26 Crowe Horwath LLP Interview Questions & Answers
1. An often difficult part about working for Crowe Horwath LLP and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?
How to Answer
In the business consulting world, organizations work with clients that all have different backgrounds, leadership styles, cultures, industries and motivating factors. Consultants hired to come in to these organizations have to possess a chameleon-like ability to ingrain themselves in a new company's culture. For you to be successful in the role that you are interviewing for, you must possess this same ability. In your answer to this question, be sure to point out your fluidity to adapt to new situation in your work by giving an example or two of a time you had to do this to give your interviewer a sense of your ability to be flexible with clients.
1st Answer Example
"During my career to this point, I've been very fortunate to say that I've worked for one employer for over ten years and the experience that I've gained with them is a huge asset to me personally. But even though all of my relevant work experience is with the same employer, I've worked under six different department managers during my time there and each person had their own unique management style and expectations of me. As well, my organization has undergone three mergers in my time there and each merger brought a new and bigger organization to light with new values and culture. Whether it was a manager change or an organization change, I always prioritized openness and asking questions to get to know new processes better. I would bring this approach with each and every new client that I would work with in this role."
2nd Answer Example
"I would liken this role as a Client Manager to working with my customers in my current job. I approach each new customer with an open slated mind while getting to know their motivations, their needs and their expectations of me to help me get a better understanding of how I can best suit them. If hired for this position working with your clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP, this approach would be vital because of the variety of businesses and industries that I would be working with."
2. If you were to join Crowe Horwath LLP in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?
How to Answer
The ability to lead others in project work or any other aspect of a business comes down to the fine details and traits of being a great leader. The experience you have can come from many different areas and can include project management, supervising/managing or even mentoring others. When you answer this question, be sure to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, bring unity, lead by example and empower/teach others and talk about how you will use these skills if hired at Crowe Horwath LLP.
1st Answer Example
"In my current role, I've been asked on numerous occasions to lead finance projects for my organization and I always do so with open arms and an open mind. On a recent project, I pulled together a team that included members of sales, production and upper management. to make this project successful, it was up to me to know each team member's area of expertise and delegate tasks based on their knowledge. A great part of the teams success was due to my ability to lead in a manner that promoted communication among individuals who never had the chance to work together and I accomplished this through fun ice breaking activities with the team and regular email communications outside of our in-person meetings."
2nd Answer Example
"As you can see from my background, I have extensive experience as a Sales Manager and Director and I know that the skills I honed in these roles will transfer nicely to this position. I have always found that leading teams is best accomplished by leading by example and walking the talk that I put out to my staff. I feel that I've also developed great skills in mentoring and coaching my staff and I've been commended on these skills by both sales leadership peers and my team. In this role, I would bring this same approach when working with clients."
3. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
How to Answer
At some point in any person's career, they have to work with a colleague or customer who is extremely difficult. Rather than looking to hear the fine details as to why this person was difficult, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you personally handled the situation and others like it to ensure that a sound relationship was fostered even when you faced difficult circumstances. In your answer, some key things to focus on are your ability to be tolerant, understanding and a great communicator in these situations.
1st Answer Example
"In my current role, I have a customer that flies off the handle very easily if things don't happen just right and I learned this from my first interactions with him. In seeing this happen from the start, I have always maintained a calm demeanor when he was upset and showed empathy by asking questions about his expectations and how to fix situations for him. To this day, I expect difficulty from him when we work together and the years we've had a working relationship together have better prepared me for more clients like him in the future."
2nd Answer Example
"A couple of years ago, a close colleague of mine had a very abrupt turnaround in her attitude and performance on the job. She was very curt and abrasive in conversations when she was normally very talkative and friendly on the job. After noticing some concerns in her work, I approached her with an open mind and asked her what was going on to cause these things to change. I showed concern and approached her as a friend and this approach prompted her to tell me about some issues happening in her personal life. By taking this approach, rather than getting upset or even made with her, I showed her that I cared and valued her as a person and my approach helped her open up and turn her life at work back around to the positive side."
4. Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?
