Technical Skill Assessments and Work Samples for Senior Accountants

Hiring the right Senior Accountant is critical for ensuring financial accuracy, compliance, and strategic decision-making support within your organization. While behavioral interviews provide valuable insights into a candidate's past experiences and soft skills, practical work samples and technical skill evaluations are essential for truly assessing a candidate's ability to perform in this role.

Senior Accountants must demonstrate proficiency in technical accounting, analytical skills, and the ability to adapt to complex financial situations. Work samples allow you to observe candidates applying their knowledge to realistic scenarios they would encounter in your organization, providing concrete evidence of their capabilities beyond what can be gleaned from resume claims or theoretical discussions.

The following four activities are designed to evaluate key competencies required for a Senior Accountant role, including technical accounting knowledge, analytical skills, attention to detail, and communication abilities. These exercises will help you identify candidates who not only understand accounting principles but can apply them effectively in your specific business context.

Activity #1: Financial Statement Analysis and Error Detection

This activity assesses the candidate's attention to detail, analytical skills, and technical accounting knowledge by challenging them to identify errors and inconsistencies in financial statements.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a set of financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement) with intentionally embedded errors or inconsistencies.
• Include both obvious errors (such as mathematical mistakes) and more subtle issues (such as misclassifications or GAAP compliance issues).
• Provide the candidate with company background information and relevant accounting policies to give context.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Have a senior finance team member available to review the findings and discuss with the candidate.

Resources to provide:

• The prepared financial statements with embedded errors
• Company background information
• Summary of relevant accounting policies
• Access to Excel or similar spreadsheet software

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided financial statements and identify any errors, inconsistencies, or areas of concern.
• Document each issue found, explaining why it's problematic and how it should be corrected.
• Prepare a brief summary of your findings, prioritizing issues based on materiality and impact.
• Be prepared to discuss your analysis process and how you approached identifying the errors.

Feedback Mechanism:

After the candidate presents their findings, provide two pieces of feedback:

1. Something they did well (e.g., thoroughness of analysis, prioritization of issues, technical knowledge demonstrated)
2. An area for improvement (e.g., missed a particular type of error, could have organized findings more effectively)

Allow the candidate 10-15 minutes to revise their summary based on the improvement feedback, demonstrating their ability to incorporate feedback and adapt quickly.

Activity #2: Month-End Close Process Optimization

This activity evaluates the candidate's process orientation, efficiency mindset, and practical accounting knowledge by asking them to review and improve a month-end close process.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a document outlining your current month-end close process, including tasks, responsible parties, timeline, and known pain points.
• If possible, include actual (anonymized) examples of reconciliations, journal entries, or reports used in the process.
• Alternatively, create a fictional but realistic month-end close process with common inefficiencies.
• Schedule 60 minutes for this exercise.
• Have a finance team member familiar with the close process available for questions.

Resources to provide:

• Month-end close process documentation
• Sample reconciliations or journal entries
• Information about the accounting system used
• List of stakeholders involved in the process

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided month-end close process documentation.
• Identify at least three opportunities for improvement that would make the process more efficient, accurate, or compliant.
• For each opportunity, explain:
• The current issue or inefficiency
• Your recommended solution
• The expected benefits of implementing your solution
• Any potential challenges or considerations for implementation
• Prepare a brief presentation (5-10 minutes) of your findings and recommendations.

Feedback Mechanism:

After the candidate presents their recommendations, provide two pieces of feedback:

1. Something they did well (e.g., practical solutions, thorough understanding of accounting processes)
2. An area for improvement (e.g., missed a key consideration, solution might not be feasible in the current environment)

Allow the candidate 10 minutes to refine one of their recommendations based on the feedback, demonstrating their ability to adapt their thinking and incorporate new information.

Activity #3: Technical Accounting Research and Application

This activity assesses the candidate's research abilities, technical accounting knowledge, and communication skills by asking them to research and apply a specific accounting standard to a business scenario.

Directions for the Company:

• Select an accounting standard relevant to your business that requires judgment in application (e.g., revenue recognition, lease accounting, inventory valuation).
• Create a business scenario that requires the application of this standard.
• Provide access to accounting resources (e.g., FASB Codification, if available) or allow internet access for research.
• Allow 60-90 minutes for this exercise.
• Have a senior accounting team member available to evaluate the technical accuracy of the response.

Resources to provide:

• Description of the business scenario
• Basic information about the company's current accounting policies
• Access to accounting resources or internet for research
• Any specific questions you want the candidate to address

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the business scenario and identify the relevant accounting standard(s) that apply.
• Research the standard and determine the appropriate accounting treatment for the scenario.
• Document your analysis, including:
• The relevant accounting guidance
• Your interpretation of how it applies to this specific scenario
• The journal entries required
• Any disclosures that would be necessary
• Areas where judgment was required and your rationale
• Prepare a brief memo (1-2 pages) explaining your conclusions in language that could be understood by both accounting and non-accounting stakeholders.

