Best Interview Tips for an Accounting Job

Most enterprises or firms are involved in trading of goods,services or both in return of money. The goal is to have utmost profit, by having maximum sales as compared to minimal expenditure. The secret to a flourishing business lies within an idea that earns maximum profit. Here comes the role of an accountant;he or she is the person who acts as a financial advisor in all middle and large scale companies. In smaller businesses,the job of an accountant is restricted to financial operations, such as, data collection, entry and report generation. Accountants play a pivotal role in commercial success of any business. Every company is in continuous need of good accountants. They are considered to be drivers of successful business.

So, with a professional degree in accounting; your chances of being a part of big business houses are quite high. However, the selection procedure followed by most of the companies,becomes a tough nut to crack. Following are some of the interview questions that you may be asked.

It goes without saying,that an accountant needs to have great math skills. However, before we discuss the core accounting interview questions, the first and foremost thing is to have a good resume that gives an idea of all your accounting skills and your work exposure. Your resume acts as a ticket to the selection process. So, preparing a good resume is your first task. 

When your resume is impressive,it means you have moved one step ahead in your journey. Your communication skills, confidence and posture are also equally important as your accounting skills; because, at the end of the day, interview is an interaction between two individuals.

Sample interview questions for accounting interviews:

• Why do you want to become an accountant?
• How do you describe a good accountant?
• How can you increase the revenue of your company when it is running at 30 percent loss?
• How do you maintain confidentiality?
• What is your idea of cost cutting and saving time?
• What are ethical methods of accounting?
• Do you think accounting is a routine job?
• How do you cope with this monotonous job?
• Questions on computer and maths skills are very common
  
  

Some questions on Accounts Reports, Accounts Payable and Receivable:

• How to calculate values for goodwill's?
• What are items that fall on a balance sheet?
• What are the three golden rules of accounts?
• Explain FIRC accounting?
• What are various methods of payment and charge?
• What is asset accounting?
• How to prepare MIS report?
• Explain TDS?
• What is VAT?
• Procedures for account payable?
• How do you file sales tax for construction business?
• What is the main difference between unearned revenue and unbilled receivables?
• Explain bank reconciliation?
• What is the importance of account receivable in business?
• What are the goals of account receivable?
• What is auto invoice?
• What is a stale cheque? What are its remedies?
• When do we need cash application? Explain steps involved?
  
  

What questions can you expect if you already have experience as an accountant?

• If you have experience in accounting, you may be asked about your primary responsibilities in your company?
• What were the challenging aspects of your work?
• Tell me about some complex project that you had to complete under deadline?
• What was the toughest task in your career as an accountant?
• What is your idea about expressive creative accounting?
• Describe a stressful condition at work and how do you handle it?
• Different accounting softwares you are familiar with? What is the recent software being used in the industry?

These are some of the questions regarding your work. The interviewer expects you to give a detailed illustration of your job responsibilities as an accountant in your previous company. So be very clear about your work experience and share every detail necessary.

Hope you have got an idea about the complete interview process which is followed in most companies. Gear up and prepare so that you excel in your upcoming interviews.

Account Assistant Resume

An account assistant’s profile is similar to that of an accounting clerk. They work under a senior accountant or an account’s manager to perform various functions ranging from maintaining records, updating financial documents, verifying bank statements and keeping a track on bills and payments. The job demands the right kind of qualifications to perform the day to day task in the most effective manner. Although experience in this field is not very essential but a little practical knowledge is a must for a better performance. While drafting an account assistant resume candidates need to highlight their qualifications as it forms the base of a good account assistant resume.

The resume tips for an account assistant should begin with an effective and impressive career objective. The candidate’s career objective should define their future goals and to what extent the candidate can go to get a rich experience to begin a fruitful career.

Candidates aspiring for an account assistant’s position need to highlight their accounting proficiency and knowledge. The job demands to work in a team environment, listening and executing work as directed by the superiors, multi-tasking, working with a sound mind to avoid errors and be ready to face all kind of challenges. These would form the major skills of an account assistant resume.