How to Answer
Due to many factors, change is inevitable adn unavoidable for businesses today. Because of this, Crowe Horwath LLP is often sought after to lead change management processes for their clients and the role that you are interviewing for will help facilitate this process with clients. Prior to your interview, think about particular change management processes that you have been a part of and be able to speak to your ability to lead others in making necessary business changes. Make sure to talk about the importance of having a vision, developing a plan and measuring progress as part of the overall change process.
Answer Example
"In my leadership role with my current organization, I have been part of an ongoing change process to optimize our staffing ratio to meet production needs. After being part of a careful analysis process and researching industry standards, we implemented a plan to heavily reduce our administrative staff while bolstering production staff and this was a huge change for our organization. My role in the implementation of the process was to gather data and put together a presentation for our Board and Senior Leadership. As well, I helped prepare both internal and external communications that went out regarding our upcoming changes. As things stand today, we have been in continuous review of new processes and things are going great! This involvement has helped prepare me for helping others manage significatn change in their business processes."
User-Submitted Answer
"In my previous job, I was part of a change process of switching over IT systems. All of the employees had to adjust to this new system of retrieving data, and it was a tricky transition. The system's purpose was to combine our two previous methods into one to make recovering data a smoother and easier process. My role was in aiding the other employees on how to find data they needed and communicate with my managers of any improvements we could make on the system. The new system was not accepted at first, but now the employees see the value in it, and it is running efficiently. My involvement has helped me accept change and to help others not resist new technology as well."
Written by an Anonymous User
Our Professional Interview Coach
Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
A perfectly crafted answer - well done! It's great that you describe the situation, discuss what the pain point was, outline your involvement, and then move onto the positive result.
5. Being successful in consulting and working here at Crowe Horwath LLP requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?
How to Answer
To first understand this question, it is important that you know that Type A personalities are exemplified by being competitive, motivated, organized and goal driven, among many other traits. These traits often lead to success in high level roles within organizations and your chances of working with this personality type are high. Think of a time you worked with a typical Type A personality and explain the methods you used to ensure that you had a sound and successful working relationship. Make sure that your interview walks away knowing that you can work effectively with difficultly driven individuals with high expectations.
1st Answer Example
"For the last six years, I have worked under your prototypical type A personality as my director. Being a self admitted type B, being under my new director was difficult at first. For me to be successful under her and for our relationship to flourish, I learned quickly that she liked me to regularly communicate timelines for projects and give updates when necessary as she was very time driven. As well, small talk and getting to know me personally wasn't a priority so our communications to this day are pretty succinct and to the point. In this role, I would feel very comfortable with working with high level type A's because of my firsthand experience."
2nd Answer Example
"If you haven't been able to tell during my interview so far, I am a type A personality myself. My personality has helped me become very successful as a Financial Analyst. Having had formal training in the different personality types, I know that I need to take a meticulous approach when working with other type A personalities. My current team is loaded with type A's and regular communication is key in ensuring that expectations are clear and timelines are being met. If hired for this position, I would know my place in working with leaders from clients and I can easily be both cognizant of my approach and have the ability to put my desire to be in the lead aside with them when needed."
6. How do you ensure accuracy and completeness in accounting records?
How to Answer
For this question, pull from your experience working with accounting records to give your interviewer the sense that you understand why accurate records are important and how common mistakes occur. Talk about tools and tactics that you've used or would use to ensure that the numbers you'll be basing decision off of in this role and accurate and complete because your clients will rely on it.
1st Answer Example
"In the world of accounting and bookkeeping, one small financial error on the data entry side of things can spin off an entire web of negative consequences. Because of this, I've always taken pride in being thorough in the integrity of data and the accuracy of final reports. To ensure accuracy, I use a systematic approach of first following all procedures and formats for data entry. Then, I use a thorough reconciliation process to verify information once entered. It is always important to rely on sound record keeping procedures for the reconciliation process. In this role, I fully understand that I'd be working with clients and relying on their prior ability to keep accurate records. I feel an important piece that I'd bring to the table here is educating clients on the importance and need for accuracy on the accounting end of their business."
