43 staff accountant interview questions to ask your candidates

If you need to hire a staff accountant, you might be wondering about the best way to  assess their skills and determine whether they are a match for your business. We have some good news for those about to start the hiring process – you just need to complete two steps: creating a skills assessment and conducting an interview to determine compatibility.

Using an Accountant skills test in an assessment, you can test your candidates’ expertise and use the results create a shortlist of capable applicants for interviews – this is an effective approach, helping you to ensure that the candidates you select have the required skills for the job.

But when it comes to the interview, which staff accountant interview questions should you ask to keep the conversation flowing? 

In this article, we have assembled the best questions to help you evaluate your applicants. Check the lists below to create your own.

12 general staff accountant interview questions to ask applicants

Ask your staff accountant interviewees some of these interview questions to check their general knowledge related to accounting.

1. Why have you chosen an accounting career? What is your favorite accounting duty?

2. Can you tell me which accounting skill is your best?

3. Which accounting skill do you want to improve? 

4. What do you hope to accomplish in five years?

5. What has been your best accomplishment in your accounting career?

6. Name one book you have read related to your career.

7. Which methods do you use to stay up-to-date on accounting laws?

8. Name two skills that all accountants should use to complete their duties.

9. Are you familiar with accounting tools and technology?

10. Why did you leave your previous role?

11. Why have you chosen to apply for our staff accountant vacancy?

12. Do you have an accounting qualification?

5 general staff accountant interview questions and sample answers

Check the answers to these five key general staff accountant interview questions to assess your applicants’ responses and knowledge.

1. Can you tell me which accounting skill is your best?

Each staff accountant applicant may respond with a unique accounting skill when describing their strongest abilities, but some of the most important skills for accountants include:

• Math skills

• Customer-service skills

• Communication skills

To learn more about these skills, ask your candidates follow-up questions to prompt them to provide specific examples of when they used them in their roles.

For instance, applicants could use customer-service skills when offering budgeting advice to clients or companies to enhance their financial situation.

You can choose our Customer Service test for your candidate assessment to evaluate their customer-service skills. 

2. Which accounting skill do you want to improve? 

Since all staff accountant applicants should be eager to improve their abilities, the key to assessing responses to this question is to ensure they understand any weaker areas and that they have a clear approach to developing those skills. 

For instance, applicants might want to learn more about tax codes and plan to research how they match their accounting practices. 

Be wary of applicants who claim they have honed every accounting skill – even the most accomplished professionals have to adapt to industry changes with new skills.

3. Are you familiar with accounting tools and technology?

Many types of accounting software are available, and experts predict that the market size will reach $20.4m by the end of 2026. Since accounting tools are important for this field of work, it’s important to check your applicants’ knowledge and experience. Some examples of the accounting tools that staff accountants may use include:

• QuickBooks Online

• FreshBooks

• Sage Business Cloud Accounting

• Xero

Check if your applicants have noticed the advantages of using accounting tools and technology in their work, or if they prefer one tool over another, such as cloud accounting tools.

4. Do you have an accounting qualification?

Qualified applicants can show they have experience with duties such as analyzing and preparing statements or maintaining payroll. 

Some applicants may also have a master’s degree in addition, while others still might have completed advanced-level coursework. Although qualifications can be a marker of quality, the real test lies in candidates’ demonstrable skills.

Ask your applicants about their educational backgrounds to know more about their suitability and whether they have the skills you want. 

5. Why have you chosen to apply for our staff accountant vacancy?

When answering this staff accountant interview question, candidates should show they have researched your business and understand the role’s requirements. 

They may be eager to pursue your company’s challenges or gain more skills. Applicants might also appreciate your company’s values and mission and consider their skills a good match for your accountant vacancy.

21 staff accountant interview questions about responsibilities and skills

Ask your staff accountant candidates some of these 21 interview questions to learn about their familiarity with accountant responsibilities and skills.

1. Do you have experience with preparing financial reports?

2. Do you have any methods to ensure you work with accurate data?

3. Could you tell us about a time you had a strict deadline? How did you meet it?

4. What has been your most significant accounting obstacle?

5. Have you ever worked with a team to improve an accounting process?

6. Why is problem solving a crucial skill for staff accountants?

7. Do you have any methods to detect fraudulent ledger entries? How would you handle it?

8. Have you ever made an accounting error? What do you do now to avoid the error?

9. Do you have any processes for estimating a corporation’s bad debt?

10. Tell me how you would rate your financial and math skills.

11. How would your accounting manager rate your communication skills?

12. Could you tell us how your accounting team would rate your critical-thinking skills?

13. How would you rate your leadership skills?

14. Explain how your clients would rate your customer-service skills on a scale of 1 to 10.

15. How would your accountant manager rate your time-management skills?

16. How would you rate your business ethics and intelligence skills?

17. Are soft skills important for staff accountants? Why or why not?

18. Why are spreadsheet and Excel knowledge important for staff accountants?

19. Could you name two budgeting methods you would recommend to your clients?

20. Describe your experience in reconciling accounts.

21. Explain how you would organize your day.

5 staff accountant interview questions and sample answers about responsibilities and skills

Refer to our sample answers to five crucial staff accountant interview questions when you review your applicants’ responses.

1. Explain how you would organize your day.

Staff accountants must complete many duties and tasks during the day, so it’s important to check how applicants prioritize and organize their responsibilities. The best candidates will mention time-management skills and communication, explaining how these skills help them manage their tasks.

