Accounts Executive Interview Guide - Finance

Introduction

Hiring the right Accounts Executive is critical in Finance: this role ensures accurate records, timely reporting and effective cashflow management. A strong hire reduces risk and supports operational and strategic goals.

This guide provides structured interview questions for Accounts Executive roles, including basic, intermediate and advanced prompts. It also includes five pre-screening one-way video interview questions suitable for ScreeningHive to speed up and standardise early-stage screening.

Accounts Executive Interview Questions

Basic Accounts Executive Interview Questions

• Describe the core responsibilities of an Accounts Executive in a finance team.
• Explain the difference between accounts payable and accounts receivable.
• What are the key steps in a month-end close process?
• How do you approach bank and ledger reconciliations?
• Which accounting software packages have you used and which features do you find most valuable?
• Define accrual accounting and contrast it with cash-basis accounting.
• How do you handle VAT/GST or sales tax entries and reporting?
• Why do you want to work as an Accounts Executive in the Finance industry?

Intermediate Accounts Executive Interview Questions

• Describe a time you resolved an overdue client account. What steps did you take to collect and prevent recurrence?
• You discover an incorrect supplier invoice that has already been paid. How do you correct the books and communicate with stakeholders?
• Explain how you would shorten a month-end close timeline without compromising accuracy.
• There is a recurring $5,000 variance between the subledger and the general ledger. How do you investigate and resolve it?
• Walk me through preparing a short-term cashflow forecast for the next 90 days. Which inputs do you prioritise?
• Describe a situation where you implemented or improved an internal control. What was the impact?
• How do you prioritise daily accounting tasks when volumes are high and deadlines overlap?
• How would you prepare for and support an external audit request for transactional evidence?
• Provide an example of successful invoice dispute resolution with a customer. What negotiation or documentation helped?
• How do you protect confidential financial data when working with third parties or cloud systems?

Advanced Accounts Executive Interview Questions

• Describe how you would design or optimise a chart of accounts for clearer financial reporting across multiple cost centres.
• Explain a process to automate reconciliations and recurring journal entries. What tools or scripting would you use?
• How would you lead an initiative to improve AR collections across a segmented customer base?
• Discuss considerations and steps when migrating accounting processes to a new ERP or cloud accounting platform.
• Explain how you would identify and act on opportunities to improve working capital within a finance function.
• Describe a complex accounting treatment you managed (e.g., deferred revenue, foreign exchange, lease accounting) and how you ensured compliance.
• Which KPIs and dashboard metrics would you recommend to senior management to monitor accounting performance and why?
• How do you ensure controls and accuracy scale as transaction volumes grow or the organisation expands geographically?
• Explain how you would evaluate the cost-benefit of outsourcing certain accounting tasks versus keeping them in-house.
• Describe your approach to mentoring junior accountants and building a culture of continuous improvement in the accounts team.

Pre-Screening Video Interview Questions for Accounts Executive

These five prompts are ideal for one-way video interviews on ScreeningHive. They assess technical knowledge, process orientation and communication skills early in the hiring funnel.

1. Describe your month-end close routine and the controls you use to ensure accuracy and timeliness.

   This evaluates process knowledge, attention to detail and familiarity with controls that reduce errors during close.

2. Give a specific example of a time you identified and fixed a reconciliation discrepancy. What was the root cause and outcome?

   This assesses investigative skills, problem-solving and ability to document and resolve accounting variances.

3. Explain how you handle an urgent cashflow shortfall scenario and the steps you would take in the next 72 hours.

   This tests prioritisation, short-term forecasting ability and practical measures to protect liquidity.

4. Describe your experience with accounting software or ERPs and one process you automated or improved using those tools.

   This measures technical proficiency and initiative to use systems to increase efficiency.

5. Tell us about a time you had to communicate a difficult finance-related message to non-finance stakeholders. How did you ensure understanding?

   This evaluates communication skills, stakeholder management and ability to translate financial detail into clear business terms.

Conclusion

These Accounts Executive interview questions help hiring managers, recruiters and candidates focus on the skills that matter in Finance: accuracy, process control, technical competence and communication. Using structured questions across basic to advanced levels ensures consistent assessment and better hiring decisions.

ScreeningHive supports one-way video interviews to speed up pre-screening, deliver faster candidate throughput and provide standardised evaluations across applicants. Sign up for a FREE account to start screening Accounts Executive candidates with consistent, scalable one-way video interviews.