Top 21 Back Office Interview Questions in 2024 [with Answers]

Back office work is that part of the company that provides administrative and legal support instead of directly dealing with the clients. The functions include data entry, filing documents, settlements, clearances, bookkeeping and accountancy, regulatory compliance, answering telephones, human resources, and IT services. You can be better prepared to answer the questions interviewers ask by reading this article.

Sample Back Office Interview Questions with Answers

1. What would you like to tell us about yourself?

I have___________years of experience in various back-office roles including, human resources, accounting, and filing of documents. My educational qualifications include a bachelor’s in commerce and a master’s in business administration (human resources).

2. Why do you desire to work with us?

I greatly admire the vision of this company, as it has worked hard to give back to society at large. I have seen this company grow as a child and used to dream of working for it. I believe this is one of the top companies in the nation, and working here would be challenging, but I would love to give my best.

3. What inspired you to choose this career?

My father is my hero, he was an accountant, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He served this company for 15 years and retired five years back. He was honored with ‘The Best Employee of the Decade Award.’ I was studying back then and wanted to choose the right career, and seeing my father’s hard work pay off, I chose this field.

Alternatively,

This profession is my calling, as it is my nature to give support without being the front face. I have always loved the good sedentary work compared to dealing with the customers and clients, for I believe pleasing them is challenging.

4. How much salary are you expecting?

As I have applied for an entry-level job, I expect a salary between Rs.____to____ per month plus incentives. I aspire to work hard and set the bar for promotion very soon.

Alternatively,

As you know, I have______years of experience, and the required qualifications for this job, you can confidently say that I am well skilled for it. It is a highly responsible one too. I am fully aware of the salary you had quoted in the job postings but would like to propose a salary between Rs._____to_____.

5. What is your working style, organized or unorganized?

I consider myself to be a very organized person. I start by setting a weekly goal, breaking it into daily to-do lists, and keeping track of the deadlines. I love to stay up to date. I use various apps that are synced on all my devices and set reminders to help me stay on track.

6. Are you familiar with the computer tools and software required for this job?

I work on Windows and am familiar with Microsoft Office. In my previous job, I have extensively worked on Excel, Tally, and PowerPoint. I am also familiar with email communications, zoom calls, and handling social media accounts. Apart from these, I have learned Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. I am pretty confident that I can handle almost all the computer tools and software required for this job.

7. Are you familiar with SEOs and other market research?

Though I do not have enough professional experience with market research, I have done a digital marketing course where I was taught all about the new methods of market research. 

Alternatively,

Yes, I have experience from my previous job. I used to handle Google analytics, keywords, and social media handles as a part of my work. 

8. Why do you want to leave your previous job?

In my previous job, I had a contract of 3 years. Though my long-term goal was to work for this company, I knew that previous experience is needed for this position. Now that my contract is over, I am ready to work for my dream job.

9. Describe your strengths.

I am a very organized person and love to meet deadlines. I love to work in an orderly manner. I am also a team player and can work well with a big team. In my previous job, I used to supervise the work of 20 team members. I am also dependable and would fulfill the tasks assigned precisely and on time.

10. Describe your weaknesses.

I am a self-criticizer. I judge myself very quickly, and that’s why I am to be a perfectionist. I get easily stressed, and I can’t work under stress, so I aim to fulfill all the tasks at hand before the time given to avoid last-minute stress.

11. What would people who know you say about you?

People who know me would describe me as organized and dependable. Whenever anyone needs anything, my organization skills makes it available without a fuss. My parents are super organized, and they wouldn’t accept unorganized behaviors. That’s how I picked up the disciplined lifestyle. Though I enjoy it myself, I would credit them for it.

12. What achievements are you proud of?

In my previous job, clients would come up with late filings and reports. Sometimes it even happened that they would come after the due date, which resulted in being penalized. So, I took the lead and set up a reminder system a month before the due date and several reminders at regular intervals. After that, not a single client was penalized for late submissions.

13. What are the skills you need to work in a back office?

I believe one needs to be technically skilled to succeed in a back-office role. There are many roles that back-office personnel needs to fulfill, and one needs to be aware of all the duties and functions Eg: filing a document. If one doesn’t know the procedures and technicalities, one can never perform them well.

14. What is the target you aspire to achieve in the coming 5 years?

My ultimate goal is to retire as a CFO, following in my father’s footsteps. I know it is a long way to go, and it would need a lot of hard work on the way. I aspire to be the head of the accounts department by the end of the five years.

15. When would you like to start working?

As I informed to you earlier, I have completed my contract with the previous company and can join immediately.

16. If you had to choose between your family and work, what would you choose?

I have my priorities set, and both are important to me. I believe in a work-life balance and do not mix them. When I am at work, I give my best and vice versa. But, if there is an emergency, I would always make myself available.

17. How would you define success?

Success is achieving what I set my heart to; I have always aspired and set concrete goals. To achieve the set goals meant success to me. In my previous job, I was working with a client, and they needed the reports done within a month, but I knew that I could achieve it in a week. The client was surprised and appreciated me.

18. How would you motivate your team?

I set deadlines for each task. Each day, I look at the work completed by each of them and appreciate the achievers. If someone is lagging, I have a one-on-one conversation with them.

19. Are you good with multi-tasking?

I am a focused person. I believe multi-tasking ruins the quality of the work at hand. It not only hinders the quality but also the speed of each task gets affected. So, I have the option to work one task at a time, I prefer doing that.

20. What would you do if all the data on the system gets erased?

I have the habit of having a backup with me. So, I would be composed and continue working with the data stored with me.

21. Do you have any questions?

I would like to ask only one question: What qualifications and skills would make a person qualify for the job? Who do you consider best for this position?

Conclusion

Best of luck! Do use this as a resource for a better interview. The more creative your answers will be, the better your impression during the interview. If you wish to ask or share something, leave a comment below, and remember the more you share, the more people we have an opportunity to help.

Download the list of questions in .PDF format, to practice with them later, or to use them on your interview template (for Back Office interviews):

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05014.x
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=be7sCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA159&dq=front+office+vs+back+office&ots=bZDLplxg-u&sig=yK6O3ZA1IvBzJ_kNoNXfIGDIykA