For example, staff accountants should create a to-do list and mark which factors are high or low priority. They can then allocate specific time to each task to stay organized.

To evaluate your applicants’ time-management skills, check our Time Management test and include it in your skills assessment.

2. Explain how your clients would rate your customer-service skills on a scale of 1 to 10?

Candidates must have honed their customer-service skills, as this will allow them to work with clients and solve financial issues. This skill can help applicants listen to their clients’ concerns, stay positive, and accomplish their established deliverables.

If you need accurate data to understand your applicants’ customer-service skills, use our Customer Service skills test.

3. Are soft skills important for staff accountants? Why or why not?

Staff accountants need a range of soft skills to allow them to communicate well with clients, complete financial reports accurately, and manage their time effectively. 93% of employers want candidates’ soft skills on their resume, and staff accountant managers are no exception. Some of the key soft skills staff accountants need include:

• Communication skills

• Skills for being organized

• Attention to detail

The best option to check if your applicants have these skills is to use our Communication, Attention to Detail, and Time Management tests.

4. Why is spreadsheet and Excel knowledge important for staff accountants?

Spreadsheet proficiency is important for accountants, even if they automate accounting procedures. This skill allows applicants to process numbers, compile tables, and use functions and formulas. 

With a Microsoft Excel test, you can learn if your candidates understand how to use Excel to complete their accounting duties efficiently. You can also ask candidates to provide examples of when they have used Excel to process numbers in their role.

5. Why is problem-solving a crucial skill for staff accountants?

Strong problem-solving skills are an essential skill for any staff accountant, enabling them to catch issues and address them before they have a chance to get worse. Applicants must be able to analyze a problem, plan suitable methods to tackle it, and propose answers to the issue.

For instance, a staff accountant might have to use problem-solving skills to make calculated recommendations for businesses and clients to help them stick to a budget. Don’t be afraid to ask for specific examples of when candidates have used their skills to solve a particular problem in their current role.

If you need to review your staff accountant’s problem-solving skills, use our Problem Solving skills test when you create your skills assessment.

10 staff accountant interview questions about technical definitions 

Ask your staff accountant applicants some of these 10 interview questions to test their knowledge of technical accountant definitions.

1. What are the three financial statements?

2. What do you understand about working capital?

3. Can you give us a definition of accounts payable?

4. Can you give us a definition of accounts receivable?

5. What do you understand about accounts receivable turnover?

6. Do you understand what capital gains are? Give us a definition.

7. What do you understand about corporate income tax?

8. Can you give us a definition of effective tax rates?

9. Do you understand what a general ledger is? Give us a definition.

10. Can you give us a definition of marginal cost?

5 staff accountant interview questions and sample answers about technical definitions

Look at the answers to these five essential staff accountant interview questions to evaluate your applicants’ knowledge of technical definitions in this field.

1. Do you understand what a general ledger is? Give us a definition.

Accountants use general ledgers to create financial statements. A general ledger is a collection of assets, revenue, expense accounts, liability, and owner equity. Candidates should know that these accounts help accountants summarize, sort, and store the transactions of a company and provide a record-keeping system for its data.

2. Do you understand what capital gains are? Give us a definition.

A person selling an asset for more than they paid creates a capital gain. This financial term refers to a portion of the financial gain that someone receives, where the gain is subject to capital gains tax.

Applicants may mention a few examples of assets that someone might sell and receive capital gains, such as stocks, investments, and bonds.

3. What are the three financial statements?

Three financial statements an accountant can use to measure a company’s financial health include:

• Income statements: An income statement declares the company’s business operations for the quarter or year. It shows the inflow of assets and outflows that produce revenue for the company.

• Balance sheets: A balance sheet shows the company’s financial position at a specific time. It features the company’s assets (what the company owns) and liabilities (what the company owes) and shows the difference between these values.

• Cash flow statements: A cash flow statement shows a company’s financial activity over a specific time. With this statement, accountants can see where the company’s cash comes from and how the business uses it to pay for operations.

4. Can you give us a definition of accounts payable?

Applicants with staff accountant experience will know what accounts payable means. They should be able to explain that this refers to the amount a company owes a creditor for the products, goods, or services they deliver or complete.

5. Can you give us a definition of accounts receivable?

Candidates should know that accounts receivable is a client’s or customer’s claim against a company (or debtor) for an amount they have not collected. Account receivable claims occur after a sales transaction or when a company renders services.

When should you use staff accountant interview questions in the hiring process?

The ideal opportunity to complete interviews with candidates, using the staff accountant interview questions we have discussed, is after applicants complete an accountant skills assessment. When you receive the assessment results, the interviews will give you a clearer picture of your candidates’ skills.

This approach will also ensure you can avoid screening resumes, reducing your time-to-hire metrics with a data-driven approach. 

Assess applicants with these staff accountant interview questions and TestGorilla

The easiest way to evaluate your applicants’ expertise and experience is to use a two-part process with skills assessments followed by staff accountant interview questions. This winning combination enables you to hire candidates familiar with the vacancy’s responsibilities and find those best suited for the role.

Remember to use our Accounting test and four related skills tests when you build your assessment, checking the scores and candidate star ratings to create a shortlist of applicants for the interview.

If you want to see how TestGorilla works before you try it, sign up for a free account. Use TestGorilla and the staff accountant interview questions we’ve listed to hire the ideal staff accountant for your company.