Financial Adviser interview questions and answers
These sample Financial Adviser interview questions will help you assess candidates’ finance and accounting skills. Feel free to adjust these sample interview questions to suit your company’s needs.
Financial Adviser Interview Questions
Financial Advisers guide their clients’ investments and cash management. They develop financial plans to meet companies’ needs and create profits.
When hiring for this role, focus on candidates who have previous experience in financial management positions. Candidates who are knowledgeable about your industry will stand out. Potential hires should also hold a degree in Finance, Accounting or Economics. Additional qualifications, like Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), are a plus.
During your interviews, assess candidates’ soft skills. Focus on their critical thinking and ability to analyze and present large amounts of financial data. Attention to detail is equally essential. Use situational and behavioral questions to test how candidates use their knowledge in various job-related scenarios.
Operational and Situational questions
- What visual aids would you use to deliver a presentation on a new financial plan to senior managers? Why?
- If you want to prevent a manager from making an investment, how do you ensure they understand the risks?
- We are planning to open a new store in the next two years. When does your role in this project begin and what do you think are your main responsibilities?
- How would you help employees shift from a “this is how it’s always done” approach to embracing new processes you implement?
Role-specific questions
- What are the first questions you ask about a new client or project?
- What is your client portfolio?
- Walk me through the process of assessing our current financial status.
- How do you check your work for accuracy? (e.g. ensuring correct data entry in large spreadsheets)
- What methods/metrics do you use to evaluate a company’s performance?
- What is a cash flow statement? Is this enough to tell whether a company is profitable?
- What financial management software do you have experience working with?
- In your opinion, what are the biggest untapped markets and most challenging financial regulations in our industry?
Behavioral questions
- How do you stay up-to-date with changes to tax and investment regulations?
- Tell me about a time your advice to senior managers resulted in higher revenues.
- Describe a time you used analytical skills to explain the risks of a potential investment.
- Have you ever made a bad financial decision? If so, what happened and what did you learn from that experience?
- Do you prefer giving presentations or preparing written reports? Why?