Jobs › Skidmore Owings & Merrill

Accounting Clerk

Skidmore Owings & Merrill · Chicago, IL · Full time

Posted Sep 25, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at Skidmore Owings & Merrill

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you found a mistake in your own work. How did you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they own errors openly, which matters in a role where small mistakes add up.

How do you keep up with a heavy volume of invoices and expense reports during month-end close?

What they are checking: Whether they can stay accurate under deadline pressure without letting things pile up.

Why do you want to do accounting work at an architecture and engineering firm?

What they are checking: Whether they have thought about the firm and will stay engaged in a support role.

What would you do

A project manager asks you to rush a consultant payment without the usual approval. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they follow controls politely even when someone senior wants a shortcut.

A vendor calls angry that their payment is late. How do you handle the call?

What they are checking: Whether they stay calm, find the facts, and give the vendor a clear next step.

About the work

Walk me through how you process an invoice from receipt to payment.

What they are checking: Whether they know the full accounts payable flow, including approvals and matching, not just data entry.

How do you catch a duplicate invoice or a billing error before it gets paid?

What they are checking: Whether they have real habits for spotting errors that cost the firm money.

What accounting software or ERP systems have you used, and how quickly do you learn a new one?

What they are checking: Whether they can get productive in the firm's systems without a long ramp.

How would you reconcile a vendor statement that doesn't match what our records show?

What they are checking: Whether they work through a reconciliation step by step instead of forcing the numbers to match.

How comfortable are you with Excel? Tell me about a spreadsheet you built or used to track something.

What they are checking: Whether they can use spreadsheets to check and organize data, not only type into them.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Skidmore Owings & Merrill from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Skidmore Owings & Merrill.

At SOM, we are a collective committed to shaping a better future for our clients, communities and planet. We aspire to create the most sustainable, impactful work through creative, interdisciplinary teams with all the resources and diversity of a global firm. We value those who are passionate about excellence, innovation, integrity, inclusivity, and collaboration. Together we can achieve great things. Success at SOM Means • Ideas: We believe in a meritocracy of ideas. We look to everyone to actively contribute to the discourse in the firm. • Knowledge: We believe that expertise is the result of lifelong learning. We are not expected to know everything, but rather to passionately pursue answers, develop new skills and deepen our knowledge. • Product: We strive for excellence in the concept, quality, and delivery of our work. • Individual: We value individuals who bring the highest standards of professionalism and personal integrity in the way they work. Each person can develop and contribute their wealth of attributes, skills and knowledge to support the overall health of the firm. • Team: We value the power of interdisciplinary integration. A positive team culture in which everyone collaborates openly towards common goals is essential. • Firm: We have a history of making transformative contributions to the profession and our communities. We are constantly innovating and attempting to bring new approaches, solutions and processes to our work. Position Overview: We are seeking a detail-oriented, curious, and communicative Accounting clerk to join our Finance Department. The ideal candidate will be eager to learn and assist finance leadership with a broad range of entry level accounting assignments with some clerk duties as well. This position will interact with the finance team at large. This is a great entry level position where you will have exposure to a variety of financial elements! Key Responsibilities: Treasury • Performs daily cash reporting to management • Assist Treasury Manager with bank reconciliations & other account reconciliations • Gathers necessary data for monthly/quarterly debt compliance reporting for the bank Partner Accounting • Prepare, Maintain & File Partner Deliverables Tax • Prepare certified mail and complete mail runs as necessary • Assist Tax Manager with Partner deliverables • Assist with data clean-up and review for Form 1099s • Assist with year-end compilation of tax return packages Financial Reporting and other duties as needed • Assist financial reporting and compliance team with account reconciliations, develop and maintain supporting documentation • Route various documents and secure necessary signatures • Code and submit invoices to Accounts Payable after receiving approvals • Maintain recordkeeping, file structure and google drives • Other assignments and tasks as requested Qualifications: • Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required • Experience: Entry Level - 1-2 years of office experience a plus • Technical Skills: Familiarity with Microsoft and Google suite including Microsoft Excel, Google sheets, Microsoft Word, and Google docs. Position requires a strong desire to learn these products fully • Analytical Abilities: Keen attention to detail and commitment to accuracy • Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills • Team Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and manage multiple tasks effectively Compensation for this role is based upon experience, qualifications, location, and education and typically ranges from $55,000 to $65,000. For more about SOM: www.som.com Portfolios must be submitted for all design and project management positions (Architecture, Interiors, City Design, Graphics, etc). Applications without work samples will not be reviewed. Portfolios should be one PDF attachment, 10-20 pages, maximum 5 MB. Submit portfolios as part of your application in the section where the application asks you for your Resume or CV.

Apply at Skidmore Owings & Merrill