Interview Questions to ask when Hiring an Accountant

Last updated on June 23rd, 2022 at 04:25 am

Taking an interview is not as easy as it sounds because you cannot judge a person in just one meeting. The interviewers have the difficult task of judging the candidate’s skills, knowledge, creativity, and personality. It is essential to make sure that the person will fit well in the company culture and work in the organization with proper coordination, cooperation, and team spirit.

And when it comes to the hiring process for the position of an accountant in your business, you can not take any risk. One wrong accountant can ruin your chances of surviving in the corporate sector.

That is why here is a list of 10 questions that you should ask any candidate who is looking forward to becoming an accountant in your business.

1. Tell me a little about yourself

This may be a standard question, but it’s an essential one that you should ask a candidate. In this way, you will get a glimpse of your candidate’s personality, ability to express themselves, and communication skills. It’s like watching a trailer of a person.

2. Do you have any previous experience in the accounting field?

If a candidate already has work experience in the accounting field, they know how to handle certain situations that an accountant may face regularly.

An experienced candidate can prove to be a great asset to your company.

3. According to you, what are the biggest challenges that the accounting sector is facing today?

This question will help you determine the candidate’s awareness when it comes to the external factors that have a huge impact on the accounting profession. Moreover, the interviewers can also judge whether the candidate is committed to his profession or not.

4. What accounting standards are you currently aware of?

This question is very important to know the interest that a candidate has in accounting and his commitment and dedication to his profession. The interviewer can determine the candidate’s knowledge and whether that knowledge will benefit the company.

5. Can you describe a time when you helped a company in becoming profitable by reducing its costs?

It is very important to check whether the candidate knows how to analyze the financial records and reduce unnecessary expenses and costs.

After all, every business aims at increasing its profitability and rise on the top amongst its competitors.

6.If your superior did not like your work and wasn’t satisfied with the results, then what step would you take and why?

This question helps the interview to understand whether the candidate will take constructive positively or not.

There are people who are not willing to take advice from anyone, even if it’s a senior team member when it comes to their work because they think that they excel at everything.

A candidate who is open to constructive feedback and criticism is an asset for any organization.

7. Which one do you prefer- working on your own or working in a team? And why?

This question can help you to judge the candidate’s willingness to work with others with team spirit. A candidate should be able to work in both (in a team as well as individually).

If a person can only work in a team environment, they might not complete any project individually. If the person prefers to work alone, then that could also be a liability to the company.

8. Do you have any feedback for our company’s current accounting system?

The current accounting system that your business is following may not be perfect.

Getting an opinion from the candidate helps you understand the analytical ability and critical thinking of the candidate.

This question can help you to decide whether he will be an ideal accountant for your business or not.

9. Why do you want to work for our company?

This question will help you to assess whether the candidate has done some research work on your company or not.

Candidates who have done some research on the company before attending an interview demonstrate that they will do their homework thoroughly in the future.

10. Do you have any questions for us?

This can help you to judge whether the candidate has come prepared for the interview or not. Moreover, this will also give the candidate a chance to clear any doubts that they may have.

After all, an interview is a two-way process. In this process, the interviewer aims to assess the candidate’s suitability for the organization, and the candidate is assessing the organization’s suitability for their career.

These questions can help you to determine the personality, skills, and competency of a candidate to a great extent. You will be able to identify if the candidate has memorized the answers and is not being honest. Also, make sure that you give the candidate enough time to come up with the answers to the questions.