Questions at BDO USA interviews

1. Tell me about yourself top question

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.

   Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?

   Try to give some numbers to support your statement.

2. About The Company

   Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.

   Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?

3. About The Fit

   Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.

   Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.

   Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.

   Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.

   Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.3x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

2. What is your greatest weakness?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.

   While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.

   What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.

2. About The Company

   Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.

   What personal and professional qualities do they value?

3. About The Fit

   This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.

   Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that

   Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.

   Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."

   Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."

   Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."

   It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.4x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?

   For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.

   However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.

2. About The Company

   Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.

   • Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
   • Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?

   Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.

   In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.

   On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!

3. About The Fit

   And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.

   However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.

   As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 31% less frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

4. Walk me through your resume

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Print out your resume. For each of your recent job experiences (at this point do not go back more than 5 years), write down 3-5 key points at which you feel you are strong.

   For example, for your current (or previous) job, you may want to list skills like “Excellent presentation skills,” “Employee Engagement guru,” “Analytical skills,” “Attention to detail” (they don’t have to be all soft skills, but being aware of at least a few of your strong soft skills is important). Make sure you have examples for each of your statements.

   If you have difficulties to think of these points, search online for job descriptions for similar job roles, and figure out which of those keywords appeal to you. Look for people on LinkedIn that have jobs similar to the one you are applying for. Their profiles often contain many keywords that you can use in response to this question.

   Now that you’ve gone through all your recent experiences, are there any points that repeat more often than others, or are especially important to you? These are candidates to be your Key Selling Points -highlight 3-5 of them.

2. About The Company

   Research the company and the role for which you're being interviewed. When researching the company, find out what skills and qualities they value the most. Carefully consider the job requirements. What is it that you will be responsible for?

   Now, write down 3-5 keywords from the job description that you find of utmost importance for this job role.

3. About The Fit

   Try to establish the match between your own highlighted keywords, and those of the job description. These are your Key Selling Points! You should normally limit yourself by 3-5 such keywords or phrases.

   Now, craft a story based on your career history. You don’t have to go in chronological order - you can start with your current or last job experience, and then go back to your previous ones, or focus on just the experiences that are relevant to your story, and only briefly mention the less relevant ones and only if needed.

   Select one point to highlight for each phase of your career. Make sure you ingrain your Key Selling Points in the interviewer’s memory - after the interview is over, you want them to remember you as someone who is strong at XYZ, or experienced in A, B and C.

   It's okay to focus more on stellar achievements and brag a little bit about them.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.1x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

5. Tell me about your work experience. What was the most interesting?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Review the details that you shared in your resume. Select the three to five best points to highlight and relate to the position to which you're applying.

2. About The Company

   Carefully research the company and the job description.

   Find out what duties you'll be taking on to determine which of your top skills to emphasize. Try to find out what current challenges they are trying to solve by opening this vacancy.

3. About The Fit

   Knowing the duties for which you will be responsible will help you identify which prior experiences to highlight.

   How well you connect your previous experiences with the job requirements can tell the interviewer how prepared you are for this role and how enthusiastic you will be about your job.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 85% more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

6. Why did you leave your last job?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   There are a number of reasons why people leave or plan to leave their jobs. One very important recent factor has been the impact on jobs and job security due to Covid-19 and all of the issues raised by remote vs. on-site work.

   Regardless of the causes, there are three possible reasons that you left your last job or are planning to leave your current job:

   • You are looking for a career change
   • You are unhappy with your current employment
   • You were let go.

   Whatever the reason, it's best to always speak in a positive light.

2. About The Company

   Based on your research about the company and the position you are interviewing for, what do you like most about the company? What excites you about the work as it is outlined in the job description?

3. About The Fit

   Let's take a closer look at how you might respond to each of the three reasons for leaving your last job.

   1. You were let go

   You should simply state the facts (e.g. the company was downsizing, your position was eliminated, your department was offshored, etc.). Focus on the positive. You might want to share your accomplishments at your previous employment by relating a pertinent STAR story if you feel that would be relevant.

   2. You are looking for career advancement or a career change

   In your response you should be upfront, honest and as enthusiastic as you can be about the position. Consider using the Present-Past-Present method when giving this answer. Start with the Present by describing a career goal that is important to you. For instance you are a data analyst applying for a data management position and you are ready for this move. Then go back to the Past to indicate that at your previous job, there were little or no promotional opportunities in your field. Then come back to the Present and say that you are ready to take on the manager role and know that you will do an outstanding job for the company.

   3. You are unhappy with your current employment

   Sometimes a job just isn't going to take you to the next step in your career.

