backed ways to use LinkedIn to find a job<\/a><\/h4>\n
9.\u00a0How Have You Added Value to Your Company Outside of Your Client Activities?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nOne possible answer would be:<\/p>\n5 THINGS RECRUITERS ARE LOOKING FOR ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES BEFORE HIRING YOU.<\/a><\/h5>\n
10.\u00a0Why Are You Interested in This Company?<\/h2>\n
\nHow to Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nNot only should you speak to how the company is aligned with your goals, but you can also reiterate how your experience is ultimately the best fit for what they are looking for in a candidate.
\nThis might sound like this:<\/p>\nRead More….<\/span><\/h3>\n
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