Have you ever had a time where you had to explain accounting processes or practices in layman's terms to someone? Why is the ability to do that important?

"In our world, financial terms and principles are almost second nature to us and it can be easy to take the knowledge we have for granted when talking with others. Last year, my current organization hired a new CEO that came from the sales side of the business and he was an extreme work in progress when it came to the financial and accounting side of the business. I took the time to sit down and explain our financial statements to him and get him used to the acronyms that are often used in our accounting department's email communications to leadership. He was very appreciative of my efforts and he really did catch on quickly moving forward in his new role."

For people outside of the finance and accounting world, methods and terms can often be very confusing and part of your work with Wipfli LLP may entail your ability to explain things in the simplest of terms to the leadership staff and employees of organizations that you will work with. If you have a specific time where you had to do this, discuss in detail how you did that and why you felt it was important to do that. Be sure to explain that accounting principles can be hard to grasp and that educating others is a part of your work that you take great pride in.

"As I understand the business here at Wipfli LLP, I would have the opportunity to work as an accounting consultant with businesses both large and small. Through my career, I've had the ability work with leaders from many departments to talk about and explain accounting processes and how their job impacts the work of an accounting department. During these times, it was very important to relate things to the person's work in the easiest way possible. I have a lot of great experience in explaining things like ledgers and income statements to leaders so they can understand things in a way that is simple for them. This ability would translate nicely to the work I would be doing here with your clients."

Sometimes with our clients here at Wipfli LLP, we have to think outside the box when helping them develop a strategic plan. Do you have an example of a time where you thought outside of the box in developing a strategic plan?

"As the leader of the strategic growth committee of my employer right out of college, I felt that it was important to solicit feedback from employees as we looked to create and implement our first ever strategic plan. I created an idea box where employees were prompted to write down any ideas anonymously for what they though would be helpful in creating an outward looking success strategy. I communicated to employees through email, team meetings and a company newsletter. After three months, our committee went through every suggestion in the box and brainstormed which ideas could be implemented into our strategy. In the end, we felt that we received many great thoughts and ideas that we likely wouldn't have come up with on our own."

In today's day and age, conventional thinking can only get organizations so far as they develop strategic plans for the future. With competition, demand and needs for success keeping people focused on day to day routine in their work, it is oftentimes necessary to think outside of the box when looking to develop a strategic plan. Talk about a time that you used a unique and unconventional tactic in the development of a strategic plan. Why do you consider that method thinking outside of the box?

"I personally believe that way too many organizations only look internally when developing a strategic plan when they should also be soliciting feedback from customers, stakeholders and/or the general public as well. Last year when working with a regional grocery retailer, I utilized public focus groups to really delve into the minds of consumers to aid in creating a strategic plan. While wanting to get as much relevant information as possible from the focus groups, a great deal of thought was put into the questions that were asked of the focus group."

At Wipfli 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?

"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."

As a business advisory and consulting firm, Wipfli 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.

"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."

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?

"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?"

Wipfli 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.

"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."

Give an example of a time that you brought an innovation to an accounting practice for an organization. What was your motivation to do this?

"Two years ago, I led the charge for my organization to integrate all of our systems together. Of course selfishly, my intent was to positively impact our accounting department by integrating our CRM and ERP systems into our accounting system. After walking through a stringent request for proposal process where we looked at many different vendors, a new interactive system was chosen that every department in the organization could work off of. To this day, we are still seeing the benefits in sales, production and finance. While struggles certainly happened at first with implementing new systems, the small headaches were well worth the benefits we are seeing now."

With this being a pretty open ended question, your interviewer is allowing you to have the opportunity to showcase your ability to think creatively and outside the box when it comes to your accounting experience. Whether you implemented a new technology or developed new processes to work more efficiently, make sure that your interviewer walks away knowing that you are an innovator in your work.

"When I took my current position six years ago, I began leading a finance department ten people. At that time, my employees were what I considered to be jacks of all trades, but masters of none as they were all doing different accounting and finance tasks with the departments that they worked directly with. Within a couple of months as the manager, it was easy to see that different processes among my employees were causing major troubles. Immediately, I created new job descriptions and placed my staff into task specific roles within the finance department. There were struggles with staff learning to work with new departments at first, but a focused work effort for each individual made our department much more fluent and efficient for our internal and external customers."

What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Wipfli LLP?

