30 Financial Auditor Interview Questions And Answers

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

I have worked in finance for 10+ years, 5 of which have been in a financial auditor role. Over the years, I have learned much about the work and determined this to be my true calling. I am a great learner, who can go several miles more than expected, in order to ensure that the company’s financial data is safe, and properly audited to ensure integrity.

2. What skills do you possess which make you an excellent individual to hire as a financial auditor?

I am a greatly insightful person, who can find errors and discrepancies immediately. I am well-versed in developing financial controls for different departments, in sync with their specific goals. I am also exceptionally talented in assessing compliance regulations, by executing the right auditing steps. Moreover, you will find me to be an organized individual, who has a great capacity to assess risks and internal controls by identifying non-compliance areas.

3. What is the main duty of a financial auditor?

The main duty of a financial auditor is to plan financial audits by comprehending company objectives, policies, processes, and internal controls. There are several other duties that come under this umbrella, all of which are quite important to the success of auditing work.

4. How do you handle work pressure?

Work pressure is all in a day’s work for me. I organize my work in a way that works pressure does not bother me too much. In fact, a challenging work environment makes me work better than ever.

5. Why do you want to work with us?

I am especially interested in working for you as I see myself contributing and growing immensely. Your organization piques my interest because of its perfect reputation in the industry, and my inherent will to make a difference.

6. Why should we hire you, and not the next candidate?

I feel that I am the best person to hire as a financial auditor because I have solid experience in this regard, and can effectively handle challenging work processes. Since I am experienced in managing financial auditing processes in a company similar to yours, I will not need to be trained too much, saving you both time and resources.

7. How do you handle conflict?

My method to handle conflict is simple – do not let it happen. My teams work in a successful non-conflict environment. Whenever there is even a hint of conflict, I intervene immediately and ensure that it does not escalate. On the rare occasions when incidents have escalated, I have intervened and resolved the issue before it converts into a crisis situation.

8. What has been your biggest accomplishment to date?

I was once working in an organization where financial controls were all over the place. 3 financial auditors had left before I joined, all stating that it was an impossible task to manage. However, I managed to implement auditing processes, ensuring financial data integrity within 6 months.

9. How did you learn about the opening?

I learned about the opening through the careers section of your website. I felt that the work was right down my alley, and I fit into the requirements that you had outlined.

10. Tell me about a time when a team member got angry with you.

I was once working on an auditing plan when a team member got antsy because he felt that he was given too much work. I explained to him that we were battling a deadline and that all of us were overworked. However, he remained in that state and did not listen to me. I had no choice but to let him go.

11. Why do you want to leave your current job?

The company that I am working for is moving operations to another state, but I am unable to relocate at this point. Hence, I have no choice but to leave my job and move on.

12. What is your biggest strength?

My biggest strength is my ability to get along with people from all walks of life.

13. What is your greatest weakness?

My biggest weakness is probably the fact that I am too lenient with my staff. This makes it difficult for me to be taken seriously at times, with people taking advantage of me.

14. What are you doing to overcome this weakness?

I am consciously training myself to be a little firmer so that my authority is not taken non-seriously.

15. What kind of work environment do you like the best?

I love working in environments that are challenging, and where people work together towards a common goal.

16. Have you ever worked in a perfect environment?

Even though I would want to work in a perfect environment, I understand that perfect environments do not exist. But I have been lucky to work in challenging environments, where many people have worked together to achieve common objectives.

17. Tell me about the toughest decision that you have had to make?

I was once asked by a senior financial director to cover up a “small” discrepancy that arose during a financial audit. He was my direct supervisor and had the authority to fire me if I didn’t comply. However, I felt that this was not right since even a small discrepancy added to the overall integrity of financial data. I mulled over it for some time and then decided not to cover it up, even if it meant losing my job.

18. What is your leadership style?

My leadership style is one that involves all individuals working for me. I try to lead by example and ensure that I do not boss people around.

19. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a decision. What happened?

The entire finance team was in a meeting, trying to decide on an auditing strategy. I was not too comfortable with the way it was proposed to be executed, and I pointed it out. The rest of the team was completely in favor of the decision though. Hence, the strategy was implemented. Unfortunately, it did not work as well as the company directors wanted it to, which is why they asked me to modify it.

20. How do you think other people will describe you?

I feel that other people will be mostly praised for me. My coworkers will tell you that I am easy to work with and very helpful. People working under my supervision will describe me as a compassionate individual, with a participatory leadership style. And my supervisors will tell you that I am an excellent worker, with deep insight into finance and accounting work.

21. What do you like to do outside of work?

I have many hobbies, which I have wanted to peruse for the longest time. Up till now, I have only managed to train as a singer, which had been my passion since I was very young. I sing at the Children’s Hospital in a voluntary role over the weekends.

22. Tell me about a time that you failed.

In my initial days in finance, I once failed to see a discrepancy in an audit report, which led to a huge problem with external auditors.

23. How do you prioritize your work?

For me, prioritizing work means doing things that are most important first.

24. What makes you unique?

The fact that I have a solid background in finance in many different areas is what makes me unique.

25. What motivates you?

I am a self-motivated individual and do not depend on external elements to motivate me.

26. What demotivates you?

I am demotivated by micromanagement. Thankfully, I am a positive individual, who knows how to self-motivate, which is why my instances of demotivation are few, and far between.

27. What are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about getting my work done right, and on time.

28. What do you like most about your current position?

I love the fact that I can learn and grow in my present position. This is why I would never have left the work if I could have relocated to another state.

29. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I see myself working as the head of financial auditing within the next few years.

30. Do you have any questions for me?

I am interested in knowing the criteria that you have set for hiring people in the finance and accounting departments, and how you train and induct your employees.