5 questions to ask a tax accountant in an interview

What do you think is the exact job description of a tax accountant? If you're given a task to describe the responsibilities of an accountant in one line, what would it be? 

In short, a tax accountant is responsible to handle a company's financial and income tax statements. He is expected to be well aware of tax laws and financial structures affecting particular organizations. The whole financial department (and presumably others) is dependent on his professional research, interpretation, and studies that lead to the preparation of payments, tax savings and analyzing some issues in the financial structure.

Now, how do you hire one? Not many would tell the tactics to identify the competency of a tax accountant in Pasadena. Here is the list of a few questions to ask him in the recruitment process. 

• What are the accounting software packages that you are most compatible with? Would you recommend any changes to them?

The accounting software packages are in plenty out there. They have different prices, functions, and compatibility with different organizations. When answering this question, the candidate has to provide a professional background which further elaborates his understanding of the software. If a candidate is stuck on a particular software, the learning curve can be high.

• What are the three skills any accountant must possess? How do you propose you have those?

The ideal answer will include points like analysis, mathematics, attention to detail, a knack for accounting, and making the least mistakes. The applicant will also elaborate on his own strengths and weaknesses all around these skills. While most candidates list only their strengths, only a few voluntarily list out some weaknesses to improve on.

• Why do you want to work with us?

It's the most commonly asked question not only to an accountant but everyone who sits in an interview. However, accountants can choose their preferable companies and might have their own insights about it. So this question becomes very important to understand what motivated them to choose you. There is no margin for error if the candidate provides a weak answer to this question.

• What would you recommend our company to improve on if you were to analyze the current scenario?

There are two benefits to this question. First of all, the question examines the potential of your business. Second, a smart candidate will always be well researched about the company which would also reflect on his future duties. The candidate will go through the existing processes of the company to provide some insights.

• Describe a situation where you were able to reduce the cost of a company.

One of the main portions of the accountant's job is to cut costs wherever the company is spending unnecessarily. It takes some past experiences for a candidate to answer this question. He has to explain what he did and why. It gives you a fair idea of what the candidate can decide for your organization.

• How does an accountant minimize errors?

The accountant's job is prone to a lot of errors. Practice makes him somewhat invulnerable to those regular ones. When the candidate answers these questions in detail, it means that he has gone through different perceptions of accountancy and the most common errors. His answer has to be review minded.

You'll save a lot of time and hassles if you choose the right accountant. Tax services in Pasadena TX are dedicatedly striving to provide accounting services in the best possible manner for different businesses. Try and find these reputed organizations for a better tomorrow of your company.