You’ve secured an interview for that accounting role – congratulations! Now is your chance to really impress the hiring manager and sell your skills and experience. Preparation ahead of the interview is key, it will make you feel more confident and ensure you perform at your best.
To help you excel in your interview, we’ve put together some useful hints and tips that will give you the confidence and know-how to secure your next accounting role.
Research the organisation
Researching the organisation is one of the best ways to stand out during the hiring process. By putting on your detective hat and spending a few hours learning everything you can about your prospective employer, you will discover details about them that you never would have known otherwise.
Find out details such as how big the company is, who their customers and competitors are, as well as any developments and opportunities within the company. With this knowledge, you will be able to add value to the conversation whilst showing a genuine interest in what they do.
Re-read the job description
Before your interview, consider printing off the job description and highlighting it in three colours to understand where your strengths, opportunities, and weaknesses lie. Think about examples from your past employment or training and marry-up to what the employer is looking for.
Know your CV and give specific examples
In almost every interview situation you will need to draw on a specific time when you solved a problem or dealt with a particularly challenging client.
These questions are designed to assess your competencies, ability to stay calm under pressure, as well as other transferrable skills. Have a few examples ready using the STAR method (Situation, Task Action, Result), and, wherever possible link these back to your financial expertise.
Stay up to date with industry trends
One way that a potential employer will gauge if you’re the right fit for their company is by ensuring that you’re passionate about what you do. One of the best ways to get this passion across is by staying up to date with industry trends.
You should consider following companies in the field on LinkedIn, subscribing to industry newsletters, and understanding how the latest government policy changes affect the accounting sector. By keeping up to date with industry trends you will show your employer that you really understand the accounting sector, even if you don’t have a lot of experience.
Show that you are knowledgeable about accounting software
To succeed in an accounting job interview, you must show the hiring manager that you are knowledgeable about the software they are using as well as additional accounting software.
Make sure you go back to the job description to understand which software you will be using, and, if you aren’t 100% familiar with it, find out everything you can about that piece of software.
Demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role
Hiring managers are twice as likely to offer you a job role if you are enthusiastic about going to work for them, so spend some time thinking about what it is that excites you about this role.
One of the best ways to show your enthusiasm is to ask plenty of questions – this could be about the job duties and responsibilities, the training you will receive, or the expectations in the role. By asking questions it shows that you’re eager to learn more and are putting a lot of thought into it.
Think of questions to ask at the end of your interview
A job interview isn’t just an opportunity for your prospective employer to get to know you, it’s also a chance for you to get to know them and their business too.
Failing to prepare questions can make you look like you lack interest in the role, so it’s, for this reason, we suggest going in prepared with up to 3-5 questions to ask. The questions you ask don’t have to be complicated, but they should show that you have a genuine interest in the role and company so choose them wisely.
Pick out something suitable and comfortable to wear
First impressions count, so make sure you pick out something suitable and comfortable to wear on interview day.
Generally, accounting roles will call for you to wear professional business attire. For men, this might mean a shirt, tie, suit trousers and shoes. For women, a blouse, trousers/skirt, or a business dress is appropriate. If you are unsure what the dress code is, give the employer a call so you can be certain.
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