Finance Interview Questions

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The final stage to your dream job is nothing but an interview. Presence of mind and honesty are necessary to answer the questions that will be asked to you. Here are some questions that finance candidates would be asked during an interview.

The field of finance, accounting, and banking is diverse and closely inter-related. Jobs in finance sectors are one of the highest paid in the US, and their interviews range from questions about personality to the ones testing one's financial knowledge.

It is but natural that a candidate appearing for an interview for a finance job would be well-versed with the ins and outs of the finance sector. But to make life easier, here are a host of sample questions for your reference, which would most probably be asked during the various rounds of interviews.

General Interview Questions

There are few questions that would be asked regardless of the sector you wish to work in. The questions given here are most frequently asked and you ought to prepare for it.

Can you tell us more about yourself?

Well, we all know that this is the most basic question that is asked in any interview. However, an excellent response to this question is like winning half the battle.

This question can convey to the interviewers your confidence and passion for the work. In regards to the answer, you can mention about your strengths and positive aspects of your personality. You can also talk about your hobbies and areas of special interest.

Could you tell us about your educational qualifications?

Summarize your interest areas since your school days. You must talk about your educational qualifications and what motivated you to pursue a certain field. In case you have some work experience, give examples of challenging projects that you handled while working in the finance field. Always substantiate your answer with some authentic examples.

What are the goals that you have established for your career?

Mention the goals you have planned to achieve within 2 to 3 years, like taking financial advisor certificates and working for 2 years to understand the industry.

What steps have you taken to achieve your goals?

This question is an excellent way to make your prospective employer believe that you are genuinely interested in this career.

For this, you can talk about the research you have done about the firm before coming for the interview, and after doing the research you found that the firm supports worker and reimburses for tuition of an MBA degree in the future. Say that you plan to do your MBA after 2 years, and working in this firm will be rewarding for you in terms of your career.

Finance Related Questions

Here is a list of some questions on finance that can come handy during your preparation for an interview.

How do you take up challenges? What are the parameters that one must consider while choosing a stock? Which is better for a firm, debt or equity financing? What factors make impact in mergers and acquisitions?

Explain interest on a certain capital? What are your strength areas in finance? What does success and failure mean to you? What are the merits and demerits of various accounting packages that have been used by you recently? Through examples, explain the cash flow statement with pipeline theory?

What is accumulated depreciation? What do you mean by fictitious assets? What is meant by the term trial balance? What is consolidation? Give some names of efficient software that are used in accounting packages?

What are your strengths? Why do you want to choose this career? What is Purchase Order? Define Reconciliation Statement? What is recession and discuss factors that cause recession? Do you think the banking system needs improvement in the procedures after recession has affected the country?

Explain what is meant by company code? What are sundry creditors? Explain differences between accounts and finance? Explain the terms: fixed cost, variable cost and marginal cost?

What is the significance of Break Even Point? Explain what is meant by charging back? How does goodwill affect the net economy of a firm? Describe a current event in the market that has significantly affected the market? What have been your proudest accomplishments?

What according to you is an ideal job for you? What is data audit stored? What differentiates between pay check and pay slip?

Describe some problems that you faced while working on your previous position? Differentiate between I-banking and Private Equity?

Which magazines you prefer to read for business news? Do you read Wall Street Journal? If yes, what is the latest news today? Name some newspapers that you read for financial news of global economy? Which is a better indication of firm's growth? Balance sheet or income of statements?

The key is to be confident and truthful while answering all the questions that come your way. All the best!