Landing a coveted role as a Corporate Controller requires not just technical expertise but also a keen understanding of the business landscape and the ability to navigate complex situations with aplomb. In today’s dynamic business environment, interviewers are looking for individuals who can not only crunch numbers but also think strategically, lead effectively and communicate clearly.
To help you stand out from the crowd and ace your upcoming Corporate Controller interview we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide incorporating the insights from Toptal’s curated list of essential interview questions and answers. This guide will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to impress your interviewers and secure your dream job.
Technical Prowess: Demonstrating Your Financial Acumen
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Measuring Accuracy with Precision
- Emphasize a multi-pronged approach that combines technical skills in navigating spreadsheets with a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of financial statements.
- Showcase your ability to identify and minimize errors, taking full responsibility for your work without deflecting blame.
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Navigating the Nuances of IFRS vs. US GAAP:
- Highlight your grasp of the key differences between these two widely used accounting principles, such as the principles-based nature of IFRS versus the rules-based approach of US GAAP.
- Demonstrate your knowledge of specific examples, such as the prohibition of LIFO inventory accounting under IFRS and the inclusion of a statement of comprehensive income under US GAAP.
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Staying Ahead of the Curve: Embracing Continuous Learning:
- Articulate your vision for the future of the profession and how you plan to stay abreast of emerging trends and technologies.
- Discuss specific steps you’re taking to upskill yourself, such as pursuing professional development opportunities or actively engaging with industry thought leaders.
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Building a Strong Team: Identifying the Right Talent:
- Outline the key attributes you would prioritize when hiring junior team members, striking a balance between technical skills and essential behavioral qualities.
- Avoid expressing a preference for hiring individuals who pose no threat to your position, as this could raise red flags.
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Ensuring Accuracy: Auditing with Confidence:
- Emphasize the importance of delegating tasks while maintaining robust checks and balances to guarantee accuracy.
- Discuss specific techniques you employ, such as utilizing control sheets in spreadsheets and conducting precedent/dependent formula audits.
Behavioral Brilliance: Showcasing Your Soft Skills
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Embracing the Unknown: Mastering New Tools:
- Share an experience where you independently learned a new product for controlling purposes, demonstrating your cognitive abilities and objectivity.
- Highlight your research skills and willingness to verify information, showcasing your proactive approach to knowledge acquisition.
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Unveiling Opportunities: Driving Efficiency and Growth:
- Describe a situation where your work identified a potential inefficiency or business opportunity.
- Explain how you communicated your findings and implemented changes to enhance commercial functions, demonstrating your business acumen and problem-solving skills.
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Prioritizing with Purpose:
- Discuss your approach to prioritizing work, emphasizing criteria such as timing, commercial importance, and spillover benefits to other priorities.
- Avoid prioritizing based on arbitrary factors like the seniority of the requestor.
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Sharing Your Expertise Illuminating Excel’s Hidden Gems
- Teach the interviewer something new about an Excel feature they might not know, showcasing your technical depth and ability to explain complex concepts clearly.
- Focus on how using such features saves time and enhances efficiency.
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Navigating Difficult Conversations: Handling Challenging Situations:
- Describe an instance where you dealt with a difficult staff member, highlighting your persistence, diplomacy, and ability to resolve conflicts professionally.
- Emphasize maintaining a positive working relationship moving forward.
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Ethical Dilemmas Balancing Responsibilities
- Discuss a situation where you faced an ethical conflict between commercial goals and your responsibility to maintain objectivity.
- Demonstrate your understanding of ethical principles and your ability to navigate complex situations with integrity.
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Staying Informed: Keeping Pace with Business Developments:
- Explain how you stay up-to-date with the commercial developments of your current company, highlighting your proactive approach to continuous learning and industry awareness.
- Discuss your efforts to stay abreast of changes in policies and industry macro trends.
Beyond the Interview: Additional Resources for Success
While these questions provide a valuable starting point, remember that interviewing is an art and a science. Not every exceptional candidate will be able to answer every question perfectly, and answering them flawlessly doesn’t guarantee success.
To further enhance your preparation, consider these additional resources:
- Toptal’s network of expert Corporate Controllers:
- Leverage their insights and guidance to gain valuable industry perspectives and interview tips.
- Industry publications and online forums:
- Stay informed about current trends and best practices in the field of corporate finance.
- Mock interviews:
- Practice your responses to common interview questions and receive feedback from experienced professionals.
By combining your technical expertise with strong behavioral skills and a thorough understanding of the industry, you’ll be well-equipped to impress your interviewers and land your dream job as a Corporate Controller. Remember, the key to success lies in showcasing your unique strengths, demonstrating your passion for the profession, and conveying your commitment to excellence.
Toptal sourced essential questions that the best interim financial controllers can answer. Driven from our community, we encourage experts to submit questions and offer feedback.
Technical: How do you measure the accuracy of your work?
The candidate should be able to explain cogently a process for ensuring that errors are minimized. This will come down to a mix of technical skills for using spreadsheets and an understanding of how different accounting statements relate to each other. Exceptional candidates do not eschew responsibility, nor pass blame onto others. 2 .
