The interview process starts with submitting an application. If a recruiter reviews your resume, they contact you and send a set of questions to complete. Based on your answers, they decide whether to move you forward to an interview. The interview itself is scheduled through text. They send a packet and say the interview will be in STAR format, but it is not in STAR format at all. I was asked only four questions, and the interviewers seemed uninterested and bored.
Nowhere in the interview prep did it state I would be asked technical questions, yet I was asked one technical question that I got wrong, which immediately led to a follow-up. That question was about prepaid rent for an entire year. In all of my experience in accounts payable and bookkeeping, I have never encountered a situation where rent was prepaid for a full year in advance, not once. Being judged on a niche and unrealistic scenario felt unfair for an entry-level role.
Some of the questions also felt inappropriate for an entry-level position, such as asking about my biggest mistake at work or asking me to provide an example of when I introduced a new idea or process, how I implemented it, and what impact it had. The job description states, “Prior accounting or bookkeeping experience or anything else finance-related experience,” which I have. I have AP experience and I am a certified QuickBooks bookkeeper. In roles like these, I would not be responsible for implementing new ideas at companies that are set in their ways, so this question felt disconnected from the actual position.
When it was my turn to ask questions, I asked what qualities someone would need to do well in the job. The first response was, “debits and credits.” Since the technical question I had gotten wrong earlier was about debits and credits, this response felt pointed. I understand that I missed a question, but the way this was answered came across as unnecessary and rude.
They were also not honest about when they would get back to me. In the end, I was rejected for both roles I applied to, and my recruiter was not given any feedback on why I was not selected. Overall, it was a poorly handled interview process and a disappointing experience.
