Financial controllers are the anchor of any organization’s accounting and finance teams, which is why it’s important for companies to hire the right candidate for the job. The best way to determine top applicants? Through the interview process. Similarly, the interview presents an opportunity for hopefuls to put their best foot forward.
Whether you’re an employer looking for your next controller or a job seeker hoping to land the role, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for preparation tips, commonly asked interview questions, and more.
What Is a Financial Controller?
How To Prepare for a Controller Interview
Key Financial Controller Interview Questions & Answers
Interview Mistakes To Watch Out for
FAQs
Making the Most of Your Search
What Is a Financial Controller?
Financial controllers are senior-level finance team managers who are responsible for overseeing an organization’s accounting and accounting-related operations, such as payroll and accounts payable and receivable. However, exact duties typically vary depending on where a controller works. For example, at smaller companies, controllers tend to take on a more generalized role (compared to their counterparts working at larger organizations, who are more likely to specialize) and have final sign off on a wider variety of financial decisions including budgets, reporting, investments, and the like.
In general, as a controller you can expect to be tasked with:
- Supporting executive-level financial leadership
- Compiling business reports, forecasts, and other financial documentation
- Managing the accounting team
- Determining financial strategy, including opportunities for cost reduction
- Staying on top of the latest developments and trends in the financial market
- Working to ensure that the organization remains compliant with regulatory requirements
- Helping to keep the company’s overall finances in good standing
How To Prepare for a Controller Interview
For prospective controllers and hiring organizations, the interview is the main event. It’s an opportunity for each party to put their best foot forward, so it’s important to be prepared.
If you’re a job seeker, get ready by:
- Researching the company
- Sitting for a practice interview with a friend
- Putting a list of questions together for the interviewer
- Reviewing your resume
- Familiarizing yourself with the job description
And if you’re conducting the interview, be sure to do the following ahead of time:
- Review the applicant’s resume and experience
- Prepare a list of questions and follow-up questions
- Coordinate with any other interviewers to create a game plan
- Be ready to answer any questions the applicant may have for you
Key Financial Controller Interview Questions & Answers
For both job seekers and hiring managers, the most important part of the interview is determining whether there’s a mutual match. That’s why it’s essential for interviewers to choose the right questions to ask applicants and for applicants to be honest in their answers. To help you further prepare for future controller interviews, here are some commonly asked questions:
Questions About General Finance Experience
- Can you tell me more about your background?
- Asking an open-ended question like this gives applicants a chance to elaborate on their career development and share insights into how they took advantage of different opportunities to progress into their current role.
- Give an example of a complex financial problem you solved. What steps did you take to address it?
- This question is intended to shine light onto how prepared applicants are to face and overcome on-the-job challenges. If you encounter this question during an interview, be sure to clearly explain the problem you faced, the actions you took to resolve it, and what the outcome was.
- Describe a time when you presented financial data to senior management or the board of directors. How did you prepare and what was the outcome?
- The intent behind this question is twofold: to get insight into applicants’ preparation processes and gauge their experience interacting with executive leadership. When answering this question, always choose the strongest example you have, even if it’s one that resulted in an unfavorable outcome. If this is the case, talking about what you learned from the experience demonstrates growth.
- Please discuss your experience with managing budgets, forecasting, and performing financial analysis.
- With this question, hiring managers can get insight into how familiar candidates are with the core tasks and duties they’ll be asked to perform on the job. If you’re an applicant, come to the interview prepared to discuss how you approach these areas in your work and provide details about any experience you’ve gained in previous positions.
Questions About Leadership Abilities
- How do you resolve conflicts within your team?
- In the workplace, disputes are inevitable, so it’s crucial for anyone in a management position to have excellent conflict resolution skills. This question helps employers get a sense of candidates’ abilities to mediate disagreements and navigate difficult relationships. The best answers to this question cite specific examples and include a summary of the steps taken to resolve the conflict.
- Describe your management style. How do you motivate and develop your team members?
- Every manager takes a different approach to leading their teams. With this question, hiring managers can better determine whether the applicant’s leadership style is a match for the department. If you’re asked this question, always be honest about your management philosophy as the right match is beneficial to you as well.
- When hiring new finance team members, what qualities make for a successful candidate?
