Office Clerk Interview Questions & Answers

General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.

Interviewers look for candidates that demonstrate excellent skills such as:

• Customer-service skills
• Organizational skills
• Attention to detail

In this blog, we discuss commonly asked interview questions during job interviews for Office Clerk positions. We also discuss the qualities that interviewers look for in successful candidates. In other words, we’re here to help you out!

Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.

Skills Interviewers Look For In Successful Candidates

Below we discuss the skills you can highlight in your answers to demonstrate that you’re qualified for the job.

Customer-service skills

Why interviewers are interested in your customer-service skills:

General office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public. They should be courteous and prompt with their responses.

Learn more about customer-service interview questions and how to answer them!

Attention to detail

Why interviewers are interested in your attention to detail:

General office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills.

Organizational skills

Why interviewers are interested in your organizational skills:

General office clerks file and retrieve records. They need to keep records organized to be able to access them quickly and efficiently.

Learn more about organizational skills interview questions and how to answer them!

(source: bls.gov)

General Office Clerk Job Interview Questions & Answers

During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:

• Employment history
• Skills and abilities
• Accomplishments
• Job qualifications
• Educational background
• Career goals
• Personality

Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.

Examples Of General Office Clerk Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. Why do you want to work here?
4. What interests you about this position?
5. Walk me through your resume.
6. What motivates you?
7. Why are you leaving your current job?
8. Describe your work ethic.
9. What is your greatest strength?
10. How does your experience qualify you for this job?
11. What is your greatest weakness?
12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
13. Tell me about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
14. What are your expectations for this position?
15. What are your career goals?
16. Why should we hire you?
17. What did you like most about your last position?
18. What did you like least about your last position?
19. How do you handle stress?
20. What is your greatest accomplishment?

Learn how to answer these common job interview questions!

Examples Of Specific General Office Clerk Behavioral Interview Questions

Learn more about answering behavioral interview questions by using the STAR interview technique.

1. Describe how you go about planning, organizing, and prioritizing your work as a general office clerk.
2. Tell me about a time when you implemented a new way of working to improve the efficiency of your duties.
3. Give me some examples of the reports you have created in your current (or past) position.
4. Describe a time you had to perform a task you had no experience in doing. How did you approach the situation? What results did you get?
5. Some of the office clerical work can be repetitive. How do you stay motivated?
6. Describe a time you had to deal with a difficult client or colleague. What happened, and how did you handle the situation?
7. Give me an example of a time you had to change priorities because you simultaneously received work requests from different departments.
8. Tell me about a time you had to respond to a customer complaint. How did you handle the situation? What results did you get?
9. Describe a time you had to gather information from multiples sources. How did you determine which information was relevant?
10. How would you rate your customer service skills? Can you give me an example of a time you provided excellent customer service?

Learn more about questions to ask the interviewer during your job interview.