Why this matters:

One of the key duties of a finance manager is to highlight opportunities for financial growth. To do this, they must not only analyze their company’s or clients’ performance data but also review industry competitors to see how their strategies differ. This question will provide an opportunity for candidates with intimate knowledge of your competition to display their familiarity and strategic thinking skills.

What to listen for:

• Candidates who identify giants in your industry or a company-specific competitor
• A clear explanation of the competitor’s strengths
• A forward-looking plan for growth including expected impact on expenses, income, and risk

Why this matters:

Though finance managers can find employment within any industry, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of finance and banking is critical to their ability to head your finance team and save the company from serious legal or financial consequences. A great finance manager will significantly limit a company’s risk by looking out for new regulations or trends that could affect the business.

What to listen for:

• A wide range of references — from regulatory bodies to finance journals
• An understanding of the importance of complying with federal, state, and local requirements
• The ability to name a few of the recent trends in the industry

Why this matters:

This question is designed to probe into a candidate’s experience with commonly used finance software. As finance managers are responsible for analyzing, forecasting, and improving their company’s or clients’ financial health, it is important that they are comfortable with the modern technologies used to streamline this process.

What to listen for:

• Answers that call out finance and accounting software such as QuickBooks or NetSuite
• A clear differentiation between the various purposes of these programs
• The ability to make a case for the most productive software

Why this matters:

Though finance managers are in positions of leadership, they will ultimately be accountable to someone within or outside of their organization. Whether working with clients or making progress toward their company’s financial goals, the candidate’s ability to keep these relationships productive despite disagreements is an essential component of this role.

What to listen for:

• Answers that detail real conflicts between personalities or ideas
• Candidates whose responses demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, especially the ability to smooth tensions
• A reluctance to assign blame or harbor resentments for the problematic relationship

Why this matters:

At the end of the day, finance managers are responsible for the financial performance of their company or clients. Outstanding finance managers will anticipate requests from senior leaders to achieve specific financial goals, so they are ready when they come. This question is designed to give candidates the opportunity to share an example of how they stepped up to the plate and improved their company’s bottom line.

What to listen for:

• A clearly articulated plan for driving value within an organization
• A growth strategy that also minimizes the company’s risk
• The ability to lead a team toward a company’s or client’s specific objectives

What to listen for:

• An openness to collaboration with others
• Knowledge of the differing roles of various finance professionals
• An easy-going and respectful attitude toward these professionals and interactions

Why this matters:

The role of a finance manager is essentially that of a leader. They must manage a team of financial analysts and channel their efforts toward long- and short-term financial objectives. Candidates should not only have comprehensive knowledge of the world of finance and financial modeling, but be ready to lead with decisiveness and flexibility.

What to listen for:

• An emphasis on hearing out differing points of view
• The ability to give analysts the support they need to produce their best work
• Experience leading a team toward measurable goals is an added bonus

Why this matters:

On top of overseeing the work of a team of analysts, finance managers must also prepare business reports, provide financial documents, analyze investment data, and find ways to maximize profits. The best finance managers will build an efficient team by setting an example of precision and conscientiousness in their own work.

What to listen for:

• A standardized quality-management system the candidate consistently follows
• The ability to attack big-picture strategies with a detail-oriented approach
• An emphasis on sticking to project deadlines and delivering high-quality documents

Why this matters:

Due to the cyclical nature of financial duties, finance managers will find that their workload increases or decreases depending on the time of the year, particularly around quarter-end and year-end closes. This question is designed to measure how prepared the candidate is to manage these peaks and valleys in their volume of work.

What to listen for:

• A familiarity with the changing obligations presented by each phase in the business cycle
• The ability to stay calm in times of increased pressure, like the month-end close
• Knowledge of their role in busy periods such as tax planning or closing the books