30 Financial Analyst Interview Questions (With Sample Answers)

When you’re preparing for an interview for a financial analyst position, you should review potential questions that an employer might ask with regards to your career goals, industry knowledge and experience level. By taking the time to prepare answers ahead of the interview, you can present yourself to a hiring manager in a professional and qualified manner.

In this article, we review general financial analyst questions, along with 10 questions regarding previous experiences and 10 in-depth questions before providing sample answers to help you craft your own responses.

General financial analyst questions

Here are some basic questions regarding financial analysis that your interviewer might ask you:

1. Why do you want to be a financial analyst?

2. Why do you want to work for our company over others?

3. What is the next opportunity you want to pursue after becoming a financial analyst?

4. What would you say is your greatest weakness? How does this affect your professionalism?

5. What would you say is your greatest strength that could benefit your career as a financial analyst?

6. What would you want to accomplish within your first 30 days of employment?

7. Do you prefer working alone or in collaborative environments?

8. What are the four financial statements used to monitor a company's finances?

9. How would you define a cash flow statement?

10. What does NVP stand for and why is it important?

Related: 7 Types of Financial Analysis (With Definition and Examples)

Questions about experience and background working in finance

Here are some potential questions that your interviewer could ask you about your previous experiences and qualifications that make you suitable for a financial analyst position:

1. What previous positions have you held, and what skills did you learn from each role?

2. What was your greatest accomplishment in your previous role?

3. What process do you use to create accurate sales reports?

4. What are your favorite tools to use when creating financial reports?

5. Do you currently hold any industry licenses or certifications? If so, why did you pursue them?

6. What financial methodologies are you familiar with for conducting an analysis?

7. Have you ever encountered inconsistencies in a company's finances? How did you address this situation?

8. Can you tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker about an assignment?

9. Do you have experience in benchmarking? If so, when have you used it?

10. Which ratios are you familiar with, and how would you use them to evaluate the company's financial health?

Related: Analytical Skills: Definitions and Examples

In-depth financial analyst questions

This section lists a number of financial analyst questions that require more complex and detailed answers:

1. If you could only choose one profitability model to forecast your projects, which would it be and why?

2. If you could only choose one evaluation metric to use when reviewing company stock, which would it be and why?

3. Can you tell me what EBITDA is and what is left out of it?

4. How would you explain solvency to someone with no financial experience?

5. How would the income statement change if a company's debts increased?

6. What factors do you need to consider before taking out a loan?

7. How would you describe positive cash flow to upper management?

8. What components would you use to convince an investor about your company's financial health?

9. If you could only use one financial statement to monitor the amount of cash your company has to put toward current liabilities, which would it be and why?

10. What happens to a company's cash flow when there is an increase in accounts receivable?

Related: 21 Job Interview Tips: How To Make a Great Impression

Financial analyst questions with sample answers

Using some of the above questions, here is a list of questions, explanations and sample answers to help you prepare your own responses:

Why do you want to be a financial analyst?

An interviewer might ask this question to learn more about you and your career goals. Your answer should give an in-depth explanation as to why you want to be a financial analyst.

Example: "I want to be a financial analyst because I am a detail-oriented person with a curious mind. In addition, I enjoy helping others, and I want to pursue a career where I can combine my analytical habits with my desire to assist and serve people."

Related: 10 Skills Financial Analysts Need To Master

What would you say is your greatest strength that could benefit your career as a financial analyst?

By asking this question, an employer might be trying to understand how your current professional abilities could be useful as a financial analyst. Your answer should identify a strength of yours that directly relates to this career. You could also include an example to maximize the impact of your statement.

Example: "I believe that discipline is my greatest strength that I could apply to a financial analyst position. For example, when I am reviewing company financial records and documentation, I focus on that task alone until I complete it. I am able to avoid procrastination and other time-wasting activities because I am geared toward accomplishing the end goal."

Related: 39 Strengths and Weaknesses To Discuss in a Job Interview

What process do you use to create accurate sales reports?

An interviewer asks this question to identify whether you have a process for conducting financial analyses. Your answer should provide a detailed account of the steps you take to complete this process in order to demonstrate your professionalism and efficiency in this position.

Example: "I have found that the best way to produce accurate financial reports is to enlist the help of industry-designed software tools. I use Balanced Scorecard to gauge a company's current financial situation before analyzing more specific areas, such as liabilities and operating income."

Read more: 8 Types of Sales Reports and Their Uses

Do you currently hold any industry licenses or certifications? If so, why did you pursue them?

An interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your qualifications for this position. If you do have certifications or licensure, this is a perfect chance to talk about how they helped improve your skills.

Example: "I currently hold a Chartered Financial Analyst certification from the Corporate Finance Institute, which I pursued in order to gain more experience in topics like financial reporting and investment analysis. By getting my CFA, I learned more about different tools and applications that financial analysts are beginning to use more frequently."

What financial methodologies are you familiar with for conducting an analysis?

An interviewer asks this question to find out how familiar you are with industry terminology. Your answer should include more than one method and a brief description of how you apply those methodologies to an analysis.

Example: "I have experience working with vertical, horizontal and trend analysis to gauge a company's financial progress over a period of time. In my previous job, I also used ratio analysis to determine my company's liquid assets in relation to its liabilities."

Have you ever encountered inconsistencies in a company's finances? How did you address this situation?

An employer uses this question to determine how you would react to a potential problem or an ethical dilemma. In your answer, demonstrate your devotion to ethical business practices and enforcement.

Example: "In my previous position, I was analyzing a small business's financial records when I noticed that a portion of funds had disappeared from its income statement. There was no record of where these funds went, and the same amount was missing each month, so I talked with my supervisor and we brought it to the business owner's attention."

Related: Financial Modeling: Uses, Types and How To Make One

If you could only choose one profitability model to forecast your projects, which would it be and why?

This is another question that interviewers use to gauge your knowledge of industry terminology. When you give your answer, specify a model and explain your reasoning for choosing it.

Example: "I would usually choose a profitability model that reflected the type of business I was forecasting, but if I had to choose one for all of my projects, I would use the financial model because a company's finances are constantly fluctuating."

Can you tell me what EBITDA is and what is left out of it?

By asking this question, an employer wants to see what in-depth industry knowledge you have about the topic of EBITDA. Your answer should define this term and highlight what the measurement doesn't include to show that you understand what EBITDA is and isn't capable of.

Example: "EBITDA stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, and companies use this to measure their overall financial standing. However, this measurement does not include the cost of capital investments, such as property and equity."

How would the income statement change if a company's debts increased?

An interviewer asks this question to assess how prepared you are for a financial analyst position and whether you have the correct expertise to perform well. Your answer should directly address how company debt affects an income statement.

Example: "If a company's debts increased, this would decrease the net income (or profit) listed in a company's income statement."

What happens to a company's cash flow when there is an increase in accounts receivable?

This is another type of question that an employer uses to gauge your preparedness for the job you are interviewing for. In your answer, address the relationship between cash flow and accounts receivable and explain how one can impact the other.

Example: "When there is an increase in accounts receivable, this means that there is a decrease in cash flow, net worth and value of company assets. In other words, if it continues to increase, a company will soon run out of money."

Related: 8 Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers

Jobs for financial analysts

If you're curious about pursuing a career studying financial information, there are a range of job options to consider. Here are 10 different career paths related to financial analysis duties:

1. Accountant
2. Credit analyst
3. Loan officer
4. Underwriter
5. Financial adviser
6. Investment banker
7. Financial planner
8. Auditor
9. Financial controller
10. Stockbroker

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