RESOURCES
Better hiring decisions.
More confident career moves.
Practical tools for the people building Accounting and Finance teams—and the professionals who power them. Start with the employer guides below, or explore interview preparation for your next move.
FOR HIRING LEADERS
Start with the work behind the title.
Accounting hiring brief
Define the responsibilities, complexity, and technical capabilities behind your opening.
FP&A interview guide
Explore modeling, forecasting, and business partnership through concrete examples.
First 90 days checklist
Give a new Accounting or Finance hire clear priorities, access, and a practical path to contribution.
LEDGERPOINT PRACTICAL GUIDE
Build a clearer Accounting hiring brief.
Use these prompts before starting a Controller, Accounting Manager, or accountant search.
- Define the outcomes. List three results the hire should deliver in the first six months. Be specific about close timelines, reporting quality, reconciliations, or process improvements.
- Describe the environment. Document entity structure, ownership, reporting obligations, transaction volume, and the size of the accounting team.
- Map the work. Separate responsibilities the person will own from work they will review or support. Identify the key accounts, processes, and stakeholders.
- Separate essentials from preferences. Identify technical knowledge required on day one and skills that can be learned. Explain why each requirement matters.
- Align the decision-makers. Agree on reporting line, compensation range, work arrangement, interview steps, and who makes the hiring decision.
- Use evidence in interviews. Ask candidates to walk through relevant work they personally completed, the issue they faced, and how they checked the result.
LEDGERPOINT PRACTICAL GUIDE
Interview for FP&A capability.
Ask for specific examples and follow the reasoning—not just the terminology.
- Forecasting: “Walk me through a forecast you owned. What were the main drivers, and how did you update assumptions?” Listen for ownership, driver selection, and a clear explanation of uncertainty.
- Variance analysis: “Describe a material variance you investigated. What caused it, and what action followed?” Distinguish explanation from reporting.
- Modeling: “How did you structure and validate a model used for a business decision?” Explore inputs, checks, sensitivities, and how another person could use it.
- Business partnership: “Tell me about a time an operating leader challenged your analysis.” Look for listening, practical communication, and constructive follow-through.
- Decision support: “What changed because of your recommendation?” Ask what the candidate contributed and how the result was assessed.
- Evaluate consistently. Use the same core questions for each candidate and assess role-relevant evidence. Do not request confidential models or data from a current or former employer.
LEDGERPOINT PRACTICAL GUIDE
Make the first 90 days count.
Adapt this checklist to the role, the team, and the reporting calendar.
- Before day one: Confirm system access, equipment, a manager check-in schedule, key contacts, and the first week’s agenda.
- Days 1–30 — understand: Review the close or planning calendar, business drivers, reporting packages, controls, and current priorities. Agree on what good work looks like.
- Days 31–60 — contribute: Assign a defined workstream with review support. Clarify dependencies and escalation paths; address knowledge gaps early.
- Days 61–90 — own and improve: Review performance against agreed outcomes. Choose a focused improvement opportunity and define the next quarter’s responsibilities.
- Throughout: Hold regular two-way check-ins. Ask what is unclear, what is blocking progress, and what support would improve the quality of work.
FOR CANDIDATES
Show the substance of your experience.
Prepare examples that connect your Accounting or FP&A work to the role you want.
LEDGERPOINT PRACTICAL GUIDE
Prepare for your next interview.
Bring a clear account of your work, your contribution, and the environment where you can succeed.
- Choose three relevant examples. Prepare a close or reporting challenge, an analysis or model, and a process improvement or cross-functional project.
- Explain your ownership. Describe the situation, your responsibilities, the actions you took, and the outcome. Distinguish your work from the team’s work.
- Connect tools to decisions. Explain how you used your systems, spreadsheets, or reporting tools to improve accuracy, insight, or execution.
- Protect confidential information. Discuss your method without sharing private employer data, client identities, or proprietary files.
- Ask about success. Explore the team structure, workload cycle, manager expectations, current challenges, and priorities for the first six months.
- Know your priorities. Be ready to discuss the responsibilities, work arrangement, development opportunities, and environment that matter to your next move.
Put the next step in motion.
Let’s discuss the capabilities your team needs or the experience you want to put to work.