The job is quite confidential as account assistants take care of billing, invoices, reimbursements for employees, review financial statements, coding the information, prepare reports, process documents for fund disbursements, review the information to check its authentication and accuracy and the list goes on. The applicants have to therefore provide proper references and most companies do a thorough background check of employees before hiring them for this post. Majority of candidates for this post are hired through references.

Account assistants are hired at different levels in an organization depending upon the company’s size and the kind of responsibilities assigned. Generally there are three levels of this job profile comprising of an entry level, the intermediate level and the advanced level. At an entry level the employees perform assignments and also learn the methodology and work procedure. At the intermediate level the assignments are performed with more responsibilities and at the experienced level accountants use their own personal judgments and decision making skills. The more experience an account assistant gain the more better he turns with time to become an integral part of an organization. Account assistants need to take feedback possibilities and should keep an open mind to gain knowledge as time pass by. 

Account Collector Resume

Account collectors are popularly known as collectors. They make sure that bill repayments or mortgages are paid on a timely fashion by all existing customers. In most cases they contact customers via telephone or visit personally for any delinquent account. Collectors either work for agencies or work in-house for an organization. Account collectors need to be very stern at times in order to avoid fraudulent activities. They need the gauge the situation and act accordingly. An account collector resume should highlight a candidate’s skill that could help him/her perform the job. Generally experience in this field proves very helpful to smoothly perform the task.

Account collectors should possess good communication and administrative skills. These skills would help them to do the required job in the most efficient manner. Collectors have to speak to customers on a regular basis and handle stressful situations most of the times. They should be matured enough to speak to people tactually over the phone whom they have never met. Computer knowledge and use of telecommunication equipments also proves helpful to perform the task.

The minimum education and training required for an account collector is a high school diploma. Most employers however prefer candidates who possess a degree and have experience working in a call center or any other relevant job that involves talking with the general public.
Account collectors are given proper training once hired. They are guided by supervisors and senior workers about the procedures followed in the company. They are also taught laws of collection as per the State laws and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
.
Account collectors need to plan their work and set targets for themselves. They need to be well organized and this should reflect in an account collector resume. While making calls to debtors, most customers do not like a third party interfering and checking their financial status. They might face rejections in most cases but they should be ready to take the next call in the most positive and polite manner. These skills could form the major highlight of an account collector resume.

Account collectors have a specified goal and target that need to be achieved periodically. Their calls are tracked and monitored continuously to check if the standard of service provided is up to the mark. Collectors usually have set goals with reference to the number of calls made and success rate of each call. The recovery of the amount of debt and the age of the debt are important factors taken into consideration while checking the amount of efforts put by an account collector for a specific task.

Government Accountant Resume

Government accountants works with the federal, state and local government agencies and bureaus. They take care of the finances and make sure that the organization is run as per the set government standards. Their major job includes preparing and recording financial reports in accordance with government principles. They also help to evaluate the budget, the expense level and estimate the revenue. The job is quite demanding and the candidate applying for the job needs to be well qualified. When drafting a government accountant resume, one should take note that the candidate is well aware of the job profile. Education and experience is of major importance and thus should form the major highlight of a government accountant resume.

Here is a sample government accountant resume. Candidates can use them as a reference before drafting an effective resume in this category.

Sample Government Accountant Resume

Contact information:

Name: Francis D. Fields

Address: 1068 Spadafore Drive
Girard, PA 16417
E-mail: FrancisDFields@teleworm.com
Birth date: 28.02.1979
Marital Status: Unmarried
Driver's License: No

Objective

Looking to work as an accountant at a federal level and would wish to take senior roles in the future. Possess the right balance of abilities and skills to perform the job in the most suitable manner.