2nd Answer Example
"In today's digital world, I've trained on and worked with several of the large accounting software programs like Sage, GnuCash and QuickBooks. All modern programs have the sophistication of helping businesses organize their finances and accounting books and I would bring a great ability to train clients on the use of these programs. But, these programs are only as effective as the data going into the programs so data entry and data integrity are vital to end result. To ensure data integrity, each business needs a checklist of vital information that is unique to their situation and the checklist should include items like bank account balances, inventory, accounts receivable, loan payables and total assets. I've witnessed too many organizations miss critical components in their accounting processes and I'd be able to work effectively with the clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP to build their accounting inventories for future use."
7. At Crowe Horwath LLP, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?
How to Answer
As a business advisory and consulting firm, Crowe Horwath LLP works with Managers, Directors, CEO's, CFO's, CAO's and leaders with other titles on all of our projects. Your role will likely involve working closely with these leaders. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable in working with the leadership team of the organization's clients by having you talk about your experience. Make sure that the examples you provide include some details on how you worked effectively to get the job done with the leaders you worked with.
1st Answer Example
"In my current role, I work directly under our Chief Financial Officer and sit on a couple of different committees that our Chief Executive Officer is on. Under the direction of my CFO, we have a great working relationship. I am comfortable approaching him at any moment with questions or to bring forward new ideas. He is aware of my strengths and respects my opinions on matters in my wheelhouse, so he never hesitates to come to me with important things. I think the keys to our strong relationship are the respect we show for each other and our open lines of communication."
2nd Answer Example
"Throughout my career, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with employees at all levels of the organizations that I've worked with. To me, working effectively with anyone requires a personal touch and a respectful approach. Whether I work with front line sales staff or members of the C-Suite, I take the time to get to know the person, their job and how I can best be of help to them in my role. This approach really helped me build a relationship with a Sales Executive that a few of my colleagues had struck out with in recent interactions."
8. If you are hired for this position here at Crowe Horwath LLP, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?
How to Answer
For this question, you can showcase your research that you've done on both Crowe Horwath LLP and the role you are interviewing for by being upfront and honest about what you feel would be the biggest learning curve for you if hired for the position and giving your plan for how you would approach this hurdle. In your answer, make sure that you highlight your skills and abilities in making a molehill out of a mountain on your way to success in this role.
1st Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, most of my career experience is in the food industry. If fortunate enough to be hired for this position, the biggest area for learning for me would be the finance side of other industries like technology, telecommunications and healthcare. From day one, I would begin by thoroughly research the clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP and speaking with as many industry experts that I know through business networking. While learning the ins and outs of other industries is the biggest learning curve for me, I see it as a great opportunity for me to become more proficient and effective in the work that I'd be doing for you."
2nd Answer Example
"While this may sound funny to you at first, I think the biggest challenge for me from the start will be adapting to the great corporate lifestyle and culture here at Crowe Horwath LLP. When I saw this position being open for applicants and I did my research, I was extremely excited to hear about the flexibility and openness to the ideas of your staff members. I've been working for six years in an environment that is very opposite of an open culture for new ideas and for me personally, it will feel foreign for me to bring new ideas to the team here and have them be accepted."
9. Let's say you were working with a client that was facing a decision of cutting production to limit risk in their market. What would be some of the steps you would take to help them analyze their situation?
How to Answer
The sole purpose of a question like this is to make you as the interviewer think on your feet. You may or may not have direct experience with the situation that is proposed and that is where the interviewer is looking for your ability to stay calm, cool and collected as you would have to with a potential client. In the best way you can, take a logical approach to walking your interviewer how you approach this situation with a potential client. Point out the resources that you would use to highlight your ability to solve a problem.
Answer Example
"From a 10,000 foot overview, I would first seek to understand if the client has done their homework in market research to find out the supply and demand for their product. Knowing that production is based on demand, I'd offer a helping hand as their consultant wherever I could. If it was determined that production would need to be cut, the next step would be to help them walk through the process of determining labor needs in their production facility at that point and what future projections would look like. I feel that my role would be coordinating all of the key decisions makers in the organization during this process."
