5 tips to help you use accounts receivable interview questions
The five tips in this section will make the interview process easier and help you enhance the candidate experience.
Which steps would you take to forecast the payments for the following month?
A crucial part of accounts receivable management is forecasting, and candidates should have a method to forecast payments for the following month.
Can your candidates explain that they would check clients’ payment history to work out the cash flow of your business and forecast payments in the future? Do they know that dividing accounts receivable into different categories and monitoring these categories is important for forecasting payments?
1 How do you record journal entries?
Candidates should know that they must first make a debit entry in the accounts receivable and then make a credit entry in a sales account to make a journal entry.
7 general accounts receivable interview questions and answers
Here are seven general accounts receivable interview questions to ask candidates at the beginning of the interview.
Use them to learn about your candidates’ general accounts receivable knowledge.
Use structured interviews and take notes to compare candidates easily
Avoiding unstructured interviews and sticking to a structured interview process can make your job easier when comparing candidates’ responses. During structured interviews, you can also take notes of your candidates’ answers.
Which process do you use to maintain an organized ledger?
In addition to logging the date and description of the payment, candidates should also include several key categories on a ledger to keep it organized. Candidates may mention key categories they use, such as:
Which skills do accounts receivable roles require?
Knowledge of accounts receivable, top math skills, record-keeping skills, and management skills are crucial for an accounts receivable role.
Explain what working capital is.
Working capital is a term that refers to the difference between an enterprise’s current assets and its liabilities.
In response to this question, candidates may describe a few examples of current assets, such as accounts receivable, and examples of current liabilities, such as accounts payable.
How would you explain complex accounting information to stakeholders?
Communication is an essential skill that candidates should mention when answering this question.
Are they able to show that they have the ability to discuss complex accounting or financial concepts with stakeholders who lack in-depth accounting knowledge? Can they break down complex financial information into concepts that others can understand?
Explain what an accounts receivable role involves.
Some of the main responsibilities of an accounts receivable role include monitoring and processing incoming payments, ensuring the smooth functioning of the billing system, reconciling accounts, checking irregularities and resolving them, and creating statements and invoices.
1 Do you have experience with creating a bill for services? Which details should it feature?
Service invoices should include the following information:
13 behavioral accounts receivable interview questions and answers
This section contains 13 behavioral accounts receivable interview questions and answers.
Ask your candidates these questions to learn how they behave in a work environment and how they complete accounts receivable tasks.
Which process do you use to determine whether a customer is worthy of credit?
Your candidates may explain that they use accounts receivable aging reports to find out which clients are behind with their payments and determine whether they are worthy of credit.
They may identify that a single client is behind many late payments and take action. Answers should also show that your candidate understands the process of credit application.