If you are hoping to have a career in insurance, corporate finance, retail banking, and investment or any other fields of finance, you should prepare yourself thoroughly before attending an interview.
We know it is difficult but if you know how to answer a question, you will be able to ace the interview.
Some of the most important accounts and finance interview questions asked during accounting interviews have been asked below.
Keep reading to find out what they are and prepare yourself accordingly!
Top Accounts and Finance Interview Questions and Answers:
Accounts and finance are two different sectors, so the interview questions related to them will also be different.
In this article, we have mentioned the different interview questions and answers for accounts and finance. All these will help you get through the interview very easily.
Basic Corporate Finance Interview Questions:
Corporate finance is probably one of the best paths of career you will ever choose in finance. It is popular among all recent businesses, MBAs, and graduates.
In the world of corporate finance, you will be asked questions related to organizations, management, and behavioral abilities. You may also be asked about your technical ability.
Questions have been designed in such a way that one can understand the concepts and calculations and see whether you know how to solve business cases and other problems in the world.
Common Questions you will be asked in this field:
You will be asked basic questions under this category such as
- Why do you want to work for this company?
- What weaknesses do you have?
- How do you plan on overcoming them?
- Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?
- Can you work for long hours?
List your achievements and state why you are proud of them. Finally, you have to convince them why you deserve this job and why should you work in this field.
Stock related questions may also be asked. So be ready for that!
Common Accounting Interview Questions and Answers:
Here are some of the basic accounts interview questions you will be asked during an accounting interview.
Keep reading to find out what they are and how you should answer them.
Most of the accounting questions for interviews are common and have been asked during several accounts interviews, so you can prepare accordingly.
1. What events of accounting are used in compound entries?
The events of accounting used in compound entries most often include reading several line items in recording several line items inside a supplier invoice which addresses expenses of all kinds.
Second, it will record all deductions of banks which are related to the reconciliation of banks. Third, all of the payments and deductions which are related to payrolls!
And finally, it is about recording the amount which receives including the sales tax related to the invoice of the customer.
2. What are the kinds of accounts need in entry bookkeeping?
Double entry bookkeeping will require fine kinds of accounts. This includes accounts related to income, expense, asset, capital, and liability.
3. What is a double entry system? What are its disadvantages?
A double entry system records all transactions we usually keep in journals. It prepares all final accounts and closes the books of several accounts.
It also posts journal entries regularly in all ledger accounts and then prepares for a proper trial balance.
Some of the disadvantages of the double entry system include having a compensatory error that is difficult to find out in this system, the system that needs a lot of clerical labor and that it is hard to find all errors have been recorded in books.
It is also smart to disclose the information which not record in any journal.
4. How can entries in an account be adjusted effectively?
To adjust entries in every account, you can easily sort the entries into four categories.
The first one called accrued expenses. The expenses here have incurred but vendors and their invoices haven’t been processed or generated.
Second is deferred revenues where the money has been received in advance of being earned or paid.
Third, is called deferred expenses which mean money has been paid for all future expenses.
Fourth, depreciation expenses where an asset has purchased in one period and should allocate to expense in all of the accounting periods of the assets useful in life. These are few important journal entries ask in interviews.
5. Explain the cash flow statement?
Cash flow statements are about generating cash and using them throughout the year. There are several activities involve in cash flow.
It includes operating activities which are business activities accounting to cash, investing activities that are related to sales, purchase and equipment or property, financial activities such as purchasing stocks and bonds, supplemental information such as exchanging financial items that don’t involve any cash.
Common Finance Interview Questions and Answers:
Finance questions can be a little difficult to answer if you don’t know how to go about it.
Nonetheless, we have lined up some of the basic interview questions for finance which are usually asked.
Read them carefully, understand and practice before you prepare them.
1. How will you define goodwill and how has it been accounted for?
Goodwill happens to an intangible asset which defines as an excess value of the price of purchase over market value in any business that has acquired.
An example can use to explain this. If Walmart has been sold for over 100 billion dollars with PP&E book with a value of over 50 billion, equity is of 30 billion and another debt of 10 billion.
The goodwill then paid for at Walmart and it would be of 30 billion- the wholesale price minus the value of the book which is 70 billion.
2. What do you understand by the term deferred tax? what does it serve as?
When we speak of deferred or its tax asset, we mean a company that pays more taxes to IRS more than they own.