   Keep two things in mind when answering this question, 1) never "bad mouth" your current employer and 2) focus on the postive when speaking about the job and your reason for wanting to leave.

   The following is an example of how this question might be answered. This individual was looking to move up to a project manager position and did not feel that her current employer was the right place to achieve her goal. You might find her answer helpful in crafting your own response.

   "I really like my job as assistant project manager and love working with all of my coworkers on the team. However, the way the department is set up there is no real path to promotion. There are currently 3 project managers and they are all relatively new in their jobs. As far as I can see, they are all doing a good job and opportunties for promotion may not be opening up in the foreseeable future."

   Her comments were positive and her reasoning was clear and consise. Always try to keep your reasons positive and try not to create an impression that you were unhappy with the way you were treated.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 40% less frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

7. Why did you choose your major?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   This is your chance to highlight your strengths and how your major prepared you for your future plans.

   Your answer to this question should reflect your passion and interest in the field you chose. Be genuine.

   There’s every reason to display your passions and interest in your major. They will give interviewers a sense of who you really are.

   Think about who or what influenced your career choice and include the positive influences, not the negative ones.

   • How does this tie into your major?
   • How will you bring your passion and unique knowledge to the new company?

   Emphasize your strong people skills and excellent communication skills, allowing you to connect with others.

   Think of the skills and experiences you gained through your major, think back to assignments and projects from your studies, internships and previous jobs. Consider the skills you developed working on those projects.

2. About The Company

   Write down a list of skills and experiences you gained through your major studies.

   Then, look at the job listing itself.

   Match up any of your skills and experiences that relate to the requirements of the job. How can you apply them to your new position, as well as the future?

3. About The Fit

   Use this question as an opportunity to mention a few skills related to your chosen major that would also be relevant in the workplace.

   Point to a good culture fit.

   Be positive, showing your enthusiasm. Let them know you're excited to be where you are.

   Discuss what you enjoy about the industry you’re considering and why you could see yourself working in it. Even if your major is not directly related to the job, you can likely find connections between the two.

   This is also a chance to explain other ways you have developed skills that will fulfill the role you're applying for.

   For example, perhaps you were a biology major who is applying for a job in computer programming. You might explain that you took a number of online and extracurricular classes on programming to develop the skills needed for the job.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.5x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

8. Tell me about your greatest professional accomplishment

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   In preparation for answering this question, list the top 3 professional accomplishments that you are most proud of. No need for lengthy descriptions, just a sentence or two for each one to help you recall each situation.

   Write down your Key Selling Points - your top 3-5 skills that make you a strong professional.

   Make sure you have developed the story behind each accomplishment and have a strong command of the details of what happened so that you can tell the story clearly and distinctly.

   Along with each accomplishment, mark which of your Key Selling Points they showcase. How exactly?

2. About The Company

   Based on your research of the company, what are their current needs?

   • What are the major projects going on?
   • What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?
   • Think about which of your accomplishment stories best fit their needs and expectations?

3. About The Fit

   Once you have decided on the appropriate accomplishment story, think how you will relate it in an interview and how you will make it relevant to the the job you are seeking. One approach is to use the Present-Past-Present technique.

   Let's say that the accomplishment was leading your team in installing a new billing system and bringing it in on time and under budget.

   You might start off in the Present by talking about the importance of having good leadership skills.

   Then move to the Past to relate your story about how you successfully lead your team in accomplishing the objective.

   Finally, come back to the Present to address how you will be able to help them reach their goals (the ones you learned about when researching the company) going forward.

   Be sure to keep practicing your accomplishment story until it flows naturally and convincingly.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 20% less frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

9. Tell me about a time you had a poorly performing team member

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Ask yourself the following questions based on your own experiences.

   • Do you like working on a team?
   • How well do you work in groups, and what role do you tend to take on in a team project (for example, leader, mediator or follower)?
   • Are you easy to get along with?
   • What can you do to support other team members?
   • How do you act to help to minimize the damage of poor performance to the project?

2. About The Company

   Research the company ahead of time so that you can present yourself as someone who would fit seamlessly into their team culture.

   The example you use to respond to the question should be relatable to the company you are applying to.

3. About The Fit

   You need to demonstrate to the interviewer that you are both enthusiastic about teamwork and that you get along with colleagues.

   Be ready to provide a viable solution to this common work situation. Use a scenario when your encouragement was well received and resulted in a positive change or outcome. Emphasize that you always try to create a friendly environment with your team members.