"At this point in my career, I feel like I have really maxed out my capabilities in my current role as the IT Director with my current organization. Over the past two or three years, I've found so much fulfillment in my work when I've been helping others and providing education to them that I've narrowed my job search down to the IT consulting field. The prospect of helping other IT departments grow and become more efficient under my consultation is an adventure that I would love to embark on here at Wipfli LLP!"

Anytime the question regarding why you want to join the company is asked, it is very important to do your research on the organization and the position you are interviewing for so you can match your skills and desires to the job. In your answer here, be sure that you also speak to the potential move to a consultative type role if this will be the first time for you with a consulting organization. Be sure to highlight your qualities that make you an ideal fit for the job.

"As I've grown in my role in the Training & Education department with my current employer, I've gravitated toward leadership development and succession planning with my organization and I'd like to bring these skills to work here at Wipfli LLP as this position fits right in that mold. Using my experience and knowledge, you'll quickly find that I have a great ability to work alongside and train the top level executives with your clients in a manner that is professional and effective at the same time. My experiences in both healthcare and manufacturing sound like they'd fit well with your client base as well."

What would be the initial steps that you would take when evaluating the financial situation for a client of Wipfli LLP?

"As an experienced wealth planner and financial advisor, my first goal with new clients is to build trust right from our first meeting together. I take a little bit of time to talk about my knowledge, experience and my ultimate goals for any client. From there, I open the door for clients to talk about their situation and their future goals. I listen to them attentively and reflectively listen to their thoughts to truly understand their needs. Once I have this solid base of where they want to be, I can craft a solid plan for them. As you can see, I submitted several professional references from clients that I have served in the past and they would all be willing to talk about my ability to provide a trusting service to them."

If hired for this position with Wipfli LLP, you will be expected to be a trusted financial advisor for very high profile clients. Based on your experience, talk about how you begin the process of discovering the needs of your clients. No matter how you answer the question, be sure to highlight your ability to listen to others, ask follow up questions and put those thoughts into action. The position you are interviewing for relies on a heavy dose of trust with your clients, so any of your techniques used to build rapport and trust with your clients is equally important as well.

"If hired for this position and given the opportunity to work with clients on their financial planning needs, my first step with new clients would be to have a Q&A session where I can learn about their history, their finances and their plans for the future. The Q&A session would allow the client to ask questions of me as well. At the end of the initial session together, a foundation of trust is built and I let my excellent customer service and knowledge lead the rest of the way with the client."

As we work with clients on assessing potentials mergers and/or acquisition, valuation is an important skills to possess. How would you go about placing a value on an organization for a client?

"First and foremost, my valuation method would be strictly dependent on the business and industry that I was consulting in. A majority of my experience in mergers and acquisitions has come in the manufacturing industry. In manufacturing, I have used the discounted cash flow model to properly value small operations and an important factor in this method was future forecasting. In each situation that I used this method, my clients saw significant growth and value in their purchases based on the work that I had done."

As you look to join the ranks at Wipfli LLP, this question is giving your interviewer the chance to look into your technical skills that you could bring to their clients. For your answer, talk about your ability to take measure of cash flows, revenues, price/earnings ratios and other factors to value a company. Another aspect to keep in mind when answering question is the methods that are most common for a valuing a particular industry. Prior to your interview, try to do as much research as possible on Wipfli LLP and the typical clients that they serve.

What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?

"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."

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.

"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."

What customer service skills would you be able to bring as a tax preparer for the clients here at Wipfli LLP? Why is providing strong customer service important to you?

"Working with companies on their finances is often a private and sensitive topic. Because of that, I take an active listening and educational approach with my clients by first laying out my goals for them and then hearing their thoughts to work towards a common goal. As in any job, communication is key to setting expectations for the work that I do and hearing what my clients expect from me. If you would contact any of my professional references, who are clients that I've worked with in the past, they won't hesitate to talk about my excellent customer service skills."

Wipfli LLP works hand in hand with businesses in their financial worlds and you as a consultant will be expected to provide great customer service to clients. In tax preparation, customer service comes in your ability to communicate and pay attention to detail to give the clients the best value and cost savings possible. For your answer, give your own personal touch to describe your customer service skills that you would bring to the team at Wipfli LLP and don't hesitate to give any personal examples from your work history that demonstrate those skills.

