Fresh Clerical Interview Questions & Answers:

1. What do you consider to be the most important qualities for this clerical/administrative job?

A clerical or administrative type job mostly involves information management and communication. Qualities like good listening and communication skills, planning and organizing, flexibility, adaptability, independent judgment, confidentiality, attention to detail and accuracy are all key to clerical jobs.

2. Describe any innovations you successfully made in your last job to improve efficiency?

The interviewer wants to know if you are able to analyze a problem and come up with a workable solution. Show how you use your initiative to pro-actively make positive changes.

3. How do you prioritize your work?

Describe the techniques you use to organize your work. How do you determine the importance and urgency of a task? What else do you consider when prioritizing your work - for example, the available resources to complete the task? Show how you are able to use your judgment and plan the most appropriate course of action.

4. Can you give me an example of the sort of deadlines you had to meet?

Be specific about any daily, weekly, quarterly deadlines you regularly had to meet. Explain how you scheduled your activities to ensure that you did meet the deadlines.

5. Describe the busiest work situation you have recently had?

Again have an example ready for the interviewer. Describe the situation, the actions you took to meet the demands and the outcome. Focus on your ability to perform under pressure by planning and prioritizing successfully. Avoid making negative comments about having to handle a busy situation but rather convince the interviewer that you enjoyed the challenge.

6. Were you responsible for coordinating any events, projects or programs?

Have a good example ready of a project where you were involved in the planning and organization. Clerical interview questions like this are designed to explore your planning and organization skills as well as your initiative and ability to work independently. Focus on these skills in your answer.

7. How many calls did you have to take on an average day?

This provides an indication of how busy you were and how much time was spent on dealing with requests for information. If you also dealt with the public via written communications then include this in your clerical interview answer.

8. What sort of interactions did you have with the public?

Focus on dealing with queries or requests from customers or members of the public. Highlight your use of your knowledge of the department and company to successfully answer queries and provide information.These clerical interview questions are exploring your ability to provide an efficient information service to the public, clients, colleagues and managers.

9. What experience do you have with setting up meetings?

How did you organize venues, inform participants, organize documentation, set up the meeting room? Were you also responsible for taking and distributing minutes?

10. What experience do you have with handling money?

Detail what your responsibilities were in this area. Did you collect, count and disburse money? Was there any basic bookkeeping involved? Were you responsible for any banking transactions?