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Senior Accountant Interview Questions

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
Last updated 24 January 2025
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Senior Accountant interview questions and answers.

  1. What accounting software and applications have you worked with? See answer
  2. How do you proactively monitor for fraudulent entries in a ledger? See answer
  3. What processes have you streamlined? See answer
  4. What is your strategy for dealing with tight deadlines when you have multiple accounting projects to finish? See answer
  5. How do you explain accounting processes to people without accounting backgrounds? See answer
  6. How do you maintain accounting accuracy? See answer
  7. Give me an example of how you helped a company make better use of their financial resources. See answer
  8. If you were to hire a junior accountant, what qualities would you look for? See answer
  9. What is one of the biggest challenges facing the field of accounting, and how will you overcome it? See answer
  10. How have you handled difficult conversations with others? See answer
  11. What are some common accounting mistakes? See answer
  12. How do you estimate bad debt? See answer
  13. In what accounting concepts should an accountant be an expert? See answer
  14. What do you see as today’s accounting automation trends, and how do you think it will affect the jobs of accountants?
  15. If you were given three competitor company’s financial statements and had to determine which was in the best financial shape, what parameters would you use to determine the outcome?
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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15 Senior Accountant Interview Questions and Answers

What accounting software and applications have you worked with?

A senior accountant should possess detailed knowledge of multiple accounting platforms and applications. This question lets the candidate discuss their knowledge of accounting software, features and benefits. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of accounting programme features
  • Current with popular accounting software packages
  • Willingness to improve performance through technology
Example:

'I used Zoho and NetSuite for a year and created balance sheets and year-end financial statements. I'm knowledgeable in QuickBooks and Microsoft Dynamics as well. I'm a quick learner, good at computer applications and willing to learn any new software.'

What do you see as today's accounting automation trends, and how do you think it will affect the jobs of accountants?

Accountants must be up-to-date on modern trends in accounting. To answer this question, the candidate should demonstrate knowledge about cloud computing, software robots and virtual reality. What to look for in an answer:

  • Future automation applications
  • Changes in traditional finance jobs
  • Technologies that disrupt accounting
'I believe the future holds robotic process automation, AI, machine learning and natural language processing with some intermediate stages. Along the way, technology will impact routine tasks that involve algorithms, compliance issues such as using machine learning to eliminate compliance breaches, computerised customer interactions and AI-driven strategic thinking. To stay relevant, it's necessary to have the ability to manipulate large datasets. However, customers will still value professionals for their experience and foresight. I think it's imperative to nurture client relationships and collaborate especially during digital transformation projects.'
Example:

How do you proactively monitor for fraudulent entries in a ledger?

Today more than ever, accountants must be vigilant about fraud detection. Candidates must use software that detects potential fraud, look for unusual patterns in ledgers and journals and recognise red flags suggesting fraudulent activity. The candidate should provide insight into their experience detecting fraud with automated tools and manual methods. What to look for in an answer:

  • Experience with fraud monitoring tools
  • Recognition of fraudulent behaviour
  • Ethical practices
Example:

'I catch errors and anomalies using the enterprise resource planning platform proactive monitoring features. Concurrently, I conduct random manual spot checks looking for things like stale items in reconciliations, excessive voids, missing documents and mentally track unusual use of round numbers.'

What processes have you streamlined?

A good accountant will find ways to help a company produce more at a lower cost. In their answer to this question, they should reveal a way they streamlined a process without compromising quality. What to look for in an answer: 

  • Knowledgeable in business processes
  • Enhance productivity through creative thinking
  • Strong accounting solution skills
'At my last position, I linked credit cards, supplier accounts and business accounts by enabling bank feeds. This saved time, made reconciliations easier and resulted in easy control of money flow.'
Example:

What is your strategy for dealing with tight deadlines when you have multiple accounting projects to finish?

Speed, urgency and deadlines are vital to the company so you need to know if the candidate can meet deadlines under pressure. They should answer this question by explaining how they prioritise their workload, how they succeed under pressure and produce quality results. What to look for in an answer:

  • Prioritisation skills used to focus on time-sensitive projects
  • Time management
  • Attention to detail for accuracy
Example:

'I find that teamwork and communication are essential to meet deadlines. I know and track all project deadlines and break each project into segments with individual deadlines. I eliminate distractions, prioritise tasks, time block each task and time block each project, giving the largest block of time for the closest deadline. I start with the most important tasks, reassess as I work through the timeline and ask for help from a team member if needed.'

How do you explain accounting processes to people without accounting backgrounds?

Accountants are called on to explain concepts and processes to people who have little knowledge of accounting processes and need to have complex information made simple. To answer this question, they should explain how they accomplish the communication process. What to look for in an answer:

  • Patience, empathy and teaching abilities
  • Ability to break down complex information into an easily understood format
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
Example:

'I use analogies that are in context with a person's function and avoid accounting and technical jargon. In my last position, I found opportunities to reduce taxes that other areas would not understand because of their lack of knowledge of accounting and taxes. I presented my idea with case studies, charts and demonstrations and used practical examples communicated through pictures and numbers. After understanding, they adopted my suggestions.'

How do you maintain accounting accuracy?

