Interviewing for a Bookkeepers Role

Why use us?

If you are looking for an experienced bookkeeper that will be able to assist with day-to-day accounting and finance requirements, Interview Quizzes can help you test your accountant candidates and see their strengths and weaknesses!

The ideal candidate for the bookkeeping role will be a skilled multi-tasker, reliable and will be committed to consistently meeting deadlines. Depending on the size and structure of the organisation, a bookkeeper can either report to the business owner or could be managed by a finance manager.

Skills to look for when employing bookkeepers

• Mathematical skills - Being good with numbers isn’t the be all and end all of a good bookkeeper but is still the most important part of the job.
• Organisational skills - Bookkeepers are responsible for many different tasks during a typical working day, so organisation is key. Not only must their physical files be organised, but they should be able to organise all of their work neatly on computer files as well.
• Technical skills - Bookkeepers will often work alongside a computer system. Manual bookkeeping does still exist, but it has been overtaken mostly by its software counterpart, therefore bookkeepers will most likely be using systems like Sage and Microsoft Excel. Finding someone who knows how to work efficiently on the software they use is going to be helpful.
• Time-Management skills – Bookkeepers often need to juggle multiple tasks each day. The most successful bookkeepers will be those who can prioritise tasks, multitask and manage time well.
• Communication - Bookkeepers need to be able to accurately present information in a professional and understandable way to both clients and through documents and spreadsheets. Not everyone in a business will necessarily be good with numbers so it’s often up to the bookkeeper to put their findings into understandable terms.
• Attention to detail - In handling sensitive client or partner communications, accountants need to be extremely detail-orientated to catch potential typos, especially when it comes to finances.
• Expertise - This solely comes from past experiences and qualifications. Great bookkeepers should be able to prove their expertise and their abilities.

How can you find these qualities in your employees?

So, you have advertised your job online or in the paper and people seem interested… Instead of arduously sifting through all of their CVs, make use of our quizzes and get them to prove their knowledge and skill, instead of taking their word for it!

Construct your unique interview quiz

You are free to choose whichever 4 categories you want but here are our 4 suggested quizzes for the job of a bookkeeper:

1. Math Advanced – As mentioned earlier, being good with numbers IS the most important part of the job. Test the extent of their mathematical knowledge with the advanced math quizzes.
2. MS Excel Advanced - Microsoft Office is the most widespread work-related computer software available and is used by businesses around the world. Spreadsheets are an incredible way of storing and organising data as well as giving users the ability to run powerful calculations, make graphs and charts and analyse patterns. The advanced MS Excel quizzes will test candidates’ knowledge of important formulas, shortcuts and many other aspects of Excel.
3. IT Advanced – Test the extent of their computing knowledge with some advanced IT quizzes. If they are going to be working alongside a computer and technical systems in the day, let’s find out which of your candidates know the most about technology.
4. Maths Numeracy – Good numeracy is essential when bookkeeping due to the nature of the job, whether it be to balance the books or adding the cost of transactions. Find out who is the best with numbers with these quizzes!

At the Interview

When it comes to the job interviews, you will be armed with a page showing the results of each candidate’s online quizzes. This will highlight who is good at what and it will be the ideal tool to help you formulate the best interview questions to ask.

Conclusion

We can't decide who is best for you but we can provide the tools to help you MAKE BETTER DECISIONS, FASTER.