38 Interview Questions for Contract Specialists (With Sample Answers)
A contract specialist is a professional who makes, finalizes, and keeps track of contracts between a company and outside parties, such as vendors. During an interview for this job, the person you’re meeting with might ask you about your experience, skills, and education. If you know what to expect from an interview with a contract specialist, you can better prepare for the meeting. In this article, we list some interview questions for contract specialists and give you some sample answers that you can use to prepare your own.
General questions for contract specialists to ask at job interviews
Here are some general questions that an interviewer for a contract specialist could ask:
- Why should someone hire you?
- Why are you interested in working for us?
- How did you hear about our organization?
- How can you tell if someone is good at leading?
- How familiar are you with this business?
- What are your best qualities and your worst flaws?
- Tell me about yourself.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Can you tell me how you do what you do?
- If you get the job, when can you start?
- Do you have a question for us?
Questions about work and history from the past
Here are some examples of questions about your experience and background that the interviewer might ask:
- What did you call yourself at your last job?
- What’s the best thing you’ve done in your career so far? What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to do?
- How do you get going?
- Have you worked with a variety of contracts?
- Have you ever had to work quickly to finish something? Tell me more about that, please.
- Do you have any experience negotiating in your past?
- How have you checked your work in the past to make sure it was right?
- How do you make sure your contracts follow the rules and laws?
- Tell me what a normal day was like at your last job as a contract specialist.
- Tell me about a time when you failed to finish a task. What did it teach you?
- Tell me about your education and how it helped you get to where you are now.
Questions for contract experts to think about in depth
These questions require more detailed responses during an interview:
- Tell me how you got new customers and kept the ones you already had happy.
- How do you set work goals, plan for them, and carry them out?
- How did you use new technology at your last job? How did that help the company?
- How do you find possible clients and get in touch with them?
- How can you tell if some information will help you with a project?
- How do you negotiate deals?
- Have you ever had a client who wasn’t happy with your work? How did you make the problem go away?
- Have you ever made a plan for a group of people? If so, how do you give presentations?
- When have you gotten a contract because you won a bid? What was that like?
- When, if ever, have you looked at costs and tried to guess what would happen?
- Check this contract over and let me know if there are any mistakes.
Interview questions for a contract specialist and how to answer them
Here are some sample questions and answers for a contract specialist interview that you can think about as you prepare:
1. Can you tell me how you protect the privacy of your work?
As a contract specialist, it’s important to keep information private because it helps you and your client trust each other. If an interviewer asks you this, it’s because they want to know how you’ve kept information secret in the past. Make sure to briefly explain what happened, but don’t give away any details. Also, make sure to say what you did to keep the information safe.
Example: “At my last job, we got a new client who only wanted a few of our employees to work on a project. I made rules and forms for the project team to sign that said they would keep information secret. We made those employees take a training course a week before the project started to make sure that everyone knew that the client’s information and the details of the project were to be kept secret. We also told them that unless it was an emergency, they shouldn’t bring their phones to the client’s site.”
2. How do you think you’ll fit in at our company if you get this job?
This question could be asked to see if you have done any research on the company. Before your interview, make sure you know about the company and how it sees the roles of contract specialists. When you answer this question, be positive and give an example that shows you can do well in the role.
Example: “I know that your company’s contract specialists work with a number of clients every year and manage both internal and external employees. I think I’d be a good fit for this job because I’ve worked with multiple clients before and figured out which employees to send to which projects. I would check in with the clients and our employees every two weeks to see how things were going and if they needed anything from me to make sure the project went well.”
3. Tell me about a time when you saw a problem coming and how you solved it.
People need problem-solving skills at work because they help them deal with problems in a good way. When an interviewer asks you a question like this, they want to see if you can find a solution when there isn’t a clear one. In your answer, give a brief summary of what happened, what you did, and what you learned from it.
Example: “At my last job, I sometimes worked too quickly and forgot to make sure the agreement was well-written. Before I looked at the forms, I sent them to the client. A few minutes later, I realized they were missing parts of the negotiation. Lucky for me, I was able to make the changes quickly and send the client an updated version with an apology for the trouble. After that, I always made sure to look over my writing twice before sending it to clients.”
4. What have you done in the past year to get better at being a contract specialist?
When you’re asked this, the interviewer wants to see if you’re a hard worker who wants to get better at your job. When answering this question, talk about how you’ve grown as a person by how you’ve improved as a contract specialist.
Example: “In the past year, I’ve done a few things to improve as a contract specialist. I went to a few talks by contractors who have worked in this field for more than ten years. In those talks, the professionals talked about some problems they had early in their careers and gave advice on how to avoid making the same mistakes. I just finished reading a book with good advice on how to come to better agreements and negotiate more effectively.”
5. Why do you want to quit your job right now?
When an interviewer asks you this, they want to know what you look for in a job and how you deal with problems. When you answer this question, be short, clear, and upbeat. Tell them how much you like your current job and how you want to move up the career ladder.
Example: “I’m thankful to my current employer for giving me the chance to learn, but I want a job that’s more in line with my values. I also want a job where I can get better at what I do. I think my skills would be a good fit for your company, and working here would be more in line with my values.”
