Receptionist Interview Questions and Answers (2026)

Acknowledge everyone first, quickly and calmly. Look up at the waiting visitors with a smile and say, 'I'll be with you in a moment.' Answer the phone and ask the caller to hold, or take a message. Deal with the courier, then call the visitors forward in the order they arrived.

On a busy Monday, three visitors were waiting, the phone rang, and a courier held out a tablet for a signature. I made eye contact with the visitors and said, 'Good morning, I'll be with you in a minute.' That took five seconds and told them they had been seen. I answered the phone, said, 'Can I put you on hold for just a moment?' and picked up the courier's delivery, signed and printed the name of the recipient and told him where to leave the parcel. Then I went back to the caller. It was a client who wanted to move an appointment, so I took the details and told her I'd confirm by email within the hour. After that I turned to the visitors in the order they had arrived. I asked each who they were here to see, signed them in, and phoned their hosts. The last visitor had been waiting nine minutes, so I told him why and offered a coffee. Nobody was ignored, and I learned that acknowledging everyone first made the wait feel shorter.

Do not confirm or deny that she works here, or what time she finishes. Politely say I cannot share information about anyone, and offer to take a message if he leaves his details. Then tell my manager or security straight away, in case she is at risk. Her safety comes before his convenience.

A man came to the desk and asked if a woman named by him worked in the building, saying he was her husband and wanted to know when she finished. I stayed polite. I said, 'I'm sorry, I can't confirm who works here or give out anyone's times. If you would like to leave a message and your name, I can pass it on if that applies.' He did not want to leave his name and became irritated. I did not argue. I told him I understood, and said that was our rule for everyone. After he left, I told my manager what he had said, his description and the time. She told security and spoke to the woman, who thanked us because she had been trying to avoid him. I wrote a short note of the visit. The data protection principles say personal information must be kept confidential, and confirming where someone is can put her at risk. Saying nothing was the kind and safe answer.

Step forward and politely ask him to stop and sign in. Check with his booking, contact the person he says he is here for, and give him a visitor badge. If he is not on the list or refuses, he waits at the desk, and I tell my manager or security. Wearing hi-vis does not make someone authorised.

A man in a hi-vis jacket followed a visitor through the secure door, and I saw him heading towards the stairs. I stepped out from the desk and said, 'Excuse me, can I help? I need you to sign in at reception first.' He said he was here to fix the printer. I said, 'No problem, who asked you to come?' He gave the name of our facilities manager. I did not take his word for it. I rang the facilities manager, who confirmed that she had booked a printer engineer for that day, but that a different firm was due. I told the man his firm's name was not on my list and asked him to wait while she came down. She checked his ID and confirmed he was from the supplier's new contractor. I signed him in and gave him a badge. I told my manager afterwards so that the booking list could be updated. A polite challenge costs thirty seconds, and a missed one can cost a lot more.

Stay calm, keep a safe distance, use a steady voice and do not argue. Press the panic alarm or call security, and move behind the desk or away if needed. After he has left, write down what he said and did, report it to my manager, and use the company's procedure for work-related violence.

A visitor who was angry about a rejected application leaned across the desk and said, 'I know where you finish work.' I kept my voice level and said, 'I'm not going to be spoken to like that. I'll get someone to help you.' I pressed the alarm under the desk, which alerts security, and stepped back. Two security officers arrived within a minute and asked him to leave. He did. Afterwards I wrote down his exact words, the time, his description and who saw it, and gave the note to my manager. She completed the incident form and asked if I was all right. I took ten minutes away from the desk. A threat counts even when nobody is hurt, so it was right to report it. The company then asked security to walk me to the station for the next few days.

Apologise, tell him straight away rather than letting him find out, and offer a solution: move the meeting to a ground floor room, or bring his host down. Check the emergency evacuation arrangements for him, and report the broken lift. The duty to make reasonable adjustments applies in advance.

