Interviews are often hard to ace, but that is not because they are designed to trip you up.
They are hard to ace because employers need to find the right person for the job.
The following set of questions and answers will provide you with a better view of what you will be asked during a tax accountant interview:
Tax Accountant Interview Questions and Answers
What were some of the primary duties that you have performed in the position of a tax accountant in the past?
As a tax accountant, it was my duty to make sure that all federal, state, and income tax returns were prepared and filed in a timely manner, devise tax deference strategies, create tax data collection systems, complete tax reporting, coordinate audits with various taxation authorities, prepare tax provision schedules, and recommend tax strategies that align with business goals.
What skills do you believe a tax accountant needs to work at this position in a successful manner?
Apart from possessing the job knowledge associated with taxation, it is essential for a tax accountant to be exceptionally analytic of mind. In addition to this, people working at this position must be excellent in handling the pressure of deadlines, possess considerable attention to detail, and have it in them to work long hours on tax reports.
Where tax matters are concerned, what is your modus operandi to ensure accuracy?
I am a thorough individual, who makes sure that all tax data collection methods and systems are appropriately developed and placed. Additionally, I ensure that I check and recheck all tax entries and reports, and manage comparisons in a way that errors do not transpire.
What is the most challenging problem that you have handled in your career?
One of the companies that I was working with asked me to perform tax handling activities that can only be translated into tax evasion. I tried to reason with them that this will lead them to be found out and disgraced, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. I was asked to either do the needful, or risk being fired. I resigned that very instance. That is probably the most difficult problem that I have had to handle.
What do you find most challenging about tax accounting?
The work in itself is quite challenging on the whole. However, collecting taxation data is quite cumbersome, but I am working on a system to make this process less challenging than it is.
How important do you think farsightedness is while working as a tax accountant?
Being farsighted is extremely important when working as a tax accountant. This is because one needs to forecast tax predictions for the senior management, and track changes related to tax matters.