"As a tax professional, my customer service starts with my expertise in areas where most clients are very under-educated. I take the time to educate my clients about my processes in preparing their taxes, what my expectations are from them to help in the process and what they can expect from me throughout our time in process together. The clients that I work with appreciate the education and setting of expectations because it helps us work together more wisely and efficiently as we lower their tax burden."

As a consultant here at Wipfli LLP, you will have the opportunity to work with many accounting departments on tax filing for their business. When called upon, how would you go about verifying the accuracy of an accounting department?

"In any tax consulting project, data verification and sampling is of utmost importance to me and a step I would ensure happens with every client here at Wipfli LLP. Depending on the accounting and finance department's books and how they are kept, my data verification could be as simple as printing documents and verifying samples against filed information or running the data verification through a program. I have extensive experience running both methods of data verification and wouldn't hesitate to use either with the clients here."

No matter the size of the business and their accounting department, human error can lead to costly mistakes down the road if accuracy is not verified on the financial statements and books of a company that you would be consulting in this role. In your answer, talk specifically about your methods for verifying data entry and make it clear to your interviewer that this a step that you do not take lightly or overlook.

"I fully realize that my work in advising businesses on their tax filings comes down to verifying their income statements, balance sheet and cash flow statements. To verify, I would have to work with leaders in reconciling their financial statements with bank records, credit card statement, invoices, receipts and any other documents that show physical proof on financial statements. Realizing that this can sometimes be a difficult task with businesses that don't keep accurate records, have segregated finance departments or multiple physical locations, I would leave no stone unturned in this initial verification process with your clients."

What logical steps would you take following an internal audit process with our clients here at Wipfli LLP?

"Through my time working with different financial auditors, the follow-up to an audit is often overlooked as most people look to move onto the next project. In reality, clients look for the follow up report to learn and grow from their audit experience and this is a part of the process that I take great pride in. My writing skills are tailored to be to the point and clear in my findings. Without having my head get too bogged down in other work, I write and submit reports to leadership in a very timely manner following the completion of an audit."

If hired for this position, your work as an auditor with Wipfli LLP doesn't end when the audit is done. Clients expect follow-up in the form of written reporting. Talk about your ability to write a follow-up report clearly and concisely and do so in a timely manner. To really have an impact on your interviewer, talk about how these steps in your work would hopefully make a repeat client out of those that you work with.

What steps would you take in creating a new audit process for a client here at Wipfli LLP?

"If asked to consult with a new client on their audit process, my first goal would be to determine the overall purpose of the audit. I would have to ask questions about any regulating bodies for the industry and internal quality perspectives that would guide my work. Only when those questions are answered can I move forward with assembling an audit team, giving the team purpose and setting expectations for the new process. With this great start, my leadership skills in the audit process would take over and greatly benefit your clients here at Wipfli LLP."

When Wipfli LLP is asked consult with an organization on their audit processes, you will be looked upon to be the expert in creating a solid auditing process for them. To get an idea of your knowledge and experience, your interviewer is asking you how you would go about creating a new process from scratch for an organization that you are consulting. While your discussion will certainly be high level without knowing much detail about the specific organization you are hypothetically working with, make sure that you hit the important aspects of creating an audit process.

"Any solid auditing process starts with great planning. Planning includes outlining the scope of the audit, clearly defining what data and information is required to successfully perform the audit and selecting a team of individuals to be a part of the audit process. If hired for this position, you can rest assured knowing that I have great experience in planning for and creating auditing processes across many businesses and industries."

How do you feel that your education and career to this point has prepared you to work in the international tax realm here at Wipfli LLP?

"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last 10 years working in private business for a large manufacturer that sees profits from a few countries from around the world. While this has somewhat exposed me to international tax laws, I know that I would be working much more in depth in this realm here at Wipfli LLP. If hired for this position, I know that I would face a learning curve with each new client I worked with that had to file and deal with tax laws from other countries. Because of that, I would take it upon myself to read and network with other professionals to become as knowledgeable as possible in the laws in different countries."

With the rise of corporations taking their businesses to a global level, firms like Wipfli LLP are often brought in to be the experts on international tax. Prior to your interview, your interviewer can tell a lot about your education and career and whether you have direct experience in working with international tax laws. Not having experience doesn't exclude you from candidacy for this experience, but if that is the case, your interviewer will be hearing how you'll apply what you've already experienced in your career to international practice. Put some thought to this question ahead of your interviewer to be able to paint the picture of yourself being well-versed in how to get educated in the field if you don't have direct experience.

