Page 119 - 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions

112 Nail the Job Interview!

My typical day involves n great deal of accounting work nnd
meetings with the chiefjnancial oficer and bookkeeper. I usually
begin by balancing the ledger and reportingyesterday ’s balance to
the chitfjnancial oficer. I thnt meet with the bookkeeper to make
sure all invoices have been posted and payments have been issued.
The remainder of my day involves meetings with other jnancial
oficers to resolve any problems arising in the daily accounting
process. I would say I’m mainb involved in managing our
jnancial team and doing a great deal of trouble-shooting through-
out the day.

Do you usually anticipate problems or do you react
to them?

Obviously employers want to hire people who have a view of the
big picture. They want individuals who can anticipate potential
problems and hence avoid them or, at the very least, minimize
the negative impact on the organization. At the same time, even
the most adroit employee will occasionally find a problem is
upon him and his only choice is to react. Cite examples of your
past successes at anticipating potential problems before they can
negatively impact the company or indicate the systems you put
in place to assure that you get periodic information from sub-
ordinates so there will be few surprises.

. How much business will you bring to our firm dur-
ing the next year?

This question is especially appropriate for individuals who work
with a client base and who are expected to bring many of their
clients with them to the new employer. For many lawyers, this
is the most important question they may be asked in the
interview. Law firms are less concerned with the work slulls -
research and consultation - of candidates than with their ability
to bring with them paying clients who are the single most
important resource for the company. A similar situation relates
to other occupations, such as advertising and public relations,
where a client base is key to the organization’s operation. The
answer to this question is very factual - tell the interviewer