A wheelchair user arrived for a meeting on the second floor and the lift was out of order. I went round the desk to speak to him at eye level, said I was sorry, and explained the lift was out. I asked if he would be happy to meet on the ground floor and offered the small meeting room next to reception. He said yes. I rang his host, who came down, and I brought them coffee. I also thought about the fire plan. If the alarm sounded, he would need help, so I let the fire warden know he was in the building and where. Then I reported the lift fault to facilities and told my manager that visitors who could not use stairs were affected until it was fixed. In future I now check on booking whether visitors need step-free access.

Take the visitor list and the emergency details, leave the desk safely, direct everyone to the nearest exit and assembly point, help anyone who needs assistance, and do not re-enter. At the assembly point, give the list to the fire warden for the roll call and tell them about any visitor who is not accounted for.

When the alarm sounded during a busy afternoon, I picked up the visitor tablet, which lists everyone who had signed in, and my staff pass. I said clearly to the visitors in the waiting area, 'The fire alarm has sounded. Please come with me. I'll show you the way out.' I led them through the nearest exit to the assembly point at the car park, checking that the corridor was clear. On the way I asked if anyone needed help, and one visitor with a walking stick went with a colleague. I did not go back to collect anything. At the assembly point I found the fire warden, handed over the visitor list and told her which visitors had left already and who was with me. She did the roll call. All visitors were accounted for. We waited for the all clear from the fire service. The employer's plan says exactly what a receptionist does, and I reread it regularly. I also tell new starters about the evacuation list, as it is the part people forget.

Check it is safe, then shout for help and check if he responds. If he does not respond and is not breathing normally, call 999 straight away, send someone for the defibrillator, and start CPR, following the call handler's instructions. Stay with him until the ambulance arrives, and tell my manager.

A visitor in his sixties slumped in his chair in the waiting area. I went over, checked it was safe, and said loudly, 'Can you hear me?' There was no response. I shouted to a colleague to call 999 and bring the defibrillator from the lift lobby. I laid him on the floor, tilted his head back and looked and listened for his breathing for up to ten seconds, and it was not normal. The colleague had the 999 call on speaker, and the call handler told us to start compressions. I did chest compressions in the centre of his chest, and my colleague took over when I tired. When the defibrillator arrived, I attached the pads and followed the spoken instructions. The ambulance crew arrived within minutes and took over. St John Ambulance and the Resuscitation Council UK both advise calling 999 and starting CPR if someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally. Afterwards I wrote a note for my manager, and I asked to repeat my first aid training that year.

Do not let an unknown person in. Be polite, say that I cannot let anyone wait inside until someone is here, and offer a seat outside or to call the colleague. Let a manager or colleague know I have a visitor, and use the lone working procedure, such as a check-in call.

At half past seven, I was alone in reception when a man knocked on the glass and said he was early for a meeting with a colleague who would not be in until nine. He was polite and asked to wait inside. I opened the door only slightly and said, 'I'm sorry, I can't let anyone in before the office opens. I'll ring her now if you'd like.' I rang the colleague, who confirmed she was expecting someone at nine. Even then, I did not let him in. I suggested the café across the road and said I would tell her he was waiting. I texted my line manager, under the lone working arrangement we have, to say I had a visitor outside and that I was on my own. At nine, I signed him in as normal. I felt safer because I stuck to the rule.

Stop and do not reply or buy anything. Check by another route, such as phoning the director on a known number or telling my manager, and report the email to IT or security. An urgent request for secrecy and gift vouchers is a classic scam. I would report it even if I had already clicked.

I received an email that appeared to come from our director and asked me to buy five hundred pounds of gift vouchers urgently, send her the codes, and not tell anyone because it was a surprise for a client. The address looked right at first glance, but when I opened the details it came from a free email account. The urgency and the secrecy troubled me. I did not reply. I phoned the director's office on the number in the company directory, and her assistant confirmed she had not sent it. I then forwarded the email to IT, as our policy says, and told my manager. IT sent a warning to everyone. Reporting a suspicious email is part of the job, so I did not worry about looking foolish. I also learned to check the sender's address on the details, not just the name.