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Controller Interview Questions

"When hiring a controller, a company will look for candidates who have the business mindset, accounting experience, and essential soft skills to oversee the entire accounting department. Before interviewing for a controllership, prepare to answer questions not only about your knowledge of accounting, but also about your management strategies, communication skills, and knowledge of business operations."

Top Controller Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: What would you do if you found a discrepancy in a document an executive provided?

How to answer
How to answer: A controller reports to the top of the management hierarchy. The individual may report directly to a board of directors or a CEO. With this question, your interviewer wants to know how you'll handle a sensitive matter such as this one. Think about ethics. The company interviewing you will want you to demonstrate strong ethics in handling sensitive information.
Question 2

Question #2: Can you tell me about a time you set up accounting or financial controls?

How to answer
How to answer: In answering this question, focus on how you've set up controls at previous jobs to prevent fraud and errors. The interviewer wants to know how your knowledge and skills will improve the company you're interviewing for, especially regarding reducing fraud and financial mistakes. If you don't have previous experience setting up controls, mention industry standards and briefly talk about how you will successfully implement controls for the company in question.
Question 3

Question #3: What is your approach to working with your financial team?

How to answer
How to answer: Highlight your leadership skills as you describe how you work with other financial professionals. Let the interviewer know that you can balance motivating a team to work while insisting on financial accuracy. Demonstrate your soft skills because controllers need to see the big picture, the details, and the financial team's operations.

6,841 controller interview questions shared by candidates

During the group interview you really get asked just one question "Tell us about yourself", this is your time to suck up. I watched people who had brown nose get all the attention. This is not a question to talk about yourself, but to talk about them. I was very skeptical about this interview, I am sold the company is a great company, but I do not believe they believe in their own environment, if you want this job, be a "Yes Man/Mam". I you want to me assertive and ask as many questions as possible. They guy next to me literally wrote down everything from the girl next to him, and asked the questions before she had a chance. She was the first to walk out of the interview when we was given the ok to leave. I did not advance to the second interview, but my new friend will be writing a review after they complete the one on one.
avatar

Assistant Controller

Interviewed at Vivax Pros

4.7★
Sep 26, 2017

During the group interview you really get asked just one question "Tell us about yourself", this is your time to suck up. I watched people who had brown nose get all the attention. This is not a question to talk about yourself, but to talk about them. I was very skeptical about this interview, I am sold the company is a great company, but I do not believe they believe in their own environment, if you want this job, be a "Yes Man/Mam". I you want to me assertive and ask as many questions as possible. They guy next to me literally wrote down everything from the girl next to him, and asked the questions before she had a chance. She was the first to walk out of the interview when we was given the ok to leave. I did not advance to the second interview, but my new friend will be writing a review after they complete the one on one.

Overall the questions were pretty standard. But there were a few I hadn't heard of at the moment. Some were: 1. Describe a project that you worked on that had multiple groups of people working on the same objective. 2. What experiences have you had working with people of different nationalities and races? Specifically international students or coworkers. Besides that, the questions were pretty standard behavioral questions.
avatar

Flight Controller

Interviewed at KBR

4★
May 1, 2020

Overall the questions were pretty standard. But there were a few I hadn't heard of at the moment. Some were: 1. Describe a project that you worked on that had multiple groups of people working on the same objective. 2. What experiences have you had working with people of different nationalities and races? Specifically international students or coworkers. Besides that, the questions were pretty standard behavioral questions.

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