10. In what ways would our clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP benefit from your knowledge and services?
How to Answer
This question is your chance to talk about the unique skills and knowledge that you would bring to Crowe Horwath LLP and that is exactly what your interviewer is looking to hear. In your answer, keep your focus centered on how clients of the organization will benefit from the things that you bring to their table because Crowe Horwath LLP is client focused in all that they do. To be effective with this answer, be sure to do your research on the clients at Crowe Horwath LLP and think about how your experience will be beneficial for them.
1st Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, I have extensive experience in risk management in the healthcare industry. Having worked with some major players in the industry, your healthcare clients would benefit the most from the experience and solutions I could help provide them. Not to leave other industries out, I think my experience in the healthcare realm will also translate nicely to your clients in other areas of the private sector."
2nd Answer Example
"Having worked in accounting and tax law in a few different industries during my career to this point, I also have the unique experience of creating new organizational policies and procedures in my current role. In hearing more about this role, I think this experience would be very beneficial for your clients as I would be helping advise them in their practices and creating new policy would be crucial in that process."
11. Working with our clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?
How to Answer
When a consultant comes into an organization to help better an aspect of their business, there are many factors that can lead to initial conflicts with the consultant and their firm. Big egos not wanting a fresh new face and the fear of change are inevitable in this business and your interviewer wants to hear that you have the experience and ability to handle inevitable conflict that will come your way if hired for the position. While obviously rating yourself highly in this area, try to talk about a time where you handled difficult conflict on the job with ease.
1st Answer Example
"In my role as a Project Manager with a large private organization, one of my first steps on any new project is setting a budget. Last year, I was leading the effort on a project focused on waste reduction in our manufacturing facilities. In the initial meetings for new projects, our CFO is always involved so she has a high-level overview of what the project will entail. In the meeting, she immediately berated me for the initial budget that I was proposing and vehemently insisted that the amount just wasn't correct or feasible. Rather than taking offense to her thoughts, I wanted to make sure that she, and the rest of the group, had a solid understanding of all that was taken into consideration for setting the budget. After I explained and showed line by line what the proposed budget broke down to, she was very thankful and didn't realize that team member labor was part of that equation. I think that my ability to understand why she was conflicted and my ability to keep a calm, cool head in that situation was vital and a perfect reason for me rating myself high on my conflict resolution skills."
2nd Answer Example
"From my call center days, I think I developed great conflict resolution skills where I would rate myself an 8 out of 10. Handling customers who were upset about a product or service they received required a calm tone, an educational approach and the ability to not take things too personally. If hired for this position, I would be able to bring this same approach to the client of Crowe Horwath LLP."
12. In this role with Crowe Horwath LLP, how would you evaluate a new client's financial position?
How to Answer
This questions gives you the opportunity to both show some of your experience and knowledge in the field while also showing that you may be able to bring a creative approach to working with new clients. Talk about your personal experiences in evaluating financial situations for organizations you have worked for and be upfront about what you have experience doing and what you haven't been a part of in the larger grand scheme of things. Give your answer a personal touch by talking about the key stakeholders you'd have to work with at the client and how you'd go about building trust with them.
1st Answer Example
"If I were assigned a new client in this role, the first logical step would be to analyze their current financial performance to see where initial improvements and/or work would need to be done. My first goal would be to meet with key leaders and finance staff for both fact finding on my end and for me to explain my processes as the consultant. This process would also help build rapport with those that I will be working with. From there, my approach would be to review the company's balance sheet. Here, I could get detail on the assets and liabilities of the company and be able to calculate their current ratio. From there, a solid plan of action can be outlined."
2nd Answer Example
"From my experience, there are some key measures that are critical in measuring an organization's financial health. First off would be liquidity to measure the organization's ability to handle short-term debt. If an organization isn't financially sound in the short-term, they can't possibly be in the long-term. If things check out on that end, the next important pieces to gauging financial health for an organization would be to look at and measure their operating efficiency and profitability to ensure that they are built for the long haul. As you can see from my experience, I'd bring a strong ability to work with the clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP in these areas."
