Interview with the chief accountant. What are the interview questions for an accountant?

When it comes to interviews per se, a few things immediately come to mind:

the employee was forced to leave the previous organization due to force majeure circumstances;

the job seeker is actively looking for a job for the very first time. Both the one and the other examples clearly force, in our case, the accountant to take certain steps towards a favorable outcome of the case. Someone goes to the hairdresser before the interview, someone gets a new suit, and someone does nothing at all, referring to the Russian “maybe”. Today we will talk with you on this topic and try to understand what an accountant really needs to do so that the dialogue with a potential employer is positive from the very beginning. Moreover, it is important for us to understand what actions an accountant should take in order to be offered the maximum wage, confirming the best aspects of his professional basis with facts from his biography.

Introduction

An accountant, first of all, should not forget that he occupies one of the key positions in any company, so the management will approach the selection of a specialist for this position as scrupulously as possible. But the directorate needs to choose not so much a good candidate as a professional who is most suitable for the organization. At the same time, the company itself must meet the requirements of a specialist. Then cooperation will be fruitful and long-term. That is why the interview with the applicant must be carefully prepared and conducted competently. Understanding the full “weight” of this position, as well as how the future leadership looks at it, should become a kind of guideline in choosing the “right mood”. In other words, do not be shy about demanding a higher salary than what the market sets. In particular, this applies to those cases when the duties of the future specialist will include really great functionality. For example, in construction companies, in public catering and some other areas, accounting works, as they say, "in full". Not only will you need to apply all your skills to their best performance, but there will also be a need, most likely, to study a new field of activity for yourself. If the director of an organization, for example, is engaged in the demolition of non-residential buildings, then the accountant may need at least surface buildings in this area. Think of this as a kind of “upskilling” related to professional development, which makes the work of an accountant even more qualified. According to our clients for the "" service, the willingness to study and analyze a new field of activity is another plus in the treasury of a successful candidate for the position of an accountant.

must have

Perhaps you should not count on employment or just a good salary if the accountant does not have the following basic skills, which the chief accountant and director will pay attention to in the very first place:

Accounting (accounting and tax);

Work with primary documentation;

Keeping records of mutual settlements;

Warehouse accounting;

Preparation of advance reports;

Drawing up reconciliation acts;

Drawing up budgets;

payroll,

Calculation of compensations and sick leaves;

Conducting inventories;

Preparation of incoming and outgoing documents.

Also, the accountant must know the Client-Bank system, accounting entries, be savvy in matters of legislation (accounting and tax) and know the main provisions and instructions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Computer proficiency is required - MS Office package and 1C online. If a vacancy is suitable for a novice specialist who does not have work experience, but is endowed with potential and willing to learn, when evaluating him, the main criteria will be a diploma of education in a profile or retraining and his personal qualities. In any case, the accountant requires perseverance, attentiveness and a high degree of responsibility. Thus, interview questions for an accountant should reflect the above criteria. In the event that the applicant begins to say that he has the above skills, and in the process of work it turns out the opposite, then he is unlikely to stay in his position for a long time, because deception will emerge at the very first real production task. As clients for the 1C Program Rental service told us, unscrupulous statements during an interview can seriously spoil a young candidate's career and have a negative impact on employment in other organizations. At the same time, an accountant, as a participant in the labor market, has one small plus - he can “get lost” among applicants. If, for example, in the market of cadastral services in the city “everyone knows each other” and one “wrong move” becomes public, then this does not happen with accountants, because. Applicants, as a rule, are always very numerous. Take a look at at least some work site - everything will be written there.

A real willingness to talk about yourself

It is not uncommon for people to tell us about issues they encountered during their initial interview with senior management. The most popular of them is the offer to tell about yourself. This leads many to a stupor: “How? Tell about yourself? What can I tell about myself? - approximately so the accountant asks himself in the first seconds after the questions. The particular complexity of this proposal is experienced by people who are not prone to increased sociability, for whom talking about themselves (and about someone else) is a very difficult matter. Therefore, it would be useful for the accountant to prepare for this issue in advance. It is important to understand that this narrative includes several key blocks, without which the story will not be complete: 1) well-known facts from a personal biography with dates and periods; 2) professional experience; 3) hobbies, hobbies and preferences. The first block is not of great value and is more of a reference. As for the second and third, here it is desirable to be, as they say, on the alert. You should not invent anything, and if the facts are played out in favor of the accountant, then it is better to rehearse the speech in advance so as not to get into an awkward situation. A story about hobbies and hobbies makes the employer understand what kind of person the applicant is, how much he is inclined to self-development. By the way, it is desirable to tell about a hobby in much more detail than about the year in which the university was graduated.

