Sr. Finance interview-need to do presentation-suggestions?

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  • #194090
    law0915
    Participant

    Hey all, came across a great position in a large publicly traded company. I’m currently a senior accountant of 5 years..I haven’t had to give a formal presentation since college (2006 is when I had business comm/small group comm) nor have I really had to deal with a problem and then do tons tons of research to come up with a solution. I know this is an analyst position, but any financial analyst position I have worked with has done stuff like forecasting, budgeting, consolidation analysis, ect. I guess I’m just asking for suggestions while I think of how/what to use. I’m also trying to think of school projects. I’m sure this position will present financial information to executives ect so that is why they’re asking me, but I’ve never had anyone as me to do this. Sounds like more of an entry-level thing to ask of someone. Thanks all.

    It consists of a brief presentation followed by a traditional interview. Time allocated for presentation is 15-20 minutes –10-15 minutes of presentation and 5-10 minutes of Q&A. The presentation in Excel and/or PowerPoint must showcase candidate’s analytical or research ability by:

    * Presenting an example of an analysis or research assignment completed by the candidate. The presentation should cover:

    – Problem Statement/discussion, i.e., what is the problem to be solved?

    -Analysis structure/framework, i.e., methodology, techniques used, etc.

    -Discussion of results and insights from the analysis

    REG 77 Feb14
    BEC 13*, 79 Aug14
    FAR 64**, 76 Nov14
    AUD 89 Feb15

    *Exited exam after first testlet
    **Only studied F1-F6 out of 10 Becker chapters

    Licensed Arizona CPA

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  • #667598
    klink24
    Participant

    I've never heard of having to give a presentation during an interview, but this shouldn't be too hard to manage. Only issue I can see is you will probably have to use current work resources to do it. I don't know many people that have databases on their computer at home where they can pull data and analyze it. Either way, you're going to have to use an example where you've had to use analysis to find a solution to a problem. I'm sure as a senior accountant you've come across issues where you had to pull data to determine the solution to a problem. The main thing is to be clear about the problem statement, what analysis was completed (detailing/showing Access or other DB queries, Excel functions and formulas used, summarized data, etc.), what conclusion you drew, and what impact that had. That last part, the impact is key. Analysis means nothing if it isn't beneficial in some capacity. Hope this helps!

    FAR: 4/19/2014 - 85!
    AUD: 5/27/2014 - 90!
    REG: 7/18/2014 - 81!
    BEC: 8/13/2014 - 84!

    4 up, 4 down, in 4 months.

    Licensed 9/22 in NC.

    #667599
    MaLoTu
    Participant

    I think you might find that the hardest part will be fitting your presentation into that little of time. They are obviously asking for something fairly basic and to the point.

    Are you supposed to pick a topic? If yes, is there anyway that you can research a real problem that the company has in the finance department? If you can uncover their need and show them that you have the ability to fix it that will make a real impression.

    Do you know why the role is vacant?

    Almost always from my phone... please excuse my typos!

    All 4 passed - 2016

    CA CPA

    #667600
    law0915
    Participant

    Thanks for your responses. Good question. I'm not sure, but my sister works for the company and she is traveling for them out of town..normally she's able to call and find more out for me. I have to pick the topic and present the problem and solution. I found a college project from my operations management class with some slides that have some analyses dealing with sales forecasting and Qopt/safety stock formulas/std deviation to solve the problem of running out of merchandise e.g. lost sales and angry customers hopefully this will be good enough. I think they're testing first and foremost can I present financial information in a clear and concise manner. I'm just kind of bothered I have to do this as I don't think it's common at all. My brother who's an engineer had to present some project for his initial interview. I'm extremely busy and interviewing for other jobs along with phone interviews and doctor appointments ect. I'd be going from Senior Accountant to Sr Finance Ops analyst-it is a high position that pays very well. I didn't have to do this for the non-sr equivalent I had interviewed with the same company before. I understand why they they need those skills, just don't understand why in an interview lol I will go through the job description again and see if I need to tailor the presentation to their need and if I can't, this will have to do. Thanks again!

    REG 77 Feb14
    BEC 13*, 79 Aug14
    FAR 64**, 76 Nov14
    AUD 89 Feb15

    *Exited exam after first testlet
    **Only studied F1-F6 out of 10 Becker chapters

    Licensed Arizona CPA

    #667601
    MaLoTu
    Participant

    It is inconsiderate of them to impose this task on job seekers. Recently, I have been going through several rounds of interviews at a firm. It has been time consuming and draining. I am trying to study and in the last week I have met with them 3 times! It is interrupting my study schedule (which is already hanging on by a thread). So, I understand the undue stress these types of things can cause. Hopefully it does end up being relevant to the role.

    I say use what you have. Update it so that it reflects your current level of knowledge. Too bad your sister is out of town, that would have been a great resource.

    Good luck!

    Almost always from my phone... please excuse my typos!

    All 4 passed - 2016

    CA CPA

    #667602
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    While testing for specific analytical/communication/presentation skill sets is very common in Analyst interviews, taking it to this level (ie, free-form/open-ended) is not common at all.

    I did this once during the span of a two year job search back when I was younger (I did over 75+ interviews – if I include phone screens that did not lead further). however, I was given the topic, and it was more opinion based than research based.

    I hate to state the obvious, but if you really want to work for this company, it's probably worth your time to put together a 5 slide deck on a particular case study you're comfortable speaking to. Make sure they see you can distill disparate thoughts into a cohesive case, and don't forget to make firm recommendations/take-aways – after all, information is useless without a recommendation on course of action.

    If you're luke-warm to the opportunity, then half-ass your presentation prep and hope you do slightly better than the other candidates.

    My guess is that this company does this for one of two reasons:

    1. Legacy: Someone, somewhere came up with this brilliant idea that a free-form presentation was the best method of assessing candidates, and no one has ever changed the process. HR de'jour at it's finest. (For the record, I personally believe that HR is the lowest talent function in any high-functioning organization).

    2. Prior failure/success: Someone in the role that's being filled either succeeded wildly, or failed miserably. From that experience, someone got the bright idea to either prevent future failures, or test for future success. By doing this presentation, you're either following in the footsteps of someone who did well in the company/department, or differentiating yourself from someone who failed hard.

    To reiterate my opinion – If you really want to work for this company, then take the time to prep. If you're luke-warm, then half-ass it and accept that you might/probably won't get the job. Just make sure you learn from the rest of the interview process — otherwise the entire endeavor is a waste.

    #667603
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    It's uncommon for it to be done in a formal presentation, but, generally speaking, this isn't that different from being asked to provide an example of a challenging issue you've faced at work, how you solved it, and the results you achieved/how it benefited your company. It sounds to me like they are asking you to choose a research assignment you've already completed, either in college or for a current/past job. I don't think they're asking you to spend time developing a proposal for something new.

    My guess would be that they want to get a sense of your level of awareness about common problems in the industry, your knowledge of various problem-solving techniques or creativity in developing your own methods, and your ability to translate data into real problem-solving strategies.

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