Technical: Explain two differences between IFRS and US GAAP accounting principles.
Among other potential examples: 1. GAAP is rules-based, and IFRS is principles-based. 2. IFRS prohibits the use of last-in, first-out (LIFO) inventory accounting methods, GAAP rules do not. 3. GAAP requires financial statements to include a statement of comprehensive income. This element is optional under IFRS. 3 .
Technical: What changes do you think your job will see in the future, and how are you getting ready to keep up?
This is entirely subjective and can provide clues to the candidate’s vision and ambition. It’s also a less obvious way to see how well they keep up with changes in their field (and their credentials).
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Technically, what are the three most important qualities you would look for in a junior team member?
Assess for a broad mix that has a correct blend of both behavioral and technical qualities. One clear sign of trouble would be answers that show a preference for hiring people who, from a technical or behavioral point of view, would be seen as “unthreatening” to the candidate’s position. 5 .
Technical: How do you check the accuracy of reports that other team members have been given? What is your process for doing this?
An interesting answer stresses the need to give other team members tasks and authority, but makes sure there are enough checks and balances in place. From a technical point of view, precedent/dependent formula auditing and using control sheets in spreadsheets to group assumptions together are clear examples of processes that can be put into action. 6 .
Behavioral: Describe a time when you needed to learn a new product from scratch for controlling purposes.
This question shows how well the candidate can think about and understand how their business makes money, as well as how objective they are. For instance, if their answer includes parts of self-research and sitting with internal product teams, that shows that they question and confirm the basic assumptions that are given to them. 7 .
Behavioral: Tell me about a time when your work helped you find a business problem or chance to make things better. How did you work to communicate and implement this into commercial functions?.
Another way to find out more about the applicant’s business mindset is to see how naturally they want to improve efficiency and strive for commercial excellence, even though their role is usually seen as a process-driven, back-office function. 8 .
Behavioral: Elaborate on your process for prioritizing work.
Pay attention to the criteria used to prioritize work. Good points are when it is assessed based on timing, commercial importance, and spillover benefits to other priorities. When an arbitrary or subjective hierarchy is used, like the seniority of the person the request is for, that would be a bad thing. 9 .
Technical: Teach me something about a feature in Excel that I might not know much about.
The answer can be anything, so long as it’s not a very standard function (i. e. , =SUM) of the software. Pay more attention to how they can explain technical things without pictures and how learning these things helps them save time and/or work faster. 10 .
Behavior: Talk about a time when you had to deal with a difficult or evasive coworker and how you got around the problems.
Controllers may face opposition from members of the commercial team who are eager to meet goals and make deals that only benefit themselves. An effective controller is both inquisitive, persistent, and brave enough to get to the bottom of issues. In their answer, they should stress more on how they worked to settle the disagreement professionally, setting the stage for a better relationship in the future. 11 .
Behavioral: Have you ever been in an ethical situation where you had to do something that was against the rules because someone else had different goals for you?
When controllers try to meet the needs of commercial units while also meeting their duty to file objective accounts, they may find themselves in trouble. Assess for a convincing progression through the STAR framework – situation, task, action, and result. Pay specific attention to action and result aspects, more so over any salacious details of the situation.
A well-thought-out answer will show how the applicant sees ethics in their job and how they handle situations in a way that meets their duty. 12 .
Psychological: How do you stay up to date on the business changes at the company where you work?
Because of new accounting rules and the general growth of the business area they work in, a controller’s job will always be changing. One who stays up to date on policy changes and big trends in the industry shows that they are more of a proactive worker than a reactive follower.
There is more to interviewing than tricky technical questions, so these are intended merely as a guide. Not every good candidate for the job will be able to answer all of them, and answering all of them doesn’t mean they are a good candidate. At the end of the day, hiring remains an art, a science — and a lot of work.
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Questions and answers sent in will be looked over and edited by Toptal, LLC, and may or may not be posted, at their sole discretion.
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER Interview Questions & ANSWERS! (How to PASS a Financial Controller Interview!)
FAQ
How do I prepare for a controller interview?
What makes a good corporate controller?
What are the three main roles of a controller?
What does a corporate controller do?
What questions are asked in a controller interview?
If you’re interviewing for a controller position, you can expect to be asked a range of questions about your experience and skills. To help you prepare, we’ve gathered some of the most common controller interview questions and provided sample answers. 1. Are you familiar with the accounting software programs used in this industry?
What is a controller interview?
In the realm of finance, a Controller interview is not just a platform to showcase your expertise but also a strategic opportunity to evaluate the potential workplace. Asking incisive questions reflects your analytical acumen and demonstrates your proactive stance in understanding the role’s intricacies and the company’s financial landscape.
What skills do you need to be a corporate controller?
Most corporate controllers have master’s degrees in accounting or business administration. In addition, many are certified public accountants (CPAs) or certified management accountants (CMAs), qualifying them to answer your toughest accounting questions. Leadership skills are crucial for this role.
