Hiring for a financial position at your company should be taken extremely seriously. Not that other job openings are not important, but employees who work in the financial sector must be vetted thoroughly. You do not want to hire a financial employee who does not understand the landscape of your business or the market in which it operates.
In order to thoroughly vet your financial candidates we have come up with the best Finance Interview Questions that only financial candidates can answer below — why not test your knowledge?
Which ERP systems have you used?
One of the first Finance Interview Questions you should ask a candidate is which ERP systems they have used. ERP is short for enterprise resource planning. The more skilled and experienced candidate will be able to answer this question easily, especially if they have worked for medium and large companies. Their answers should include any of the following systems; Oracle Enterprise Manager, Hyperion or Microsoft Dynamics GP. If you are interviewing an entry-level candidate, turn this question into a discussion about training opportunities.
Can you explain the difference between accounts payable and accounts receivable?
Even though this is a very easy question to answer, it is still a very important one to ask. Almost all entry-level financial candidates should be able to answer this question. If the candidate struggles for even a second in their answer, move to someone else. This is an excellent question to ask when a candidate is applying for a bookkeeping or accounting clerk position with your company.
How do you estimate bad debt?
This question can be asked of the entry-level candidate and the experienced financial candidate. If so, it will bring two different answers. The entry-level candidate will answer using theoretical knowledge to offer an educated guess. You can then discuss with the candidate the process used by your company. The experienced candidate will discuss the methods in which they estimated bad debt while with their previous employers(s).
Do you have experience with developing business metrics?
This is a fairly easy, and common, question that helps companies evaluate both entry-level and experienced candidates. It is a perfect question for candidates who might wind up working in jobs that require them to oversee budget and staffing issues while with your company.
Can you walk me through a cash flow statement?
This is an excellent Finance Interview Question for an entry level financial candidate because it can help you determine if the candidate is knowledgeable about the industry or if they are green and simply looking for a job. The answer provided will also help the company determine how much training it will need to invest in if the candidate is hired for the job.
Interviewing financial candidates for openings at your company must be done the right way. If you ask candidates any of the questions above, you should have no issues with choosing the right person for the open job.