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Interview Preparation Strategies for Finance Professionals
Many interviewers ask behavior-based or situational-based interview questions to determine how closely your past experience matches their current needs. This is done because many hiring managers believe that past success is a strong indicator of future success.
Frequently, behavior-based interview questions start out with a phrase such as “Tell me about a time when you…” or What would you do if…” or “Give me an example of…” Sometimes a very straightforward question is asked about a particular competency, i.e. “How would you do x?” but your audience needs to know more than just the fact that you have the competency; they need to hear the proof of that competency through a strong story of success.
Succeeding at Behavior-Based Interviews
Finance professionals can have very successful interviews if they listen to the interviewer’s questions to figure out what the competency is the hiring manager is trying to assess and then prove they are skilled in that competency by highlighting a strong story of success that demonstrates their impact on the organization.
An easy way to prove your experience in a particular competency is to use phrases such as “When I was at company XYZ we…” or “As a matter of fact, recently at company ABC I…”
The best way to prepare for interviews is to write out all your stories of success including all the situations where you have helped the companies you supported make money, save money, save time, grow the business, keep the business, be first to market, eliminate a redundancy, or streamline a process.
After all your stories are created, look for the common themes in your responses. For example, some stories may revolve around your analytical ability, others around your leadership, and still others around your accuracy and attention to detail. Once you have determined your competency themes, look at general interview questions and specific questions for your job function/industry and decide which story of success to showcase to answer each question.
Sample Preparation Questions
These are some typical behavior-based interview questions for different areas of finance. Think about some good stories you could tell that demonstrate your competency and accomplishments as you formulate answers to these questions.
Corporate Finance
- If you want to value a specific acquisition target, describe the things you need to know.
- What factors must be considered when recommending investment strategies in a foreign country?
- How would you manage the capital budgeting process?
Investment Banking
- Describe the financial modeling you have done.
- How would you evaluate whether a deal is good for our company?
- How would you value a privately held company?
Investment Management/Research
- If you had $1M to invest in any financial instruments, securities, or commodities, how would you allocate it?
- Pitch a stock to me that you like.
- What is the most important investment criteria for a venture capitalist?
Accounting
- Tell me about the advantages and disadvantages of the different accounting packages you have used recently.
- Tell me about any accounting processes that you’ve either developed or revised.
- Tell me about your experience in reconciliation.
Controller
- What steps do you take to establish and monitor internal controls to ensure that accounting activities are in accordance with established legal regulatory and company policies and procedures?
- What tools and processes do you take to prepare, analyze and present monthly, quarterly and annual operating results for each department? How is your data collected? Describe the company you worked for and how many employees worked there?
- What is your experience in preparing and presenting financial information for quarterly and annual reports? What were some of the complexities of the report? What was the largest group you have presented information to?
Credit Analyst
- Tell me about a time when management was reluctant to accept one of your main conclusions regarding the creditworthiness of a major new client? What did you do?
- Tell me about a project that really extended your thinking processes as a credit analyst.
- Tell me about a credit analysis decision you got wrong. What happened? Where did you go wrong in your analysis? What did you learn from this experience
Bottom Line:
Consider the questions above. Develop answers, based on your experience and knowledge, that illustrate how you have accomplished the same thing or something very similar. Look at your accomplishments from many different angles. Discuss your answers with people who know you and/or people who know the job you want. Go into that next interview ready and able to show what you know and what you've already accomplished. Luck is preparation matched with timing.
© Copyright Barbara Safani, 2009. Used with permission.
---------------------------------------------About This Author:
Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers, has over twelve years of experience in career management, recruiting, executive coaching, and organizational development. Ms. Safani partners with both Fortune 100 companies and individuals to deliver targeted programs focusing on résumé development, job search strategies, networking, interviewing, salary negotiation skills, and online identity. Barbara is also the author of Happy About My Resume: 50 Tips for Building a Better Document to Secure a Brighter Future.