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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.

6,846 controller interview questions shared by candidates

- Tell us about your past experience to date. - Tell us about your understanding of the role and what it entails. - What skills or attributes do you think you hold that would be useful in this role? - Tell us about a time where you had to make a prompt decision in a complex situation and the effect the decision had on stakeholders or customers. - Tell us about a time where you had to adapt your communication style. How did you know your initial style was not effective and what steps did you take to rectify the situation? - Tell us about a time where you had to support a change that you did not agree with. What was the change? Why did you not support it? - Tell us about a situation where you had to complete a number of tasks at the same time, but had limited time to complete them. How did you manage this situation? What was the result?
avatar

Duty Operations Controller

Interviewed at Qantas

3.8★
Jan 28, 2022

- Tell us about your past experience to date. - Tell us about your understanding of the role and what it entails. - What skills or attributes do you think you hold that would be useful in this role? - Tell us about a time where you had to make a prompt decision in a complex situation and the effect the decision had on stakeholders or customers. - Tell us about a time where you had to adapt your communication style. How did you know your initial style was not effective and what steps did you take to rectify the situation? - Tell us about a time where you had to support a change that you did not agree with. What was the change? Why did you not support it? - Tell us about a situation where you had to complete a number of tasks at the same time, but had limited time to complete them. How did you manage this situation? What was the result?

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