Accounting is a field that requires precision, attention to detail, analytical skills, and a high degree of professionalism. Hence, it is important to have a diligent interview process in place whether you’re hiring a Group Accountant, Corporate Accountant or Senior Accountant.
An effective interview process provides an opportunity to assess the candidate’s job-specific skills, validate their professional credentials, and determine if they would be a good fit for your organisation. It also presents the prospective employee with the chance to understand more about your company culture, work dynamic, and expectations.
Related: The Benefits of Working With an Accountant Recruitment Agency
Here are a few tips when interviewing your next candidate in the accounting field:
1. Understand the Position Requirements
Before interviewing anyone, make sure you have a good understanding of the job role. Know the technical skills and competencies required for the position. This will help you to assess if the candidate has the necessary skills and experience.
2. Ask Technical Questions
Accounting roles require strong technical abilities. Inquiring about the candidate’s knowledge and experience in financial regulations, accounting principles, or software systems can help you gauge their capability for the job.
3. Prioritise Ethics
Accounting involves dealing with confidential and sensitive company information. Make sure to ask questions or propose scenarios that can help you gauge a candidate’s ethical standards.
4. Analyse Important Skills
Accountants need to exhibit a certain set of qualities to be effective in their roles.
The accounting department often encounters problems that require analytical thinking. Probing into past instances where the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills can help identify their ability to handle such situations.
Similarly, accountants have to interact with other departments, clients, or agencies. Their communication abilities – both written and oral – can help evaluate whether they can effectively perform these aspects of the role.
5. Look for Attention to Detail
Accounting roles require extreme precision and keen attention to detail. Ask questions about projects or tasks where their attention to detail made a difference.
6. Ask the Right Questions
The questions asked during an interview can make or break the recruitment process. Design questions that reveal the applicant’s skills and expertise in accounting, their dedication towards ethical standards, and their ability to handle challenging situations.
For instance, questions about their experience with particular accounting software, their approach to resolving discrepancies in financial reports, or how they stay updated with changing financial regulations.
7. Ask for References
This will allow you to verify the information provided by the candidate and also get a fair idea of their past work performance and ethics.
Need Help Recruiting Your Next Accountant?
The black market is a trusted accounting recruitment platform in Australia. We value the importance of a thorough interviewing process in securing the right talent for your organisation. Get in touch to ensure that you recruit the right candidate, which will ultimately contribute to your company’s success.
