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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.

6,840 controller interview questions shared by candidates

- Can you walk me through your CV and experience? - Why are you interested in this V.I.E position at Stellantis? - What attracts you to working in the Netherlands? - Have you worked in multicultural teams before? - Can you describe an example of a challenge you faced and how you solved it? - How do you calculate provisions? - Explain a P&L and which parts would be impacted by changes in volume, price, or costs. What is your experience with cost centers? - Have you worked with Excel / reporting tools before?
avatar

Business Controller

Interviewed at Stellantis

3.6★
Feb 4, 2026

- Can you walk me through your CV and experience? - Why are you interested in this V.I.E position at Stellantis? - What attracts you to working in the Netherlands? - Have you worked in multicultural teams before? - Can you describe an example of a challenge you faced and how you solved it? - How do you calculate provisions? - Explain a P&L and which parts would be impacted by changes in volume, price, or costs. What is your experience with cost centers? - Have you worked with Excel / reporting tools before?

What is the difference between a budget and a forecast? How would you build a budget? How would you create a pivot table with these two files? What formulas do you use in excel? How do you find out how long an employee has been with the firm looking at the start/end dates? How would you present data in a presentation? What are some of the ways you could reduce cost? If you have to set up an office space for a group of people coming in a week, how would you go about it?
avatar

Project Controller

Interviewed at Deloitte

3.8★
Sep 17, 2015

What is the difference between a budget and a forecast? How would you build a budget? How would you create a pivot table with these two files? What formulas do you use in excel? How do you find out how long an employee has been with the firm looking at the start/end dates? How would you present data in a presentation? What are some of the ways you could reduce cost? If you have to set up an office space for a group of people coming in a week, how would you go about it?

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