SmartBooks Accountant Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and then HR reached out to schedule a phone screening. They asked about my experience and skills, and told me I'd need to pass a skills test and do three interviews to move forward. I got the skills test, which had 50 questions on Logical Reasoning, Financial Accounting, and Bookkeeping, and I had 60 minutes to finish it. I needed a combined score of 80 to pass. After the test, I had my first phone interview, which was supposed to be 30 minutes. But the interviewer seemed uninterested and didn't let me explain my answers, basically just reading questions. The whole thing, including my few questions at the end, only took 10 minutes. I never heard back about the other two interviews.

The interview process for SmartBooks was incredibly lengthy - more lengthy than I think is needed. In the beginning you have the choice of going in to the office or answering about 10 questions via video recording. Then they take you through 3 separate tests. The first is a personality test that takes no more than 20 minutes. The next is an accounting multiple choice exam (70 questions) that could probably take anyone from an hour to 2-1/2 hours to complete, depending on knowledge. I don't believe the multiple choice exam portion needs to be nearly as intense, especially for the Accountant position. I feel the more involved questions should be left out and used for the Senior and manager positions and the entry level questions should be taken out for the senior level employees. A 70 question final exam for a senior accountant level seems unnecessary to me. The next was a skills exam testing your ability to follow direction, Excel skills, and ability to upload and download documents to their system/server. This portion is fairly easy and shouldn't take you more than an hour to complete. After that was a Skype interview with the person who would most likely be your boss and the HR woman. This interview lasted OVER 2 HOURS! All in all, I probably spent close to 8-10 hours on the interview process over approximately 3 weeks. They told me they were very interested in me, that they do rolling admissions (like a college), and that my resume was at the top of their list. I didn't hear back from them for 3 months when they told me they wanted me to come in for an in-person interview (like there was anything else to learn from me at this point). I really wanted to work for SmartBooks, so I told them I was still interested and would love to come in. The holidays made things difficult (more so for them). A month later I heard back from them. Of course I was thinking they were ready to schedule something, but instead they told me they were deleting my file! So, basically, I wasted hours of vacation time to interview, they kept my hopes up for 5 months, only to delete my file. Looking back, I would recommend pushing for a face-to-face interview. They say it won't hurt your chances, but I feel if you make good in-person impressions, push to meet them at their office. For SmartBooks, I recommend streamlining the interview process. The personality test as well as hours of questioning is unnecessary. The actual hands-on skills assessment is a great interview tool - I would keep that. Also, I realize you think your company is the anomaly, but it's 2015. Most accountants get to work from home from time-to-time and anyone with work experience has dealt with clients over email and the phone.

This was a really informative interview, and I'm eager to hear back from them. The whole process was quick and straightforward. It seems like a great company to work for, and the remote work aspect is particularly appealing since I've been focused on tax preparation for the last four years.