3 hour job interview assessment day

93123

Update: It's a 3 hour assessment interview with lit/numeracy tests, I've never had one of these before. Please advise me on what I can expect and what the tests are likely to involve. :eek:

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I'm using the thread of my last interview because I have another one for a Receptionist position in a few days. It's a Receptionist who deals with PIP claimants.

"Fantastic opportunity to use your high levels of customer service. You will be the first point of contact, greeting and checking in claimants attending clinics for their scheduled Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment."

I guess I'll be asked what PIP is and how I deal with difficult customers? Apart from that I can't think of any questions for a receptionist specifically dealing with PIP customers, if there will be any. Any help appreciated

Savvy_Sue

I usually think of receptionist skills as being 'front of house', 'first point of contact' or 'meet and greet'. So you need to be aware of that, and play on your ability to greet people appropriately, and find out what they need, and either deal with it or pass it on appropriately.

Make sure you smile, and breathe, while you're speaking. They can hear you smile on the phone, you know.

AP007

At my last company the receptionists were also the secretaries and the admin dept so they were managing the phone, the front door, the MD's diary, the head office e staff movement. Also calls from external customers and contacts as well as people internally calling for head office.

The interview may be describe what you have done in the way of reception work, what you liked about it, what don't you like, how you manage a difficult phone call and a visitor at the same time etc

Make sure you have your CV in front of you, details of the job and company at least 5 questions to ask and possible ones that could have you with the answers all ready but don't reply like you are reading the news.

Relax as its on the phone they cant see you so you can really be you, have a glass of water nearby and sound friendly

Good luck

harrys_dad

A good telephone manner is essential for a receptionist, so try to be calm, reassuring, pleasant on the phone during the interview. Politeness, courtesy, even in the face of impatience, are important attributes.

andrewjf

I suppose that communication skills are absolutely essential for this job, so I think that's one of the important things they will be trying to assess.
To prepare, think about what your past and current roles involve, and be able to talk about them.
You say you're not 100% sure if your current duties relate to this position. Try and clear up that uncertainty, and talk with confidence about what you do. Phone interviews are always a bit difficult, but try and be confident, clear and succinct.

Dovah_diva

Don't sniff, chew or slurp drinks. Surprising how many people do this on the phone and it is disgusting. I've lost count of the times I've invited people to call back once they've finished their meal/drink.

zugzwang

93123 wrote: »

After looking at my CV I think they invited me for interview because I mentioned I had experience of receptionist duties within my voluntary job but after thinking about it I'm not 100% sure I do.

Were you sometimes the first person to greet people as they came in? Did you sometimes answer the phone?

You can talk about any situation where you represented the organization to customers and how important it is to give them a good impression.

Your experience of working with general public is useful
here anyway. Job was about helping people face to face, so that must've been rewarding?

Tell them how much you enjoyed your voluntary job. Be enthusiastic. You'd love to be a receptionist wouldn't you? They probably want someone who is confident and positive, so dont worry and you'll be fine.

BTW I found it easier to stand during phone interviews. So have a think about whether standing or sitting helps you to speak out clearly.

Savvy_Sue

zugzwang wrote: »

BTW I found it easier to stand during phone interviews. So have a think about whether standing or sitting helps you to speak out clearly.

Ah yes, that's another very good point. It is also worth dressing as if you were going to an interview in person, and put your shoes on too: if you are slopping around the house in your pjs and slippers, that may well come across in your voice! (Scary but true ...)

Have a glass of water to hand (maybe someone's said that already) and take sips if you feel croaky or start to cough. If you DO cough, cover the receiver and turn your head away and apologise!

Just pray you don't get what I've got: started with a sore throat and I now have NO VOICE! Seriously, no voice. DH thinks it's hilarious ...

AP007

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Ah yes, that's another very good point. It is also worth dressing as if you were going to an interview in person, and put your shoes on too: if you are slopping around the house in your pjs and slippers, that may well come across in your voice! (Scary but true ...)

Have a glass of water to hand (maybe someone's said that already) and take sips if you feel croaky or start to cough. If you DO cough, cover the receiver and turn your head away and apologise!

Just pray you don't get what I've got: started with a sore throat and I now have NO VOICE! Seriously, no voice. DH thinks it's hilarious ...

yeah I suggested the water not to drink whilst talking but on stand by if you get a cough or get a bit croaky etc

Yeah and if you do cough OP turn head away from the phone as to not cough down the mouthpiece and apologise

Good luck again

93123

zugzwang wrote: »

Were you sometimes the first person to greet people as they came in? Did you sometimes answer the phone?

Actually yes, they would come in and I'd walk up to them, find out what they needed then take their details down and begin working with them. I didn't use the phone but would it be ok to exaggerate, i.e. calling colleagues for some reason (I'm not sure what would be relevant?)

Also we often set up new e-mail accounts for them and it required a phone number to activate and we either used our own or did it for them on theirs if they brought one, I'm also not sure how I could spin that to make it sound like a clerical duty.

Thanks a lot everyone!!

Savvy_Sue

I wouldn't try to exaggerate too much: if they ask if you were responsible for answering the phone, then say "not really, but I appreciate how important it is to have a good telephone manner and respond to each caller's needs." or something like that.

Actually, a tip for answering the phone (I assume they are calling you): start by saying "Hello" or "Good morning" or whatever, and then say "93123 Smith speaking" (even if you don't usually answer the phone that way).

That's because the very first thing you say isn't always heard by the caller, so you give the greeting, and THEN your name / the name of the company, to make it more likely that the caller will hear that. At work you might follow that up with "How can I help you?" For this interview, if you know what time to expect the call, you could ask "Is that XYZ calling?" Even if they're calling your mobile, and you recognise the number, it's still wise to check.

One very important thing a receptionist often has to do is take messages, btw, so if they ask a question about that, key things are who, when, why - I always scribble notes as I go, because otherwise the name I've been given goes in one ear and out the other ... as do many other things!