Friday, 27 June 2014

20 TOP Receptionist Interview Questions and Answers for Interview Preparation

Receptionist TIPS:
More than thirty people submit their application for every single job opening for a receptionist advertised in the United States. The competition is huge and to get this job is much more difficult as people generally think. You have to prepare for the questions and learn how to impress the recruiters, in order to have a good chance to succeed and get a job. ReceptionistInterviewQuestions.com should help you with it.

 i. What to expect in an interview?
You can expect a mix of personal, behavioral and technical questions. They may apply language, or personality test too. (These tests are used especially in big hotel chains).
And after all, the impression you make on the recruiters is very important. Without making a good one, it’s impossible to get this job. We will talk about it later in detail. Let’s have a look at the most common questions right now.

ii. Impression is very important: 
Receptionist is working Interviewers in hotels and companies understand the crucial role of a receptionist in every single business. This person represents the first line of contact with every single guest! Just think about it… Therefor, recruiters are very cautious and observe a lot of things in your interview… Is it a pleasure to talk to you? Are you a good listener? Do you keep eye contact? Do you smile when talking? Do you talk to the point? Are you motivated to have this job?

They take notice of all these things and much more… If you want to succeed and get a job of a receptionist, you need to work on your non-verbal communication too. Try to be a good companion in your interview, try to be a good listener. It is absolutely crucial for your success.

Receptionist Interview Questions:
A receptionist is considered as one of the most important employees, that plays a very important role in building a very good image for any company or organization. This is because it is the receptionist who comes first in contact with anyone visiting the company. The receptionist is not only responsible for internal communications, but is responsible for external communications as well. Hence, employers need to be careful while selecting a receptionist because of these reasons. Following are some very good sample receptionist interview questions to help you prepare for the big day.

1. Why you are interested in this job?
 This is one of the most common questions which is asked in almost all types of job interviews. Hence, you need to prepare thoroughly for this if you want to impress the interviewer within the first few minutes of the interview. Here you are required to mention all the skills which are a must for this job such as good interpersonal skills, ability to carry put multiple tasks simultaneously, exposure to various software for the purpose of documentation and other related skills.

2. Tell me something about yourself.
 This is a statement which is common to almost all the employers and recruiters irrespective of the job profile they are recruiting for. However, the answer to this should be strictly in accordance with the profile you have applied for. In this case, you need to describe those personal qualities that are most relevant for being a good receptionist and not the general qualities.

3. What, according to you, is the most important skill required for being a perfect receptionist?
 As far as my knowledge is concerned, the most important feature that is demanded of a receptionist is to be a social individual. A receptionist is someone who is responsible for interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and nature during a typical working day. Hence, it is very important to be very good at communication skills. Also, as a receptionist, you should also keep your calm while working. Otherwise it will create a bad impression ,on the people you come across, not only about yourself but also about the organization for which you are working.

4. What software are you comfortable with?
 This is for knowing the technical skills that you possess for handling all the documentation related to the job. If you have some certifications then you ought to mention them in order to elevate your chances of selection. However, if you don't , say that you are technologically savvy and can grasp things very quickly. So, you will get used to any software used by the company very quickly .

5. How will you deal with the high workload and the stress accompanying the job?
 This is for knowing how patient you are and how do you organize your work when you are required to complete more work in less time. Hence, you can say that you like busy schedules rather than sitting idle or working at a slow speed. Because of such busy schedules you enjoy your weekends or holidays in a much better way so that you can unwind and get ready for a new workweek .

6. Tell me about your positive and negative qualities.
 This is one of the tricky questions put forth by the employers in job interviews. Therefore, you need to be very careful with your words while answering such interview questions. It is always better to prepare for such questions before appearing for the interview, so that you don't jumble your words when you are in front of your interviewer. Be honest and confident and do not make the mistake of boasting about yourself too much. Support your strengths with examples to leave a strong impression on the interviewers.

7. Why should we hire you for our company or organization?
 While answering this question, you need to reiterate all your positive points, which will give the employers an insight into your strengths and prove it to them that you are a perfect for their company. Focus on the qualities which will provide them with ample reasons to hire you instead of some other candidate. This lets you create a value for yourself, therefore prepare a very good answer for this question.

