Our friends over at Vault are still working on their massive survey of accounting professionals and if you haven't yet gotten on that bandwagon, please do so here. It helps them help you, or something. Only Big 4 and other "top" firms need apply. Don't worry CBIZ people, you're invited to the party.
They recently posted a list of 49 interview questions you might be asked if you're trying to get your foot in the door at a top accounting firm. The questions are sorted into two different categories, let's grab a few of our favorites from each:
Tell me about a time when you …
- … disagreed with an authority figure and how you handled it.
- … exceeded expectations while under a time constraint.
- … made a sacrifice in your personal life for work or school.
You see where we are going with this? Pay attention, accounting students, they ask you these questions for a reason.
Contiuning on with the next category: Why you? Why us? Why accounting?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What are your flaws? [Protip: don't answer this way if you want the job]
- What was your biggest regret from college?
- What kind of firm culture are you looking for?
- What motivates you to want to be in public accounting?
That last question is an important one because you should answer truthfully (lest you come off as a phony kiss ass) but not so truthfully that you say something stupid like "for the résumé item and then I'm out of here."
You can find all 49 questions over at Vault; when you're done filling out their survey if you haven't already, pop back over here and tell us what questions you were asked in your interview. If, you know, you want to.
