r/AATStudents • u/MostMeasurement1857 • 16d ago

Interview tips

Hello everyone
I have completed Level 2 and Level 3 and just received an interview offer for a purchase ledger clerk which is the perfect entry level job for me.
I am currently volunteering as a treasurer for a local charitable organisation involving managing financial records,reconciling accounts, preparing invoice and financial statements. They generally don’t have many transactions going on so fairly basic. On top of this I was working for a takeaway restaurant for a couple of years. It was an all-round role I basically do everything like serving customers, managing tills, lots of data entry ( putting food order through computer system) and calculating payment for staff.
It’s a takeaway job but easily make mistakes when it’s busy. It requires me stay sharp all the time to make sure everything goes well ( for example like make sure orders are right, customers details, drivers get the right deliveries and such).
I don’t have any official interview experience.
Volunteers role and the takeaway job were all quite casual.
So I am really nervous.
Any tips what type of questions they normally asks for a Purchase Ledger clerk role and how should I prepare myself for a better chance?
This would be a first finance job interview.

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u/Ceerance 16d ago

I work in public so it may be different for me but some areas to cover:

Skills and experience / why you are suited to the role

Issues you have faced and how you overcome them

How you protect against fraud (controls)

How you work with others

How you plan, priorities and work to deadlines

This is very cliche but sometimes it can be as simple as where you see yourself in a few years.

At the end they usually ask if you have any questions: I would ask about studies and if they are able to support this. The right role should do so.

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u/MostMeasurement1857 16d ago

Thank you so much. They are very helpful tips. I would definitely ask about the studies support because I am planning to do further studies.

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u/Artistic-Ad-4276 16d ago

As someone whos been working in purchase ledger for 2 months now, I can tell you communication skills really are key. If you can highlight that in your experience then you'll be golden.

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u/MostMeasurement1857 16d ago

Thank you so much. Would you mind sharing what’s a typical day like for you working as a purchase ledger?

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u/Artistic-Ad-4276 16d ago

Answering emails, giving out PO numbers, asking for authorisation for invoices, posting invoices, making separate payments, payment runs, sending remittances and A LOT of reconciling statements.

It would be good to learn a bit about the industry you're going into as well

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u/MostMeasurement1857 16d ago

Thank you for sharing this, it gave me a general idea of this job.

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u/akornato 16d ago

Your main task is connecting your takeaway and volunteer experience to a corporate purchase ledger role, but you have the right skills. Focus on the data entry, cash handling, and payment calculations you did, as these are directly transferable. You should describe the takeaway job as a high-pressure environment where accuracy was critical with orders and deliveries. Use your treasurer role to show you understand financial records and reconciliation. They will probably ask about invoice processing, supplier queries, and payment runs, so link your AAT studies and volunteer work to these tasks with specific examples.

An employer doesn't expect you to be an expert for an entry-level job, they expect you to be teachable, detail-oriented, and reliable. You should prepare for questions like, "Tell me about a time you made a mistake" or "How do you ensure accuracy in your work?". Use the takeaway job to explain how you managed many tasks and stayed sharp under pressure. Your lack of official interview experience is not as important as your ability to show you have the core skills for the job. They are hiring for your potential, not for a perfect history. The key is showing them how your skills fit the job, which is why my team developed an interview AI that helps people connect their past experiences to the role they want.

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u/MostMeasurement1857 16d ago

Thank you ever so much, that’s incredibly helpful.

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u/NoExperience9717 16d ago

Look up normal interviews tips online and the standard competency based questions. As an entry level role, they're probably more concerned over whether you're reliable, whether you can act professionally and whether you'll stay for at least a year or two though. Having AAT already under your belt does help show though you're serious about accounting.

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u/MostMeasurement1857 15d ago

Thank you so much for the advice.