IntermediateBEHAVIORAL
Give an example of how you managed tight month-end deadlines while maintaining accuracy—how did you prioritize tasks and communicate progress to stakeholders?
data entry, bookkeeping
General

Sample Answer

At my last role supporting a 40-person operations team, month-end close was a three-day sprint with a hard deadline. I created a prioritized checklist splitting high-risk items (bank reconciliations, A/R aging adjustments) from routine entries. I completed reconciliations first and locked entries with a timestamped note in QuickBooks, which cut duplicate work. I also ran a nightly variance report and sent a 3-line summary to the controller and two business managers each evening. By focusing on the 8 items that historically caused 90% of variance and communicating proactively, we closed on time for 11 straight months and reduced post-close adjustments by 65% compared to the prior year.

Keywords

Prioritization by risk (high-impact accounts first)Tangible process: checklist, timestamps, nightly variance reportsMetrics: reduced post-close adjustments by 65%, 11 on-time closes