Here are the top questions to ask in an accounting interview:
Accounting interviews can be terrifying enough, let alone having to generate intelligent questions that show you understand the business and are certainly the candidate of choice. While your answers to the hiring manager’s questions pave the way for success, the queries you pose help to turn a finance interview into a two-way street.
Question 1: Why is the Position Open?
Put another way – what is the main business driver for this staffing need? The goal of asking this question is to help you understand what kind of situation you’re taking on. Is the role open because of continued growth (yay) or decline (not so good)? Has there been a resignation? This information helps you decide if the environment and culture you’re walking into make sense for your core values and career choices.
Tip: As a side note, read this post to learn what not to say in an accounting interview.
Question 2: What are the Major Challenges I Will Face in This Role?
Identifying the challenges you’ll face – whether they be team based, competing demands for your time, or even leading a systems implementation – can help you decide whether you’re up to the task. This question also gives you an opportunity to sell your skill set a bit more by tying in past successes in previous roles to the current challenges facing your prospective employer.
Question 3: What Does Success Look Like? What Has Worked in the Past?
This is a great question for ferreting out specific information on past successes and failures in the role. It shows that you are already invested in the job and want to know how to position yourself for success. Employers love candidates who show buy-in and an interest in ramping up quickly.
Question 4: What are the Major Deliverables for the First 30, 60 or 90 Days?
Are their timelines reasonable? Do the answers reveal an understanding of the demands of a role such as this? Remember you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. This question also gets to the heart of the deliverables and gives you a chance, yet again, to clarify a particular point and illustrate how you add value.
Question 5: What Does My Career Roadmap Look Like Internally?
This question shows that you are invested in the organization and in it for the long haul. It also gives you the information to decide if this is a company you can grow with. Are there professional development opportunities? Is there are a formalized mentoring program? Are there chances to demonstrate your leadership capability? Every role you take on is a stepping stone to the next possibility, so seek to define what the road to career advancement and growth looks like.
Key Takeaways
The questions you ask in an accounting interview help turn the process into a two-way street. The prospective employer will begin to see you as someone who can add value immediately and who doesn’t enter into a role lightly. On the plus side, you’ll gain the valuable information you need to make a decision that creates your greatest chance for career growth – making it a winning proposition to ask thoughtful, intelligent questions in your accounting interview.
Your Next Step
No one should walk the job search or hiring road alone. At Clarity Recruitment we help others realize their success through a process that marries proprietary technology with unwavering commitment. Contact us today to take control of your career, or to partner with us to hire well.
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