   Here is a simple and honest example:

   "As a server at “ABC,” I was working with a difficult coworker who refused to contribute to the preparation for a holiday party. She decided to sit and watch while we worked. I took this opportunity to speak with her in a calm and friendly manner and asked her to do the small odds and ends. She agreed and worked on the place cards and seating cart, which played an important role in the fluidity of the event. Sometimes, people have hidden strengths and weaknesses, you just need to identify them!"

   Indicate how you’ll handle future challenges if they happen.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 4.8x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

10. Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work. How did you handle it? What have you learned?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of the times you had to deal with conflict.

   • What were the different ways you were able to address the situation?
   • If you were the cause of the conflict, how did the other person talk you down from the conflict?
   • What were the key lessons you learned through your experience?

2. About The Company

   Research the company and its culture.

   • What do they value?
   • Is there anything that you can find about how they deal with conflict resolution?

   Reading comments to their social media posts often prove helpful to see how they react to customers' complaints.

3. About The Fit

   • What have you found out about the company’s culture and job description?
   • Are they looking for someone who can take charge and resolve conflict?

   Tell a story of how you addressed conflict and how it turned a negative into a positive. Try to conclude with your lessons learned or methodology for approaching conflicts - this will show the interviewer that you would be able to apply your methodology to future situations.

   Use the STAR method to frame your story.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 26% more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

11. Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult or disruptive person. It may be a client, manager, or coworker. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Look back on your experience. Have you worked with a difficult or disruptive person? Remember a few such situations and how you diffused them and turned things around. What are your approaches to resolving conflicting situations at work?

2. About The Company

   • What have you found about the company and its culture?
   • What have you learned about how the employees value each other?
   • How do they treat their customers?
   • Do they have any specific standards and policies?

3. About The Fit

   Using what you found about the company, choose one of your examples that fits best with the company standards and share your story.

   If it's a customer, how did you turn things around and made a customer happy?
   If it's a coworker, how did you diffuse a tense or difficult situation?

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 17% more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

12. Tell me about a stressful situation and how you dealt with it

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   In order to form a response to this question, think back to a time when you encountered a stressful situation at work, and answer the following questions.

   • Was the situation a challenge just to you personally or to your entire team?
   • What was your approach to the problem and how did you handle it?
   • What role if any did emotions play in the process of dealing with this situation?
   • What was the outcome, was it successful?
   • Did the outcome meet the company’s expectations as well as your own?

2. About The Company

   • What do you know about the company, where you may encounter a stressful situation?
   • Are they working on a major project which is approaching a due date?
   • Are they going through what appears to be a difficult time where cost-saving is a top priority? Perhaps the company culture is full of negativity and mistrust, or they have gone through massive layoffs. Is there any chance that customers are being neglected?

   Any of these situations may lead to stressful times at the company, and you should try to know more about their expectations, and how realistic those expectations are.

   Or, are they just a dynamic, highly agile company run by smart and creative folks, which may work excellently for some people and be confusing and mind-blowing for others?

   Do your research.

3. About The Fit

   Once you have determined which STAR story will best answer this question, use the Present-Past-Present method for your response. The following is an example of how someone might apply this method.

   The candidate started with the Present by telling the interviewer that she is able to rise to the challenge of the situation regardless of the level of stress that may come with an assignment.

   She then went back to the Past to describe when she and her team had to hit a tight timeline for a customer that depended on the outcome of her team's work. It was an emotional time in which the team worked long, hard hours with lots of overtime. As hard as it was at the time, in the end they successfully completed the assignment and the customer was so pleased with the results that it increased its business with her company.

   Finally, the candidate came back to the Present to explain how much she enjoys taking on challenges because they help her grow as a professional and she knows that she can successfully complete assignments for the company, no matter how stressful or difficult.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 23% less frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

13. How would you handle a customer with difficult behavior?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Look back on your experience. Have you dealt with a difficult or disruptive customer? Remember how you diffused the situation and how you turned things around.

   • Do you have certain principles, or methodology, to deal with difficult people?
   • Do you have strong people skills, are you good at conflict resolution?
   • Are you high on emotional intelligence? Can you give an example?

2. About The Company

   • What have you found about the company and its culture?
   • What have you learned about how the employees value each other?
   • How do they treat their customers?
   • Knowing their line of business or industry, what can be some examples of difficult customers?

   Do your research.

3. About The Fit

   When a question like this asked in an interview, it is an indication that you will probably encounter difficult customers, or other difficult stakeholders while working for this company.

