• Handling the interview:
  • Begin by discussing the candidate’s resume, obtaining clarification where needed.
  • Don’t ask questions about hypothetical circumstances.
  • Ask how the candidate handled actual circumstances. These should be related to the job.
  • Questions should be open-ended.
• Interviewers often ask:
  • How the candidate handled a difficult person.
  • How the candidate handled a stressful circumstance.
  • How the candidate adapts to different work conditions, numerous requests, rush projects, new members of the team, and projects changed in mid-stream.
  • About the candidate’s most important client relationship, how it grew, and what it’s like now.
  • The candidate to explain his or her secret to success.
  • About the candidate’s most unsatisfactory client relationship and what could have been done to make it better.
  • Why the candidate likes public accounting.
  • Why the candidate is applying to your firm. Did he or she visit your Web site or talk to employees?
• Look for candidates who are:
  • Active communicators.
  • Concentrating on a career, not just on a job.
  • Prepared for the interview and knowledgeable about the firm.
  • Can communicate the record of their careers concisely. It should take 10 minutes. If it takes 30 minutes, the candidate is not focused on what is relevant.
• What interviewers don’t like:
  • Inappropriate dress.
  • Inappropriate language.
  • Talking about non-job-related subjects.
  • Being overly concerned about pay before a job offer is made.
  • Candidates who struggle with behavioral questions.
  • Loquacious candidates.
• The interviewer’s responsibility—let candidates know when they can expect a response.

From Journal of Accountancy, August 2006. For the complete article, click on the following link: http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/aug2006/myers.htm.