Top Finance Interview Questions Every Employer Should Ask
Finding the right finance professional isn’t just about qualifications. The interview is your opportunity to assess how a candidate communicates, solves problems and fits within your team. Asking the right questions can reveal far more than a CV ever could. Whether you’re hiring an Accounts Assistant or a Finance Director, these interview questions will help you identify the strongest candidates.
- Can you talk me through your experience? – It may seem like a very basic and simple question but it is often one of the best questions to start the interview with as it allows the candidate to talk you through their experience in their own words, relax into the interview, and in most cases give you a much more detailed description of their experience, achievements, and future plans than if you were to ask them a ‘closed’ question. A CV can sometimes be a very brief overview of a candidate’s experience, allowing them to tell you about it may lead to added details that will show a lot about their character, reveal a key detail that would align well with this role (i.e., a particular software, specific process or industry knowledge), or perhaps show some areas of weakness. The answer you receive will inevitably enable you to understand this person much better and how they align with the role available.
- Why are you looking to move on from your current role? – There are multiple reasons why a person may decide to move on to a new role: they’ve come to the end of their current contract, commuting distance, salary, study support, career development, hours per week, remote/hybrid, and many more. It is important to fully understand this to ensure it is the right long-term fit for both the client and candidate alike. For instance, a candidate may apply for a role as they are looking for study support however, if this isn’t something your company would be able to provide, it might not be the right fit.
- What interested you most about this role? – As recruiters, it is our job to understand the main ‘driver’ for each candidate. Whether that’s the salary, location, responsibilities, or anything in between, understanding what is their ‘most important thing’ enables us to match them with a role that really suits their lifestyle and goals. Asking what interested them the most about this role paints a picture of that and how much of a priority this role is compared to others.
- Can you tell me about a time you improved a process? – It is essential to understand, not just a person’s duties, but what impact they have made to a company. It can sometimes be difficult to choose between multiple CVs that look very similar and have pretty much the same duties listed. This question will be able to give you more of an insight into their productivity, intuition and problem solving skills. Look for candidates who can explain the situation, the action they took and the measurable outcome. Strong finance professionals often discuss reducing month-end times, automating reports, improving reconciliations or implementing new accounting systems. No matter how big or small the change or improvement, this question can reveal a lot about a person’s character.
- Can you tell me about a time you experienced a challenge? What did you do to resolve it? – Not everyday is plain sailing, we all have our challenges to overcome. Understanding how a person deals with an issue or copes under pressure can be really helpful for some positions.
Every finance vacancy is different, but asking thoughtful, open-ended questions will help you identify candidates with the right technical skills and cultural fit.
If you’re hiring and would like access to pre-screened finance professionals, RK Recruitment can help. Our consultants interview candidates daily and understand what separates a good hire from a great one. Get in touch to discuss your recruitment needs.