"My experience in advising on high level tax law changes to corporate boards and c-level suites in the United States would be a great benefit to your international clients here at Wipfli LLP. As I have always had to stay on top of and educate myself in the laws here at home, I would continue to do the same at a much higher international level if hired for this position."

Here at Wipfli LLP, we are often brought in to consult with clients on ensuring accounting accuracy in their practices. What tricks, tips and tools will you be able to bring to our clients to help them ensure accuracy?

"As you can see from my resume, I have experience working in accounting in health care, manufacturing and the public sector. While all of these industries brought their own accounting nuances and expertise required, I've learned many great things along the way to help ensure that accounting departments are as accurate and efficient as possible. One top priority I always work on with clients is accounts receivable and making sure that AR is as up to date as possible. Outside of cash and bank accounts, AR is the bread and butter of finance for a company that is selling goods or services and many companies don't put enough time and energy into balancing their AR."

In looking to join Wipfli LLP as an accounting expert, their clients will be looking to you to help alter their accounting practices to ensure the best accuracy possible. While there are many ways you can answer this question, ensure that your interviewer walks away knowing that you can bring a unique expertise to the team at Wipfli LLP by highlighting some ways that you've helped businesses become more accurate in their accounting practices in your past. As always, keep an open mind to perfecting your craft and learning new things along the way as well.

"In my experience, accuracy in accounting practices comes down to control in the aspect of who has final say in financial statements for an organization. At times throughout my career, I have witnessed high level leaders be too involved in the final financial statements for organizations and truth may have been bent at times to inflate the performance of the company. To combat this, I firmly believe in clearly outlining all accounting processes within an organization and segmenting specific duties within an accounting department to different individuals. This tactic has worked great with many departments I have worked with and I'd look forward to working on this with your clients."

Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

"I rate my communication skills as a 9/10 as I will, on occasion, have times when I am not as clear as I would like to be. My supervisor and co-workers will attest to my clear and concise communication skills. Because I am an open leader, my team will let me know if I need to clarify anything."

On a scale of 1-10, how skilled are you in communication? Why did you choose that particular rating for yourself?

"I will rate myself an 8.5 because I consider myself a strong communicator. It is the foundation of all success in business. I am always striving to be a better communicator, so I leave the rest of the scale as an aspirational measure."

At Wipfli LLP, our clients look to us to help find new and creative ways to save tax dollars. Have you ever had a unique situation where you helped an organization save tax dollars through your work and insight?

"Last year, I was working with an upstart small business in New York that employed around 20 people. Hearing that a big burden for him was providing health care coverage, which he chose to do to hire and retain great staff, I educated him on the savings he could see in starting an HSA associated with a high deductible plan. In the end, this plan was a win for the owner to see a ton of tax savings and the employees benefited with a great plan where the business was contributing towards their HSA on a yearly basis."

Wipfli LLP is a trusted advisor to their clients on their corporate and small business taxes and your potential work in this position will put you in a position to be creative with your clients. Prior to your interview, think of a time in your work history where you can demonstrate the situation for the organization and came up with a creative tax savings solution for them. Upon answering this question, make sure that your interviewer walks away from your time together knowing that you have the ability to create solutions for clients that make a real difference.

"When working with corporation on tax advising issues, I always walk through business expenditures with a fine toothed comb because how large expenditures are claimed can really make or break taxes for years to come. When working with a client a few years ago, I noticed that they were deducting full costs up front when the depreciation method would have worked out much better for them in their financial situation. The only thing it took to convince them was a simple educational meeting."

At Wipfli LLP, we often work with both small and large businesses on their tax preparation. What common deductions would you recommend for small businesses?

"In my experience in working with small businesses, the most commonly overlooked deductions that they could take advantage of are vehicle and fleet expenses. While many businesses know this is possible, many fail at maintaining proper documentation of vehicles costs and usage as part of the job. I take it upon myself to walk clients through the proper documentation for future use and they have all appreciated this insight."

As a trusted adviser at Wipfli LLP, you will be relied upon by clients to help them find every way possible to minimize their tax burden. To prove your expertise to your interviewer, try to talk about one or two common tax deductions that are often overlooked by small businesses. Explain why the deduction is important to consider and what impact that can have on a future client you would be working with in this role.

