Accounting job opportunities are plentiful and well-paying. Job candidates with work experience in public accounting at large firms are specifically in demand.
If you’re new to the accounting and finance career field, you likely don’t have that experience yet. And even seasoned professionals don’t always have it, especially when local medium-sized and small firms have such attractive qualities.
Don’t worry if your background doesn’t include public accounting work at a large firm. Other skills, abilities, and experiences can help you successfully land jobs.
Softer skills, like written and verbal communication, organization, time management, and attention to detail, are as essential as technical knowledge. You can count on an interviewer to ask some typical questions to get to know you and your entire range of capabilities.
Put your best foot forward and nail your interview by reviewing the questions below and developing your answers beforehand.
Preparing to answer the most common interview questions can help experienced or budding accountants grab CPA opportunities.
You’ll find some of the most common questions below. However, to fully prepare, you must practice, research, and plan for the big day.
This question and other background questions like it serve as icebreakers to get to know you better. They also aim to gauge your fit with their company and position.
Include at least three to five relevant points that relate to the job position in your answer. They’ll likely ask you a separate question about the industries you’ve worked in if you don’t answer it here. Include your education, related work experience, and any projects or significant achievements. It always looks good to add how you became interested in the career field, role, and company.
Some accounting software is popular among many firms. Others have proprietary setups.
You can’t possibly have experience with all the unique software out there. If you can discover what the firm uses ahead of time, you might have time to take some classes in it or teach some of it to yourself. If so, let them know you’ve done your due diligence.
Otherwise, focus your discussion on what you have used and how easily you’ve adapted to new software. Give specific examples from your past.
They want to know how your previous experience aligns with the position you are applying for. Tell them about your past and current job duties. It will help if you can relate it to the role you are applying for.
Are you just starting with little to no job experience? Talk about your roles in group projects and internships.
This question is as cut and dry as they come. You do, or you don’t.
If you don’t, you can discuss your timeline for getting it. Or, let the interviewer know the parts you have sat for and passed. Mention other certifications, distinctions, and achievements here, especially if you don’t plan to complete your licensure soon.
Accountants must have excellent time management abilities. Talk about meeting deadlines, finishing a project early, motivating your team, and putting in whatever time it took to complete your responsibilities on time.
Accountants must regularly juggle many clients and responsibilities. Talk about how you organize your time commitments. What processes do you use? A paper calendar? A scheduling app or time-blocking techniques? Do you regularly delegate tasks to a team?
Accountants will typically have to handle financial discrepancies within their organization or among clients. Hiring managers want to see that you can fearlessly navigate those with tact and professionalism.
Learning the STAR method for this and all other behavior-based questions is helpful. STAR stands for:
Let the interviewer know what you did in a past case. Tell them the situation, the task you were in charge of, what you did to rectify it, and how it turned out.
In addition to technical competencies, accountants must have soft skills like communication, teamwork, organization, time management, attention to detail, and precision. Learn the most common questions you’ll hear from hiring managers and recruiters to compose your answers in ways that show off both your soft and technical skills.
Accounting job opportunities are plentiful and well-paying. Discover key questions commonly asked in accounting interviews and tips for addressing them in this infographic.