Interview Preparation Skills for Accountants

Accountants are generally intelligent people with unmatched skills in handling important projects and paying attention to details. However, they are not always confident in job interviews. Many accounting practitioners are not natural ‘performers’, particularly in front of strangers. As such, they lack ‘acting’ skills, which are regarded as one of the essential qualities of interviewees. Indeed, the run up to interviews and the actual interview itself can be a very stressful process. It helps to think of an interview as part of a project, and the last stage of this project would be the final presentation in front of the recruitment panel. The structure of the project will be outlined in the course material so that you can build up to that final presentation in an organised manner. You will consider the project preparation sheet for your final presentation, otherwise known as the CV, resume or the ‘interview skills balance sheet tool’. Examine the five sections of the interview skills balance sheet, a convenient structural tool for preparing yourself for an interview. 

Next, you will learn about your own ‘fixed assets’, ‘current assets’, ‘current liabilities’ and so on, which are the maxims for the skill sets required of an interviewee. You will see how you can use your professional qualifications, long-term experiences, deeply ingrained capabilities and recently developed skills to your advantage in an interview. The module on ‘shareholder funds’ will examine how your own personal attributes, interests and social capital affect your communication systems, presentation styles, facilitation techniques and other social skills. Furthermore, you will review seven powerful guidelines for preparing for an interview and how to deal with anticipation and excitement before. Finally, the course will equip you with seven great tips for a positive interview as well as how to catch the interviewers’ attention at the beginning of the meeting. 

There has been an increase in online interviews and most interviewers are likely to use online platforms for some time to come. While online discussions have several advantages, it is more difficult to build connections with the interviewers and there is the risk of interruptions. As such, you will study the technology of online interviews - including software like Zoom, GoToMeeting, Skype, Google Meet etc - and the two main challenges of online interviews. Learn about situational and motivational interview questions, for example, ‘Why do you want this role? How can you add value to the organisation?’. Learn how to address these questions with feasible answer templates. The course concludes with sample interview questions, which will serve as tests for your final interview presentation. By completing this course, you will build your confidence as a professional accountant and develop the essential skills for presenting your talents and experiences positively and effectively in an interview.