An accounting interview can be an intimidating experience for many candidates competing for roles in the finance department. But you can turn it into an enjoyable discussion if you know what the interviewers want to hear! That will also increase the probability of you getting the job offer significantly. I was fortunate to have been invited to numerous interviews during my career as an Accountant. These are some tips on how I managed to get the job offer for most of the accounting interviews.
1. Know your stuff
Accounting roles are knowledge-based occupations. As your interviewers are likely to be more experienced, they can easily detect if you have sufficient basic accounting knowledge. For most accounting jobs, you are likely to require a certain level of taxation knowledge, especially on GST. The reason is that most transactions that you enter into the accounting system will involve GST if your potential employer is a GST-registered entity. Please ensure that you know the four types of supply before you go for your accounting interviews!
2. Be humble
I can assure you that you will not get the offer, even if you are the best candidate if you are arrogant. No boss likes to manage difficult staff. Do stay humble throughout the interview.
3. Display willingness to learn
Companies often do not have an unlimited budget for the accounting roles they advertise. Therefore, they know they will have to settle with less experienced candidates. Candidates willing to learn will stand a higher chance of getting the offer. It is because they give assurance that they will be able to gain sufficient knowledge and experience to perform the job if given the opportunity.
4. Do not mind putting in the extra hours
While you may have some leeway if you are working in SME, month-end closing in MNC has a fixed deadline. Unfortunately, you cannot change this. Your boss can’t change it too. There is always a possibility that certain events may delay your month-end closing process. When that happens, you may need to work beyond regular office hours.
5. Discussion on money matters
When the interviewers discuss remuneration, it is crucial to highlight that money is not the primary reason you are applying for the job. There are two explanations for this.
First, not all companies have a large budget. If the interviewers believe that money is the main driving force, they would be concerned that you would leave the company when they cannot keep up with your salary expectation in the future.
Second, money should not be the primary reason you are looking for a job in the first place. There are many ways of making money now, and having a job is just one of them.
Conclusion
Those are five tips on how to excel in an accounting interview. They have worked effectively for me. I hope they work well for you too. By the way, if you are into investing, do consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Investing is one of the ways that you can generate an additional source of income outside a job. With that, see you at the following article and my YouTube channel!
– Yanto Wong –
