Finance Director Oral Board Interview Questions:

  1. Tell me about yourself and what makes you uniquely qualified to be the next Finance Director for the City of Tualatin? Where will you add the most value? Where will you need the most support?
  1. During your first 90 days on the job what would you do to position yourself and the department for future success? What would you do to integrate yourself into the department / the organization / the community? What do you think will be the biggest challenges you will have to face and overcome in the first 90 days?
  1. What are the three most important skills a Finance Director needs in order to be successful? After you have completed your first year here in Tualatin, how will you judge whether you have been successful?
  1. Describe your customer service philosophy – what does “providing excellent customer service,” mean to you and what would you as the Tualatin Finance Director do to ensure a customer service driven department? What resistance have you had to overcome in providing excellent customer service and how did you do that?
  1. Describe your supervisory style. What has been the most challenging situation you have dealt with as a supervisor? Have you ever had to discipline an employee? Please tell me about that and how you handled it. Would you describe yourself as a strong supervisor? What does that mean to you?
  1. Describe a situation where you had to implement a policy or program that was not popular with employees but had to happen. How did you gain buy in? How did you handle the employees who resisted?
  1. Describe your approach to a situation where the city manager / your boss is making a decision that you believe is not in the best interest of the organization and is not fiscally prudent. Describe your approach to the same situation except that it is a department head / your peer that is taking the action.
  1. Understanding the limitations and challenges of local government funding in Oregon, describe a situation where you have offered creative or innovation solutions to an organizations’ limited resources or taken advantage of new funding opportunities.
  1. Is there anything else that you would like to tell you before we close? Do you have any questions?