Tell me about a time that you provided exceptional customer service to a client.
This is another common accounting interview question. Customer service skills are invaluable in an accounting role. You’ll spend a lot of time with the numbers and making sense of them, but ultimately, they are connected to people who need to be coached and educated on how best to manage their books. Learn how to use the STAR method to answer behavioral interview questions.
You might try an answer like this:
“This example was from my previous role as an assistant at a senior living facility. A resident was waiting in the lobby for a family member who was going to take her to a doctor’s appointment. The family member called to say he was having car trouble and wouldn’t be able to make it in time for the appointment. I knew that the resident was waiting anxiously for test results from her doctor, so I offered to take her myself so that she wouldn’t have to reschedule the appointment. The resident was extremely grateful when I was able to drop her off in time to make her scheduled appointment.”
Tell me about a time when you had to be flexible in the workplace.
Employers want to know that you are adaptable when going about your day-to-day work. Flexibility indicates that you’re able to jump in at a moment’s notice to help out a teammate, or deliver an unexpected task when your manager requests it.
Show them your flexibility with an answer like this:
“I was head-down in data entry for a client when a peer asked for my help to complete a company critical project. It was the end of the month, so I couldn’t abandon my data entry work. But I knew that my teammate wouldn’t have asked for my help if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. I reprioritized the rest of my day and made plans to stay a couple extra hours in the office to ensure both tasks got completed. I don’t mind putting in extra time when it helps the company with their best clients, and I know my teammate really appreciated it.”
How do you prefer to communicate with those around you in the workplace?
In this day and age, there are multiple ways to communicate in the workplace. Knowing when to use different forms of communication is an indicator of a strong communicator.
Here’s an example:
“It depends! If it’s a quick question, I tend to use instant messaging. But if it’s going to take longer than a minute to respond, then I’ll send an email. If it’s a sensitive conversation, or one that could be misunderstood, I’ll set up a face-to-face meeting or make a phone call.”
Tell me about a time when you worked with peers to achieve a fantastic result. What was your role?
Being results-oriented is another desirable trait in an accounting employee. Employers want to know that they can rely on their employees to get their assigned work done, and done well. Don’t be afraid to brag a little in crafting an answer something like this:
“Two years ago, my College Student Association peers and I organized a charity food drive. My best friend and I had the idea to do something meaningful for the community. We co-owned the entire project, marketing it to every outlet we could think of, and when the drive was complete, we’d collected more than $10,000 worth of food for our local food bank. We were ecstatic!”