If working in a bank or insurance company, handling sales, and being surrounded by money is your passion, then becoming a financial analyst is the best career for you to choose. Also known as an investment analyst, business analyst, or business advisor, a financial analyst is responsible for analyzing financial data to provide business analysis suggestions to the company. Now that you have an idea about the challenges and responsibilities that a financial analyst performs, you would know that you have to be prepared to face hardships and numerous disputes. Right from analyzing real estate projects to creating financial models for them, researching the market, and forecasting the demand and supply, a financial analyst has unending jobs and tasks to fulfill and generate revenue for his company. Undoubtedly, it is a challenging position but surely, it is one of the most lucrative jobs in the market as well. If you possess all the qualities of a financial analyst, then there’s no turning back in attaining great amounts of success. However, whenever you apply for the position of a financial analyst in any company, you should know that the interview will never be an easy one as companies are always looking for the best in the industry to handle the financial analysis. Nevertheless, with the right qualifications, you can clear the interview and grab the job. Check out some common questions asked at the interview for a financial analyst in the lines that follow.
Sample Interview Questions For Financial Analyst
General Questions
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Tell me a little about yourself.
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What influenced you to choose this career?
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What stimulated you to join this field?
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What have you learned from your past jobs (if any)?
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What exactly was your job profile in your last job?
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Why did you leave your last job?
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What made you choose to apply to financial analyst?
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What stresses you out the most?
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What are your strengths and weaknesses?
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Talk about your experience dealing with clients abroad
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Do you have a positive attitude and passion for your work?
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What do you know about this company?
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Are you capable of working in a team?
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Tell us a situation which is the best example for your ability to handle conflicts and issues?
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Why should we hire you?
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What skills should a financial analyst possess?
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What is the salary that you expect?
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If you are selected when would you like to join?
Technical Questions
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What are the significant profile responsibilities of a finance analyst?
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Can you explain the concept of capital market?
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Describe a complex financial model with multiple variables that you were responsible for developing.
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What is your experience creating daily sales reports for a specific company? How did you go about creating the sales report?
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Can you describe the practices you use for analysis of financial and management reporting?
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Can you explain quarterly forecasting, updating revenue, and expense models?
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What profitability models have you used for forecasting a project?
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Do you have experience in annual planning processes?
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Are you familiar with developing business casing and ad hoc analysis?
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Have you ever worked on a budget for an expansion program?
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Can you define price yields, stability economic influences, future trends and investment risks?
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Can you relate some basic business, finance and economic theories?
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Which are the latest softwares available for accurate financial analysis?
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Have you ever committed mistakes in your task of financial analysis? If yes, then how did you rectify them?
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How do you attract new corporate clients?
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Which method do you follow to find the valuation of a company and why?
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What computer systems would you use to prepare illustrated technical reports using graphs, spreadsheets and draw charts?
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Have you created month-end sales reports?
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Have these reports involved your knowledge of analysis concerning actual and planned revenues, balance sheets and expenses?
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What precautionary steps do you take to avoid giving wrong financial analysis?
With the above listed questions, it is clear that the recruiter would be looking for a candidate with appropriate technical knowledge and skills to perform his duties dedicatedly and loyally. Thus, master yourself on the basics of finance and keep updating on the latest happenings in the finance world. Give in your best and you sure would enjoy facing the interview. All the very best!
