9 of the most common dental receptionist interview questions

Dental receptionist interviews are often a source of distress for most job seekers, especially during the first stage of their career. With every new interview you take, you learn something new about yourself, the employer you’re interviewing for, and what you want in a position. Still, interviews are stressful. That is why it’s best to prep, research the practice or institution you plan to work for, study your resume and cover letter before, and practice your answers beforehand.

Are you wondering how you’ll know what questions the interviewer will ask beforehand? Check out 7 of the most asked dental receptionist interview questions during your dental interview, the best way to answer, and other tips. 

Here’s a quick tip on preparing for your dental receptionist interview

Since dental receptionists communicate with patients and staff daily, be attentive when answering or asking questions. Sharing examples and showing how you engage with patients and staff members allows the hiring manager to know that you are social, patient, and have great interpersonal skills.

Dental receptionist interview questions

Do you see yourself as a team player or independent?

They are trying to see how well you work with others. You can explain your work style to them and include your experiences working with others or individually. Let them know you are flexible and can quickly you adapt to your environment and circumstances. 

Describe a situation at work that was stressful and what steps you took to handle the situation.

Working in dentistry can be stressful. The hiring manager wants to evaluate how well you handle stress. You can explain a time where you encountered a difficult situation with a patient. When presenting, be sure to describe how you engaged and listened to the patients, remained calm, and put the patient’s needs first. You can add connecting with staff on the situation and develop plans to assist others during difficult situations.

Was there a time where you went beyond to help patients, customers, or staff?

They want to evaluate your work ethic and how dedicated you are. You can say something along the lines: There was an incident with dental verification. A patient did not know that the employer had changed their plan or had another coverage and how you worked with them and the insurance company. You realized the patient was eligible for Medicaid/Medicare and explained to them benefits. Give an example of a time you helped a patient or staff. If you’re new but have customer service experience, you can tie in that experience with what you hope to bring to the practice. 

What technical skills do you have that will allow you to be successful at your job?

 They want to know what systems you’ve used in the past and how that will help you in this position. Let them know if you’ve worked with EagleSoft, MailChimp, or teledental software. If you don’t have technical skills or not familiar with their system, you can let them know what you’re familiar with and how you can transfer those skills into the position.

As you know, you’ll connect with patients and staff daily. How essential are communication skills when working as a dental receptionist? 

The hiring manager wants to see how well you work with others. Let them know that communication is essential and how receptionists are the first to interact with patients. Often time their connection with patients affects the patients’ visit. Include how you want all patients to feel welcomed and how you enjoy engaging in conversation and assisting staff members during patient visits. 

Can you tell us about some of your achievements as a dental receptionist?

Talk about your achievements, including what you learned from each experience, and hope to bring it to the new position. Let them know you were how you became the employee of the month or helped develop packaging or marketing materials.

How do you handle (influx) of work that dental receptionists go through daily?

Again, they want to see how you handle stress and work. You can give examples of your typical day at your previous positions. 

Question if you have previous dental receptionist experience: What were your primary dental receptionist responsibilities in your previous role?

 You can list your responsibilities, i.e., entering patient records, connecting with patients about their appointment, cleaning equipment. You can also include ideas you’ve introduced to the practice and how you hope to assist patient care with staff members.

Question if you don’t have previous dental receptionist experience: What previous experiences can bring to this role?

If you’ve worked in customer service, marketing, retail, or position, you developed skills to let them know. Also, include how you learned dental terminology, took courses, or attended webinars on oral health and what you learn and hope to bring to the position.

Now that you’ve prepared for hiring managers n questions, what’s next? At the end of the interview, hiring managers often ask if you have questions. You can ask questions about the position, practice, or anything you may be interested in knowing. You can even use this time to reflect on your answers, comment on questions or statements they made during the interview. Questions like, can you describe a typical day at your practice, what challenges might someone in this position face at your practice, and what is your definition of a successful dental receptionist?

Here are some more sample question to ask

• Can you describe a typical day at your practice?
• Can you show me a practice dental receptionist schedule?
• What type of skills is your team looking for?

Note: you can come up with your own that fit your needs

Remember, If you plan to move up in the dental practice field, you can ask if there is space to grow as an employee in their dental practice.

These are all the questions for now. Are there questions we missed? Let us know in the comment section below, and good luck with your interview.