5 interview questions for Accounting Managers
The hiring process for an Accounting Manager at your organization has started again. You have the job description written and know what you’re looking for in a candidate. However, you’re having trouble coming up with industry-specific questions to ask during the interview. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place.
Here are five great interview questions to ask Accounting Managers to help you uncover if they’re a right fit for your organization.
Five great interview questions for Accounting Managers
1. What size team do you manage?
If a central part of this role is the candidate managing an accounting team, it’s necessary to ask this question. This question determines if they have the right leadership experience to manage the accounting team at your organization. It can show if they have experience managing large or small teams and the types of roles that report to them. Ultimately, the candidate’s answer can reveal if they have the experience needed to be a strong leader at your organization.
2. What parts of the month-end close do you have hands-on responsibility for?
Month-end close is a huge priority in any accounting department. Knowing the responsibilities a candidate has for month-end close can say a lot about what type of experience a candidate has. Did they record incoming funds? Do they prepare journal entries and the financial statements or simply review them? Depending on how they answer this question will show you if they’re a good fit for your organization. Additionally, it can indicate how willing the candidate is to be in the weeds of the close process.
3. What systems do you currently use/have you used in the past? How are your Excel skills?
There are many different accounting systems throughout the industry. The system an organization utilizes varies from company to company – and it can be beneficial to hire a candidate that has experience in the system you use or something similar. Hiring a candidate with expertise in the system your accounting department uses will save you time when training them. Additionally, previous system experience can lead to new ideas to improve accounting processes.
4. Who do you currently report to / what visibility do you have to the C-Suite?
The leadership roles your candidate has reported to can indicate their experience level. For example, if a candidate reports to a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), they probably have a different experience level than an Accounting Manager who reports to Controller.
To dive deeper, a candidate with experience reporting to a CFO likely has the background in building strategy around accounting processes and has had a more active role in decision-making. On the other hand, candidates reporting to Controllers may have limited experience managing day-to-day financial operations and don’t have a lot of authority to make decisions.
5. Can you share a time you’ve identified and solved an accounting issue? What was your process for solving this problem?
Asking candidates questions about how they approach challenges is crucial. Challenges are bound to arise in any position and understanding their process of handling issues they’ve encountered is a strong indicator of how they’ll approach future obstacles.
Interviews are only part of the hiring process
When you’re hiring an Accounting Manager, asking the right questions can help you find the right candidate for your team. However, this is only a portion of the hiring process, and there are many more steps involved when hiring.
For more than 20 years, Addison Group has excelled at finding the right talent for our clients. Let’s talk about how we can simplify the hiring process for you and match you with candidates who are the perfect fit for your organization.