"I see a lot of business owners overlook items that I would consider maintenance or facility costs that they can deduct at the end of each year. Repairs on equipment and property are deductible and business owners often fail to keep proof of payment for such repairs. On top of repairs, most utilities like electricity are deductible as well for a business. For small business owners, a huge part of my responsibility is educating them on these deductions. For your clients here at Wipfli LLP, my education would help build trust and a long lasting working relationship."

How do you keep up to speed on changing trends and laws in the financial planning field?

"Being a certified financial planner, I love having the opportunity to take continuing education credits to help me become better for my clients. Last year, I attended a two day estate planning course that really helped me develop some unique strategies for clients over the past couple of month. If hired for this position, you can be sure that I'd look forward to continuing me knowledge throughout my career and I'm always open to new suggestions from my employer."

In the ever changing world of financial planning, staying on top of both legal changes and improving trends in the field is extremely important to succeed in this role with Wipfli LLP. Talk to your interviewer about any educational opportunities that you have taken part in recently and any journals/publications that you subscribe to that help you stay on top of your financial planning game.

"Being an avid reader and lifelong learner, I subscribe to The Economist and Financial Advisor Magazine. Both publications have great content about large scale and small scale financial topics that impact the work that I do on a daily basis. I love to read before bed each night and I've found that things that I've learned in this 20 minutes each night was very beneficial to my clients."

A key component to success here at Wipfli 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?

"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 Wipfli LLP and I'd love the opportunity to bring these skills to the table for you."

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.

What key skills can your bring to the clients of Wipfli LLP in administering their trusts and estates?

"I would say the biggest set of skills that I would bring to the team here at Wipfli LLP is my experience working for a large legal firm on the administration of trusts for clients. On the financial side, I was tasked with handling total values of estates. This, paired with my knowledge of the legal aspect of trusts and estates, would greatly benefit your clients if I was hired for this position."

As your career in finance and trusts/estates has prepared you to have the hard skills necessary in the legal and financial sides of business, your soft skills like negotiation and communication are equally important to the work that you do and what you can bring to the team at Wipfli LLP. Prior to your interview, try distinguish yourself by talking about your unique skills that you possess that will greatly benefit the clients you work with on the administration of trusts and estates.

"If hired for this position, you'll find out quickly that my two greatest skills are my communication style and my ability to problem solve independently. Having worked in the administration of trusts for many high profile clients in my past work history, communicating with clients during the creation of a trust and with beneficiaries down the road. I have the ability to cater my communication to difficult situations and take an empathetic approach at all times. For my problem solving, my work experience to this point has put me in a wide variety of situations where I am comfortable troubleshooting issues with clients without the need for my boss to intervene."

At Wipfli LLP, our clients are looking for us to come in and provide sound leadership in their strategic planning and growth planning processes. What leadership style would you bring to our clients?

"Having worked with and led large teams in the development of formal growth plans for organization, I see my role as a consultant and my leadership with clients as being team-based and collaborative. My job is to lead transformational change within the organization because we will ultimately be trying something new with them and implementing change into the future. From my style of leadership comes improvement through a team based effort and I really think the clients here at Wipfli LLP would benefit greatly from my style."

As a consultant at Wipfli LLP, an expectation from clients is for you to bring a sound leadership style to their team and a working knowledge of effective growth and strategic planning processes. While trying to avoid formal labels, talk about your leadership style as a consultant and explain why your style would most benefit clients. Try to focus on keywords that your leadership style brings, like collaboration and support.

"As a consultant, I'd definitely employ a very democratic approach with your clients. They will be looking for me to provide the blueprint and the road map for success for them and then I would look to delegate and leave responsibility for implementing on them. My approach would be educational, resourceful and would preach teamwork among the entire project team. When I've utilized this approach in the past, it was very well received and helped lead to the success of several large projects."

Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?

"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 Wipfli LLP."

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.

"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 Wipfli LLP, my clients would greatly benefit from my ability to both set and achieve goals with them."

Which accounting platforms are you familiar working with?

"As you can see from my resume, my experience over the past 15 years has placed me in a few different industries. With each industry has come experience working with many accounting software programs. I have worked in Infor, QuickBooks, Net Suite and Patriot Accounting over the last five years alone. While they all have their features and benefits that are catered to each industry, I've found myself able to learn systems proficiently and adapt my work to the needs of the systems. If hired here at Wipfli LLP, you can rest assured knowing that I would pick up any systems with ease."

