Job Interview Flashcards
Tell me about yourself.
As an AR accountant, I ensure accurate invoices are sent to the customer in a timely fashion, answer customer inquiries, follow up on past due invoices, code cash payments, and research discrepancies.
I do this by understanding the business and the customer’s needs. In the future, I would like a job where I can help improve processes and increase efficiencies.
What are your strengths?
- I am a big picture thinker and like to understand my role in the overall business. I want to understand the processes and workflows of other departments and how they impact my role and flow into the overall function of the company. I like to foster relationships internally and externally. A measurement of success is when I become a go-to person when there is a question.
- I am analytical, I try to determine the root cause of something. This helps me to understand how it fits into the bigger picture. In the case of errors, it’s a way to prevent them from happening in the future.
- I am organized. I prioritize tasks by time sensitivity and adjust accordingly. I try to be proactive when I can.
What are your weaknesses?
- I try to remember everything. - I take notes. Also, I document tasks I don’t do as often so I don’t have to rely on my memory. Documenting tasks is a helpful training tool as well.
- I tend to put off tasks I don’t enjoy. I try to do them in the morning when I feel most alert. This is also helpful in the event I have a question or need further information.
- Being a detail-oriented person I sometimes forget that some people prefer a concise overview of the issue. When possible, I try to summarize data into bulleted lists; they are concise and more visually appealing than a block of text, that someone is likely to skim or skip over altogether.
Why are you leaving your current job?
I work for a small company so opportunities for advancement are limited. I am looking for an opportunity to take ownership of billing processes including documenting processes and finding efficiencies.
What do you want to get out of your next job?
I would like to work for a company that has a cause I believe in.
Also, I’d like a position where I can help improve processes and continue to expand my skills.
Tell me about a time you were required to work with a difficult person? How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?
When working with a person that I do not agree with I remain calm and listen. I will repeat back my interpretation of what they said. If needed I will take the discussion back to a point where we agreed and build on that agreement.
I find it’s important to understand another person’s position and expertise. Acknowledge that the other person may be able to shed light on something I am not seeing (blind spot).
It’s important that both parties are clear on what problem needs to be solved and the potential obstacles.
- Ask the right questions.
- Make sure all parties are clear on expectations
- Communicate immediately and clearly when something comes up that could alter expectations
Tell me about your greatest accomplishment on the job.
An accomplishment that I am proud of is working with the VP of marine operations to change the format and information presented in his monthly meeting to executives. I volunteered to help after hearing comments he made about being dissatisfied with the format and information presented. The project involved working with IT to create reports to capture the necessary information. Over the course of three to four months, we refined the format and information to come up with what is being used today. The change proved worthwhile when we started working remotely in early 2020. I enjoyed this project as it gave me exposure to building reports from the data the company captures.
Tell me about a difficult situation you encountered at work and how you overcame it.
Dealing with customers that are angry or frustrated are difficult situations. When I encounter this situation I listen to what they have to say without trying to talk over them. I then let them know I will do my best to assist them. I give them my interpretation of the problem and ask questions so I can look up information. I will try to answer their question at the moment but if I cannot I will take down their contact info. Also, if I have to pass them off to someone else I will explain why that is the case. I will follow up to ensure their question was answered.
How would your co-workers describe you?
My co-workers would describe me as knowledgeable and reliable. I have developed a reputation as being a go-to person when someone has a question regarding invoices, payments, or customer account status.
If you were given a task to complete in an unrealistic time frame, what would you do?
First I would be honest about my ability to complete the task in the requested time frame. Then I would discuss the ultimate end goal and obstacles. From there I would work with them on what can realistically be done in the allotted time.
If someone came to you with an enthusiastic, yet unrealistic request, how would you handle it?
I would start by asking questions; what information is needed and what question(s) need to be answered. I would go through options of how the question(s) can be answered/issues addressed with current information or processes. I would dig further to see if there are other options.
Tell me about the best manager you ever had. Now tell me about the worst.
My favorite manager was one that recognized and fostered my willingness to learn. I worked with this manager at a job I had while I was going to college. He recognized that it was likely I would not stay at the job once I finished school and he encouraged me to build my skills. He would recommend me for tasks when others needed assistance and told them I was like a sponge. I found I worked well with him because he trusted me with things and did not micromanage also, he saw beyond me being an employee and wanted me to gain skills that could help me later in my work life.
I have found I don’t work well with someone that tends to micromanage. At work, we are part of a team and that should include a level of trust; trust that someone is going to get their work done as well as trust that if someone needs assistance they will communicate that to the manager and/or someone else on their team. Also, I work well on teams where open communication is encouraged.
What are the three most valuable things you learned while working in your current position?
High volume amount of invoices - My current job is the first time I worked in a high-volume environment. In previous roles, I did fewer invoices but for higher amounts. I currently prepare/review about 350 invoices a month.
Following up on AR - I started off following up on 1/3 of the past due invoices. In early 2020 I pitched to the VP of the marine department that we might be able to improve our days sales outstanding if we made a more concerted effort following up on past due invoices. That is when I became the person doing the follow-up on all past due amounts.
How to build reports and utilize data generated - The IT group has pulled me in on some projects, like when they are creating reports or have questions on billing processes. This allowed me a glimpse into the data a company generates and how it can be used. It also lead me to ask the IT manager if he would be willing to teach me SQL and how to create reports. I pitched it to him with the goal of automating the monthly report that I create manually.
What was the biggest mistake you made on the job and how did you handle the failure?
Once I made the mistake of sending an invoice to the wrong customer. In some circumstances, this could have big ramifications because all the customers are charged the same rates but their discounts vary based on several factors so exposing customer discount information is a big deal. I realized my error immediately and sent an email to the customer asking them to disregard the previous correspondence and attachment. I understand that mistakes are going to happen so I try to make sure I do not repeat the same mistake. After that incident, I am careful about making sure documents are sent to the appropriate email address and seek clarification if I am not sure.
What do you feel makes you successful in your current role? Give an example to support your success.
I feel my willingness to understand the bigger picture and my natural curiosity makes me successful in my current role. I want to understand the industry and customer relationships so I can improve how I do my job. I believe over time my tendency to ask questions coupled with my willingness to help has made me a reliable team member. For the past two years I have been following up on past due amounts and this has helped me better understand the customer relationships and key individuals that can assist with payment.
