Despite the competition that prevails in the world out there, it is not very difficult for competent candidates to find and get selected for the right job. Once a person has been shortlisted for the interview, he/she just needs to learn about the most common interview questions an employer might ask during the interview and prepare the answers for the same. Unfortunately, due to hectic schedules and lack of resources, people are not able to prepare for the interview questions and this results in them being rejected solely on the grounds that they could not perform well during the interview. Thus, you will have to prepare yourself for the interview in order to get selected.
The job of an accounts payable staff is concentrated in recording and updating business transactions that fall under the accounts payable section of the account books. The qualifications needed for this job are not very different from the qualifications for other jobs in the accounts department. A degree or diploma is sufficient, but organizations will prefer experienced individuals for senior level positions in the department.
An interesting fact about the interview process is that you can easily influence the interviewer with your communication and presentation skills. You just need to be confident and listen patiently in order to understand the questions asked and answer accordingly. While some questions are related with the professional requirements, there are other questions that help you to reveal your personality and characteristics that justify your existence as a normal human being, which is important to establish a versatile personality.
We have compiled the most common accounts payable interview questions so that you are able to prepare for the interview.
Question 1: Give us a brief about your career and qualifications.
Answer: You can start either with your work experience or your academic qualifications. Emphasize on the most important job responsibilities and also on your achievements, both as a student and a professional.
Question 2: What skills do you possess? How do you learn new procedures and techniques?
Answer: Elaborate all technical and non-technical skills that you possess and explain about your approach towards learning and adapting new procedures and techniques to enhance your productivity.
Question 3: What are your plans for the future? How do you plan to grow as a professional?
Answer: You need to have a serious plan in your mind if you wish to grow and succeed as a professional. Tell the employer about your ambitions and what approach you will adapt in order to achieve all your goals.
Question 4: What applications you have used for accounting? Which of them do you find to be the most and least useful?
Answer: You need to have hands-on experience of various accounting applications. You also need to look at these applications with a critical approach in order to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the applications. This will help you to point out the different features of the applications and explain the employer as to what changes you think will help in making the applications more useful.
Question 5: What are your salary expectations?
Answer: You need to research about the average salary offered in the market for the qualifications and experience you possess. Do not just state the figure you desire. Do not just stick to a particular figure as well. You should be open to negotiate the salary, even if the last figure quoted by the interviewer does not suit you.
Question 6: Are you comfortable to work in a team or do you prefer to work alone?
Answer: Although you may have preferences to work in a specific environment, all of your preferences may not be fulfilled, and it is also not recommended to specify the same during the interview. You may have to work both ways, alone and in a team, so do not hesitate to state that you can adjust according to the circumstantial requirements.
Question 7: Is there anything you would like to ask us?
Answer: Do not sit silent when an interviewer asks this question. It is also not feasible to answer silly and illogical questions. You may ask about the operations of the organization or any other information about the organization that the interviewer may share freely.
Apart from the questions given above, some job specific questions may also be asked by the interviewer. These can be:
Question 1: Define EFT. How is it different from wire?
Question 2: What do you need to check before making a payment?
Question 3: On an average, how many invoices can you handle on a daily basis?
Question 4: How do you match invoices?
Question 5: How many types of assets are there?
The accounts payable interview questions test you both as an AP professional and as an individual too. Be prepared with the answers to the questions given above and you will definitely clear the interview.