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Top 20 CFO Interview Questions
By Shawn Cole, President & Founder — Shawn Cole is a nationally recognized authority on CFO recruiting. His insights regularly appear in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, CFO Dive, Entrepreneur, and other leading publications, delivering nuanced and critical analysis on executive recruitment, succession planning, enterprise transformation, and the evolving demands of modern C-suites.
Cowen Partners is a leader among the nation’s best CFO search firms. Regularly featured in Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, and CFO Magazine, the CFO recruiters at Cowen Partners specialize in CFO executive search.
Sharing our knowledge and insights about the CFO recruitment process, we have compiled the top 20 CFO interview questions below to help you screen candidates for the role of chief financial officer.
20 CFO Interview Questions
These CFO interview questions cover the qualifications, skills, job duties, and other key requirements necessary for your next chief financial officer. These are phrased generally and can be customized to fit industry-specific needs, as well as an organization’s unique objectives.
- What appeals to you about this particular CFO opportunity and what do you bring to table?
- What value will you immediately add to the company? How will your experience benefit this company?
- What does your compensation history look like?
- Does this CFO opportunity make sense from a financial perspective? If not, why would you want to take a pay cut? (Note: No one ever wants to take a pay cut, no matter they tell you. They must prove to you logically why it makes sense.)
- Does the commute work for you? Have you had a similar commute for many years? Check to see how long they lasted the last time their commute was this long. (Note: No one one wants to drive farther, regardless of what they tell you. Again, listen for why they would do that.)
- What concerns do you have about moving forward in the process and is there anything that would keep you from being interested in the opportunity at this point? Do you have questions about the company and/or role?
- What is your reason for considering a new opportunity?
- What are your reasons for movement over the last several years?
- Specifically, what made you leave each of your prior positions and move to the next one?
- Have you progressed nicely in their career into higher level roles?
- How would you describe your communication skills?
- When is a time your communication skills made a difference in the workplace?
- How do you approach tricky, touchy, or sensitive topics at work? How would your past colleagues describe your communication and interpersonal skills?
- How would you describe your professional CFO demeanor, especially when dealing with challenging situations?
- Describe a time when you made a bad decision that impacted your team in a negative way and what the outcome was.
- Tell me about a time that you and a board member got into an argument about a capital spending project.
- What was one project you never got finished for the President/CEO and how did you feel about that?
- What are the strengths & weaknesses of your management team and your management style?
- What have you done to improve the margins and profits at your previous company? What financial strategies have they implemented that had a positive outcome? Please provide specific examples.
- How have you contributed to bottom-line growth in previous companies? Specifically, what steps were taken to increase annual revenues?
CFO 2022: The Modern CFO
There’s a CFO crisis in the global economy. According to a 2015 study published by KPMG, 2/3 of surveyed CEOs believe that CFOs will increase in their significance over the next three years (which, incidentally, they have). Yet, 1/3 of those CEOs feel that their CFO is not up to the challenge. Now, this might not sound like news- CEOs putting pressure on CFOs is certainly not an unprecedented 21st-century phenomenon- but it’s not just the CEOs of the world demanding more of Chief Financial Officers. It’s everyone.
There was a time when the role of the CFO was grounded in risk aversion and crisis management. They were the ones maximizing company resources, monitoring cash flow, and tempering the large-scale visions of more creative executives to ensure longevity and stability. In 2022, however, the scope of a CFOs role is radically different. CFOs are now getting wrangled into more public-facing responsibilities, developing equal partnerships with CEOs, and taking an active role in day-to-day operational management according to long-term strategic policy.
Why? Because companies who don’t lean on their CFOs fall flat.
The massive shift in responsibility stems from an unpredictable economic landscape. The terrain of our global marketplace is indeed changing at an accelerated rate, not in the least because of COVID-19 and its monumental financial disruption.
Growth and longevity for businesses demand greater financial risk. The marketplace is much more volatile, and technology has globalized every industry out there, which deepens, expands, and complicates market niches and competition. The entrance of advanced technology, among other factors, has created a need for what KPMG has coined, “the Renaissance CFO.”
The Modern CFO & the Evolving Expectations of 2022
What does this modern, 21st century CFO look like? They bring much more creativity, communication, and technological skillsets to the table. CFOs are no longer just accountants. Rather, CFOs are a partner to the CEOs, acting as vocal leaders of organizations — action-based executives within the context of a company’s structure. What was once the highlight of a CFO’s resume – extensive financial management and accounting experience – is now a minimum requirement to take on a CFO role. In fact, a strong accounting and ERP system management background holds no guarantees.
“There is an evolution taking place. While CFOs with ERP experience have been in demand for a long time, ERP experience is now a prerequisite, not unlike an accounting or finance degree. Many of the CFOs we are placing are inheriting ERP selection and implementation initiatives at their new companies as part of their company’s data automation, analytics, and forecasting goals.”
Shawn Cole, President and CFO Search Practice Managing Partner of Cowen Partners Executive Search
Technology has permeated every facet of commerce and generated increased opportunities for gains and losses. It determines everything from advertising and marketing to sales to internal operations, and it has the potential to make or break a company. Today’s unpredictable technology-driven market means that:
- Companies need to constantly cultivate stronger connections in between departments that result in more strategic and organized operations.
- CFOs play an integral role in cohesive company management.
- CEOs are looking for someone who understands how to leverage technology to improve data analysis, strategy development, risk management, and communication within departments.
- CEOs want to see CFOs bring a wealth of both financial and non-financial expertise, innate creativity, and technological prowess to the table.
- CEOs expect CFOs to use their abilities to implement meaningful, data-driven, and company-wide initiatives.
Additionally, CEOs need CFOs that understand the global, changing market. They want CFOs who can use their understanding of emerging markets and new industry players to adapt and modify company strategy at a moment’s notice. Flexibility, creativity, and craftiness are three of the most in-demand soft skillsets to bring to a CFO role in 2022. Albeit a far cry from the isolated financial expertise of traditional CFOs, these abilities are crucial when it comes to crisis management and successful growth strategy. You can have decades of diverse financial management experience and get nowhere near a CFO office in today’s economic climate because it won’t mean anything without the ability to modify it in the face of new competitors.
CFOs face the enormous task of acting as a bridge between daily operations, long-term strategy, and financial goals. The role of a CFO is no longer about signing off on expenses and monitoring budgetary concerns. Rather, the modern CFO has to:
- Look at their company’s cash flow
- Analyze it with effective and cutting-edge technologies
- Work collaboratively with other executives to develop short-term and long-term plans that safeguard a company’s assets without compromising the CEO’s vision
A CFO of 2022 needs to embody the detail-oriented and data-driven CFO of the past while embracing the volatility and international nature of today’s 21st century markets.
While the task of becoming a modern CFO may seem daunting, the role has never been more exciting, engaging, or unlimited in its potential to make a tangible impact on company growth and performance.
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Cowen Partners is a leader in CFO search, trusted by boards and CEOs nationwide to place the top 1% of financial executives. Our senior partner–led process combines speed, precision, and due diligence, making us the choice for companies that need more than resumes—they need proven CFO recruiters who deliver results.
Recognized by Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal, Cowen Partners CFO recruiters connect organizations in every industry with transformative leaders. If you’re ready to start your CFO search and secure a financial executive who can drive strategy and growth, contact us today.
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