13. A key component to success here at Crowe Horwath LLP is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?
How to Answer
The fast paced world of business consulting requires the ability to build relationship after relationship with all of the clients that you will potentially be working with. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you build relationships with new people from the first time you interact with them. In your answer, talk about how you gain and build trust with new people and explain how the little things in your initial interactions go a long way toward building long lasting working relationships.
Answer Example
"I am a firm believer that success in any role I've played in my career was due in part to the relationships that I've built in those roles. Whenever I have the chance to work with a new colleague or a new customer, my approach is to create an initial connection with them to build trust. After that point, my interpersonal skills take over through active listening. I use my listening skills to learn about the motivating factors and needs of the person that I will be working with and this helps mold that respect and trust between us even more. I think this approach would be very critical in working with new clients on a regular basis here at Crowe Horwath LLP and I'd love the opportunity to bring these skills to the table for you."
14. Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What would be your approach to help you learn the ins and outs of a new client?
How to Answer
Crowe Horwath LLP contracts with businesses in different industries for their services and it is likely that your job would require you to learn the fine details of each business that you would work with. Demonstrate your ability to be flexible by giving examples of times you've had to do this during your career. As well, describe the approach that you would take to get the know the businesses you would be working with so you can apply your knowledge and expertise toward helping them.
1st Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, I've been in corporate training and education for over ten years. In my current role, I have to use similar techniques working with different departments to try and tailor programs that meet their specific needs. I feel that my current approach of hosting an intake meeting with leaders would be effective in a consulting role with external customers. The current intake meetings that I lead are an opportunity for me to ask questions and learn as much as I can about my customers. In turn, it is an opportunity for me to lay the groundwork for the project and set expectations. Do you see this as an effective approach for this role?"
2nd Answer Example
"Having worked in quality roles for most of my career in both the private and public sectors, I think my career experiences have shaped me well for this role. Transitioning to a consultative role would definitely be a transition for me and the biggest transition will be this need to work in many different industries. For me, researching clients, their business and their industry will be the first step to my approach in learning about them. I want to make a great first impression when I am face to face with a new client and that first impression starts with my knowledge. Then, my openness and ability to communicate would take over when I am working directly with clients. I know the right questions to ask for laying out quality initiative projects and I know the right things to educate clients on."
15. When have you been on a team project that failed? What did you learn from that experience?
How to Answer
Crowe Horwath LLP wants to be successful in all that they do; however, there will be times when plans fall apart, and a project flops. The interviewer would like to know how you respond to situations that do not go your way.
We all experience perceived fails in our career. Failure is nothing to be embarrassed about so do not hesitate to describe a failure you've experienced in the past.
The key to a great answer is to include how you learned from that failure, and how you improved your work performance after learning from the crash.
Try to keep your example non-critical; for instance, avoid telling the interviewer how your team forgot to take into consideration vital tax laws and costed the organization a lot of money in penalties. Avoid blaming any particular person and instead, use words like 'we' and 'team' to describe the situation.
Finally, be sure to tell the interviewer that, while you were very disappointed in the group's failure, you took the opportunity to learn from the experience.
1st Answer Example
"Fortunately, all of the team based projects I have been a part of during my time as a Financial Auditor have been successful. But, I can dig back to my college days to find a great example. During my senior year, I was part of a team that was presenting on the financial burdens that small businesses are facing with changing technology. As the leader of my team, I neglected to follow up on the progress of the work of my entire team and, on the project presentation day, one team member failed to show up or get us his part of the presentation. With the rest of the team having great improv skills, we had to ad lib that part of the presentation and I think we did pretty good. I know now that if I'm leading a project team, frequent touch points with team members is key to ensuring deadlines are met."
2nd Answer Example
"I am currently in final stages of obtaining my Brokers' Licence for this State. I am certified in (name of the previous state you resided in). I will be fully certified and ready to go by the end of this month, which is very exciting for me!"
