How to hire accountants and auditors
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements. • Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions. • Prepare adjusting journal entries. • Prepare detailed reports on audit findings. • Prepare, analyze, or verify annual reports, financial statements, and other records, using accepted accounting and statistical procedures to assess financial condition and facilitate financial planning. • Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards. • Process invoices for payment. • Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, writing, mathematics and speaking skills • Working knowledge of economics and accounting and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $40.23 an hour ($83,680 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for accountants and auditors
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to prepare adjusting journal entries. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to prepare detailed reports on audit findings. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What accountants and auditors do
- Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements.
- Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions.
- Prepare adjusting journal entries.
- Prepare detailed reports on audit findings.
- Prepare, analyze, or verify annual reports, financial statements, and other records, using accepted accounting and statistical procedures to assess financial condition and facilitate financial planning.
- Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.
- Process invoices for payment.
- Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for accountants and auditors
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Job outlook: +5% over ten years, faster than average · about 115,300 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay accountants and auditors
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $111,530 |
| New York | $102,640 |
| New Jersey | $100,830 |
| Massachusetts | $99,460 |
| Connecticut | $97,550 |
| Nebraska | $72,080 |
| Mississippi | $68,100 |
| Arkansas | $66,330 |
See accountants and auditors pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Property Appraisers and Assessors
- Budget Analysts
- Credit Analysts
- Financial and Investment Analysts
- Personal Financial Advisors
- Insurance Underwriters
- Financial Risk Specialists
- Financial Examiners
- Credit Counselors
- Loan Officers
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.