1.
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for Accounting and Finance Professionals
Effective
Interview Questions20

2.
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2
“What do you consider
the top three skills of
a great accountant?”
1

3.
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3
“Can you give me
an example of how you
would explain a complex
accounting process or finance
data to a staff member?”
2

4.
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4
“When you buy a piece
of equipment for a company,
what is the impact on the
three financial statements?”
3

5.
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5
“How do you define
big data, and why is it
important for finance teams
to have expertise in big data?”
4

6.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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6
“What is the difference between
accounts receivable (AR)
and accounts payable (AP)?”
5

7.
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7
“When a company is using
double-entry accounting,
what elements of a given
ledger must be equal?”
6

8.
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8
“If a company has three bank
accounts for processing
payments, what is the minimum
number of ledgers it needs?”
7

9.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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9
“What are two or three
types of special journals?”
8

10.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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10
“What methods have
you used for estimating
bad debt?”
9

11.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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11
“Describe a time
you’ve made an
accounting error
and how you handled it.”
10

12.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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12
“How do you differentiate
between accounting
and auditing?”
11

13.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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13
“Why is it easier for someone
to perpetrate fraud using
a journal entry than with
a ledger?”
12

14.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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14
“Which enterprise resource
planning (ERP) systems
have you used?”
13

15.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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15
“What accounting software
are you most familiar with?”
14

16.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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16
“What is your experience
with developing
business metrics?”
15

17.
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17
“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?”
16

18.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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18
“What challenges
have you faced in
leading a team through
an analysis project?”
17

19.
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19
“What criteria do you use
to evaluate the reliability
of the financial information
you receive?”
18

20.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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20
“How do you
minimize the risk
for error in your work?”
19

21.
© 2016 Robert Half Finance & Accounting. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
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21
“What do you think
of the most recent updates
or changes in the
accounting standards?”
20

22.
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