Read the article: “The child is often over. Positions of employer and employee

Knowledge of modern software

Of course, a modern accountant must be a great professional, a master of his craft. However, his skills will not be fully appreciated by management if he does not own the latest software designed to facilitate and simplify his work. For example, without experience in 1C, reference and legal systems, without understanding what electronic keys are, as well as electronic reporting, it will be problematic to find a job in a decent company. If it so happened that the accountant did not come across something from this list in the course of practical work (in many respects this applies to specialists of retirement age), then it is better not to be too lazy and find a way to get to know all this. Now no one needs "mastery of accounts" or "as fast as possible walking to the IFTS." Here you just need to submit reports on time and without errors. Knowledge of the software, as well as the skills to work with it at previous jobs, are a kind of guarantee that the director will not have problems with finances in the future. As for young professionals, those who did not have practical work experience, then awareness and desire to learn, attention to every word of their mentor, will be perceived as a kind of “promise” to develop in a professional manner for the benefit of the entire company. Management should evaluate this approach to this issue.

What is the company doing?

Another important nuance in the course of preparing for an interview is the applicant's awareness of the company where he intends to find a job. The fact is that applicants often ask the management about elementary things during the interview, which he himself should know for sure. For example, when he comes to a conversation, he asks: “What does your company do”? What type of ownership do you have? He, of course, will be answered these questions, but they will only make a few notes about his responsibility. The fact is that the above information is publicly available and it is simply necessary to know about it (or it is better not to ask at all, so as not to be considered a “slob”). It is much more advisable to find out with regards to the taxation regime, the number of legal entities, controlled companies, as well as the presence in it of such positions as a personnel officer and a lawyer. This will help the applicant for the position to assess the prospects for their future work.

Summary

As we can see, the initial preparation for an interview is no less important than the interview itself. Much of how well the applicant prepares for this event will depend on its outcome, as well as the level of remuneration that the employer can offer him. It is important to understand a simple truth: a professional in a serious organization will not be paid more if even at the first meeting he could not prove himself. Take our humble advice as a guide and go for it. You will definitely succeed!

Features of the assessment of skills depend on the area of ​​work the specialist is required for.

If the tasks of the future employee will include the calculation, calculation and payment of wages, then, accordingly, the candidate must be able to do all this.

As well as calculate taxes, draw up and submit reports to the funds, maintain various accounting forms. Of course any accountant is required to know special computer programs.

If the company uses the 1C program, then the future employee should be able to generate postings in it, keep personalized records, and much more.

But more often, an employer, especially if the company is small, needs a universal specialist. In this case, the list of knowledge and skills is very wide. Questions in an interview when applying for a job as an accountant should relate to the skills of a prospective employee.

The accountant must be skilled:

• accounting (accounting and tax);
• work with primary documentation;
• keeping records of mutual settlements;
• warehouse accounting;
• preparation of advance reports;
• drawing up reconciliation acts;
• budgeting;
• calculation of salaries, compensations and sick leaves;
• carrying out inventories;
• registration of incoming and outgoing documents.

Also, the accountant must know the Client-Bank system, accounting entries, be savvy in matters of legislation (accounting and tax) and know the main provisions and instructions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Computer proficiency is required - MS Office and 1C.

If a novice specialist who does not have work experience, but is endowed with potential and willing to learn, is also suitable for a vacancy, when evaluating him, the main criteria will be a diploma of education in a profile or retraining and his personal qualities.

Anyway, the accountant requires perseverance, attentiveness and a high degree of responsibility. Thus, interview questions for an accountant should reflect the above criteria.

How can a candidate prepare for an interview?

In the job search business, preparing for an interview is 50% of success.

If the candidate has already been invited for an interview, then his resume and / or cover letter has already interested the employer.

So they are well-crafted. And understanding how an interview for a job as an accountant goes will help you avoid pitfalls.

What should an accountant know during an interview? What questions are asked in an interview with an accountant? Everything related to professional duties.

How to behave at an interview for a job as an accountant? First of all, you need to feel confident during a conversation with a prospective employer or his representative, which means that you need to do some work the day before.

Collect as much information as possible about the company in which the interview will take place.

Visit the company's website, look for mentions of it in the press and customer reviews, see photos and biography of the management. In interviews, the question is often asked: “What do you know about our company?”.

Review your resume carefully, refreshing in your memory all the information from it. Based on the summary, prepare a list of answers to questions that the interviewer may have.

