Office Clerk Interview Questions and Answers

1. Tell us something about yourself.

This is usually the first question at any interview which works as an ice breaker for the interviewer. But, if you look at it as a candidate, this question gives to the tremendous power to set the tone for the whole interview, provided you go prepared. Else, this question can be a complete disaster.

To make a good use of the opportunity that this question throws at you, make sure that you have read the job description very carefully and possess a list of all the important qualities required to do well in that role, so that you can draft your answer accordingly.

Clerks work in all the businesses and some of the primary qualities required by them are:

i.) Logic and Efficiency - Being an office clerk means that a lot of new and repetitive tasks will keep coming to you. You can't ask for instructions to do everything. This needs you to possess your own logic and to finish everything perfectly on time, you need to be efficient.

ii.) Organized with an ability to multitask - Since, you are required to take care of a lot of things, you need to be able to stay organized so that you don't miss out on anything. Another important quality of good clerks is that they are able to do many things simultaneously with equal focus without compromising on the quality of work.

iii.) Computer savvy - To take care of day to day operations

iv.) Responsible and Dependable - People at clerical levels are the backbone of a business as they help in smooth running of the operations. Their managers like to believe that once a task has been assigned to their clerks, it'll be done. To meet this expectation,you'll have to be highly responsible and dependable.

v.) Energetic - To perform all the tasks and do all the running around, they should also be energetic.

vi.) Assertive but polite - While executing different tasks, they may come across special requests from their own or other departments. They have to know what can fulfilled and what can not be. And, this needs them to be assertive while being polite.  

vii.) Confident with a good knowledge of processes

viii.) Good team workers – To work with the people from same and other departments.

ix.) Good interpersonal and communication skills.

A sample answer to this question can be something like, "I'm a Billing Clerk with three years of work experience at XYZ hospital.  Dealing with money needs me to be very good with numbers, dependable and focused. And, having so many invoices to process means that I have to be at the best of my efficiency every single day.

A Billing Clerk has to be in touch with various departments to ensure that the processes, equipment have been correctly mentioned & that the clearances from all the departments have been obtained. This needs me to be able to multitask and still be organized. Dealing with human element demands me to be good with people skills. It being a hospital, we see different types of cases everyday, which needs me to be able to look at things logically.

I see that you currently have a requirement for a Senior Billing clerk for your hospital & with the type of experience I possess, I believe that I'll be a good fit for this position.

Video : Office Clerk Interview Questions and Answers - For Freshers and Experienced Candidates

2. Why should we hire you?

The most important thing to remember while answering this question is - Keep the focus of your answer only on your skills and qualifications.

To be able to do this, make two columns. The first column is a list of their requirements, as notified in the job description. The second column is a list of the skills and qualifications you possess. Match the two columns. Everything that matches is a reason for them to hire you. And, if there are certain required skills that you don't possess, offer your learning capability as a solution.

The biggest advantage of preparing for this question is that it makes you aware of your shortcomings as well and gives you an opportunity to prepare for them.

Another important tip that I have here is, everyone reads the specified requirements but those who take the effort to read and understand the unspecified requirements through research or by reading between the lines always do better than the previous type of candidates. Clerks are employed in various business under various departments, take an effort to understand the employer's requirement. It'll really pay off.

3. What do you know about us?

This question is basically a check of your seriousness. Many candidates come to the interview without finding out anything about the employer. They are clearly not interested and often land up jeopardizing their chances.

Make sure that you have studied sufficiently about the employer and their business. The best source of this information is their official website.

This exercise will also prepare you for another question that is often asked at the end of the interview, "Do you have any questions for us?"

4. Can you tell us a bit about your everyday activities?

Interviewers ask this question many a times even though they are sitting with your resume in hand. The purpose is to see, how comfortably you describe these activities and that you really do them.

Many candidates get their resume written by others without knowing the requirements of the role.

So, there are two tips to answer this question.

i.) Write your resume yourself

ii.) Practice to deliver orally what you have written in your resume.

Since, clerks work in various departments, there are different types of activities that they do.

Some of the general ones are:

i.) Taking the phone calls and passing on the messages

ii.) Taking enquiries from the customers and giving them information

iii.) Data entry

iv.) Dispatching the ordered goods

v.) Sending out and receiving & segregating the mail.

vi.) Managing petty cash

vii.) Assist the managers in organizing events, meetings etc.

viii.) Generating invoices etc.

To answer this question, make a list of all the activities you do and discuss them.

Being aware of the activities, you are required to perform in this role will allow you to go a step further and add that, "I'm aware that in addition to all the things, I have been doing in my last role, the position with you would need me to care of some additional things as well. I would like to assure you that with my experience and capabilities, I'll be very quick to pick them up."

5. What role do you think clerks play in maintaining good interdepartmental relationships?

For a business to run smoothly, it is very important for various departments to work in tandem with each other and Clerks are often the first line of contact for people from other departments.

So, to answer this question you can say, "I understand that as Clerk, we are often the first people to be contacted by the members of other teams for their work. Being a good team player not only helps in running the things smoothly but also helps in maintaining the interdepartmental harmony, which is extremely important for the success of business."

6. Give us an example of your ability to multitask.

To answer this question, think about the various activities you do at a time on a given day. Make a list and present them as your answer.

A sample answer could be something like, while managing the petty cash, I need to look into various invoices, payment vouchers, online payments made, make the entry into the system and match it with the cash that I possess side by side. This at times is also accompanied by taking messages for the team members over the phone.

This is just an example to show you how you can frame your own answer. So, take a look at your activities, weave them together and present them as an answer.