Receptionist interview questions and answers
This Receptionist interview profile offers balanced sample of suitable receptionist, secretary, or administrative assistant interview questions.
Are you a candidate?
Crush your interview with our guide
Receptionist Interview Questions
Receptionists sit at the front lines of communication and are responsible for making positive first impressions with external contacts. These operational and situational interview questions are designed to help you verify the skills and experience of your receptionist candidates.
What is the role of a receptionist?
Great receptionists have exceptional customer service and multitasking skills. They’ll know who’s who at their company and can pitch in to help their colleagues determine the hierarchy of communication for various issues. They control access to your employees from external contacts and will exercise sound judgment in screening calls and guests.
Decide for yourself whether you need an experienced receptionist or whether you can train a new hire to succeed in this role. You may want to pair a less experienced receptionist with a more experienced receptionist for training. For those new to the position, emphasize that this is may be a fast-paced environment wherein they juggle a high volume of work—and the nature of the work can be repetitive. Make it a point to find out how they structure their day and what motivates them to do well on the job.
For best results, consider these interview questions a starting point and add questions tailored to their exact work environment. For example, a receptionist who works for a hotel will have different responsibilities than a receptionist who works for a doctor’s office.
Operational and Situational questions
- Have you worked as a receptionist before? If not, please talk about your relevant work experience.
- Walk me through a typical day at your previous company.
- How many people did you interact with on a daily basis?
- This type of work can be repetitive. What motivates you to do your best?
- How do you organize your work schedule?
- Describe a situation wherein you were required to multitask.
- What software programs have you used and what projects did you use them for?
- What safety and security measures did you follow at your previous company?
- Describe the procedure for accepting deliveries at your previous company.
- Describe a situation wherein you were pressed to share confidential information.
- Describe a situation wherein you interacted with an angry caller.
- An employee at your company is late for an appointment with a guest who has already arrived. How would you handle this situation?
- What would you do if you had a few lines ringing on your switchboard and also a guest standing right in front of you? Who would you address first?