If you’re growing your accounting practice and are ready to take on more staff, it’s imperative that you find staff members that are the perfect fit for your practice. To do this, you’ll need to think about what you want to know about this person during the interview stage. On average, employers will interview 6 candidates before making their decision on who to hire, so it’s valuable to know what questions to ask them to find the best staff for your practice. Here are some questions that you can ask your candidates to discover if they would be a suitable fit for your practice.
Why did you choose this career?
Asking this question will help you to identify how your candidate feels about this career path- it can also help you to gain insight into how dedicated your potential staff member is to the job role. For example, if they say that they are motivated by money, there could be potential for them to swiftly change career paths for something more fulfilling to them in the future.
What has been a time when you’ve overcome a challenge in your life?
This question can help you to see how your candidate can think outside the box, take initiative, and problem-solve. It’ll help you to see if the applicant has relevant experience that they can use in your accounting practice.
What software do you have experience using?
This could be an important question depending on how much time you have available to train your staff. If you’re prepared to take some time out and train them, then the experience they have won’t be as vital to know. If you’re looking for someone who’s fully experienced in the software that you use, be sure to ask this question.
What’s the most valuable thing people can know working in the accounting industry?
With this question, you can indirectly learn about the experience your candidate has. This is also a great question to learn about your candidate’s personality.
How much experience do you have dealing with clients?
If you’re seeking a staff member who will have direct contact with your clients, then this is an important question to ask. You’ll want to learn what experience the applicant has with speaking with clients first-hand, you can also extend this question by asking about challenging times when dealing with clients, and any successes that they’ve had in this area.
What experience and qualifications do you have?
This is one of the most important questions that you can ask- although this might be covered on their application form, it could be good to delve deeper into this question and see if they have the relevant experience that you require. According to recent statistics, 85% of people don’t tell the truth on their CV. It’s better to find out now at this stage, rather than further down the line.
What do you know about this firm and why do you want to work with us?
It might be interesting to see what the applicant knows about your firm- have they completed any research into the practice? And why are they motivated to work with you? This can help you identify if they have already taken interest in your practice and are keen to actually work with you.
When is a time that you had to make a big adjustment and adapt to your work environment?
This is an opportunity to discover how adaptable the candidate is. If you own an accounting practice that is fast-paced and changing with the times, it can be worth hiring staff that can adapt and change to situations.
What’s the best way to use effective communication with teammates
Asking this to candidates will let you know what communication style they use, and how effectively they communicate with staff. Regardless of what size accounting practice you have, or what services you specialise in, effective communication between staff will help to make sure things run smoothly.
What would you say are the main 3 skills someone in the accounting industry should have?
Whether you’re looking for bookkeeping or payroll staff, asking what the applicant thinks should be the top 3 skills in the accounting industry will show you what they value most in this field of work. It could be handy to think about your core values and if this matches up with the answer that they give.
How can you reduce the risk of work mistakes in the accounting field?
This again will help to see how much responsibility the staff member will be able to handle. You’ll feel more at ease with staff who have come up against challenges previously and know how to handle them. Then again, this is not to say you shouldn’t consider staff who haven’t yet gained a lot of experience. If you have staff who are newly starting with less experience, then this will enable you to teach them your own ways of overcoming work obstacles and reducing mistakes.
Where do you see yourself in 3 years’ time?
Gaining an insight into your candidates’ thoughts and feelings about their future can help you to decide if they fit into your business module and plan. If they want to progress, you’ll have to assess if your company can accommodate this. It can also help you to identify if the applicant likes to learn and progress in their career. Another additional question that you can ask relating to this is about training- will your staff member need training in your practice- and do they have the drive to do so?
What can you do to find the best candidate?
In order to interview candidates, you have to find appropriate applicants. Totus Finance can help you by gathering potential bookkeepers and payroll staff for your business, with your requirements in mind. Save the hassle of seeking these candidates and only concern yourself with the interview process of finding your dream candidate by getting in touch with us today.
