Business Acumen

Behavioral

• Tell me about a time you used your knowledge of the organization to get an idea approved.
  
• Tell me about a time you used financial data to support a successful project.
  
• Tell me about a time when you used industry data to support a successful project.
  
• Tell me about a time when you used economic environment data to support a successful project.
  
• What have you done in your previous positions at other companies that made a significant difference to the business and for which you believe you will be remembered?
  
• Recall an occasion when you had to explain your department's losses.
  

 Situational

• You're new to an organization. How do you go about learning how the organization works?
  
• You're new to an organization. What is one of the first things you do to learn how the organization works?
  
• You're new to an organization. What is one of the first things you do to learn how you can contribute to the organization's mission?
  
• You've been approached with a new idea for your department. Describe how you go about determining the feasibility and possible success of that idea.
  
• If you were given the responsibility to start a new department from scratch, what are the basics that you would need to consider?
  
• Let's suppose the project you're proposing only breaks even. Assuming it is your decision, do you accept or reject the project? Suppose it is only $1.00 profitable?

General

• What difference does it make to organize departments in a centralized versus decentralized way? What is your preference? Why?
  
• What role does "corporate culture" play in the success of a company?
  
• How have you participated in planning processes?
  

Business Acumen - Financial Management

Behavioral

• Have you ever been over budget? Why? How did you handle this?
  
• Recount a time when you had to prioritize bill or invoice payment.
  
• If you could pick a stock to add to this company's portfolio, which one would it be? Why?
  
• Describe a tough financial analysis problem you were able to solve and how you solved it.
  
• Walk me through a financial statement (pick one).

Situational

• What would you do if your proposed budget was rejected by management?
  
• Discuss a situation when an expense was greater or less than originally planned. What did you do with the surplus or shortage?
  

General

• Describe your budget creation and management experience.
  
• Tell me about your fiscal management experience: budgeting, reporting, cutting costs, and building and maintaining reserves.
  
• Describe your PL (profit/loss) experience.
  
• What type of inventory audits have you been involved in? Describe challenges you've faced.
  
• Have you ever performed a cost-benefit analysis? Tell me about it.
  
• What experience do you have with financial planning and analysis?
  
• Is it usually better to pay bills early or on time or a little late?
  
• What is an income statement? A balance sheet?
  
• What is the job of the conventional finance department?
  
• Is it possible to have a positive cash flow but to be in financial trouble?
  

Business Acumen - Time Management

Behavioral

• Have you worked under time constraints before? Give us an example.
  
• Was there a time when you struggled to meet a deadline? Tell us about it.
  
• Describe a time you identified a barrier to your (or to others') productivity and what you did about it.
  
• When you have a lot of work to do or multiple priorities, how do you get it
  
• all done? Give me an example.
  

Situational

• It's 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. Your supervisor gives you an assignment that needs to be finished by 8:00 Monday morning. You have already made plans to be away the entire weekend. What would you do?
  
• You work an eight-hour day. You have eight tasks of equal measure that are due that day. You have a company party for two hours that day. What do you do?
  

General

• Tell me about your productivity and time management skills.
  
• What do you do when someone else is late and preventing you from accomplishing your tasks?
  
• How do you determine what amount of time is reasonable for a task?
  
• How do you keep your team from feeling overwhelmed when various projects in process are equally important?
  
• What percentage of time did you spend on each functional area of your job?
  
• Describe the workload at your current position. How do you feel about it? What would you change about it, if you could?
  
• Define time management.