Common Interview Questions You Should Know How to Answer

Whether you're looking for your first job or looking to make a switch to a new company, it's important to know how to interview well. The job interview is probably the most important part of the recruiting process because it really decides whether you get the job. It is also an important opportunity for both you and the potential employer to ask key questions that can determine whether you are a right fit for each other culturally. Today I'm going to talk about some of the common questions you might see in business (accounting and finance related) job interviews and how you might answer them.

Tell me about a time when…

The classic behavioral interview questions always start with "tell me about a time when" or something similar. Companies do this because the best indicator of future behavior in a professional setting is documented past behavior in a similar setting. The reason why I'm not going into more detail outside of tell me about a time when… is because each job will have a different set of questions that reflect the role and responsibility that you are hoping to take on. For jobs where you might be at the entry level and working with a team is important, the question might be: "Tell me about a time when you had to make a meaningful contribution to a team-based project." Similarly, if the job is more of a solo position, a question might be: “Tell me about a time when you had to complete a project with little or no input from others."

Employers ask these questions because they need to know if you are capable of working in the environment they expect to put you in. To answer these types of questions effectively you need to do your research (read the job description) and come up with a few SAR/STAR (situation-action-result / situation-task-action-result) stories that you can utilize to answer these types of questions. By preparing about three different SAR/STAR stories the demonstrate multiple competencies based on historic experience, these questions should become a breeze!

Why do you want to work here?

"Because you will pay me" is generally not the best answer here, despite how true it may be. This question serves as an opportunity to show that you have done your research about the company and the role that you might play should you be hired. This question usually has the implied context of "why not somewhere else?" So, it's a great idea to pick out characteristics that are unique to the company you're interviewing with. I would always answer this question as it relates to your potential experience with the employer. Talk about how their size, location, or mission provides a unique position that allows you to interact in a certain size team environment that you prefer or with a certain type of client that you may want to learn more about. Answering the question in this way allows you to align yourself to the experience that they provide and show how your interest will make you a better candidate because you'll be more motivated. 

If you aren't too sure about what the job or clients might entail, this is a great way to verify whether the company has what you want. You could answer the question by saying: "based on my research about the company, I may have the opportunity to work with high net worth individuals, which is an area I would love to learn more about, does this position provide this opportunity?" The answer may vary depending on the position, location, and the specific work that the department or location performs. By answering the question in this way, the interviewer is given an opportunity to provide answers to those questions and steer you in the right direction. This is particularly useful if you are looking for a certain type of career progression that might not be clear from the job description alone.

Do you have any questions for me?

Never answer "no" to this question. Saying that you don't have any questions for the interviewer is a universal red flag because people interpret it as you not being interested. this is one of the most important questions in the interview process because it turns the tables and allows the candidate to directly interview the employer, while simultaneously showing your interest in the position. If you have any questions about what you'll be doing or who you will be working with, this is a great time to ask. Here's some of the questions that I keep in mind if I've never asked this question:

What has been your best client experience at this company? What made it so great?

For companies that work with clients, this is a subtle way to ask, "what clients does the Company have?" While simultaneously getting a feel for the experience that those clients provide. Be careful to pay attention to which party made the experience great. If it was the client, follow up by asking if there are more clients like that. If it was a company, follow up by asking if that experience is common across all engagements.

What is the best piece of advice you can give for someone starting in this position?

Asking this question allows the interviewer to indirectly communicate the challenges and expectations of the position you are applying for. Depending on the type of company you're interviewing with, the interviewers may be in that position already or maybe directly overseeing it. In any circumstance, getting the unique perspective of the person is valuable because they are typically not trained to repeat the job description to you, and will instead rely on their past experience in the role or with people in that role to provide advice that's based on real situations. 

What is a key characteristic needed for this position that's not mentioned in the job description?

Variants of this question are my favorite interview questions because it asks for the key characteristics that can make a difference that you don't know about yet. If I were asked this question at the end of an interview, I would tell the candidate something along the lines of "kindness" or "empathy," and explain why those little characteristics make a big difference while performing this role. These types of characteristics aren't commonly called out in job descriptions because they don't represent required skill sets alone. Once you have the answer, you should agree with the interviewer and thank them for the insight. 

Understanding these questions and how to respond to them is critical because they are so broad. When applying to many different positions, the themes of these questions and the methodology that I've described to respond to them is going to be common across all the positions you apply for. By taking the time to really understand these questions, you aren't only preparing for one interview, you're preparing for all of them.

If you made it this far thank you for reading! Do you have any questions or want to learn more, leave a comment, or contact me!