   This would be an excellent opportunity to use the Present-Past-Present approach to respond to this question.

   Start with the Present. Speak about your “conflict resolution” skills and how you apply these today.

   Next go back to a Past situation - remember your Star Stories to relate a relevant situation that happened in a previous job where you resolved a problem for a difficult customer.

   Finally, come back to the Present, summarizing what you learned from past experiences and how you will apply them to the job you are interviewing for today.

   If you can give an example of how you handled a difficult person in the past in a situation similar to what this company may require from you, this will strongly increase your chances of showing yourself as a good fit.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 64% less frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

14. How do you deal with working under pressure?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Even if you are confident about your ability to work under pressure, the goal of your answer is to convince your interviewer of that.

   Emphasize your best qualities, such as quick decision-making, organizational and time management skills, the ability to stay calm, focus on the job at hand, think logically, act correctly and employ your problem-solving abilities.

   Also mention the methods you use to manage workplace stress. It can set you apart from other candidates.

   Think of a previous professional situation in which you displayed excellent ability under pressure.

   Use the STAR method to describe that scenario during the interview, and explain the actions you took to diffuse the situation.

2. About The Company

   Do your research about the company you are aiming for.

   • What are the company’s plans, for example, will there be a degree of pressure like hitting targets, meeting deadlines or managing multiple tasks at once?
   • How might this impact you and how you deal with pressure?

3. About The Fit

   Performing well under pressure is both a personal and professional quality and can make a difference between an average employee and an excellent one.

   Try to think of ways in which you can use the truth to your advantage. It will help you to gain the interviewers' trust and help them feel confident that the rest of your answers are also truthful.

   Even if you sometime might struggle under pressure, calmly acknowledging that and mentioning that you are actively trying to improve in this area can leave a positive impression on the hiring manager.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.8x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

15. How did you manage your time in your last job?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   To answer this question effectively, describe in detail how you establish priorities, set deadlines, and determine schedules.

   • What helps you to manage your time at work?
   • Do you always prioritize your tasks making a to-do list?
   • Maybe you are using a digital calendar or other specific techniques that help you manage your time?
   • How do you limit distractions?
   • How do you manage deadlines?
   • How do you balance work and personal life?
   • How do you manage stress at work?

2. About The Company

   Research the company, its culture and the job description.

   • What do you expect to be doing in this job?
   • How would your performance be measured?
   • What will your responsibilities be?
   • Who will decide the order of the tasks to fulfill?

3. About The Fit

   Showing your ability to manage your time can make you a more appealing candidate for a job.

   As you describe the importance of time management skills, incorporate some of the ways you have been able to improve your ability to handle tasks and avoid distractions.

   Show your interviewer how valuable time management is to you and explain how you believe it benefits you in your career.

   Mention techniques you have used to increase productivity. Instead of just listing tactics, your replies should be based on real situations in which responsibilities were effectively completed.

   This example can fit any job you are applying to:

   “I like to list all the things I have to do and divide them in more manageable bits. In this way, I feel a great deal less stressed and I manage to focus on what I am doing, instead of worrying about everything else and not getting anything done. Asking for help is key as well, and I don't mean getting somebody to actually help me with my workload. Having somebody I can talk with for a few minutes and remind me that I'll get through this and that I am capable of doing so successfully can really fuel me.”

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 6.1x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.

16. Have you ever had a problem with another team member that you were working with? If so, how did you handle it?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   • Have you ever had problems working with someone?
   • How did you deal with unexpected obstacles?
   • Were you able to find solutions by yourself?
   • Did you take the initiative?
   • Can you look at problems at different angles?
   • Can you find a common language with people?
   • What were the key lessons you learned from the situation?

2. About The Company

   Do your research about the company and its culture.

   • How do the employees value each other?
   • How do they deal with conflict situations?
   • Do they have any specific standards and policies?

   Carefully review the job description so you understand what "teamwork" means for the position and the company.

3. About The Fit

   It’s important to show your people-skills, communication and problem-solving skills.

   If you can, give an example of a time you had a problem with another team member at a previous job. Remember that everything in this story should be told in a positive way.

   For example: "I had disagreements with my coworker at my first job, but I took advantage of the good advice given to me by my manager and talked to him. It turned out that we simply misunderstood each other. This case made me realize that communication is the basis of any relationship and that it is possible to reach an agreement with almost anyone."

   In this example, you did not say anything bad about your coworker or about yourself. On the contrary, you have shown that you can find solutions to any problem.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.8x more frequently at BDO USA than at other companies.