16. What two to three traits do you have that will lead to success in a consulting role with Crowe Horwath LLP?
How to Answer
Your interviewer will be able to gain a very solid sense of your technical abilities as a financial advisor in the consulting world based off of your work history. What they are trying to dig deeper into with this question are your interpersonal skills and personality traits that will make you trusted, respected and effective with clients of their organization. Prior to your interviewer, be prepared to speak to your abilities in communicating effectively, relationship building and any other personality traits you feel make you the right fit for this job.
1st Answer Example
"To be honest, one of my motivations to branch out and seek a position in the business consulting world is my desire to work with others. My ability to relate to people and build strong relationships has been emphasized throughout my career to this point, but I don't get enough of that interaction in the private business world right now. If hired for this position, your clients here at Crowe Horwath LLP will not only benefit from my skills as a Financial Analyst, but also through the relationships we build and my ability to relate quickly with them."
2nd Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, I bring a strong breadth on knowledge and experience in the accounting and finance fields. But what I really think will set me apart from other candidates you are interviewing are my work ethic, my wide range of experiences in the field and my ability to take an empathetic approach with clients. I'm a very motivated person in the work that I perform and I'd love to bring this motivation here to Crowe Horwath LLP to help your clients. On top of that, I know I will be working with some clients that are facing financial hardship and my ability to show empathy and put myself in the client's shoes would be very beneficial to them."
17. What kind of people do you enjoy working with?
How to Answer
Culture fit is a critical factor when looking for a new position. Talk to the interviewer about the types of personalities that you best work with. Be sure to remain positive and avoid using this as an opportunity to speak poorly of previous colleagues.
1st Answer Example
"I best enjoy working with individuals who are driven, positive, energetic, and take accountability for their work. I do have the ability to work with a large variety of individuals; however, these are the ideal traits I would see in future colleagues."
2nd Answer Example
"Some other great characteristics of co-workers:
- Encouraging
- Helpful
- Engaged
- Positive
- Hard-working
- Punctual
- Reliable"
18. What ideas have you created in the last year that benefited your current or former employer?
How to Answer
Innovation, change, involvement, and team collaboration are all characteristics important to Crowe Horwath LLP as they make their hiring decisions. The interviewer would like to know if your creative side has benefitted your employer in any way. Talk to the interviewer about a recent time when you have helped your employer through your creative thinking. This type of involvement also shows that you are highly engaged when it comes to your work.
1st Answer Example
"I'm a creator by nature and constantly thinking up new ways to benefit the organization and improve processes. Most recently, I saw a gap in the new hire training and created a practice to teach new team members the information they need to be equipped and successful on the job. We continue to build upon it with training materials and incorporation of top talent into the program as mentors."
2nd Answer Example
"It's funny; they say people in medicine are 'lifelong learners'. But on top of that, we're in this digital revolution, and everyone has to learn new software all the time. I'm finally getting old enough to realize that its difficult to be constantly adapting. I think my 75-year-old aunt telling me how to use my iPhone helped me appreciate that it's all about humility. Not WHO is teaching you, but if you are willing to learn. In the medical context, I just took an updated CPR course, and it went from the 2:15 compressions to continuous compressions and I had to adapt to avoid my past way of thinking."
19. What tools and programs are you comfortable and experienced working on that would help you in this role with Crowe Horwath LLP?
How to Answer
As business technology has increased over time, the business analytics field has flourished with great tools becoming more easily available. Your interviewer is looking to get a sense of what programs you have familiarity working with and, on top of that, how fluent and efficient you are in using those tools. Be sure to touch on programs/tools that touch effective communication, project management and modelling/visualization and highlight the fact that you are proficient in and open to learning new programs if needed.
1st Answer Example
"As a proficient user and fan of the Microsoft Office Suite, I am very proficient using all of the pieces of the suite. I rely on Outlook for email communications, calendar appointments and managing daily and weekly tasks. I regularly use the Visio tool for diagramming and Excel for tracking purposes. In preparation for this interview, I've been researching common requirements management tools like Rational Requisite Pro and I feel confident in my technical abilities to learn and utilize a new business analyst program."