Coming to work for Wipfli LLP as an accountant, your interviewer is looking to hear how fluent you are in working on the technical side of the job. Talk about your experience in working with some of the many accounting programs. No matter which programs you are familiar working with, make sure that your interviewer has the clear understanding that your readily adaptable to working on any program and that you understand the importance these platforms play in your work.

"In my current role, I work exclusively with SBS Financials Suite. I love its ability to custom create reports that are reusable over time and adaptable to be able to use with different internal customers. I also love the budgeting and electronic invoice approval features of this system. In knowing other systems like Workday and QuickBooks, I am confident in my ability to pick-up and work on just about any system quickly and efficiently."

If working with a client of Wipfli LLP and you discovered fraudulent activity, what steps would you take following your discovery?

"Throughout my career conducting financial audits, I've always adhered to the SAS 99 statements on fraud. As long as I took every step possible in evaluating the risks, verifying that information was correct and verifying actual fraud, I would ensure that my evidence was sound and approach management of the organization and the auditing team with the information that I gathered."

Fraud is a serious matter that some auditors come across during their career. While some industries have specific guidelines regarding fraud reporting, talk to your interviewer about the steps that you are familiar with and explain to your interviewer that you always have your fraud detective hat on. As a consultant to clients at Wipfli LLP, you will be expected to be the last line of defense against potential fraud.

"The potential discovery of fraudulent activity starts with a methodical approach to the audit, assessing all potential risks and gathering all evidence possible to ensure that fraudulent activity is actually taking place. Once this is all in place, I would take the proper measures to notify leadership of the activity and walk through all necessary steps of documenting the fraud activity and my notification of it to leaders."

With some of our clients here at Wipfli LLP being hesitant to run an internal audit, what points would you use to sell them on the importance of conducting an internal audit?

"From my experience, increasing industry regulation and compliance with such regulation is a huge selling point to leaders for conducting internal audits. Oftentimes, leaders are well aware of impacts that regulations have on many aspects of their business, but financial records and book keeping often gets overlooked. With my experience and knowledge across many industries, I can speak knowledgeably to high level leaders about how industry regulations can impact accounting practices and audits are the best way to implement positive change."

At some point in your career, you've likely faced resistance to creating and running an internal audit process regarding accounting practices within an organization. It can be a very touchy subject for a variety of reasons. To help curb resistance, you will be relied upon to point out the importance of internal audits. From your own perspective, reiterate the key points that you would use to sell the development of an internal auditing process to the clients at Wipfli LLP.

"Over the past 10 years, the impact of the digitalization of businesses has greatly increased the need for internal audits of accounting and finance departments. Many factors surrounding the digital impact on organizations have made life tough for accountants and educating leaders on these impacts is essential in today's day and age. Recently, I worked with an organization on an audit that revealed significant gaps in their web invoicing systems. Without the audit, the organization was risking losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax money."

Strong time management is important at Wipfli LLP. How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?

"I manage my time by exercising the idea of 'time-blocking'. This approach means that I won't incessantly check my email; instead, I will allow myself to return emails in 30-minute time blocks, four times per day. Setting calendar alerts and personal deadlines for myself has also helped a lot."

The interviewer would like to know more about the types of tools you use to stay on task and meet deadlines. Discuss how you prioritize when everything demands your attention at once. Think about the ways you manage your projects and daily tasks and how those will help you to succeed in your role with Wipfli LLP.

"Very carefully! I prioritize deadlines and work that need to be done. Then work backward from there. When necessary, I utilize my resources and team to pitch in and contribute."

Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

"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."

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.

"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."

