Most staff accountant resumes list the same things: reconciliations, journal entries, month-end close and a familiar accounting system. Those keywords tell you a candidate has been near the work. They do not tell you whether the person can find why a balance is off, document an adjustment clearly or raise a problem before it reaches the controller.
That gap is where staff accountant hires go wrong. The new hire may look strong on paper and still need far more review than expected, which pushes work back onto the managers you were trying to relieve. A better process defines the work precisely, tests it with a short realistic exercise and uses interview questions that reveal judgment.
Key Takeaways
- Define the close tasks, systems and review expectations before you screen anyone.
- Use a short, job-related exercise that every finalist completes under the same conditions.
- Ask behavioral questions about errors, deadlines and documentation, not just software.
- Verify any required license or credential through the official source before an offer.
Define what this accountant will actually own
"Staff accountant" covers a wide range of jobs. In one company it means accounts payable support with a few reconciliations. In another it means owning several balance sheet accounts, preparing accruals and supporting an audit. Start with a hiring intake meeting and get the controller or accounting manager to answer these questions in writing:
- Which accounts or subledgers will this person reconcile each month?
- Which journal entries will they prepare, and who reviews them?
- What are the key close deadlines, and which tasks are on the critical path?
- Which accounting system, ERP and spreadsheet tools will they use daily?
- Will they support external auditors, tax preparers or internal reviews?
- How much independent judgment is expected in the first 90 days?
The answers often reveal that the role is really two jobs, or that the business needs short-term help with a backlog plus a permanent hire for ongoing work. If that is the case, our guide to direct hire vs. contract staffing can help you decide how to cover each need.
Separate must-have skills from trainable ones
Once the work is clear, sort the requirements. Must-haves are the skills the person needs to be productive without constant rework. Trainable items are the ones a capable accountant can pick up with reasonable support.
For many staff accountant roles, account reconciliation, accrual logic and comfortable spreadsheet work belong in the first group. Experience with your exact ERP often belongs in the second. Requiring a specific system can shrink your candidate pool without improving quality, especially when the underlying accounting concepts transfer well.
Be careful with degree and certification requirements. If a CPA license or a particular credential is genuinely required for the work, say so and verify it. If it is only a preference, label it that way so you do not screen out qualified people for reasons unrelated to the job.
Use a short, realistic skills exercise
A work sample shows more than a conversation about work. Keep it short, ideally 30 to 45 minutes, and base it on the tasks the role actually performs. Use invented data, never real company or client records.
Here is a hypothetical exercise you could adapt:
- Provide a one-page bank statement and a matching general ledger cash detail for the same month, with three planted differences: an outstanding check, a deposit in transit and a duplicated vendor payment.
- Ask the candidate to prepare a simple reconciliation and list the differences.
- Ask them to propose any journal entry needed and write two or three sentences explaining it to a reviewer.
You learn several things at once. Did they identify the timing differences correctly? Did they catch the true error and treat it differently from normal reconciling items? Can they explain their work clearly enough that a manager could review it quickly?
Give every finalist the same exercise, the same time and the same instructions, and score it against criteria you set in advance. The EEOC notes that sample job tasks are a type of selection procedure covered by federal anti-discrimination laws, so keep the exercise tied to the job and administer it consistently. If a candidate requests an accommodation, follow your normal accommodation process.
Interview questions that reveal judgment
Software questions have their place, but the most useful interview time goes to how the candidate thinks when something does not tie out. Ask every candidate the same core questions and probe for specifics.
- Finding errors: "Tell me about a reconciliation that would not balance. How did you track down the difference, and what did you find?"
- Deadlines: "Describe a close where you were behind schedule. What did you prioritize, and who did you tell?"
- Documentation: "How do you document a manual journal entry so that a reviewer or auditor can follow it later?"
- Raising issues: "Tell me about a time you found a mistake made by someone else. How did you handle it?"
- Controls: "What would you do if a manager asked you to post an entry without supporting documentation?"
Strong answers describe a sequence of steps, name what the candidate personally did and show awareness of review and approval. Be cautious with answers that stay vague, skip the communication step or treat controls as obstacles. Do not ask candidates to share confidential details from a current or former employer; the process matters more than the specifics.
A structured format, with the same questions and an agreed rating scale for each, makes comparisons fairer and more reliable. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management's guidance on structured interviews is a practical reference for setting one up.
Look for how they work with reviewers
A staff accountant's output usually passes through a senior accountant, manager or controller. How a candidate handles that relationship affects your team's workload as much as their technical ability.
Ask how they respond to review notes, how they track open items across a close and how they decide when to escalate a question instead of making an assumption. Someone who asks good questions early often creates less rework than someone who guesses quietly and keeps going.
If possible, have the person who will review this accountant's work join one interview. They are best placed to judge whether the candidate's explanations would make their reviews easier or harder.
Verify credentials and references properly
If the role requires a CPA license, confirm it through an official source rather than relying on the resume. NASBA's CPAverify tool lets you search license information supplied by participating state boards of accountancy, and the relevant state board can answer questions about a specific license. For other certifications, check with the issuing organization.
When you contact references, ask about the work you tested: reliability at close, accuracy, documentation habits and how the person handled feedback. Follow your normal background check process and applicable law, and keep the same steps for every finalist.
A staff accountant hiring checklist
- Written list of accounts, entries, deadlines and systems the role owns.
- Must-have skills separated from trainable ones.
- A 30 to 45 minute exercise with invented data and a scoring guide.
- Five or six structured questions with a shared rating scale.
- The future reviewer included in at least one interview.
- License or credential verification for any required qualification.
- Reference questions tied to close reliability and documentation.
- An onboarding plan covering systems access, close calendar and review cadence.
Career Path Staffing works with employers hiring in accounting and finance as well as other industries. If you are planning a staff accountant search and want a second set of eyes on the role, reach out to our team to talk through what the position needs.
Further Reading
U.S. EEOC: Employment Tests and Selection Procedures