Prepare 2-3 options for a small self-presentation- a story about your experience, professional skills and personal characteristics, so that the interviewer's offer to tell about himself does not take you by surprise.

Prepare your own list of questions about the company and future responsibilities and working conditions. All that is really interesting.

What to wear to an interview for an accountant? It is worth choosing suitable clothes according to the style adopted in the company of the future employer. The Internet will help you find out what dress code is adopted in the company.

Relax and create the right emotional state to be natural and confident in interviews.

Choosing the best type of interview

First of all, it is important to remember that it is necessary to communicate with each candidate for the position of an accountant individually.

Group interviews with several candidates at once in this case are unacceptable. It is desirable to carry out , which combines interviews:

• when the main emphasis is on the past professional experience of the candidate and, based on the story about him, conclusions are drawn about the future success of a possible employee;
• business interview, during which the candidate's performance indicators (quantitative and qualitative), areas of work in which he realized himself better are revealed;
• situational, in which the interviewer models a specific work situation, and the applicant tells how he will cope with it;
• projective, when the interviewer analyzes the candidate's answers about important events that happened to him a few years ago - the reasons for choosing a profession, dreams that came true and not, the implementation of life plans, the degree of satisfaction with oneself and what has been achieved in life.

What an Accounting Assistant Should Know at an Interview? Most of the questions will relate to his professional experience and effectiveness, and modeling situations and projective questions should not take up more than 20% of the conversation. These are the most frequently asked questions at an interview with an accountant, and this method will allow you to evaluate the candidate and his capabilities with a great deal of objectivity.

An interview with an applicant is a negotiation, not an interrogation. Both parties are interested in cooperation: the candidate in getting a job, and the employer in a qualified employee. An interview in the format of an interrogation is short-sighted, as it demotivates the applicant, who in the future may become an employee of the company.

What questions should be asked?

For the vacancy of an accountant, a position profile is prepared in advance - a description of the experience, skills and other data necessary to perform duties in a particular organization. Based on the profile, the structure of the conversation is developed.

It doesn't make sense to ask a lot of common questions like "Why did you leave your previous job?" and “Tell me about your responsibilities at your previous job,” as well as questions about strengths and weaknesses. Candidates give pre-prepared answers to them, so the interviewer will not receive objective information. Interview questions for an accountant should be about professional skills.

You can start the conversation with a short story about the company, flowing into a trivial request to tell the candidate about himself.

This will help to establish initial contact, relax the candidate, and also draw some conclusions about him, his pace and manner of speech. During the interview, information about the pace of speech can be useful, because by changing the pace you can understand whether the person is speaking sincerely or coming up with an answer on the go (pauses and responds slowly).

It is advisable to ask the candidate about what he likes in the profession of an accountant and what prospects he sees in it for himself. This will give an idea of ​​his motivation. If you need to find out why a person left a previous job, it is better to ask the question “Why do people decide to change jobs?”.

This is more effective than a direct question about the reasons for dismissal. The person will answer about other people unknown to him, but in fact he will name the reasons why he himself quit his job. Auxiliary and clarifying questions here - "What do you expect from a new job?" and “What did you like and dislike most about your previous job?”

Professional questions may include::

• what is the basic structure of the company's balance sheet;
• what relates to fixed assets;
• what quarterly reports the company is required to submit;
• What are the purchase ledger and the sales ledger made up of?

When hiring an accountant, you also need to ask a few questions about payroll, the calculation of certain taxes, the latest changes in legislation (accounting and tax).

If the candidacy of a young specialist without experience is being considered, it is worth paying attention to his achievements during his studies and asking basic questions on this topic.

These can be questions about the topics of the diploma and term papers, about the results achieved and grades in certain subjects, as well as about sports achievements and success in hobbies.

Since an accountant in most cases has access to financial documents and money, it would be useful to ask questions during the interview about mistakes made in previous jobs that led to financial losses or information leakage.

It is unlikely that the candidate will answer absolutely honestly if there were such precedents, but conclusions can be drawn from his reaction and some non-verbal signs. If there are suspicions of insincerity, but otherwise the candidate is interesting, it is advisable to offer him to pass a polygraph test.

According to the reaction and agreement or disagreement to pass the test, much will become clear. If the company does not have its own polygraph examiner, you can use the services of an invited specialist.

What to look for in a resume?

When analyzing an accountant's resume, the focus is on the length of service in the specialty, duties performed in previous jobs, and a description of professional skills and computer proficiency. If this information formally corresponds to the interests of the company, then the candidate is usually invited for an interview.

