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With the increasing complexity of the accounting landscape, asking great questions during the interview process has become particularly critical in securing a quality hire.
Whether it’s determining your candidate’s technical competency, cultural fit or professional ethics, you need to ask the right questions to make a confident judgment call. Below are five questions designed to help you do this.
Can you describe a technical process that you improved that led to increased efficiency?
Designed for intermediate to senior level accountants, this question helps you to determine a candidate’s initiative, technical knowledge and creativity.
Describe the strengths and limitations of a recent accounting system that you have used?
This question, used for all levels of experience, is particularly useful in determining technical skill when hiring accountants.
Tell me about a time when you noticed a potential loss for a company, or were able to identify an undetected financial error before anyone else, while you were reconciling balance sheet accounts to subsystems. What did you do after noticing this?
Designed for junior to intermediate level accountants, this question allows you to explore a candidate’s technical knowledge, problem solving skill set, ethics and integrity.
Give an example of a time you built a collaborative relationship with others in order to achieve a company goal.
When hiring accountants, this question allows you to determine the candidate’s communication style, attitude to service and leadership potential.
How do you ensure accuracy when operating under a tight timeline?
Attention to detail, while still hitting deadlines, is a critical skill for any successful accountant regardless of his or her level or title.
Whether you are an HR professional, a hiring manager, or a member of an internal recruitment team, asking these five questions when hiring accountants will help you to secure a quality hire.
Let us know what you think! At Clarity Recruitment, we’re always interested in hearing from accounting and finance professionals like yourselves, who are ready for new, exciting opportunities that can take their careers to the next level. And be sure to follow us on Twitter (@clarityrecruits) and connect with us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more great tips and advice.