8. Why do you want to work with us?
 Such types of questions serve as a decision making tool for the employers, because this is one of the questions that tells the employers whether to hire you or not. Thus, you must research well about the company before appearing for the interview if you want to ace such questions. This will indicate to the employer, your interest in the company and impress them. Show them how enthusiastic you are to work with them and how you will contribute to the company from your quality of work.

9. How much salary are you expecting for this job?
 This is also one of the common interview questions that has to be faced by the majority of employees in their job interviews. For this reason, make your salary calculations by keeping all the key points in mind prior to the interview so that you can answer this in a better way. But, remember that it is very bad practice to state the exact figures in the answer. Always mention your expected salary in a range and mention the reasons for the same.

10. How do you organize your daily work?
By asking this question, the employer wants to find out how organized you are and how do you manage your time and work. Thus, say that you prioritize the work assigned to you and then start with the execution so that you utilize the working hours in an efficient manner. Such type of answers will help you in creating a good impression on the interviewer.

11.What do you feel is the most important skill that is required of a receptionist? 
As far as my experience tells me, the most important aspect that is required of a receptionist is to be comfortable with meeting and interacting people from diverse backgrounds.
A receptionist is actually the first image of the company that a person is presented with. Therefore, it is required of a receptionist to be always of a cheerful and pleasant disposition.

12.What softwares are you comfortable with when it comes to office documentation and office administration? 
I am comfortable with all the mainstream office documentation software that is used on a consistent basis today. Other than that, I am technologically savvy to get quick hands on experience of any software that may be used by the company that I have applied for.
This can be followed by a brief list of office documentation software that you are comfortable with.

13.Have you ever worked in a stressful organization? Did you ever come across a situation where you really felt the stress and really needed distressing? 
I have not switched a lot of jobs in my time. I have worked in only two companies in six years, but just one of them was a real stressful job. However, I enjoyed it and was very comfortable working in such a livewire situation.
Yes, I did feel overwhelmed with the work, but those situations were few and far between. During these times, I would plan my weekends better, so that I could undergo some distressing programs that would make me better equipped to face the work days.

14.What kind of office administration hardware have you used, and what is the level of expertise that you have using these machines? 
I have used all the machines that would be in the use of a receptionist in an everyday office. The machines that I have used extensively are the EPABX, the Copier, the Scanner and the Fax. I used the PC extensively in my previous job. Since the company had its offices on a global level, I was also part of a process where VOIP was concerned. Apart from using these machines, I am quite qualified to handle the client side servicing like installing any necessary software, device drivers, emailing, voice mail or integrating commands into the PC, mobile or other machine related to office administration.

15.The typing speeds of a secretary are quite important for their profile. What is your speed when it comes to typing in a word processing software, what are the error levels that you have? 
I have a typing speed of around sixty words per minute. I can achieve this speed with about ten percent error levels. I used to prepare documents related to the office work at this speed almost every day as this was one of my key responsibility areas.

16.What is your work experience as Receptionist? 
I have ample experience in this field. In my previous organization I used to schedule booking and maintain up to date confident guest files, organize local tour and activities of hotel guests, supervise front desk staff, troubleshoot and resolve problems, handle telephone inquiries, manage customer relations and provide exemplary services.

17.What qualities are required to become a good hotel receptionist? 
I good hotel receptionist should possess strong organizational, interpersonal and communicational skills. He or she should be trustworthy, ethical, discreet and committed toward work. A successful receptionist should be detail oriented, resourceful, confident and multitasking.

18.Why do you want to join our hotel? 
Research is very necessary for answering this question. The answer should be given with sincerity and relate it to your long-term career goals. You can say that working in an organization which is one of the best in the business like yours makes me feel proud. There is a vast possibility of promotion under hard work within your hotel.

19.What are some of the aspects that you like about the job? 
This question is basically planned to know your comfort and satisfaction levels with the job. You have to tell various positive aspect which you like about this job. Just state sufficient reasons as to why this job appeals you.

20.Why did you left your previous receptionist job? 
This is a very sensitive question. Never abuse or disregard your previous employer. You can politely answer this question by saying that there was no growth scope in my previous hotel that is why I left it. I am looking for a hotel with long term growth opportunities. You have a brand name and I think I will get an excellent growth opportunity in your hotel.