Controller Mock Interview

Master 25 Controller interview questions covering financial reporting, compliance, and internal controls.

Question 22 of 25

Which financial statement do you feel is the most important and why?

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Brian Schuchart is a CPA and Senior Finance Business Partner. His professional experience includes senior management roles with NBC Sports, Virtual Health, and the Children's Hospital of Philadephia.

Rather than give one answer, speak to the value of all three: the income statement, the balance sheet and the statement of cash flows. Each statement is vital in evaluating the financial health of an organization.

Brian Schuchart

Brian Schuchart is a CPA and Senior Finance Business Partner. His professional experience includes senior management roles with NBC Sports, Virtual Health, and the Children's Hospital of Philadephia.

"I can't choose just one because each statement has immense value. First, you need the income statement to assess the profitability of the organization and to compare performance to benchmarks such as last year and budget. The balance sheet is important as it is a snapshot of the organization's financial position. It can be used to calculate important ratios that assess the health of the organization's finances. And finally, cash is king, so the statement of cash flows is extremely important when evaluating liquidity."

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25Controller Interview Questions & Answers

1.Describe how previous experience has prepared you for the Controller role.

2.Give an example of a time when you implemented a policy or procedure that improved a process.

3.Where do you see yourself in five years?

4.What attracted you to the Controller role here at our corporation?

5.What is the role of a Controller as you understand it?

6.What experience do you have with developing business metrics?

7.What ERP systems have you used?

8.What is your experience with presenting to senior executives?

9.What skills or qualities do you believe a good accountant should possess?

10.What skills or qualities do you believe a good leader should possess?

11.Have you ever had to explain complex accounting concepts to non-finance leaders? How did you go about that task?

12.Do you have experience handling massive amounts of data? Give an example of how you used data to solve a problem?

13.Identify a time when you made a mistake and the actions you took to correct it.

14.How would your management style change in an increasingly remote environment?

15.What are the steps to the monthly financial accounting close?

16.Do you have any experience interacting with external auditors?

17.How do you keep up with the latest developments in accounting principles?

18.Have you ever been involved in accounting software implementations?

19.How do you mitigate and manage stress?

20.What is your approach to budgeting, forecasting and other forward-looking projections?

21.What are some methods you use to motivate your team?

22.Which financial statement do you feel is the most important and why?

23.How do you manage your manager? In other words, what steps do you take to make sure you get what you need from your boss and make both your lives easier?