It is important to look at the frequency of job changes. If a person works at each place for no more than a year, this is an alarming sign. Perhaps he is conflicted and cannot join the team. Or they are not responsible enough for their duties.

Also, a frequent change in the field of activity should alert, when, for example, a person came to the accounting department from recruiting, and before that he worked as a marketer, and even earlier - as a lawyer. And all this in the last 10 years. Such a transition between non-adjacent spheres means that a person cannot find himself.

It is wiser to refuse further consideration of this candidacy, because stable people are needed to work in the accounting department. A well-structured interview when hiring an accountant, prepared questions and answers will help identify suitable character traits.

Of course, in the course of a conversation with a candidate and testing, it is necessary to verify the data in the resume with the information received. It's no secret that when writing a resume, people often exaggerate their abilities and give some false information about themselves.

Tests and tasks for the applicant

The accountant refers to those positions for which it is desirable to test candidates.

But it is precisely professional qualities and knowledge that need to be checked and evaluated here.

Accountant interview tests should not be IQ tests, psychological tests, or imaginative thinking tests. It is better to refuse all abstract tests in order to avoid demotivating a possible future employee.

Professional testing of an accountant can consist of three parts:

• test with professional questions and multiple choice answers;
• specific tasks that the candidate must solve - the calculation of the amount of tax under given conditions, etc.;
• performance of test tasks for the introduction and processing of data in a computer program with which to work.

These methods are used both together and separately. A qualitative test for an accountant at an interview with answers can be compiled with the help of a chief accountant or found on specialized sites.

Summarizing

At the end of the interview, it is worth answering the candidate's questions and specifying further actions - whether there will be more meetings, for what purpose and when, as well as when and how the employer will inform the applicant of his decision.

If the applicant has successfully passed all the stages and coped with the test, suits the company in terms of personal characteristics, then the issue of hiring him is resolved positively.

But in order to finally establish a positive opinion about the candidate, or if there are doubts about his sincerity, it makes sense to collect references by calling his former employer, and preferably several. To conduct a conversation, it is advisable to use a special questionnaire to collect recommendations. There are a lot of them and you just need to choose the right one or create your own.

Only the former direct supervisor of the candidate can act as a recommender, and not a personnel officer, with whom they usually connect in case of collecting recommendations, and not a specialist from a neighboring department. In the case of an accountant, recommendations must be taken from the chief accountant, financial or general director of the company.

Often, former managers are reluctant to share information about accounting errors, or, conversely, if parting with an employee was impartial (not necessarily through the fault of the employee), the former employer may deliberately denigrate him. Therefore, it is not worth counting on the absolute truth and objectivity of the recommendations, and it is advisable to double-check them if the candidate is really interesting.

Do not forget that not only the employer chooses an employee for himself, but the applicant also selects a workplace with the most comfortable conditions for himself. Especially if this is an experienced specialist, in which many companies are interested. Therefore, it is important not only to correctly assess the candidate, but also to do it correctly, so that the specialist has a desire to work effectively for the benefit of the company for a long time. Equally important is who conducts the interview with the accountant.

By the way, the information reflected in the article may also be useful to those who are interested in: “How to pass an interview for a job as an accountant?” because thanks to her, you now know what they can ask at an interview for the position of an accountant.

Watch the video: how to choose an accountant, an interview for the position of an accountant questions and answers.

In this article, we will look at interview questions and answers to them for an accountant. We will find out what is the peculiarity of conducting an interview with an applicant for the position of an accountant. Let's figure out what types of interviews exist.

The selection of a candidate for the position of an accountant is a rather difficult and very responsible task. It is important not to miss a really valuable employee and not to make a mistake in choosing an employee with whom it will be impossible to work with in the future. This article will help both the applicant for the position of an accountant and the employer to find common ground.

What is the peculiarity of conducting an interview with an applicant for the position of an accountant?

Often an interview with an applicant has to be carried out in several stages:

• interview with HR manager;
• interview with the chief accountant;
• interview with director.

What types of interviews are there?

Both the applicant and the employer need to know and be prepared to conduct different types of interviews. Often, all types of interviews can be applied to one person, but at different stages of considering a candidate:

How to evaluate an accountant's resume?

The resume of a person applying for the position of an accountant will be considered far from the point of view of a creative approach. An accountant is an employee who can clearly, competently, timely draw up and provide the necessary documents. It is from this position that the assessment of the existing summary will be carried out.

