Receptionist Interview Questions

Reception is the first meeting point for people who arrive at any organization. A courteous and well-mannered receptionist adds to the prestige of an organization. In other words, you can say that a receptionist is an introduction to the organization. Therefore, companies need to find the most suitable candidate for this position.

Receptionists directly interact with employees, agencies, clients, vendors and other people. For hiring a receptionist, employers or hiring managers prefer individuals who can effectively represent the organization. Excellent communication skills, a polite way of talking, and problem-solving attitude are the fundamental ingredients that employers seek for reception jobs.

When you appear for a Receptionist job interview, the employers ask you some specific questions. Following are the questions with answers as examples for the Receptionist position.

Do You Have Experience Working with Multiple-line Telephone Systems and Fax?

An organization may have different departments, and their landline phone is often linked with the mainline at the reception. So, a receptionist job requires you to connect incoming calls to the relevant departments.

 In a busy office environment, you may have to deal with multiple phone calls, and that is why employers seek responsible and vigilant candidates. In response, you can say, my last job required me to handle a high volume of phone calls. I was responsible for organizing all the incoming calls and faxing various documents to the clients. 

Despite the workload, I always successfully transferred phone calls to the concerned department. I showed a calm and friendly attitude in the workplace.

What Is Your Typing Speed? Can You Type Faster?

In many organizations, the receptionist job is a multi-tasking job. At times, you may have to type reports using computers. So, if your typing speed is good, you will be a suitable candidate for this position.

 In reply to this question, you can say, I can type 80-100 words per minute. After typing and completing the report, I thoroughly proofread it to make sure that report is error-free.

Do You Have Proficiency in Ms Office?

In busy offices, receptionists work to support management staff. They may have to use MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Response: I have been using MS Office for more than ten years. In my college, I completed many assignments that required me to use MS office. With time, I have developed proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and MS Access. I can work within the deadlines.

Can You Work in Traditional Software Programs?

Response: I am comfortable in using software programs. Previously, I have worked in Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. I will have no problem in working with any software for official purpose.

Have You Ever Dealt with Some Angry Customer on the Phone?

It is an important question because clients or customers may get upset for any reason. As a result, they might speak harshly with the receptionist. Nevertheless, you have to keep your calm in every situation and try to address the client’s concerns.

 Response: Once I received a call from a client, he was upset due to the late delivery of an order in his office. As soon as I received the call, the client started yelling that the late delivery caused him a lot of hassle. He further said: I should not have trusted this company. I said: sorry about the inconvenience that you faced. I asked him to give me a minute so that I could check the details of his order. After checking the details of an angry customer’s order, I politely informed him that our company had not delayed his order. We dispatched the order from our office within 24 hours after receiving and confirming the order according to our stated policy. You may have faced the delay from courier’s side, and as a proof, I can forward a scanned copy of your dispatched order. In the next few minutes, I emailed him the copy. 

After receiving the email, he said, I will check with the courier. I said: is there anything I can help you with? He said: No! I said: Thank You for calling here and have a great afternoon. The next day, I contacted the same angry customer as a follow-up call. He replied: I checked with the courier company, and they could not deliver my order on-time due to the change of address. The customer also apologized for his behaviour on the phone yesterday. I replied: No problem, and please call again. Have a nice afternoon.

Can You Tell Us the Time When You Went the Extra Mile for Your Company?

Employers seek candidates who can make some extra effort other than their job responsibilities. Response: Once my manager had to submit an important report in the next-day meeting, manager’s assistant was responsible for making such reports. But the assistant had to leave due to some emergency at his home.

So, my manager asked me if I could help him with the reports. I showed willingness and said, of course, I can do this task. I completed my manager’s assigned task due to the absence of his assistant. For this purpose, I had to sit an extra hour in the office after my office timings. But I ensured the completion of the report.

Additional Interview Questions for Receptionist Jobs

In addition to the questions mentioned above, hiring managers tend to ask candidates more questions which are as under:

·What is the best thing about a Reception job in your view?

·What are the daily challenges for this position?

·How a receptionist contributes to the office environment?

·Can you work under pressure?

Final Word

A receptionist plays an important role in an organization. A receptionist should be polite and courteous. Strong communication skills, computer proficiency, and a can-do attitude make you a suitable candidate for a reception position. At times, you may have to deal with angry clients, but you have to stay calm and composed throughout your conversation. A receptionist job is more than to connect calls to the relevant department and fax. In many situations, companies may require receptionists to work as support staff.

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Receptionist Interview Questions

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Receptionist Interview Questions. The article guides candidates about the possible questions that hiring managers ask for a receptionist position.