The reason why it is an asset is that it may use to offer all future tax expenses in the time ahead.
Deferred tax assets have also resulted in differences in terms of revenue recognition, recognition of expenses and all losses of net operating.
3. What is the definition of deferred tax and liability? What does it serve as?
Deferred tax sheet occurs happens when an expense of tax mentioned in a statement of income and has not paid within the given stipulated period to the IRS.
It may pay in the future date if that happens. Liabilities in defer tax could occur when a difference in the expense of depreciation notice between reporting of books as well as reporting of internal revenue service which leads to differences in income that reflect on all income statements of companies.
It could result in taxes which lower and at the same time is payable to the internal revenue service as well.
4. What are the three financial statements?
First, there has to be an income statement. After the cash goes down and the balance sheet goes up, there will be a cash outflow.
Over the lives of assets, the depreciation will reduce net income while all earnings that retain will go down and depreciation shall add once again in the operation section of the cash.
5. Entry level finance interview questions you will ask:
The following questions shall be asked during the entry level and have been seen in most interviews.
First of all, you will ask about the industrial average and under which circumstances do the corporations buy all stock.
Second, you may ask to give a few examples of what you have done to demonstrate leadership.
Questions on strengths and weaknesses are quite common so be ready to answer them. There are times when interviewers will ask you about the disadvantages and the advantages of any company issuing stock.
Questions about the swap and how they work are quite common as well. Debt financing and equity financing often asked.
Finally, you should swap everything, how they work and how can you value any department for spinoffs.
6. What is Working Capital?
One of the most common questions asked during an interview is about working capital and how you should define them.
Working capital has defined as a current asset minus all current liabilities. It also tells you the financial statement user and how much cash has tied up in any business through those items which include inventories and receivables.
Also what counts is how much cash will need to pay off the short term obligations within 12 months.
How to Prepare for Accounting and Finance Interview?
The following mentioned are a few tips to prepare for a finance interview and a accounts interview.
1. Get ready for technical questions:
You need to be ready for technical questions. Though it isn’t common for most students doing a major in non-finance or business to choose a career in accounting or finance, some of the students believe they will not be asked any question related to tech.
If you have to believe the same, you are going to fool big time. This is not always true.
When you attend a finance or accounting interview, you have to make sure you remember some of the basic finance and accounting concepts. You must do so.
2. Have enough knowledge:
Once the interviewer has identified the gap in your knowledge, it could be hard to change your tone of the interview.
Even during the best of job markets, you will be having competition for good jobs so make sure you have good knowledge regarding the job and know how to answer questions.
For this, you might have to prepare at home from beforehand. Practice questions before attending the interview.
3. Keep your answers minimalistic:
When you are answering finance and accounts interview questions, remember to stay as minimalistic as possible.
You need to have proper explanations but make sure the answers are brief and not longer than two minutes. Be concise and never go overboard.
When you take up time to answer questions, you often tend to lose the interviewer and sometimes lead the interviewer to keep coming back with questions that are more complex and are on the same subject.
4. Be very careful:
If you don’t know how to answer a question, you should say so. It is okay not to have an answer to every question.
In case the interviewer thinks you have been trying to pull one over him, then you are going to ruin the interview and your chances of landing the job.
When job candidates attempt BS through an interview on finance, it never works outright. So be very careful.
5. Basic questions you must have an answer to:
You must also have a good understanding of the business model and how companies usually differentiate themselves from other competitors.
You must also review the website of the company including its annual report, Bloomberg and other industry and annual publications.
Second, you should review the website of the company and its annual reports before attending the interview since you may ask questions related to them.
Make sure you have a good idea about the market trends that affect the industry and what can impact the company.
6. Prepare simple questions:
Finally, be ready to answer simple questions. A complex question is good for preparation but simple ones are of high value.
You will be asked basic stuff before the manager goes into complex ones. So prepare them as well.
Conclusion:
Above mentioned are some of the interview questions and answers for finance and accounts. If you liked reading the post and have found some benefits from it, do let us know in the comment box below.
We would like to hear from you. Plus we look forward to clarifying your doubts and questions. So don’t forget to post them below. On that note, good luck and make sure you have read the post thoroughly, understood the questions and have learned how to answer them correctly.
