Interview Procedure For An Accountant

Hi Seniors,
I need to recruit an Accounts- Manager for our company ( ours is a software Pvt Ltd Company)I have absolutely no idea of how to go about it.
Whats the interview process- do we need to have an aptitude test for the applicant, if yes what sort of questions.
What are the key details to look for in an accountant
What are the other details that i should be keeping in mind while recruiting for this position
Also should i be looking at applicants only from the Pvt Ltd companies or is it fine even to look at applicants from other industries like Public sectors, Hotels, Manufacturing, etc.
If our Seniors could please throw some light on this, it will be extremely useful.
I will be looking forward to your replies.
Thanks in advance

Pl.ensure the following while selecting the accounts manager.
1)The candidate should have the basic degree plus Post graduate degree in commerce with specialisation in advanced accounts, auditing etc., coupled with professional qualification like CA, ICWAI, ACS etc., if required for your company's operations.
2)Experienced accountant without CA and other qualification may also suit to your requirements.
3)The candidate should be exposed to the accounting software like Tally and other SAP related softwares if needed.
4)General appearance of the candidate, family background etc., can be ascertained about the candidate during the interview.
5)Enquire the achievements that the candidate made during his past experience.
6)Ascertain the confidence level of the candidate about his work.
7)Enquire about the candidate's past reporting functions etc.,
8)Enquire about the candidate's experience in implementing systems and procedures.
9)Enquire about his experience in finalisation of accounts, handling audit and statutory compliance.
10)Any other informations required for your company.
The above may be sufficient. You need not ask about General Knowledge and so and waste the time of senior candidate whom you are looking for Accounts Manager position.

Hi,
Thanks a million.
Just 1 question, is it ok to take the candidate from a different industry like manufacturing, hotels, public sector or is it best to take someone from the IT industry itself. Will the tax procedures and the rest be the same for different industries?
Also how many yrs of exp should one have in finalization of accounts, handling audit and statutory compliance.

hi. As far as the accounts manager is concerned, varied industrial experience would help any organisation whether it is soft ware or any other industries.
However, Govt served people may find it difficult to adjust to the need of private companies especially to soft ware set up.
Any body having more than 10 or 15 years experience in finalisation of accounts, co-ordination with audit etc would easily handle the requirement of your present need since they might have exposed to various problems of statutory, legal, Taxation etc., apart from accounting and practice.

Sir,
I have posted 13 ppts of the title prepared for Logix Micro Soft Ltd., I welcome the comments.
Also, I have enclosed the interview related document for Smitha A.M which I hope will be useful to her.
Regds,
Raghunath