Top Five Tax Senior Interview Questions (and How to Answer Them)

If you’ve been working in tax preparation, tax law, or another tax-related job for a few years, you may feel ready to move up to Tax Senior. But how ready are you to ace the interview that stands between you and that goal? Here are a few of the questions you may be asked, along with some ideas on how to respond effectively.

1. What experience do you have with tax compliance and planning?

This is a pretty basic question, but it’s also your opportunity to go a step further and show how your background in those areas can solve problems for this interviewer. (You’ve done your homework on the company you’re applying to, right?) Describe an instance when you prevented headaches for your boss or client by ensuring their compliance with laws and regulations while mitigating their liabilities. You want the hiring manager to begin imagining how you’d make their job easier.

2. How do you stay updated with changes in tax laws and regulations?

Start by giving a few examples of the expertise you’ve gained in the workplace, thanks to the wide variety of clients you’ve helped, and then reveal your enthusiasm for continuous learning. What’s a fascinating new concept you picked up from a recent industry seminar, webinar, or professional development course? List some of the resources you use (IRS, AICPA, RIA?) to keep up with changes in regulatory requirements and tax legislation. This is crucial, especially if you have left the tax profession for a time and are trying to return to it.

3. Can you describe a time when you had a disagreement with a colleague or superior over a fiscal issue? How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?

Your knowledge of tax law and skills at implementing it are important, but the way you might conduct yourself in a tough situation at work is also something that’s top of mind for prospective employers. They want to know you can handle conflicts diplomatically and professionally. Tell the story of a time when you respectfully disagreed with a superior over a fiscal issue and made your case with a comprehensive analysis supported by relevant regulatory facts.

4. What about ways you’ve supported the tax team under you?

As vital as it is for you to show you can play well with the higher-ups, it’s also essential to give examples of when you’ve mentored and led others successfully. Be specific about how many associates or interns you may have overseen and put your anecdotes in the context of how you would show up for this hiring manager's team. Did you prove your brilliance by imposing your economic vision without compromise? Or did you convey your hard-earned insights to nurture your juniors and guide them to find their own approaches and solutions to evolving monetary policies? (Hint: It’s the second one.)

5. How have you brought in new clients to the tax companies you’ve worked for?

Again, it’s pretty easy to read between these lines — what this question really assesses is how you would expand your interviewer’s tax client base if they gave you a shot. And again, thanks to the research you’ve done on this company, you’ll be able to turn your response into a thought piece on how you’d market the firm and present their commercial goals and objectives in the most positive of lights. If you can pull this one off, you’ll shine some of that light on yourself and make it impossible for the interviewer to consider anyone else.