Keertana Finance: Interview Preparation For Executive - Accounts & Taxation Role
Keertana Finance is a new-generation, inclusive, and rural-focused financial institution that leverages technology to expand access to affordable credit. Led by promoter Ms. Padmaja Reddy alongside a founding team with over 100 years of collective experience in small business lending, the company concentrates on Gold Loans and Micro Enterprise lending (both secured and unsecured) for customers traditionally unserved by banks and underserved by NBFCs. With this mission, accurate accounting, strong controls, and timely compliance form the backbone of sustainable growth and trust with stakeholders.
This comprehensive guide provides essential insights into the Executive - Accounts & Taxation at Keertana Finance, covering required skills, responsibilities, interview questions, and preparation strategies to help aspiring candidates succeed.
1. About the Executive - Accounts & Taxation Role
As an Executive - Accounts & Taxation within the Accounts & Taxation department in Hyderabad, you will support day-to-day core finance operations that keep Keertana Finance’s books accurate and compliant. The role centers on maintaining up-to-date ledgers, processing payables and receivables, preparing and posting journal entries, and assisting with bank reconciliations and cash flow tracking. You will also help prepare financial statements and management reports, ensuring data integrity across periods.
2. Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an Executive - Accounts & Taxation at Keertana Finance, you need a solid foundation in accounting and taxation, high attention to detail, and the ability to collaborate effectively. Below are the essential qualifications, competencies, and technical skills expected for the role.
Educational Qualifications
- Master's degree (M.Com/MBA Finance) preferred
Key Competencies
- Accounting Operations Management: Ability to maintain accurate books of accounts, process payables/receivables, and handle journal entries and reconciliations
- Financial Compliance: Understanding of statutory requirements including GST, TDS, and income tax filings
- Analytical & Numerical Ability: Strong analytical skills with attention to detail for financial reporting and analysis
- Time Management & Initiative: Ability to manage time effectively, meet deadlines, and demonstrate willingness to learn and take initiative
- Team Collaboration: Team player with proactive attitude to collaborate with team members and support senior staff
Technical Skills
- Accounting Principles: Strong understanding of accounting principles and financial reporting standards
- MS Excel Proficiency: Advanced skills in MS Excel for financial operations and reporting
- Financial Documentation: Experience in maintaining financial records, invoices, and documentation
- Audit Support: Ability to prepare audit schedules and support internal/external audits
- Bank Reconciliation: Skill in bank reconciliations and cash flow tracking
3. Day-to-Day Responsibilities
The following activities reflect a typical workweek for an Executive - Accounts & Taxation at Keertana Finance, focusing on accuracy, timeliness, and compliance across accounting operations and statutory obligations.
- Accounting Operations Management: Maintain accurate and up-to-date books of accounts; process accounts payable and receivable transactions; prepare and post journal entries, ledgers, and account reconciliations.
- Financial Reporting Support: Assist in the preparation of financial statements and reports; support the creation of audit schedules and facilitate internal and external audit processes.
- Tax Compliance & Statutory Filings: Ensure compliance with statutory requirements including GST, TDS, and income tax filings; maintain accurate records for all tax-related transactions.
- Bank Reconciliation & Cash Management: Perform regular bank reconciliations and monitor cash flow to ensure accurate financial tracking and reporting.
- Financial Documentation Management: Maintain and organize financial records, invoices, and supporting documentation; ensure timely and accurate data entry into accounting systems.
- Team Collaboration & Support: Collaborate with team members to ensure smooth financial operations; support senior accountants and managers with ad-hoc tasks and financial analysis as required.
4. Key Competencies for Success
Beyond foundational accounting knowledge, the following competencies distinguish high-performing Executives in Accounts & Taxation and enable reliable, audit-ready outcomes.
- Regulatory Rigor: Consistently applies GST/TDS rules and deadlines to avoid penalties and ensure timely filings.
- Data Integrity Mindset: Upholds high-quality documentation and version control so every figure is traceable and defensible.
- Process Discipline: Follows standardized checklists and closing calendars to deliver predictable, on-time results.
- Stakeholder Communication: Shares clear updates with seniors, auditors, and cross-functional teams to resolve issues rapidly.
- Continuous Learning: Proactively updates knowledge on evolving tax and reporting requirements and adopts best practices.
5. Common Interview Questions
This section provides a selection of common interview questions to help candidates prepare effectively for their Executive - Accounts & Taxation interview at Keertana Finance.
Briefly align your background with accounting, compliance, and Keertana’s inclusive finance mission.
Connect personal motivation with impact on underserved segments via responsible credit.
Show prioritization, checklists, communication, and on-time delivery.
Discuss maker-checker, variance thresholds, and documentation controls.
Explain context, your role, communication, and measurable outcomes.
Use impact/urgency matrices, clarify requirements, and keep audit trails.
Cover detection method, root cause analysis, correction entry, and prevention steps.
Illustrate anticipation of issues, early communication, and process improvements.
Mention official portals, circulars, and reputable learning resources.
Relate growth plans to increasing responsibilities and compliance excellence.