So, in the summary, the applicant for the position of an accountant must follow some rules:

Preparing for an interview for an accountant position

Before entering the interview stage, the applicant is advised to familiarize himself with the available information about the company:

In order to make a positive impression on the employer, the applicant needs to think over a small message about himself as a worthy specialist. It is likely that the interview will focus on professional successes and failures, on the planned prospects for professional growth and development.

Interview rules of conduct

A self-respecting person usually prepares for an interview by paying attention to the following rules:

For example:

Alla V. Applies for the position of an accountant in a large consulting company with a conservative corporate culture. Alla came to the interview 20 minutes late, dressed sloppily, in dirty shoes. During the interview, she repeatedly criticized her former employers, interrupted her interlocutor and constantly clarified the amount of wages and benefits due. She reacted rudely to the remark of the personnel manager regarding her behavior, and at the end of the interview, slamming the door, she left the office of the company. There is no doubt that Alla will not get the desired position in this company.

Interview questions and answers for an accountant

In addition to general questions, the applicant for the position of an accountant will be asked questions that determine the level of professionalism and competence:

How can an employer draw conclusions about an applicant?

After the interview, the employer pays attention to:

• the applicant's ability to consistently and logically express his thoughts;
• the ability to keep the topic of conversation;
• sincerity of desire to take a vacant job;
• Satisfaction with the proposed amount of earnings;
• level of professionalism;
• learnability;
• the opportunity to benefit in addition to the position held, etc.

Why can an employer refuse to hire?

The employer, of course, has the right both in hiring and in refusing to hire an applicant.

There may be several reasons for refusal:

• inconsistency of the appearance of the applicant with the corporate culture of the company;
• inconsistency in the level of professionalism (moreover, in this case, the level of professionalism can be either too low or too high);
• inconsistency of the personal characteristics of the applicant with the general atmosphere of the company, etc.

At a certain moment, the employer needs a specialist of a certain personal way of life and a certain level of professionalism, in connection with which he is forced to make decisions, refusing employment to specialists of a sufficiently high level of development, both professional and personal.

Questions and answers

Question #1. Are employers obligated to inform the applicant about the decision made?

Answer: In general, employers are not required to notify the applicant of a negative decision, but a notification is still considered good manners, because. the person experienced some stress, gave time, attention to the company, for which he should be thanked.

Question #2. During the interview, I was offered to pay for the paperwork service. Is this action legal?

Answer: When passing interviews, the applicant needs to be very careful to avoid fraudulent actions by false employers. The employer does not have the right to ask for any advance payment for paperwork.

It implies an increased level of responsibility and a rather specific range of tasks, therefore, it involves a special approach to conducting. Knowing what is asked at the interview of an accountant and how it goes is the responsibility of every specialist who is responsible for. Also, it will be useful for applicants who want to increase their chances of successful employment to know about how the interview goes and what questions are asked at the interview to the chief accountant or an ordinary employee of this department.

Interviewing an accountant - basic principles

Before hiring an accountant, employers rightly want to check the applicant as a specialist and clarify whether he has the necessary professional skills and personal qualities - after all, an unsuitable employee can cause great harm to an organization with an irresponsible approach. Given the peculiarities of accounting, most often employers pay attention primarily to work experience in accounting. In this regard, applicants who have just completed their studies are unlikely to be accepted for the position of an accountant immediately - except perhaps as an assistant accountant or if there is already a fairly large accounting department at the enterprise, where he can gain practical knowledge and experience.

At the same time, the presence of a mark in the work book does not always guarantee that the applicant will be suitable for the performance of official duties for a particular employer. Therefore, interviewers should know what questions are asked at an interview to an accountant, and how to properly conduct an interview in order to determine the choice of the most suitable candidate.

With special care, you should approach the interview of the chief accountant, since this specialist belongs to the top management segment and the activities of the entire organization largely depend on him. Moreover, the work of the chief accountant is also regulated by separate standards of labor legislation in some of its aspects.

In general, an accountant interview most often takes place in several stages, at least in large companies. So, initially, candidates are selected and evaluated by the employee responsible for the selection of personnel - the personnel manager, HR manager, employee of the personnel department. After that, the interview is also conducted directly with the head of the accounting department.

For the chief accountant, the interview is almost always conducted with the participation of the general director or the board of directors of the company. A frequent option for the selection of specialists may be when several employees of the employing enterprise evaluate one potential employee at once.

What questions are asked in an interview with an accountant?

