Management Accountant

Management Accountant qualifications to look for 

Management accountants prepare financial data for critical decision making within the firm. 

Your top candidates will hold a bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance, although other backgrounds may work too. Professional credentials are a plus and a good way to narrow down your top players. 

The best management accountants will have deep accounting knowledge, and industry-specific knowledge may come into play when vetting your new hire. 

Keep an eye out for candidates who are:

• Big-picture thinkers
• Team players 
• Critical thinkers
• Strong presenters
• Excellent leaders
  

Top tip: Hire candidates willing to grow by making sure their personal career goals align with your company's mission.

Problem-solving interview questions

• How would you assess if an investment is a good idea, and then present your findings to management?
• You need to reduce a specific cost. Where would you start and how would you make a decision?
• Explain the parts of an accounting equation.
• Explain discounted cash flow (DCF) and how it’s used?
• What information do you need for different types of forecasting models?
• You need to present a report to a non-financial audience. How do you prepare?
  

Role-specific interview questions

• What’s your experience with cost-accounting? 
• What budgeting projects have you worked on?
• Do you have a specialty area that is beneficial to our company?
• How do you maintain attention to detail when on a tight deadline?
• What is your continued education standard?
• How proficient are you with Excel? 
• Can you explain six sigma?
  

Behavioral interview questions

• Tell me about a time you helped reduce costs. 
• What’s a key decision you made that helped your company? 
• Recall a time you helped senior management assess a decision that could have gone wrong if you didn’t intervene. 
• What’s your biggest accomplishment so far? How has it helped your career? 
• Tell me about a time you improved the proficiency of a process at your job. 
• Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma in your job? What was the outcome of your response to it?