As a CI engineer, it is beneficial to have at least a working knowledge of financial statements (especially income statements - sometimes also called profit and loss statements or P&Ls). For candidates who are early in their career, it is understandable that they may have minimal expertise in this area; however, taking some time to research financial statements would be advisable. This is not a subject that is generally covered in an engineer's formal training, so this is a good opportunity for candidates to differentiate themselves by demonstrating their knowledge.