Wipfli LLP Interview Questions

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1. Have you ever had a time where you had to explain accounting processes or practices in layman's terms to someone? Why is the ability to do that important?
2. Sometimes with our clients here at Wipfli LLP, we have to think outside the box when helping them develop a strategic plan. Do you have an example of a time where you thought outside of the box in developing a strategic plan?
3. At Wipfli 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?
4. 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?
5. Give an example of a time that you brought an innovation to an accounting practice for an organization. What was your motivation to do this?
6. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Wipfli LLP?
7. What would be the initial steps that you would take when evaluating the financial situation for a client of Wipfli LLP?
8. As we work with clients on assessing potentials mergers and/or acquisition, valuation is an important skills to possess. How would you go about placing a value on an organization for a client?
9. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?
10. What customer service skills would you be able to bring as a tax preparer for the clients here at Wipfli LLP? Why is providing strong customer service important to you?
11. As a consultant here at Wipfli LLP, you will have the opportunity to work with many accounting departments on tax filing for their business. When called upon, how would you go about verifying the accuracy of an accounting department?
12. What logical steps would you take following an internal audit process with our clients here at Wipfli LLP?
13. What steps would you take in creating a new audit process for a client here at Wipfli LLP?
14. How do you feel that your education and career to this point has prepared you to work in the international tax realm here at Wipfli LLP?
15. Here at Wipfli LLP, we are often brought in to consult with clients on ensuring accounting accuracy in their practices. What tricks, tips and tools will you be able to bring to our clients to help them ensure accuracy?
16. Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.
17. At Wipfli LLP, our clients look to us to help find new and creative ways to save tax dollars. Have you ever had a unique situation where you helped an organization save tax dollars through your work and insight?
18. At Wipfli LLP, we often work with both small and large businesses on their tax preparation. What common deductions would you recommend for small businesses?
19. How do you keep up to speed on changing trends and laws in the financial planning field?
20. A key component to success here at Wipfli 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?
21. What key skills can your bring to the clients of Wipfli LLP in administering their trusts and estates?
22. At Wipfli LLP, our clients are looking for us to come in and provide sound leadership in their strategic planning and growth planning processes. What leadership style would you bring to our clients?
23. Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?
24. Which accounting platforms are you familiar working with?
25. If working with a client of Wipfli LLP and you discovered fraudulent activity, what steps would you take following your discovery?
26. With some of our clients here at Wipfli LLP being hesitant to run an internal audit, what points would you use to sell them on the importance of conducting an internal audit?
27. Strong time management is important at Wipfli LLP. How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?
28. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

Wipfli LLP Interview Questions

1. Have you ever had a time where you had to explain accounting processes or practices in layman's terms to someone? Why is the ability to do that important?

2. Sometimes with our clients here at Wipfli LLP, we have to think outside the box when helping them develop a strategic plan. Do you have an example of a time where you thought outside of the box in developing a strategic plan?

3. At Wipfli 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?

4. 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?

5. Give an example of a time that you brought an innovation to an accounting practice for an organization. What was your motivation to do this?

6. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Wipfli LLP?

7. What would be the initial steps that you would take when evaluating the financial situation for a client of Wipfli LLP?

8. As we work with clients on assessing potentials mergers and/or acquisition, valuation is an important skills to possess. How would you go about placing a value on an organization for a client?

9. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?

10. What customer service skills would you be able to bring as a tax preparer for the clients here at Wipfli LLP? Why is providing strong customer service important to you?

11. As a consultant here at Wipfli LLP, you will have the opportunity to work with many accounting departments on tax filing for their business. When called upon, how would you go about verifying the accuracy of an accounting department?

12. What logical steps would you take following an internal audit process with our clients here at Wipfli LLP?

13. What steps would you take in creating a new audit process for a client here at Wipfli LLP?

14. How do you feel that your education and career to this point has prepared you to work in the international tax realm here at Wipfli LLP?

15. Here at Wipfli LLP, we are often brought in to consult with clients on ensuring accounting accuracy in their practices. What tricks, tips and tools will you be able to bring to our clients to help them ensure accuracy?

16. Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

17. At Wipfli LLP, our clients look to us to help find new and creative ways to save tax dollars. Have you ever had a unique situation where you helped an organization save tax dollars through your work and insight?

18. At Wipfli LLP, we often work with both small and large businesses on their tax preparation. What common deductions would you recommend for small businesses?

19. How do you keep up to speed on changing trends and laws in the financial planning field?

20. A key component to success here at Wipfli 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?

21. What key skills can your bring to the clients of Wipfli LLP in administering their trusts and estates?

22. At Wipfli LLP, our clients are looking for us to come in and provide sound leadership in their strategic planning and growth planning processes. What leadership style would you bring to our clients?

23. Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?

24. Which accounting platforms are you familiar working with?

25. If working with a client of Wipfli LLP and you discovered fraudulent activity, what steps would you take following your discovery?

26. With some of our clients here at Wipfli LLP being hesitant to run an internal audit, what points would you use to sell them on the importance of conducting an internal audit?

27. Strong time management is important at Wipfli LLP. How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?

28. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?