Bookkeeper Interview Questions

Having someone who you can trust to keep a good record of your accounts and transactions allows you to focus more of your time growing your business. With so much hinging on having a good bookkeeper for your business, it is vital to know how to identify the right candidates during the interview process.

The first step is to make sure you have a descriptive bookkeeper job description that lets candidates know what you are looking for before they send in an application. The next step is to screen candidates with the right questions, which will help you narrow down to the right fit.

Here are some interview questions for bookkeeper positions that can help you prepare for interviews with prospective candidates.

General Icebreaker Bookkeeper Interview Questions

Interviews can be quite daunting for candidates and breaking the ice with easy questions allows you to get to know your candidate and their skill set. To ease your candidate’s nerves, start off the interview with these general interview questions to get them comfortable and talking:

• Tell me about your previous work experience as a bookkeeper.
• What were your primary responsibilities?
• How much interaction did you have with vendors and clients?
• Tell me about your computer skills in general.
• What do you know about this company and our services?
• What type of reporting structure did you work within in previous jobs?

Questions That Gauge a Bookkeeper’s Expertise

During your candidate search, you may want to look for bookkeepers with certain certifications or accounting experience. Some bookkeeper interview questions you may want to ask to gauge their level of expertise include:

• What type of accounting systems are you most familiar with using?
• What sort of financial reports were you responsible for preparing?
• What have you done at your present/last company to increase revenues, reduce costs, or save time?
• Are you familiar with national or local legal requirements?

Questions That Evaluate a Bookkeeper’s Soft Skills

While you want to evaluate your candidate’s technical skills, you also want to know about their interpersonal skills that determine whether you can trust them to efficiently do their job. Some questions to consider include:

• What skills do you consider your greatest strengths?
• Tell me about a complex project you were tasked with completing under deadline.
• What have you done recently to become a better bookkeeper?

Additional Bookkeeper Interview Questions You May Want to Ask

Now that you have a good sense of who your candidate is, you also need to know if you can depend on them for their given schedule, as well as any extra hours needed. You will want to ask questions like:

• What type of schedule are you looking to work?
• Would you be available to work extra hours, if needed?
• Would you also be able to be on-call on holidays, if needed?
• Are you able to work remotely?

Every interview you conduct when hiring a bookkeeper should be integrated with your overall hiring strategy to help avoid hiring disasters. Taking time with your job interview preparation will ensure that you make every new hire count.

Get From Bookkeeper Interview Questions to Your Next Hire

Investing the time to finding and hiring a bookkeeper—or any employee—who is a good fit can pay dividends down the road. But your time is valuable, which is why you need to focus your interviews on candidates that are truly qualified. That’s where we come in. Get started today with a free job posting for your business.