Considering that both the head of the enterprise and the employees of the personnel department are most often not specialists in accounting, it is worth conducting an interview with an accountant only if there is preliminary preparation. A ready-made list of questions that are asked at an interview to an accountant will help in this:

The above questions are directly related to the conduct of accounting activities. However, an important aspect in making a decision on the employment of an accountant after the interview is the clarification of his general personal characteristics. Common ones can help with this, more details about which can be found in a separate article.

In terms of what questions are asked at the interview to the chief accountant, the range of interests, the duration of the interview activities will be an order of magnitude longer. In particular, employers almost always ask about specific places of work, and this information should be clarified with past employers, as well as ask for recommendations for the applicant. Also, it would not be superfluous to clarify the knowledge of the legislation with the applicant for the position of chief accountant, as well as the presence of a criminal record and administrative penalties.

It is impossible to hire persons who have been disqualified by a court decision as a chief accountant. Thus, the employer may require a certificate of no disqualification from the applicant applying for the position of chief accountant.

What is asked at an accountant interview and how to answer questions

In the case of employment, job seekers can also be provided with a number of useful recommendations that will help them get a job. So, first of all, attention should be paid to observing the corporate style and updating professional knowledge. It would not be superfluous to mention the latest changes in accounting legislation at the interview - this will show the employer that the applicant is well versed in legal norms and is interested in his professional development.

Knowing what is asked at an accountant interview, you can also prepare answers to general questions and the most typical tasks. That is, for example, to prepare in advance some cases from past jobs or university practice, if there is no actual work experience.

Employers' questions should be answered honestly, however, taking into account their possible provocative nature, therefore, the answer should always be soft and respectful towards the company. It is better not to provide negative answers in the format of a direct negative, but to note the omissions and talk about what measures the applicant would take to eliminate them.

The first stage of the job seeker's employment is the compilation and mailing of his resume. The next step is an interview. It is at this stage that the employer and the candidate get to know each other, because the dry lines of the job description and the strict, concise presentation typical of a CV do not give even a small fraction of the information that both parties can take out of direct communication.

If we are talking about a small organization, then, most likely, the candidate for the position of an accountant (see certificate of profession) will have only one interview - with the chief accountant (see certificate of profession). In rare cases, he may also be expected to get acquainted with the director of the enterprise, but such meetings, as a rule, are of a rather formal nature, since when making a decision, the chief accountant has the last word.

Getting a job in a large company or holding, you need to be prepared for a multi-stage selection - a series of interviews with different specialists. Initially, a preliminary meeting with an employee of a recruitment agency may take place, then a selection interview with a representative of the company's personnel service, and then the main one with the chief accountant. Dmitry Ponevezhsky, consultant of the Finance and Audit department at the headhunting company Cornerstone, says: “Managers are careful in selecting accountants, because they often become the right hand of general directors.” Therefore, before going to each of these meetings, it is necessary to prepare, think over how you can stand out from the rest of the candidates.

First of all, the applicant needs to carefully review his resume again, because the HR or employer has developed an idea of ​​​​him as a person and specialist solely on this document. It is worth considering what can be added and explained for each item, what questions can be asked; the applicant needs to analyze how he is better than his competitors and what benefits the company will receive by hiring him; formulate your expectations from work (salary, schedule, absence / presence of business trips, desire and opportunity to work overtime, etc.); prepare a set of documents that you need to take for an interview - a work book or a copy of it, a passport, diplomas, certificates, recommendations, 2-3 copies of your resume.

Today, many companies prefer to entrust the search for highly qualified specialists to professionals - for this purpose they turn to various recruitment agencies, counting on getting help from recruiters, psychologists and financial consultants. For the applicant, this means an increase in the number of possible tests, in addition, it depends on the results of the interview at the recruitment agency whether he will get an interview with the employer.

Consider possible types of interviews.

1. Clarifying telephone interview.

If there are a lot of applicants for a vacancy, HRs resort to clarifying interviews, which can also take place over the phone. If there are a lot of applicants for a vacancy, HRs resort to a clarifying interview, which can also take place by phone. Its purpose is to get to know the candidates and make a primary selection, that is, to determine formal compliance with the requirements specified in the customer’s application: education, work experience, identity functions, etc. Often, a special questionnaire is compiled for a telephone interview, and the interviewee is given points for answers to the proposed questions. Naturally, the candidate can also ask some of the most important questions in order to determine for himself the advisability of passing further interviews. The main thing is not to try to discuss on the phone absolutely all the nuances of the upcoming work and the level of salary - it is better to do this in person. At the end of the conversation, do not forget to thank the interlocutor for the time given to you, write down the contact person, agency address, phone numbers for operational communication, as well as the time and date of the face-to-face interview with the recruiting company consultant, if you were invited to it.