Impeccable accounting accuracy helps the company make money while small mistakes can cause the company to lose money. You want to verify the candidate's ability to ensure accuracy. The answer to this question should give you insight into their process. What to look for in an answer:

  • Detail-oriented mentality
  • Dedication to accuracy
  • Ability to recognise mistakes
Example:

'I use all tools and resources available to monitor accuracy and eliminate potential errors. I don't vary our procedures, for instance, cash and bank accounts are always confirmed and reconciled, account receivables are confirmed no less than once a year, I assign a dedicated team member to monitor inventory, I confirm payables to our suppliers and research payables within the company.'

Give me an example of how you helped a company make better use of their financial resources.

An experienced accountant can identify wasteful spending and develop procedures to eliminate it and improve the company's cost-effectiveness. The candidate should reveal logical and analytical thinking. What to look for in an answer:

  • Intense review of expenditures
  • Optimising processes
  • Review and analyse historical data
'I was reviewing a company's financial trends and found outstanding payments and storage space full of unwanted products and equipment. I recommended a team of internal debt collectors, a programme to auction off unwanted equipment and products and eliminated extra storage rental expenses.'
Example:

If you were to hire a junior accountant, what qualities would you look for?

Accounting roles can vary, but some specific skills and qualities are desirable in all accountants. The answer to this question should reveal the qualities the candidate values and would integrate into your company. What to look for in an answer:

  • Dedication to the accounting process
  • Ability to recognise genuine qualities
  • Team building
Example:

'Essential qualities of an accountant are critical thinking, superior math skills and strong communication skills. Experience with key software is vital, and I favour expert time management and organisation abilities. It's vital to have accountants with in-depth knowledge of laws and regulations.'

What is one of the biggest challenges facing the field of accounting, and how will you overcome it?

You want to assess the candidate's knowledge of the industry and ensure they are aware of significant challenges. The candidate should be knowledgeable about challenges and have a plan to overcome them. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of changing laws
  • Tools to understand regulation changes
  • Ability to assess the impact on the company
Example:

'One of the biggest challenges is frequent changes in laws and regulations. For instance, there are income tax code updates to track, compliance with rule changes and reporting those changes, shifts in sales tax rates and modifications to employee compensation. To stay current, I set up industry news alerts, monitor legislation, seek out webinars and other communications dealing with changes and subscribe to industry publications. 

How have you handled difficult conversations with others?

Accountants work with internal and external clients and may come across a negative situation such as an account reconciliation discrepancy. The candidate's answer should show you that they can handle difficult conversations and quickly resolve problems. What to look for in an answer:

  • Collaboration
  • Problem-solving
  • Interpersonal skills
Example:

'I handle difficult conversations by directly addressing the problem from a solutions-oriented view and a collaborative approach. I have experience with these conversations because in a previous situation, it was common to find problems in financial statements or payroll methods. Those issues have to be immediately rectified before completing an audit.'

What are some common accounting mistakes?

Current accounting software and new technology make accounting easier but don't eliminate costly mistakes. The candidate should be able to recognise common mistakes and resolve them. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of common mistakes
  • A process to avoid and correct mistakes
  • Detail mindset
'Some of the most common mistakes include misallocated resources, mixing personal accounts with company accounts and not keeping backup information. Some ways to eliminate common problems are timely reconciliations to uncover problems before they grow, implementing procedures to identify and correct data entry errors and use of cloud-based storage to ensure documentation of expenses.'
Example:

How do you estimate bad debt?

The candidate should have experience estimating bad debt and answer with an explanation of methods they use. This will give you insight into the depth of their experience in estimating bad debt. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of accounting rules for a write-off of bad debt
  • Knowledge of ways to estimate bad debt
  • Understanding the significance of bad debt expense
Example:

'I have experience with these bad debt estimation methods: allowance method that allows us to indicate an average percentage of accounts receivable that is uncollectable; the percentage of credit sales which lets us determine a percentage of credit sales that will not be; and the ageing method which groups receivable accounts by age and assigns a percentage that is unlikely to be collected.'

If you were given three competitor company's financial statements and had to determine which was in the best financial shape, what parameters would you use to determine the outcome?

This question is designed to test the candidate's ability to read financial statements, detect differences and variations and determine the financial health of a company. You should gain insight into the candidate's hard skills. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of correlation between revenue and profit
  • Knowledge of debt-equity ratio
  • Accurate reading of financial statements
'The two parameters I would use are revenue to profit and debt-to-equity ratios. The company with the highest revenue is not necessarily the most financially healthy. The revenue has to be compared to any heavy losses. Alternatively, the company with less revenue after breaking even has a higher earning profit and would be more financially stable. I would look for a balance between debt and equity. Debt results in high-interest costs, while equity means the company is not taking advantage of lower interest rates. I would also look at each company's liquidity position.'
Example:

In what accounting concepts should an accountant be an expert?

This is another question to test the depth of knowledge and understanding of accounting. It's not a behavioural question and should be answered with facts. What to look for in an answer:

  • In-depth knowledge of accounting concepts and terms
  • Re-enforcement of qualifications
  • Detailed knowledge of accounting management
'I consider myself a great accountant and am vastly knowledgeable in analysing and reporting financial data, budget planning and account management. My knowledge also includes current information on financial rules and regulations, accounting principles and practises and knowledge of several accounting software packages.'
Example:
Three individuals are sitting at a table with a laptop, a disposable coffee cup, notebooks, and a phone visible. Two are facing each other, while the third’s back is to the camera. The setting appears to be a bright room with large windows.

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