Skip to contentSkip to footer

Finance Manager Interview Questions

Salaries
Interviews

Finance Manager Interview Questions

A finance manager handles the financial needs of an organization, including aspects related to tax processing and financial documents. When interviewing for this role, expect to answer questions to demonstrate your financial skills and knowledge.

Top Finance Manager Interview Questions & How To Answer

Question 1

Question #1: Describe a situation that required you to apply your finance skills to meet a tight deadline.

How to answer
How to answer: When describing any situation in an interview, use the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to highlight what happened, how you handled it, and the result. You can also use this question to highlight your strongest finance skills. Review the required skills in the position before the interview so you can touch on these in your answer.
Question 2

Question #2: What is your preferred style of management when overseeing other finance employees?

How to answer
How to answer: A question about preferred management style aims to learn more about the candidate and the way they lead other people. Some managers take a more hands-on approach to leadership, while others allow their subordinates to work autonomously with periodic check-ins. Understanding your leadership style can help a hiring manager determine whether you would be a good fit for the role.
Question 3

Question #3: How do you avoid errors when managing and creating financial documents?

How to answer
How to answer: Financial errors can be costly for a business, so it's important to talk about the processes you have in place that help you avoid errors whenever possible. When describing your processes for creating and managing documents, include any safeguards that you use to check for errors before sharing or submitting the documentation.

5,572 finance manager interview questions shared by candidates

Some of these questions were specific to me because I had an investment management and banking background. First Round: 1. Tell me about yourself and why you want to join Palo Alto Networks. 2. What's your thought process for building a financial model? 3. How would you improve wallet share with a customer? 4. If you had to design a dashboard for a senior executive, what would you include in it? 5. Tell me about a time when you fixed a problem that no one else seemed to care about. Second Round: 1. Tell me about yourself and why you want to join Palo Alto Networks. Behavioral Questions: 2. Tell me about a time when you fixed a problem that no one else seemed to care about. 3. If you notice an error or problem that others have not noticed, how would you respond? 4. What skills are transferable from your previous work experience? 5. If I asked your former colleagues for 3 strengths and 2 weaknesses, what would they say? 6. What are your long-term career goals? 7. Tell me about a time when you proposed a change to senior management and how they pushed back on your proposal. Finance/Technical Questions: 8. Walk me through how you would value a company. 9. Walk me through an indirect cash flow statement. 10. Walk me through how you would build a valuation model. Keep it high level. 11. Tell me about a time when you analyzed financial data and made a recommendation. 12. How would you estimate the cost of building a floating stadium? 13. Tell me what you know about our company's financial performance. 14. What would you do to improve the company's operations and financial performance? 15. What in your opinion is the biggest macroeconomic problem the world faces? 16. What is your definition of alpha? 17. How would you rate your Excel and Powerpoint skills?
avatar

Finance Business Manager

Interviewed at Palo Alto Networks

3.7★
Nov 21, 2017

Some of these questions were specific to me because I had an investment management and banking background. First Round: 1. Tell me about yourself and why you want to join Palo Alto Networks. 2. What's your thought process for building a financial model? 3. How would you improve wallet share with a customer? 4. If you had to design a dashboard for a senior executive, what would you include in it? 5. Tell me about a time when you fixed a problem that no one else seemed to care about. Second Round: 1. Tell me about yourself and why you want to join Palo Alto Networks. Behavioral Questions: 2. Tell me about a time when you fixed a problem that no one else seemed to care about. 3. If you notice an error or problem that others have not noticed, how would you respond? 4. What skills are transferable from your previous work experience? 5. If I asked your former colleagues for 3 strengths and 2 weaknesses, what would they say? 6. What are your long-term career goals? 7. Tell me about a time when you proposed a change to senior management and how they pushed back on your proposal. Finance/Technical Questions: 8. Walk me through how you would value a company. 9. Walk me through an indirect cash flow statement. 10. Walk me through how you would build a valuation model. Keep it high level. 11. Tell me about a time when you analyzed financial data and made a recommendation. 12. How would you estimate the cost of building a floating stadium? 13. Tell me what you know about our company's financial performance. 14. What would you do to improve the company's operations and financial performance? 15. What in your opinion is the biggest macroeconomic problem the world faces? 16. What is your definition of alpha? 17. How would you rate your Excel and Powerpoint skills?

Viewing 591 - 600 interview questions

Glassdoor has 5,572 interview questions and reports from Finance manager interviews. Prepare for your interview. Get hired. Love your job.