Use the STAR method and quantify outcomes to make your answers credible and memorable.
Explain source docs, narration, approvals, mapping, and control accounts.
Cover timing differences, unpresented cheques, and investigation steps.
Discuss data preparation, reconciliation (GSTR-2B vs books), payment, and filing.
Identify section, rate, threshold, deduction timing, deposit, and statement filing.
Mention 3-way match, aging analysis, and periodic GL tie-outs.
Pre-close checklist: accruals, provisions, cut-offs, and balance confirmations.
Provide reconciled schedules, backing documents, and variance explanations.
Explain inflow/outflow mapping, forecast vs actuals, and exception reporting.
Use document numbering, maker-checker, and validation rules.
Match supplier compliance (2B), follow up discrepancies, and adjust claims as per rules.
Anchor answers to concrete steps, controls, and timelines you routinely follow.
Verify section/rate, check challans/returns, correct in next statement if needed, and communicate.
Assess impact, pass correction entries, update schedules, inform stakeholders, and document RCA.
Isolate period, trace transactions, validate timestamps, and engage bank/vendor as required.
Identify non-compliant suppliers, obtain rectified invoices, and adjust claims per regulation.
Sequence critical close tasks, allocate time-bound responses, and align expectations early.
Review credit notes/adjustments, escalate collections, and reconcile customer accounts.
Implement input controls, unique doc checks, and maker-checker with periodic audits.
Entry listings, supporting docs, approvals, reconciliations, and policy references.
Update masters, segregate pre/post-change transactions, and validate tax computations.
Perform line-by-line reconciliation, identify timing errors, and issue confirmations.
Demonstrate structure: identify, investigate, correct, communicate, and prevent.
Map your ledger work, reconciliations, and compliance tasks to the JD.
Share objective impact: error reduction, time saved, or audit readiness.
Bank, vendor/customer, GST input credit, intercompany, or control accounts.
Explain data prep, validation, and coordination with seniors or consultants.
Mention schedule structure, documentation, and turnaround time.
Cross-footing, tie-back to GL, variance analysis, and peer review.
Use calendars, batching, clear SLAs, and early risk flagging.
Align with inclusive finance, gold and micro-enterprise lending focus, and growth culture.
Target deeper GST/TDS knowledge, advanced Excel, or closing automation.
Ask about the closing calendar, compliance cadence, tools stack, and growth pathways.
Tailor each example to Keertana’s context and quantify impact wherever possible.
6. Common Topics and Areas of Focus for Interview Preparation
To excel in your Executive - Accounts & Taxation role at Keertana Finance, it’s essential to focus on the following areas. These topics highlight the key responsibilities and expectations, preparing you to discuss your skills and experiences in a way that aligns with Keertana Finance objectives.
- Core Accounting and Reconciliations: Revise double-entry, journal posting, ledgers, trial balance, and bank/vendor/customer reconciliations with examples.
- GST, TDS, and Income-Tax Basics: Understand applicability, rates, thresholds, due dates, and documentation for accurate filings and audit readiness.
- Financial Reporting Schedules: Practice preparing closing schedules, variance analyses, and notes supporting financial statements.
- Excel for Finance: Be ready to demonstrate pivots, lookups, conditional formulas, data validation, and error checks used in your work.
- Audit Preparation and Documentation: Learn how to structure schedules, maintain backups, and respond to internal and external audit queries.
7. Perks and Benefits of Working at Keertana Finance
Keertana Finance offers a comprehensive package of benefits to support the well-being, professional growth, and satisfaction of its employees. Here are some of the key perks you can expect
- Competitive Salary and Performance-Based Incentives: Rewards aligned with contribution and outcomes.
- Professional Growth and Development: Exposure to learning opportunities in accounting, taxation, and compliance.
- Challenging and Impactful Projects: Work that contributes to inclusive finance and business scalability.
- Collaborative and Supportive Work Environment: Team-first culture that values accuracy and timeliness.
- Mentorship from Experienced Professionals: Guidance from senior accountants and managers to accelerate learning.
8. Conclusion
The Executive - Accounts & Taxation role at Keertana Finance is central to maintaining accurate books, timely reporting, and regulatory compliance for a mission-driven lender focused on underserved markets. By demonstrating mastery of accounting fundamentals, rigor in GST/TDS and income-tax workflows, and a disciplined approach to reconciliations and documentation, you can stand out as a reliable contributor. Prepare clear, quantified examples that showcase your attention to detail, ownership of month-end tasks, and collaboration with auditors and cross-functional teams. With strong preparation and a proactive mindset, this role offers meaningful impact, valuable learning, and room to grow with experienced mentors.
Tips for Interview Success:
- Show Your Controls: Walk interviewers through your checklists for postings, reconciliations, and compliance cut-offs.
- Quantify Impact: Share metrics like error reductions, faster closes, or improved reconciliation timelines.
- Be Compliance-Ready: Revise GST/TDS basics, due dates, and documentation-bring a simple example schedule if asked.
- Demonstrate Excel Skills: Be ready to explain pivots/lookups and how you’ve used them to build audit-ready schedules.