Skills and Qualifications

Ø  Good knowledge of accounts

Ø  Ability to take quick decisions

Ø  Give importance to details

Ø  Can meet deadlines

Ø  Can work in a team

Ø  Good at managing time

Work Experience:

Agency: Pennsylvania Accounting Firm
Tenure: July 2007 to present

Duties and responsibilities:

Ø  To ensure all the accounting records are correct and complete

Ø  To make sure that the financial statements are prepared with periodic updates from the government accounting offices

Ø  Perform various financial and budget analysis get an idea of the budgeting trends, tax revenue levels and the source of funding

Education:

Ø  A post-graduation degree in Finance & Accounting

Ø  Four-year degree in audit and tax

Achievements:

Had been part of the supervision team for various successful audits.

Areas of Interest:

Ø  Internet

Ø  Reading business magazines

Ø  Finance

Reference:

1.     Name: Harry J. Painter
Designation: Accounts Manager, Greg Finance Corporation.
Contact number: 214-669-7796

2.     Name: Tom B. Schueller
Designation: Accounts Professor, Pennsylvania College of Accounts
Contact number: 313-693-3827

These are some of the key points of a good government accountant resume. One should note that you can also add a summary to your resume and an introduction. Adding summary would be helpful for candidates with a vast experience in this field. A good government resume should contain all the ingredients of a good professional document. It should be precise and effective. In short it should compel employers to call you for an interview. 

Vault Cashier Resume

A vault cashier is also known as count operations attendant or vault attendant. Vault cashier work in banks, casinos and financial companies. As huge amount of cash needs to be stored at such places, therefore, they need cashier cum attendant who can look after the cash in the vault. The professionals working for the post of vault cashiers are responsible for monitoring money in the vault, loading and unloading of money, keeping track of financial transactions etc. The vault cashier resume should focus on the candidate's money handling experience, mathematical abilities, supervisory skills, communication skills and trustworthiness.

When you are including professional experience details in the vault cashier resume, you must provide details like name of the organization where you worked, your designation, employment dates. Avoid mentioning irrelevant work experience details. You should avoid writing lengthy paragraphs about your roles and responsibilities, instead you must mention these details in single sentences and list them using bullet points. You should list duties such as supervising the receiving, shipping, processing, loading, unloading of money and valuables from the vault, kept a record of the workers who loaded and unloaded valuables from the vault, collected and kept account of receipts, made sure that the company rules and regulations are not violated while handling money, and submitted various reports to the management.

The vault cashier also attends the customers. Hence, mentioning your interpersonal abilities in the resume is also important. You can even highlight your management, supervision and leadership skills. Since the cashier has to deal with cash, the employers are looking trustworthy candidates. Hence, mentioning details about any award you received for excellent performance at work or character certificate from the employer is important. To verify your sincerity, the employer may contact the references you provided or your past employers. You should include reference details in your resume, so that the employer finds it easy to do background verification.

Even though some employers recruit candidates with high school diploma, a bachelor's degree would be considered as an added advantage. Entry level applicants can mention their academic achievements in their resume. You can even mention your internship or part time job details, if they were related to the finance field. When the recruiters are short listing entry level candidates for any job, there are looking for candidates with knowledge of professional work environment and professional etiquettes. Job objective should be mentioned immediately after the personal details. Your job objective should be customized according to the job profile and companies expectations. You must mention your personal details at top of the resume sample. The contact details are used by the employer to call you for the next interview round. Hence, it is vital to provide correct contact details.

The vault cashier resume should be created considering the candidates job expertise, management skills, education, work experience etc. Considering the amount and relevance of work experience the resume must be divided into different sections that highlight the important details mentioned in it.

Cashier Resume, How to write a Cashier Resume

A cashier holds a very responsible position in the file of accounting. They have to deal with cash and make sure that there are no rooms for errors. They should have a sound mind with good mathematical and interpersonal skills. Cashiers most of the times are in direct contact of the customers and should therefore look presentable. This position is found in almost all the service industries ranging from department stores, movie theaters, restaurants, grocery stores and even banks. While drafting a cashier resume one should make sure that the candidate’s skills and work experience is the highlight of the resume.

If candidates are not sure of the layout of a good cashier resume, here are a few heads that can make an effective cashier resume:

• Contact Information: Like any good professional document, a cashier resume should include all the contact details of the applicant. This information includes, the candidate’s name, address, contact number and email address. Personal details such as the applicant’s date of birth, marital status, nationality, children if any, can also be included. Personal details can be put at the end of the resume.
  
