What Parts Of Your Education Will You Apply In This Role?

• Some tax preparers acquire an accounting degree. Others complete a tax preparation course with a local tax preparation firm. The interviewer asks this question to learn more about the job applicant's educational experience and to determine how well the applicant can apply what he has learned. The job applicant should discuss specific aspects of the tax preparation courses with the interviewer to demonstrate his retention of the material from the course.
  
  

How Do You Deal With Different People?

• Tax preparers deal with a variety of customers. Some customers dump a pile of paperwork on the preparer's desk, expecting them to sort through the paperwork. Others provide neatly organized files labeled with each type of document. The interviewer asks this question to determine the job candidate's ability to work with a variety of people throughout the day. The job applicant should discuss times when she has worked with different types of people and share examples of how she switches approaches from one person to the next.
  
  

How Do You Update Your Knowledge?

• Tax rules change annually. Tax preparers need to remain current regarding tax changes and how those changes impact the firm's clients. The interviewer asks this question to determine how well the job applicant pursues updating his own knowledge, rather than relying on his teacher or boss to tell him to update his knowledge.
  
  

How Do You Work Under Pressure?

• Tax preparation involves an increasing level of pressure as the tax deadline approaches. The closer the calendar moves toward April 15, the more clients come into the tax preparation firm seeking assistance with filing their taxes. Tax preparers work longer hours as the deadline looms near. Clients grow impatient as they worry about missing the deadline. Interviewers ask this question to determine if the job applicant can deal with the pressure associated with tax deadlines.