4 Tips for Remote Accounting Interviews that Might Surprise You
Stacy Love
SPHR, PHRca, VP, People at Kruze Consulting
Stacy Love is a seasoned recruiter with over 20 years of experience hiring accounting and finance professionals within financial services consulting.
She’s interviewed thousands of candidates and made hundreds of successful offers in her career. Like Ryan Gosling’s SNL character, she hates the Papyrus font and refuses to watch Avatar because of its usage.
What are remote accounting jobs like?
Tip #1 – DO YOUR RESEARCH ON THE COMPANY
You’d be surprised how many candidates don’t bother. I suggest doing it before you apply for a position, so you can determine if you really want to work at the company, but at the very least check them out before your first interview for a remote accounting job. Some people don’t think the company recruiter will be able to tell – they will.
Spend an hour on the company’s website. Look at their marketing, their pricing structures, their service offerings. Watch their YouTube videos, listen to their podcasts, and scan their social media posts.
Make sure you understand their client base and determine if this is a demographic you’ll enjoy working with. (Accounting is HIGHLY portable, and remote accounting even more so. Where you apply your skills is very much a personal preference.)
Hopefully the company is large enough to have a Careers page. Spend time there! Do your personal values align with the company’s core values? The Careers page of a virtual accounting firm should tell you a lot about the company’s culture. Use this information as a basis for Tip #2…
What should you know about remote accounting jobs?
Tip #2 – ASK GREAT QUESTIONS
You also might be surprised to hear that candidates rarely ask their interviewers quality questions.
Don’t ask mundane/easy questions. “What do you like best about working at Dunder Mifflin?”
Ask us something challenging and thoughtful – something you really want to know the answer to – be authentic. What are you curious about? “What gets rewarded at Dunder Mifflin? What does recognition mean there?” is a great question. “How does Dunder Mifflin measure high performance? What separates an average performer from a high performer?” Great question. Another great one – “Tell me about someone that failed as a Controller. What undermined their success and what happened to them?” It’s also important to know your audience.
Don’t ask the initial recruiter, “What does a typical day look like for a Controller at Dunder Mifflin?” They won’t know; that’s more appropriate for the Hiring Manager and tells the recruiter that you don’t understand the process.
Plan on asking each person three quality questions and know that AI isn’t really helpful with this task (sorry) because these questions should be personal to you. And please don’t tell us, “I don’t have any questions! You already answered all of them!” It tells us that you aren’t that invested and thinking critically about the job. This is a BIG decision for you. You should have questions!
Show your interest when interviewing for a remote accounting job
Tip #3 - ASK FOR THE JOB
Only one in every 100 candidates asks for the remote accounting job. Shocking, right?! At the end of every interview, thank the interviewer for their time, and ask for the job. Accountants tend to be a little less assertive and a little more indirect in their communication. I don’t think it comes as naturally to do this? But help us, help you.
If you want the job, ask for it. Your interviewers are trying to gauge interest. We want to hire someone that wants the job.
What this should sound like: “Thank you so much for your time and being so informative. Based on everything I’ve heard so far, I’m really excited about this opportunity! Is there anything that I’ve said or that you saw on my resume which might give you pause about advancing me to the next step in the process? I’d love to move forward!” This is a great way to proactively uncover and hopefully address any objections/reservations the interviewer may have.
And if you’re at the end of the line, in the final final interview, it’s: “Thank you so much for your time and being so informative. Based on everything I’ve heard, I’m really excited about this opportunity, and I hope to hear from you soon with an offer. I’d be happy to join the Dunder Mifflin team.”
If you use these closing comments, the interviewers will be confident that you want the job.
A strong follow-up can help you land a remote accounting position
Tip #4 – SEND A THANK YOU EMAIL
Yes, it’s old school and sort of formal, but so is the accounting industry. Thank you notes have gone by the wayside, but in remote accounting, it’s the little human touches that make a difference. You don’t have to write a dissertation about why you are the ideal candidate. Short and sweet is perfect.
Thank each interviewer for their time and restate your interest – you don’t have to make it personalized for each person and add a fun tidbit from your meeting – that’s just not expected or necessary anymore. (It’s okay to ask the recruiter for their email addresses, or to pass along the note.) “Hi Dwight. I just wanted to thank you again for your time, and that I really hope to learn from you in the future as part of the team!”
Of course you have to have solid remote accounting credentials too, but putting these 4 tips into practice in your next interview will set you apart from the other 95% of the candidate pool for virtual accounting jobs. Good luck, and happy job searching!
Remote Accountant
This is an interesting remote accounting job, if: You love working in the nitty gritty daily operations in accounting and finance departments. You have experience in reconciliations and reviews and QA checks. You love juggling many clients, different requests and using a variety of systems. You are the trusted accountant to your clients and controller.
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Remote Controller
This is an interesting remote controller job if: You understand client intricacies of areas such as revenue, expenses, payroll, tax and all things balance sheet related. You love digging into complex projects and running with them from start to finish. You are a detail and quality enthusiast. You go the extra mile to make sure your work and other’s work are done with the highest excellence for every client.
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