• Objective: A good cashier’s resume should begin with a good objective statement. While putting an effective objective on the resume one should lay emphasis on the choice of words and make sure that the attention of the reader is caught with that statement. Objective basically talks about why the candidate is in the current profile and what are their future aspirations.
  
• Qualifications and skills: A cashier’s profile is skill based and thus the candidate should possess all the necessary skills and qualifications essential for the jobs. Knowledge of the principles and practices of accounting, cash management procedures, problem solving techniques backed with good customer service and communication skills prove very effective.
  
• Experience: Most organizations look for prior work experience in a candidate. One should note that all the previous work experience can be put effectively on your resume. Duties and responsibilities undertaken are the major highlight under experience. Achievements received, if any, can also prove crucial in your resume.
  
• Education & Areas of Interest: A good resume should list all the educational qualification of the candidate. Although there are no qualifications required for a cashier’s profile, employers prefer candidates with at least a high school degree or diploma with basic knowledge of accounting.
  
• References: References hold an important position in a resume. Most employers check for this details in a resume and therefore while putting references, one should be certain that the person would give a positive feedback of your conduct. 

These head although common in most resumes are a basis of a good cashier resume. Candidates applying for any job should be certain of the job profile in order to draft and effective resume. You can find various sample resumes as per your career profile.

Night Auditor Resume

A resume is sent to show your skills and work experience to employers. It is a first piece of communication that reflects your abilities for the applied job. When you are creating a night auditor resume, you have to communicate your accounting and customer service skills.

The job of the night auditor is to enter the transactions of the entire day into the accounts register. Half the part of their job is to work as a front-office executive checking customers in and out of the hotel. They have to audit the shift closing of the hotel staff, and draft an audit report for each shift. Handling the cash transactions and supporting the night shift telephone operators are taken care of by night auditors.

Night Auditor Resume

Richard E. Foster
4162 Cunningham Court
South field, MI 48075
Phone: (248) XXX-6326
Email: refoster@hotmail.com

Objective
To follow the accounting procedures in closing the daily transaction of the business establishments while working as a night auditor, and provide efficient and friendly customer services to hotel guests.

Professional Summary

• Ability to act patiently and diplomatically while dealing with irate customers
• Proficient in taking fair decision in case of any critical situations
• Tools and capabilities in handling conflicts among internal staff
• Strength to stand and work for longer hours
• Mobility and agility in supervising hotel activities
• Sensible approach in maintaining professional appearance at work
• Impressive communication skills
• Complete knowledge of accounting and auditing process
• Proficiency in working with accounting software
• Experienced in entering financial transactions in the cash register
• Regard customers supreme in the service industry
• Good knowledge about hotel etiquettes
• Skills to answer customers’ questions, and guide them about places to visit

Professional Experience

Night Auditor                         2007 – Present
Peace & Calm Hotel,    South field, MI

• Greet, and check-in and out customers at the front-office desk                              
• Make customers feel at home with excellent services and friendly approach
• Prepare invoices according to room and service charges while checking out
• Audit the financial transactions for the day
• Handle cash transaction during the night shift
• Draft fair and correct audit report to be presented to the management
• Assist telephone operators in the night shift
• Check and tally accounts of all the departments in the hotel
• Coordinate with the restaurant and bar managers for reconciling cashier’s reports
• Check any unpaid checks, and instruct the front-office to follow with the guests
• Confirm revenue of rooms, restaurant, bar, and calls made through registers
• Balance and tally cash in hand against invoices
• Exchange information with customers and seek suggestions in improving services
• Perform multi-tasking according to the need

Education
Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting               2007
MI State University

Diploma in Computer Application               2009
(Quick Books, MS Applications)

References
Upon request
Night auditors are responsible in checking and tallying cash registers and handing over the amount at the front desk before leaving the hotel. If you are comfortable working in night shifts, and have knowledge of accounts and auditing, then refer to this sample of a night auditor resume, and apply to your choice of hotels.