2nd Answer Example
"As a trained IT professional looking to breakthrough into the analytics field, you can be assured that I have a wide breadth of experience working with many different programs and tools. On top of the normal Microsoft Office programs, I've worked on email programs like Zimbra and Mailbird for communications and am comfortable learning any new system. I think one unique aspect I can bring to Crowe Horwath LLP is my experience working with SQL database management and queries."
20. Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?
How to Answer
Success in business consulting is most often measured in the achievement of goals for clients and for this question, your interviewer will ideally be looking to hear that you are driven by goals and that you have the ability to set them as well. In your answer, give your interviewer the sense that you are goal oriented by giving an example or two of a time where you set and worked towards a goal as part of a team effort. Explain your part in the achievement of the goals and your ability to stay focused on the end result.
1st Answer Example
"If hired for this position, one of the first things that you'll learn about me is that I am very driven to succeed in all that I do on the job. For me, personal drive definitely centers around goals and my desire to achieve them. I have the focus to set goals myself and to work towards goals that are set by my organization, my leaders or my customers and I would bring this ability with each client that I work with here at Crowe Horwath LLP."
2nd Answer Example
"I would definitely say that I am goal oriented in the work that I do on a daily basis. In project management, I work off of both time related goals and production related goals and these really drive my daily tasks and my delegation of responsibilities to other team members. If given the opportunity to come work for Crowe Horwath LLP, my clients would greatly benefit from my ability to both set and achieve goals with them."
21. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?
How to Answer
Coming to work for a consulting business requires the ability to work as part of a larger team on the projects you will be heading. Teamwork in this setting requires versatility and your interviewer will be looking to hear that you have that versatility in your answer to this question. Many times, you will be taking the bull by the horns and leading the way. Other times, you will be the worker bee researching behind the scenes. You may be tasked with being the organizer of projects behind the scenes as well. Make sure that you highlight your ability to be flexible when working as part of a team here.
1st Answer Example
"I am really comfortable working in any role within a team and I think my experiences throughout my career demonstrate this well. At many times in my career, I've been the legwork of team operations and have easily taken direction on projects and been able to hit pre-established deadlines. As well, I've lead many projects and have shown my ability to lead others in a team effort and the ability to delegate tasks and set milestones for projects. If hired for this position, you can be rest assured that I have the ability to be a key team players with your clients in helping better their business."
2nd Answer Example
"From a very young age in my career, I've always been a natural leader in a team based environment. My excellent communication skills, honesty, critical thinking and decision making skills have proven time and time again that I can lead others in the most effective way possible. And while being a leader comes naturally to me, I can easily let others take the lead on projects."
22. Tell me about the most rewarding experience you have had, working in a team environment. What made it so rewarding?
How to Answer
Most of the projects you will work on for Crowe Horwath LLP will have a teamwork component. Whether you are collaborating with an analytics team, the accounting department, or key leaders of your clients, you will be required to have well-honed teamwork skills. The interviewer wants to hear that you enjoy, and feel accomplished through teamwork. Talk about a time when you felt fulfilled through a team setting or project collaboration.
An example may be a time when you worked on a team project in University or a recent data project team on the job. Discuss the results of the teamwork and how you attained a positive outcome as a group.
1st Answer Example
"The position I am currently in has been my first experience leading a team. We have knocked some seriously complicated projects out of the park, becoming the pacesetters for many technical product launches. It's been exciting to see everyone flourish and I am happy to see everyone succeed. It's encouraging and exhilarating."
2nd Answer Example
"I am very much self-driven and self-motivated. As long as I am being treated with respect and feel appreciated, you will get the best work from me."
23. As a consultant with Crowe Horwath LLP, you will be relied upon to build trust with our clients as you work with them on financial stability and well-being. What would be your tactics to build trust from the start with a new client?
