Initiate international recruits for different spheres of the finance sector including insurance, investment banking, and retail banking, to name a few.
The interview is the time that first impressions matter most. Interviewers will probe and question you to assess if you are suitable for the position on a professional, as well as personal, level. All your answers should always be honest, but preparing your responses to common interview questions can help you feel more confident and calm during the interview process.
Interview questions may vary depending on the company, the position, and your previous work experience and education. Most finance job positions require specific capabilities and expertise that are essential across the finance industry. Initiate International provides advice and a list of common finance interview questions you should prepare for in order to secure a financial position.
Going into an interview with knowledge of the company, as well as questions to ask, will indicate your enthusiasm for the company and job opportunity. Before going to the interview, it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the company’s objectives and mission in order to align your answers with these. Review the finance job position advertisement in order to identify the skills they are seeking; this will also help you to determine the sorts of questions you can expect.
Why did you decide to get into the finance industry?
The best way to answer this interview question is to explain your genuine interest in the finance industry. You could also mention that you are passionate about providing accurate information to help people choose the best investment options to protect them or help them fulfil their future dreams and desires.
What motivates you in your job?
Finance positions require self-motivated, driven individuals, so your answer should show that you are a driven, determined go-getter.
What has been a major achievement in your working career?
Discuss your achievements that are applicable to the finance position for which you are interviewing. Describe the challenges you overcame to get there. Explain the reason it was so significant for you, and make the reasons relevant to the finance job for which you are interviewing.
What did you find most challenging in your previous or current job, and how did you successfully deal with the situation?
With this interview question, the interviewer is trying to determine how resilient you are and how you would overcome unforeseen difficulties and obstacles in the new position. The interviewer is trying to establish if you have the ability to effectively deal with stressful situations. Because you are in the financial industry, it’s inevitable that you will have experienced a few challenging experiences due to the recession and stock market fall. These occurrences, as well as tough clients, are common in the financial industry, so you need to be able to prove that you are capable of handling such situations.
Discuss how you successfully dealt with a difficult situation, and highlight your ability to set your priorities and identify problematic issues. Explain how you contributed to the solution, not the challenge. When discussing what you dislike about your previous or current job, you should avoid speaking badly of past or current employers. Don’t ever disclose confidential information, as this gives the impression that you are not trustworthy.
How did you manage a high stress situation you were in?
Finance jobs are high stress careers, and it is therefore mandatory that you are able to perform well under pressure and manage tough circumstances with ease. You should show that you are able to stay calm and strategise to deal with the issues that arise.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities that the finance professional faces today?
The interviewer is assessing if you stay up to date on current trends and troubles in the financial industry. Highlight your understanding of the present economic situation and showcase your knowledge of recent industry innovations, new regulations, reputation concerns, availability of credit, cost reduction, etc.
Accounting interview questions are important and help the interviewer to determine your level of basic financial knowledge without having to ask complicated evaluation questions. Here are list of some common accounting questions you should be able to answer with ease:
- Explain why capital expenses increase assets, while paying taxes, rates and salaries creates an expense on the income statement
- Explain what a cash flow is.
- How do you calculate the cash flow?
- When is it possible for a company to have a positive cash flow, but still have a financial concern?
- Why are increases in accounts receivable a cash reduction on the cash flow statement?
- What is a deferred tax liability?
- Explain the concept of a capital market.
- Which profitability models are useful in forecasting?
- Which stocks do you monitor and why?
- What do you think about derivative statements?
Initiate International is known for providing career opportunities for finance professionals throughout South Africa. At Initiate International our recruitment consultants are able to prepare our candidates for the job interview in order to give them the best opportunity to secure the position.
If you have any questions with regard to interview preparation, or should you be looking for your next career move in finance or any other sector, please feel free to contact us.
Finance job interview preparation tips and advice | Initiate international
Finance job interview tips, advice and common questions. By Initiate International, a specialist finance recruitment company in South Africa.
