Screening questions for receptionists.

Warm first impression

Visitors form a view of the company in their first minute at the desk.

Composure while multitasking

Phones, visitors, deliveries and staff requests rarely arrive one at a time.

Accuracy with details

A misspelled name or a lost message costs someone a meeting or a customer.

Security awareness

The front desk decides who gets into the building.

1. 01

   The phone is ringing, a courier needs a signature, and a visitor has just walked in. What do you do first?

   Strong answer

   Greets the visitor with a quick word and eye contact, answers the phone and asks the caller to hold briefly, then handles each in turn and thanks them for waiting.

   Weak answer

   Deals with one and ignores the others, or can’t decide on an order.

2. 02

   A visitor arrives for a meeting, but their host isn’t answering and the meeting isn’t on any calendar. What do you do?

   Strong answer

   Checks the name and time, tries the host and their team, offers the visitor a seat and a drink, and keeps them updated instead of leaving them waiting in silence.

   Weak answer

   Tells them the person isn’t available and leaves it there.

3. 03

   Someone without a badge says they work here and asks you to let them through. How do you handle it?

   Strong answer

   Stays polite but follows the sign-in process, checks with security or their team, and doesn’t let confidence or pressure override the rule.

   Weak answer

   Lets them in because they seemed sure of themselves.

4. 04

   A caller is angry because they’ve been transferred three times. Walk me through the call.

   Strong answer

   Apologizes, takes their name, number and the issue in full, finds the right person before transferring, and offers a callback if that person isn’t free.

   Weak answer

   Transfers them again to whoever seems closest.

5. 05

   How do you make sure a phone message reaches the right person accurately?

   Strong answer

   Takes the caller’s name and spelling, number, reason and urgency, reads the number back, sends it the way that person actually checks, and confirms receipt if it’s urgent.

   Weak answer

   “I just pass it on.”

6. 06

   Tell me about a time you made a visitor’s day a little better.

   Strong answer

   A specific small act, like remembering a regular visitor’s name or sorting out parking for someone running late, and why it mattered.

   Weak answer

   Talks about always smiling, with no example.

7. 07

   What would you do on a quiet afternoon at the desk?

   Strong answer

   Names useful tasks: restocking supplies, updating the visitor log or phone list, preparing for tomorrow’s bookings, and asking the office manager what else needs doing.

   Weak answer

   Waits for the next call.

8. 08

   Why reception, and what do you want to learn in this role?

   Strong answer

   Enjoys meeting people and keeping an office running, and names a direction, like office management or administration, they’re working toward.

   Weak answer

   Generic answer that could be about any job.

Related roles

• Hotel front desk agentEight first-round questions for hotel front desk agents, covering overbookings, late arrivals, noise complaints and guest privacy, with strong and weak answers.
• Executive assistantEight first-round questions for executive assistants on calendars, gatekeeping, travel and confidential work, with strong and weak answers and a scorecard.
• Customer service representativeEight first-round questions for customer service representatives, with what strong and weak answers sound like, a weighted scorecard and red flags.