2. Preliminary interview with a representative of a recruitment agency.

The purpose of the preliminary interview is to assess the general level of the applicant, his adequacy, appearance and defining personal qualities (behavior, manner of speaking, features of non-verbal communication, etc.). It is unlikely that in this interview the applicant will have to list the numbers of accounting accounts with which he had to work, delve into the wilds of accounting or tax accounting. Most likely, the HR will offer the candidate to tell about himself, about his strengths and weaknesses, about the areas of accounting for which he was responsible, to give an idea of ​​the volume of his work. The exception is interviews in recruitment agencies specializing in the selection of employees of financial and economic services. Here the applicant will have to go through a deeper check. In this case, the applicant for the position of an accountant is waiting for a lot of different evaluation procedures: tests for IQ, memory, attention; situational-behavioral, professional tests, solving practical problems, working with cases, testing special skills (computer skills, knowledge of accounting programs, typing speed, etc.); individual and group exercises (if there are several candidates for a vacancy), etc.

Quite often, before the start of the interview, the applicant is invited to fill out a questionnaire (this makes it easier for the employer to touch on sensitive topics that are not always convenient to talk about out loud, for example, about owning real estate, a criminal record, bad habits, etc.), and sometimes the candidate is sent an accounting test as homework. In the latter case, the successful completion of the test is a pass to a meeting with a consultant.

I must say that testing has become one of the most popular ways to control applicants' knowledge. This is partly due to the fact that almost any employee can issue a list of questions and check the answers by the key - he does not have to be a specialist in a particular professional field. Therefore, tests are so fond of using in recruitment agencies. But do not be afraid of this - now there are enough publications devoted to testing methods and how to successfully pass it. In addition, similar tests can be easily found on the Internet (including professional tests for accountants, for banking specialists). True, it should be borne in mind that in the specialized literature and on accounting websites, mainly tasks of a general orientation are presented - on knowledge of accounting and tax accounting, accounting erudition, the application of civil law norms, while questions related to industry subtleties can also be included in a professional test. or arising from the characteristics of the activities of a particular enterprise.

The main thing for the applicant is to be attentive and focused, especially when performing open test tasks, when the subject must formulate the correct answer himself, and not choose it from the proposed list. And one more piece of advice: when performing a test under a time limit, it is better to first answer familiar (easy) questions, and then proceed to the remaining ones that seem more difficult to you.

In order to successfully pass the interview, it is especially important for an applicant for an accounting position to show those traits that correspond to the profile of the position.

“In order to successfully pass the interview, it is especially important for an applicant for an accounting position to show those features that correspond to the profile of the position: punctuality, accuracy, composure, responsible attitude to business and diligence,” sums up Victoria Sinelnikova, head of the recruitment and evaluation department of Educational consulting firm "Vector Plus" (Krasnodar). - Therefore, at least you need to come to the interview on time, well prepared; it is advisable to have a sufficient time margin, not to rush anywhere, as testing is often carried out; carefully fill out the questionnaire, behave calmly, listen carefully to questions. The fact is that we evaluate a candidate not only in terms of compliance with a specific vacancy and company. Our task is broader - we must find out the professional and personal qualities of the applicant, and then decide where such a person would feel “in his place” and at the same time be most useful to the enterprise.”

3. Interview with an employee of the personnel service of the company.

So, the applicant successfully passed the interview at the recruitment agency, and his candidacy was recommended to the employer. Don't relax! Many agencies practice the presence of their representative at the interview in the company - in this case, the candidate will have to pass a double exam: the consultant will evaluate him as a potential candidate for similar vacancies in other companies, and the employer - as his possible employee.

The task of the HR department of the company is not to choose the best applicant, but the most suitable one - corresponding to the level of the organization, its ambitions, and the team. Undoubtedly, the candidate must have certain character traits in order to “integrate” into the corporate culture of the company, because if a person cannot fit into a new environment or a team of like-minded people, which ideally should be the accounting department of any enterprise, then his site will inevitably become a problem area, even if the accountant himself is a highly qualified specialist.

Of course, the HR manager cannot objectively judge the professionalism of the applicant for an accounting position, unlike the chief accountant, but he will try to extract the maximum of useful information from the selection interview - check the accuracy of the facts reflected in the applicant's resume, find out what interested him in working in this particular company, determine its goals, driving motives, opportunities and much more.

