Front Desk Officer Interview Preparation Guide

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Front Desk Officer is also Receptionist.
Receptionists hold a key role in any organization. In fact, they are the face of their company which is why their work is very sensitive. More often than not, visitors, guests and customers make up their minds about an organization after meeting the first representative; this is why receptionists are hired following a lot of scrutiny.

Front Desk Officer perform many important tasks at the front desk of an office. They answer telephones and relay messages. They also greet customers and visitors and provide them with information. They work in different settings including businesses, hospitals, private clinic and hotels. Particular duties depend on the individual settings that they work in although most tasks remain the same in the majority of organizations.

Typically, Front Desk Officer direct visitors to the right department/person, manage emails and correspondence and also perform a host of administrative tasks such as data entry, filing and light bookkeeping. Receptionists are required to possess a high school diploma at the very least - formal education is not usually required. They need to be great at managing stress and time effectively and their decision making skills need to be sound as well.

► Dress formally and appropriately; casual dressing is not allowed.
► Reach to interview place 15 minutes ahead.
► Turn off your cellular phone before entering into the interview room.
► Make sure that you know the interviewer's name. You can find out the same from the front desk personnel.
► Bring at least two extra copies of your resume.
► Bring a list of at least three professional or educational references.
► Be confident; use body language and make an eye contact with the interviewer and the panel.
► Don't criticize your previous companies / employers
► Read your resume while sitting in the waiting room. It would help you remembering your qualifications and work history.
► Don't show rigidness on salary expectation. Instead, show your strong willingness to work on the salary per employer's policy.
► Always send a thank you note to the interviewer within 2 days after interview.

You provide highly trusted and reliable recruitment services to businesses of several industries. Your head office is located in Salt Lake City with 5 branch offices operating across 3 US states. You have been awarded with the number 1 rank in the recruitment services providing companies by the Utah State County for the last two consecutive years.

I had been working as a receptionist for two years. I learned and developed numerous secretarial, customer service and front desk skills through my jobs in different work environments. After serving in the role of receptionist for some years, I would like to get a job of more responsibility such as a supervisor or office manager.

A receptionist's work is probably the most fulfilling in any company. Providing excellence in customer services and presenting a positive face of the company on a front desk makes a receptionist's work meaningful.

I have been following the success of your company for many years. I believe that It would provide me ample opportunity to make the most of my skills while maximizing the efficiency of your reception area.

I am a thorough professional. While I know that it is important to be friendly in my job, I also know my limitations and I ensure that I would adhere to them.

I am easily reachable. This means that I do not put customers or visitors off. I know how to control their moods. Also, I am a great problem solver and can handle even the worst of irate customers.

I am not particularly skilled at conducting group presentations, but I am improving this skill with the passage of time. (A group presentation task is not directly related to a receptionist's job. It is just an honest weakness which is not essential for success for receptionist's job.)

I am confident that I would be considered as a patient, friendly and hardworking individual among my coworkers. In fact, these are my inborn personality traits rather than a part of my job.

Yes. This includes manual register log as well as the automated thumb scanner's log maintenance and verification.

Printers, scanners, PC, thumb scanners, photocopiers, graph plotters, shredders, telephones, cash counters and rings.

Because, as a receptionist, I will be the first point of contact between your company and the stakeholders, clients and customers. My customer service ability will set the first impression of your company. With my brilliant customer care expertise, I will be able to maintain strong professional relationships with the clients/customers to increase recurring business and maximize client base.

As a matter of fact I did. I worked with the belief that one should perform outside his or her job description at times. I have proved to be instrumental in three marketing campaigns of the company by providing excellence in support services.

I am well trained at using QuickBooks. I have hands-on experience of processing payrolls using it.

I am computer proficient. I can manage popular databases and have the capacity to learn reception and CRM software quickly. I can also perform light bookkeeping activities using spreadsheets and Quickbooks.

My work as a receptionist requires that I interact with the public on a constant basis. I enjoy it immensely as I get to know new people of different backgrounds on a daily basis. Assisting them gives me great joy and makes my job fulfilling.

Around 50lbs.

I possess ten-key typing ability and my typing speed is approximately 60 words per minute with accuracy.

By getting a print out of the employee list and marking their presence with time and date as soon as the arrive or by taking their signatures on it for verification and recording daily attendance on an excel sheet.

Yes! I can manage multi switch PABX.

I believe that arguing with an irate customer is fruitless. I listen to them and try to work out a resolution. There was a particularly angry customer who demanded to see the manager of the company that I was working for. He barged in, banged his fist on my desk and yelled the place down. I asked him calmly if I could assist him and he said no. I requested him to sit down and lower his voice so I can understand his concern properly. He explained his predicament calmly, I took appropriate steps to resolve it and he went back calmly!

I would want to be employed here in different capacities over the years. Since I don't see much chance of saturation, I am sure I would be here for a long time!