Hiring a qualified, trustworthy finance employee is a necessity in any organization. Aside from being skilled with numbers, those in the finance field are entrusted with highly classified monetary information. When covering the following finance manager interview questions, it’s important to seek a candidate who has a keen sense of business and also a pristine history of financial assistance.

Top Finance Manager Interview Questions

If one of your subordinates made an error, how would you handle it?

Errors in the financial sector can be disastrous if not caught quickly enough. A finance manager should have experience managing other employees and knowing when to take action. Can the candidate provide a specific example of this debacle from a past role? What was the error, and how did the situation turn out? Did he/she emerge from the instance with a lesson learned?

What methods and metrics do you utilize to evaluate an organization’s progress?

Does the candidate have a mind for metrics and methods of evaluating, compiling and presenting financial data? This is one of the best financial manager interview questions. It reveals whether the candidate can efficiently look at data and know what it means for the company, moving forward.

What do you know about our company, our competition, and the industry as a whole?

Did the candidate conduct research prior to the interview? If the interviewee truly wants the job, then it’s crucial that he/she checks out industry trends, recent news or PR about the company, and is able to name some competing organizations. If you’re met with a blank stare, you may not have the perfect fit for the role of finance manager.

How many performance evaluations have you conducted in the last year? How did your subordinates do?

You may also follow up by asking about the candidate’s specific contribution(s) to his or her employees’ performance. These reviews serve as periodic check-ins to evaluate employee progress, as well as any bumps in the road. If the finance manager’s team members fared well or poorly, you can find out why.

Tell me why you wish to leave your current job, or why you left your last one.

“More money” typically demonstrates a poor answer to this question. Beware of negativity, too — if the candidate rips apart his/her former employer, don’t extend a job offer. Be sure to conduct a reference check or two following the interview, to confirm answers and dig up any relevant information.

What motivates you?

What keeps the finance candidate driven to do great work? Is it simply about the money, or rather the work itself? If the interviewee only itches to make a healthy income, then he or she may not possess a true passion for the business.

If you could pick one, what stock would you choose? Why?

Financial literacy — and knowledge of Wall Street happenings — is important for this role. This offers a unique twist to the typical finance manager interview questions. Based on current market trends and industry predictions — as well as brand loyalty or other factors — what stock would the candidate choose? Does the candidate gravitate toward risk-taking? Or does the candidate prefer to play it safe in the stock market?

What will you bring to this role that other applicants cannot?

What separates the candidate from other applicants? Look for skills, passion, attitude, sense of teamwork, range of experience, and culture fit. Combined with the rest of the finance manager interview questions on this list, this question will help reveal a truly standout applicant.

Are you willing to work odd hours?

Finance managers don’t always snag the regular 9-5 workday. The nature of the work sometimes calls for odd hours. First, find out whether the interviewee has experienced this in the past. Then, uncover whether he or she has a willingness to do whatever the job takes, for the sake of the business.

What other finance manager interview questions and answers would you add to this list? Let us know! Contact TruPath today for any hiring help you may need.

To learn more about hiring in the finance sector, then check out some of the top finance director interview questions.

As a trusted recruitment source for more than a decade, TruPath has the industry knowledge and a proven model to help our partners feel comfortable in their search for a candidate.

Through our TruProcess, we are able to consistently deliver exceptional candidates that help organizations continue down successful paths. Contact TruPath today to tell us about your staffing needs.