To assess whether an applicant is able to communicate freely on professional topics, HR often resort to the so-called outsider strategy. The personnel officer informs the applicant that he is far from finance, since he is recruiting personnel, and asks the applicant to explain to him the essence of his functional duties as simply as possible. By the way the interlocutor reacts to this proposal, how he places accents, telling about his professional activities, the recruiter concludes how deeply the candidate is oriented in the subject.

Sometimes the applicant is asked about the relationship with teachers and classmates, wondering why and how the specialty or university was chosen. This technique is called the analysis of past events, it allows you to predict the possible present and future behavior of the candidate.

Of particular interest to personnel officers is the motivation for the candidate to leave the previous duty station

Of particular interest to personnel officers is the motivation for the candidate to leave the previous job, as well as too short periods of work (if any, in the applicant's work biography). When answering the question about the reasons for dismissal, you do not need to go into details, but it is worth mentioning among the reasons the desire to work in a larger, dynamically developing company; intention to move from a "gray" business to a "white" one; discrepancy between the volume of work and the amount of wages; unstable position of the organization in the market; irregularity of cash payments, etc. If, in the candidate's practice, there was a period of work that lasted no more than 2-3 months, the employer may assume that he did not pass the probationary period. Then he needs to explain that the reason for the termination of the employment relationship was the lack of prospects for professional development in this company. The main thing is that such episodes should be single, and layoffs should not fall strictly on the period of submission of financial statements.

Dmitry Ponevezhsky says: “A successful accountant, of course, must be interested in his profession, constantly actively interested in changes in accounting and tax accounting, must know the basics of the specialty perfectly, constantly think, analyze, have a good ability to concentrate, patience and meticulousness. Given these factors, HRs expect clarity in their answers and causticity in questions from candidates - after all, these are the qualities that characterize a good accountant. Punctuality is equally important: being late for a meeting can significantly reduce the impression of the applicant.

4. Interview with chief accountant.

The final and most important stage is an interview with the chief accountant. The final and most important stage is an interview with the chief accountant. As a rule, by this time the applicant has a “dossier” - his resume, questionnaire, questionnaire, completed test and recommendations from personnel officers. But in order to make a final decision, it is important for the chief accountant:

Make sure that the candidate is qualified;

Find out whether a person knows how to think, or whether he mechanically performs learned actions; does he have professional reflection and motivation for self-development (for example, what specialized periodical literature does he read, if not, then why?);

check the candidate for loyalty, reliability, readiness to defend the interests of the company in any situation (sometimes the interviewer starts asking about “black” accounting. An experienced accountant in this case “does not make contact”, limiting himself to a formal set of phrases);

Check personal compatibility, the ability to "speak the same language."

The following techniques and technologies can be used during the interview:

1. "Evaluation of performance" - the applicant is invited to analyze a series of actions of a specialist of his profile to solve a specific problem. Based on the analysis, a conclusion is made about the professional skills of the candidate.
2. “Perspective from the outside” - the applicant for a vacant position is asked to talk about the duties of the manager at the previous place of work, and only after that about his duties. This technique allows you to assess the level of professional reflection, to identify the true limits of the applicant's competence, his skills, strengths and weaknesses.
3. "Funnel technology" - the interviewer gradually moves from general questions to clarifying, more specific ones. Working with various narrowly focused questions, details and a large number of examples clearly demonstrate the qualifications of the applicant.

1. Tests or situational questionnaires - with the help of the latter, the employer checks the knowledge and logic of the accountant using real cases from the life of the company as an example.
2. A group interview with accounting staff - it allows not only to check the level of professional competence of a specialist, but also to assess his stress resistance, ability to adapt to the team.

“Knowledge of a specific area of ​​production or industry, experience in a similar position, possession of a specific accounting program ... - all this, of course, adds weight to the applicant in the eyes of the employer, - says Natalya Petrovna Shirikova, Chief Accountant of Shreya Corporation CJSC. - In my opinion, this is not the most important thing. Of course, the psychological readiness of the candidate for a truly titanic accounting work, which requires great responsibility and patience, and experience in accounting, and familiarity with standard accounting programs are also important. But the main thing that distinguishes a real professional from an extra is decency, reliability, ability to learn and a conscious approach to business. A good specialist is constantly striving for professional growth - in a short time he is able to obtain the missing knowledge, acquire the necessary skills, master a new computer program, and understand any nuances of accounting. And if, at the same time, the personal qualities and attitudes of the candidate do not contradict corporate values, then we can safely move on to a closer acquaintance of the parties at the stage of the applicant's probationary period.