A controller owns the accuracy of the numbers and the process that produces them. Most controller job descriptions list every accounting task ever performed and say little about what the role must deliver. This kit starts from outcomes, then gives interviewers questions that separate someone who has run a close from someone who has watched one. Pair it with our software category guides to see which tools fit your team. Once you have a shortlist, check the vendor profiles and the finance glossary for unfamiliar terms, then use our head-to-head comparisons before your first demo.
Built for: CFO, CEO, HR lead, Talent acquisition
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Set scope and reporting lines. Fill in the role fields first. A controller reporting to the CEO with no CFO is a different hire from one reporting to a CFO with FP&A separate.
Cut responsibilities to what the role owns. Delete items the role will not own, such as tax or treasury if handled elsewhere. A shorter, accurate list attracts better-matched candidates.
Assign questions to interviewers. Give each interviewer two or three competencies from the question bank so candidates are not asked the same thing four times.
Score before the debrief. Each interviewer completes the rubric independently before discussing the candidate, so the first opinion voiced does not set the outcome.
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More free templates finance teams use alongside this one.
A staff accountant interview should find out whether the candidate can post a correct entry, reconcile an account, and notice when a number looks wrong. Conversation alone rarely shows that. This kit pairs technical questions that have right answers with short journal entry exercises and a timed Excel task, then scores everything on one rubric.
Slow closes are rarely caused by slow accountants. They are caused by tasks that could have run in parallel waiting on each other, and by a review step that only starts once everything else is finished. This checklist sequences the close by dependency rather than by habit.
A risk control matrix is the map auditors use to decide what to test. A good one starts from what could go wrong in the financial statements and works back to the control that stops it, not the other way round. This template pairs each risk with a control, classifies it, names an owner, and ties it to the assertion it protects, with example rows for procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, close, and IT general controls.
A controller runs the accounting function: the monthly close, financial statements, internal controls, the external audit, and technical accounting positions. They usually manage the accounting team and report to the CFO, or to the CEO in companies without a CFO.
It is not legally required for most private-company controller roles, but it is commonly preferred. A CPA signals technical depth and audit experience, which matter when the controller is the main contact for external auditors.
The controller is responsible for accurate historical reporting and controls. The CFO owns the wider finance agenda: strategy, capital, investor relations, FP&A, and treasury. In smaller companies one person may cover both.
Ask how they would shorten your close, how they would account for a multi-element contract, how they keep duties separate in a small team, about an audit finding they owned, and what they would do if pressured to adjust a number. Score answers against a rubric agreed in advance.