How to Answer
This role with Crowe Horwath LLP will entail you working with clients and learning about their financial status as an organization. You'll work with high level leaders with your clients and a key component to them accepting and opening up to you as their consultant will be trust. Let your interviewer know that you understand the importance of building trust with their clients and talk about the little things that you'd do to build rapport and trust with the clients that you'd be working with. If you have an example of a trusting relationship you've built during your career, don't hesitate to talk about the relationship and why it was important.
1st Answer Example
"In this role, I think it will be extremely important for me to demonstrate my value to my clients from the start and I would do this by using examples of prior successes and by projecting my knowledge in the financial world to them. By ensuring that they know I am a subject matter expert, they will be more willing to open up and be honest with me from the start and that is the only way we will be able to get places together in our client-consultant relationship. Moving forward from there, communication will be of utmost importance. I am a firm believer in regular updates on the progress of my work and I wouldn't hesitate to give updates to any of the key stakeholders that work for my clients."
2nd Answer Example
"In the consultation world of finance, I think the key components to building rapport with clients would be a positive attitude and a genuine focus on their business. From the start with a new client, I would strive to know their business and put forth an effort to show that I am invested in their processes and successes just as much as an employee of the organization. This investment really suits my personality as I can only do a top-notch job if I am personally invested in a project."
24. How do you stay organized and on track when working on a long-term project?
How to Answer
Working for Crowe Horwath LLP in the role you are interviewing for will require an innate ability to manage projects from conception to final implementation. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you have the ability to maintain organization to meet deadlines and customer expectations. Talk about your personal methods for organizing project work and give any examples that you have of your methods being successful. In the consulting and advisory industry, customer satisfaction and word of mouth are integral to success and growth of a business and effective project management is key in satisfaction.
1st Answer Example
"I really pride myself on my ability to multitask and my ability to stay organized in key in multitasking. For me personally, organization starts with using technology to my advantage and I do this through the use of my Outlook calendar and tasks functions. I take time each day to update my tasks and project work and use my ability to prioritize tasks to ensure that the right things are being worked on. In looking to bring these skills to long-term project work with your clients, staying organized and on task will be extremely important for the success of both Crowe Horwath LLP and your clients."
2nd Answer Example
"In my work, the ability to stay organized and on track comes down to having a plan of attack for each project and keeping track of the plan as milestones are hit. If you are familiar with the program Trello, it really helps me organize all of the components of the projects that I work on and give me the ability to track who is doing what, what deadlines are coming and what milestones have been hit. But even with a great program like this, I always have the ability to re-prioritize due dates and new tasks as needed with any project."
25. Give an example of a finance project that you worked on during your career. What was the project, what role did you play on the project team and what was the outcome of the project?
How to Answer
For this question, your interviewer is looking to find out a couple different things about you and your work style based on how you answer this question. First, they'll be looking to gauge your ability to work as part of a larger team. Make sure your example involved an aspect of teamwork. Next, they'll be looking to gain insight on your ability to manage a project from start to finish so make sure that you example provides a sense of that ability.
Answer Example
"With my current organization, my Analyst role finds me working on some great projects and I'd love to bring that experience to the consulting world here at Crowe Horwath LLP. Recently, I lead a project that revamped my organization's forecasting out to ten years. Appointed as the lead on this project, my first task was to gather relevant team members from engineering, sales, production and leadership. From there, I spent a good amount of time and effort education the newly assemble project team on the importance of and the process for accurate forecasting. As the project concluded, we now have numbers forecasted out that far and it is helping our budgeting and planning immensely."
26. Creativity and innovation are key competencies at Crowe Horwath LLP. What does the word 'innovation' mean to you?
How to Answer
The term 'innovation' is often overused in business these days and has now become a buzzword that many people don't fully understand. The interviewer would like to know what you feel innovation indeed is. Include an example of a time when you have witnessed an innovative change in the workplace, or when you have exercised creativity.
Answer Example
"To me, being innovative means being a creative person in everything that you do. I like to think differently than the norm, then present ideas to my employer that go against the grain, yet have the opportunity to be highly successful. For instance, in my current role, I unrolled some sales copy concepts that incorporated NLP, or neuro-linguistic programming techniques. The scripts were well-received by the leaders in my organization for being creative and innovative."