- As the department lead, controllers have a direct hand in building the accounting team. This question assesses whether the applicant’s vision for the department is compatible with the qualities the hiring organization values in its employees.
Questions About Industry Knowledge
- How do you stay updated on changes in financial regulations and accounting standards?
- Controllers are tasked with keeping an organization’s finances above board, so it’s crucial that they are up-to-date on the latest changes to the laws and best practices that govern the financial sector. This question provides candidates with an opportunity to demonstrate their dedication to staying current with industry developments.
- Tell me about an interesting article or blog post you’ve read recently or discussion you heard on a podcast. What did you take away from it?
- Not only does this question reveal where (and if) candidates get financial news and information, the answers they give can also provide insight into the aspects of the industry that grab their interest.
- Over the course of the next five years, what are some of the challenges and opportunities you see within the financial industry?
- Part of a controller’s job is to assist with financial forecasting, so it’s important for candidates to have their fingers on the pulse of industry trends. This question provides them with an opportunity to share their insights and enables employers to measure the extent of their knowledge.
Questions About Technical Know-How
- What accounting software are you familiar with?
- The purpose of this question is straightforward. It assesses whether an applicant is proficient in the software and systems that the organization’s accounting team works with. It shouldn’t be a dealbreaker if an ideal candidate isn’t familiar with the accounting programs your company uses, as training can always be provided.
- What tools or technology should all accounting teams be sure to take advantage of? Why?
- Asking applicants for their recommendations is a great way to get an idea of their technical expertise and demonstrate how they’ve used technology in their previous roles.
Interview Mistakes To Watch Out for
For the best chances of a successful financial controller interview, there are certain pitfalls you should always try to avoid. These include:
- Not doing proper research — Whether it’s research about the company you’re interviewing with or the applicant’s work experience, it always pays to learn more about who you’re sitting down with.
- Arriving unprepared — The interview is an opportunity to have a meaningful discussion about the role and the expectations surrounding it. Showing up unprepared severely limits the value interviewers and interviewees can extract from the conversation.
- Not giving the interview your full attention — First impressions are important, and if you’re distracted during an interview, you risk coming across as disinterested and unengaged.
- Asking weak questions — In-depth questions are the key to learning as much about the company or applicant as possible. When both parties are invested, quality questions yield quality answers, which you’ll need in order to make an informed decision.
- Providing generic answers — Similarly, your answers to questions are your opportunity to sell yourself or your company. Take advantage by giving answers that are detailed and backed up by examples.
FAQs
Q: What is the role of a financial controller?
A: Financial controllers are senior-level managers on an organization’s finance team who are responsible for overseeing accounting and accounting-related operations, including payroll and accounts payable and receivable.
Q: What questions are asked in a financial controller interview?
A: The interview is an opportunity for organizations to learn more about applicants and gauge their ability to successfully perform the duties associated with the controller position. Keeping that in mind, interviewers will generally ask questions related to a candidate’s general financial experience, leadership abilities, industry knowledge, and technical know-how.
Q: How do I prepare for a financial controller interview?
A: How you get ready for your interview depends on your role in it. For applicants, preparation should include researching the company, sitting for a practice interview, putting a list of questions together for the interviewer, reviewing your resume, and familiarizing yourself with the job description. For interviewers, prep consists of reviewing the applicant’s resume and experience, preparing a list of questions and follow up questions, coordinating with any other interviewers, and being ready to answer any questions the applicant may have for you.
Q: What are some common mistakes that happen in a controller interview?
A: For the best chances of conducting a fruitful interview, it’s best to avoid making these mistakes: not doing proper research, arriving unprepared, not giving the interview your full attention, asking weak questions, and providing generic answers.
Making the Most of Your Search
Whether you’re looking to land a job as a financial controller or have an open role to fill on your finance team, it helps to have as much help as you can get.
KBW Financial Staffing & Recruiting is a locally-owned and managed, full-service staffing firm, providing the region’s top employers with highly-qualified job candidates and jobs in the accounting and finance fields. Our success is built upon a highly personalized approach resulting in thousands of successful matches between professionals and employers, and we’ve placed hundreds of controllers since opening our doors in 2005.
Our team of recruiting experts is here to make your search as easy as possible. Get in touch today to start the conversation, or browse our open positions to see what’s available.
