Sample Interview Questions for Account Payable Position (with Answers)

When preparing for a job interview for an account payable position, it is important to get familiar with questions that are likely asked in such interviews.

This will help you to practice your responses before the interview date, which will help you to exude confidence and knowledge at the interview, thereby increasing your chances of being hired for the account payable position that you are seeking.

This post provides lots of account payable interview questions and suggested answers to help you have effective preparation for the interview.

Please, read on:

What do Interviewers Look for in an Account Payable Position?

The primary goal of a person in the account payable position is to handle company expenses and liabilities.

It’s important that the candidate to know the different types of transactions, have a good understanding of the tax code, and can read a cash flow statement accurately.

There are two main skills that employers want to see when interviewing someone with an account payable background: analytical skills and strong math skills.

10 Most Common Account Payable Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some of the most common questions usually asked in an account payable job interview (with suggested answers) you can use in your interview preparation:

1. What is your experience working in accounts payable?

I have a couple of years working as an account payable at a manufacturing plant.

2. What is a typical day doing this job?

My typical day included verifying the invoice, getting approval from other departments to release payment, and then paying the supplier. I also do reconciliations on a regular basis.

3. Could you give me an example of a time when you had to work with a difficult person?)

I had to deal with the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and he was hard to please. He wanted everything done fast and accurate.

4. What is your greatest achievement in accounts payable?

When I figured out how to automate our processes, we went from ten hours a month of manual work to two hours a month of use the new process.

5. What was your biggest failure in accounts payable?

I think my biggest mistake was that I gave an information to CFO, and it cost him thousands of dollars. It’s hard to deal with a person who has a lot on his shoulders.

6. What is your salary range?

I am looking at the mid $50,000s. This would depend on how much experience someone has and also their skills and capabilities.

7. Do you think there’s room for career advancement in this job?

Absolutely! I would love to be a department head or even VP of Accounts Payable in the future.

8. How do you think you can contribute to this company?

I am detail-oriented, I work well with others, and my skills are top notch. Plus, I’ll really enjoy working here!

9. What was your favorite subject in school? Why?

I really enjoyed the math. I was good at it and also liked how you can use numbers to predict outcomes or make decisions. I found that pretty cool!

10. What are your strengths?

I can see the big picture. I am good with numbers. I am confident, and people really love working with me!

More Sample Account Payable Interview Questions

Here are additional samples of interview questions for account payable position that you can practice with:

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. Describe a time when you had to think quickly and provide a solution.
2. What is the best way to deal with difficult people?
3. Provide an example of how you handled someone who disagrees with you.
4. How do you handle conflicts that come up between deadlines and quality standards?
5. Tell me about your experience working as a team.

Sample Case Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. What work experience do you have in the account payable position?
2. Explain a time when you had to navigate through an unfamiliar system and why it was difficult
3. Can I walk into your office and expect to find all of your files neatly organized on your desk?
4. How would you analyze an expense report?
5. How would you analyze a payroll report?

Sample Competency Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. What is your philosophy on customer service and what one thing can you do to show me that?
2. How would you go about balancing the company’s budget if you had all the money in the world?
3. What’s the biggest professional challenge you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
4. If I were to compare this job to a car, tell me about the type of car you want?
5. How do you define success and what are your long-term goals?

Sample Problem-Solving Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. If I had to pay for and ship a $10,000 item and the shipping cost was $200, how much should we charge the customer?
2. If the purchase order says “shipment terms FOB” but it costs $300 more to deliver to their destination than we originally quoted, what should we do?
3. The invoice isn’t due for payment for 30 days but its past due by 10 days already – what should we do?
4. What if we received a shipment of 20 items and only 19 were on the packing list – what would we do then?
5. What would we do if we received the wrong product?

Sample Situational Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. A company offers you a job, but the offer is 10% lower than what has been offered to other candidates. What would you do?
2. You’ve been working for an hour and only have one more task left to complete. The workday ends in five minutes. Do you finish or go home early because it’s your first day? What about if it’s the last day of a project?
3. Your boss asks to speak with you privately in his office before going into a meeting together. Is this making you anxious or nervous at all? Why or why not?
4. You’re attending mandatory training for two days out of the office – will your employer let us take these as PTO days instead since we can’t be on-site?
5. You are about to leave work for the night when you realize that you made a mistake on the purchase order. What do you do?

Sample Communication Skills Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. In what way do you feel equipped to handle conflict in the workplace?
2. What is the difference between negotiation and compromise?
3. What would you do if your boss had completely different priorities from you?
4. Why should we hire someone from outside of our company, when we have people inside who could do this job just as well?
5. In what ways has conflict been helpful for you in the past?

Sample Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. How do you work with others?
2. What is your teamwork style in a team environment?
3. Do you feel that people skills are very important in the workplace?
4. How would your co-workers describe you, and why?
5. Do you have any weaknesses when it comes to interpersonal skills/people skills.

Sample Company Culture Interview Questions for Account Payable Position

1. What are some of your hobbies?
2. Do you have any pets?
3. What is the most memorable moment in your life thus far?
4. What does work mean to you?
5. How do you stay organized at work/enjoy your job when it gets monotonous or boring with routine tasks day after day?

Account Payable Interview Success Tips

You are scheduled for an interview for a position in account payable, and you want to make sure that you get the job. Here are some tips to apply to bring your dream of getting the job to reality:

• Dress appropriately: The first thing an interviewer notices is what you wear. Make sure it’s appropriate for the company’s culture and dress code.

• Be prepared for the interview: There’s no excuse for being unprepared! Make sure you have plenty of time to get ready in case there are unforeseen delays on the way to your interview – traffic is unpredictable, so make sure you leave early.

• Get to know them: During the account payable job interview, it’s important to leave a good impression on each interviewer so they remember who you are and why you would be a good fit in the company. Make sure to introduce yourself and shake hands firmly when you meet with each person.

• Dealing with conflict: Two of the most common interview questions for the account payable role are about dealing with conflict in the workplace. Make sure to describe how you’ll handle it, but keep your answer personal so the interviewer know that you can work well with others.

Conclusion

In preparing for an account payable job interview, you need to do your homework and prepare for the questions that will be asked before going for the interview.

Research the company and dress appropriately for the account payable position that you are interviewing for.

It’s important to be confident when answering the questions that will be put to you at the interview.

In this article we’ve covered how to answer various types of questions that you may be asked at the interview in an effective way that will impress hiring managers and help get you hired!