Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Interview Questions & Answers
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is usually responsible for the administrative, financial, and risk management operations of the company. In addition, they are often involved in the development of a financial and operational strategy, KPIs, and the ongoing development and monitoring of the financial system.
Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or
an employer preparing to interview candidates for Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position,
these Chief Financial Officer (CFO) interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Interview Questions
Below are a list of some skill-based Chief Financial Officer (CFO) interview questions.
- Describe the most successful financial strategy you’ve implemented. What impact did it have?
- How do you approach annual budgeting and forecasting?
- Tell me about a time you simplified or streamlined an accounting process.
- How would you communicate bad news to the board of directors?
- Do you have experience analyzing data to make financial decisions and recommendations? What examples can you provide?
- It is possible that revenue forecasts might show a decrease in income at some point. How would you work to correct this before it happens?
- There is a new law that will impact how our company does business. How would you find out about it and what would you do?
- Have you ever disagreed with lower-level financial directors and managers about a particular investment decision? If so, what was the situation and how did you resolve it?
- How often do you recommend that a company should perform financial audits?
- As our chief financial officer, there may be times when you’ll have to decide if an investment is profitable for the company. What is your process for determining an investment’s profitability?
- What do you think is the most important thing chief financial officers can do to help thetir companies succeed?
- What previous leadership roles have you held in the finance industry you believe qualify you for this position?
- What is your experience with financial planning?
- Walk me through the process of a discounted cash flow (DCF).
- What would you say are common financial risks for our industry?
- Tell me about a time when you faced conflict with stakeholders. How did you resolve it?
- What kinds of finance and accounting tools do you use on the job?
- Do you know what a budget cycle is? How would you incorporate an investment strategy into our budget cycle?
- How do you measure ROI when making investments?
- What is entity risk and why is it important in regards to financial activities?
- Why are deferred tax liabilities created during merger and acquisition deals?
- The board wants to make a risky financial move. How would you handle this situation?
- In your own words, how would you define the capital structure of our company?
- What goes into your risk/opportunity assessment process? How do you know what is worthwhile?
- As the CFO, how would you define your relationship with the CEO?
- Have you ever had to hire or fire financial employees? What examples can you provide from your previous roles?
- Have you read any of our financial reports? If so, what do would you change or keep regarding our financial procedures?
- How would you determine the financial value of our company?
- Can you tell me some of the recurring duties you’re likely to have as the chief financial officer of this company?
- Why are measurements and metrics important things for chief financial officers to monitor? Can you tell me some of the metrics you might monitor regularly?
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Interview Questions and Answers
Every interview is different and the questions may vary.
However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.
Below are some common questions you'd expect during Chief Financial Officer (CFO) interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.
- What is Your Salary Expectation?
- Tell Me About Yourself
- Are You a Leader or a Follower?
- Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
- What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
- What is Your Greatest Strength?
- What is Your Greatest Weakness?
- Why Should We Hire You?
- Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
- Why Do You Want This Job?