Feedback Mechanism:

After reviewing the candidate's memo, provide two pieces of feedback:

1. Something they did well (e.g., technical accuracy, clarity of explanation, thoroughness of research)
2. An area for improvement (e.g., missed a consideration, could have explained a concept more clearly)

Allow the candidate 15-20 minutes to revise a portion of their memo based on the feedback, focusing specifically on addressing the improvement area identified.

Activity #4: Financial Data Analysis and Presentation

This activity evaluates the candidate's data analysis skills, Excel proficiency, and ability to communicate financial insights to non-financial stakeholders.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a dataset containing financial information relevant to your business (e.g., departmental expenses, product profitability, customer acquisition costs).
• Include enough data to require meaningful analysis but not so much that it's overwhelming for the time allowed.
• Ensure the data contains patterns or insights that aren't immediately obvious.
• Allow 60-90 minutes for this exercise.
• Have both finance and non-finance stakeholders available for the presentation portion.

Resources to provide:

• The financial dataset (preferably in Excel format)
• Brief context about what the data represents and why it's important
• A specific business question or decision that needs to be informed by this data
• Access to Excel or similar analysis tools

Directions for the Candidate:

• Analyze the provided financial data to identify key trends, anomalies, or insights.
• Use Excel (or provided tools) to perform your analysis, creating appropriate formulas, pivot tables, or visualizations as needed.
• Prepare a brief presentation (5-10 minutes) that:
• Summarizes your key findings
• Provides recommendations based on your analysis
• Explains your methodology in terms non-financial stakeholders can understand
• Includes visual representations of the data (charts, graphs, etc.)
• Be prepared to answer questions about your analysis and how it addresses the business question provided.

Feedback Mechanism:

After the candidate presents their analysis, provide two pieces of feedback:

1. Something they did well (e.g., insightful analysis, effective visualizations, clear communication)
2. An area for improvement (e.g., missed an important trend, could have used a more effective visualization)

Allow the candidate 15 minutes to refine one aspect of their presentation based on the feedback, demonstrating their ability to quickly incorporate feedback and enhance their communication of financial information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How should we weight these technical assessments compared to behavioral interviews?

A: Technical assessments and behavioral interviews should be given equal weight in your evaluation process. The technical assessments demonstrate what candidates can do, while behavioral interviews reveal how they approach challenges and work with others. For a Senior Accountant role, a 50/50 split is typically effective, as both technical proficiency and interpersonal skills are critical for success.

Q: Should we administer all four activities to each candidate?

A: No, we recommend selecting 1-2 activities most relevant to your specific needs. Administering all four would be time-intensive for both candidates and your team. Choose the activities that align with the most critical skills for your organization. For example, if process improvement is a priority, focus on Activity #2. If you're dealing with complex accounting standards, Activity #3 would be more valuable.

Q: When in the interview process should we conduct these technical assessments?

A: These assessments are most effective after an initial screening interview but before final-round interviews. This allows you to filter out candidates who lack the necessary technical skills before investing in comprehensive behavioral interviews. For remote candidates, consider sending Activity #1 or #3 as a take-home assessment with a reasonable time limit, then conducting Activities #2 or #4 during an in-person or video interview.

Q: How can we ensure these assessments don't disadvantage candidates from different backgrounds?

A: To ensure fairness, provide clear instructions and equal preparation time to all candidates. Avoid using company-specific terminology without explanation, and ensure the scenarios don't require industry-specific knowledge unless it's truly essential for the role. When evaluating responses, use a standardized rubric focused on the core accounting skills being assessed rather than familiarity with particular systems or processes that can be learned on the job.

Q: What if a candidate performs poorly on the technical assessment but excels in behavioral interviews?

A: This situation warrants careful consideration. First, determine if the technical skills they struggled with are trainable or essential day-one capabilities. For Senior Accountants, fundamental accounting knowledge and analytical ability are typically non-negotiable, but specific system knowledge might be trainable. Consider whether their strengths in other areas (leadership, communication, process improvement) might outweigh technical gaps. You might also consider offering a second, different technical assessment to ensure the first result wasn't an anomaly.

Q: How much preparation should we expect candidates to do for these assessments?

A: For take-home assessments, provide clear expectations about time commitment (typically 1-2 hours) and whether they can use reference materials. For in-person assessments, give candidates at least 24-48 hours notice about the type of assessment they'll be completing, without revealing specific details. This allows them to refresh relevant knowledge without preparing canned responses. Remember that the goal is to assess their capabilities, not their ability to cram information or prepare perfect responses.