Resources
Post a Job
 Special offer 

Jumpstart your hiring with a £100 credit to sponsor your first job.*

Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed are 65% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs**
  • Visibility for hard-to-fill roles through branding and urgently hiring
  • Instantly source candidates through matching to expedite your hiring
  • Access skilled candidates to cut down on mismatched hires
*The £100 Sponsored Job credit offer is only available for new accounts in the UK that post a job and expires one year after account creation. Upon expiration of the credit, users are charged based on Sponsored Job budget. Terms, conditions and quality standards apply **Indeed data, United Kingdom, Q2 2024

Contract Administrator Interview Questions

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Contract Administrator interview questions and answers.

  1. How do you prioritise your daily workload? See answer
  2. How do you create a collabourative relationship with other departments? See answer
  3. How do you manage contract change orders? See answer
  4. How do you ensure you meet contract-related deadlines? See answer
  5. How do you stay current with industry information and updated legislation? See answer
  6. What is your experience with expense reporting? See answer
  7. Describe your experience negotiating contract terms. See answer
  8. How would you handle finding an error in an approved contract? See answer
  9. Have you ever encountered a vendor who was in breach of their contract? See answer
  10. Describe a time you made a contractual mistake. What did you learn from it? See answer
  11. What advice would you give to a new contract administrator? See answer
  12. How would you explain a complex contract to a colleague? See answer
  13. How do you maintain confidentiality when handling contracts? See answer
  14. Why are you interested in this role as a contract administrator with our company? See answer
  15. How has your academic background prepared you for this contract administrator role?
Show more questions Show fewer questions

Ready to get started?

Post a job

Ready to get started?

Post a job
Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

15 Contract Administrator Interview Questions and Answers

How do you prioritise your daily workload?

A successful contract administrator needs to balance various duties effectively throughout their day. The goal of the question is to determine the candidate's process for organizing and prioritizing their tasks. What to look for in an answer:

  • Time management skills to be mindful of critical deadlines
  • organisational skills to manage multiple projects, contracts, or vendors
  • Critical thinking and reasoning skills to prioritise tasks in a logical order

Example:

"I prioritise each day based on upcoming deadlines. I stay organised by keeping a detailed calendar with every deadline and milestone to plan ahead and make the most effective use of my time. I consider the time it will take me to gather information, analyse data, or wait for quotes to come back from other departments or suppliers."

How do you create a collabourative relationship with other departments?

A contract administrator needs to work with other departments, such as accounting and payroll. The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate's ability to develop and maintain professional relationships with other essential teams. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to create open channels of communication with team members
  • Interpersonal skills to build rapport and trust with people
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a larger team

Example:

"To build collabourative relationships with other departments, I spend time getting to know the key individuals on whom I rely. I ask lots of questions and get their input on issues to build rapport. I always approach them with respect and make sure they know I appreciate their help."

How do you manage contract change orders?

A successful contract administrator can stay on top of change orders and modifications to various contracts. The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate's ability to organise and manage changes as they occur. What to look for in an answer:

  • organisational skills to manage contract change orders
  • Attention to detail to spot variations or differences of contracts
  • Ability to manage multiple projects, contracts, or tasks at once

Example:

"How I manage contract change orders depends on the company's procedures. Typically, I develop a spreadsheet for each contract to keep track of the various modifications and assign each change order a version number. This way, I can quickly see the version history of each contract."

How do you ensure you meet contract-related deadlines?

A contract administrator is typically responsible for monitoring contract deadlines and milestones. The goal of the question is to evaluate how the candidate manages these critical dates. What to look for in an answer:

  • organisational skills to create an effective system for monitoring deadlines
  • Communication skills to collabourate with other departments and individuals, like project managers
  • Critical thinking and analytical skills to assess contracts for completion or renewal

Example:

"To ensure that I meet contract deadlines, I keep a detailed calendar. I include vital details like due dates and milestones. I have pop-up alerts to remind me of upcoming critical dates so I can plan accordingly."

How has your academic background prepared you for this contract administration role?

Depending on the company, you may require formal training for a contract administrator role. The goal of the question is to determine the candidate's academic background. Their answer should highlight how it prepared them for the specific duties and responsibilities of the position. What to look for in an answer:

  • Completion of company-specific educational requirements
  • Ability to adapt their experience to the current situation
  • Desire to take part in professional development

Example:

"I completed my bachelor's degree in business administration several years ago. I learned many great techniques for preparing and reviewing contracts, in addition to business best practises. It also helped me develop my negotiation skills."

How do you stay current with industry information and updated legislation?

A successful contract administrator needs to develop their skills and expertise constantly. They also need to be aware of changing regulations or legislation that can affect existing and future contracts. The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate's interest in stay current with industry updates. What to look for in an answer:

  • Commitment to professional development
  • Communication skills to network and build professional relationships
  • Ability to be flexible, learn new information, and implement changes as needed

Example:

"I love to network with other contract administrators in the construction industry. I belong to several online groups that provide constant updates to best practises and regulations. I also attend conferences and courses for updating my skills."

What is your experience with expense reporting?

A contract administrator manages expense reporting for contracts within a project. The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate's ability to account for contract expenses and keep detailed, organised records. What to look for in an answer:

  • organisational skills to monitor and report contract expenses
  • Solid foundational knowledge in business financial reporting
  • Ability to develop, manage, and adjust budgets and projections

Example:

"I have worked with various expense reporting structures, such as processing expense forms, reporting budgetary expenditures, and developing projections. I have worked with several sizes of budgets, with the largest single project being five million dollars."

Describe your experience negotiating contract terms.

A successful contract administrator typically negotiates the terms and conditions of various contracts. The question's goal is to evaluate the candidate's level of expertise in negotiation and arbitration skills. What to look for in an answer:

  • Confidence in their ability to understand the contract's proposed terms and conditions
  • Communication skills to define areas that need to be negotiated
  • organisational skills to prepare for contract negotiation

Example:

"Most of my contract negotiation experience is with subcontractors and trades. I've worked on several projects that required specific terms and conditions with the company's vendors. I ensured the contracts accounted for our timelines and specific clauses that focused on worksite safety requirements."

How would you handle finding an error in an approved contract?

The question's goal is to determine how the candidate handles errors and how they rectify the situation. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to take responsibility for mistakes made in their work
  • Communication skills to make management aware of critical errors
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving skills to come up with solutions to mistakes

Example:

"How I handle the situation of remedying an error in an approved contract would depend on the situation. If the error was minor, I might correct it myself by creating a revised version and approaching the other party to re-sign the document. If it was a critical error, I'd bring it to my supervisor's attention immediately."

Have you ever encountered a vendor who was in breach of their contract?

A contract administrator typically monitors the progress of a contract to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions. The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate's ability to recognise non-compliance and manage the situation. What to look for in an answer:

  • Attention to detail and ability to recognise when contracts aren't being upheld
  • Ability to handle non-compliance directly or bring it to a supervisor's attention
  • organisational skills to manage multiple contracts and track adherence to terms and conditions

Example:

"An example that comes to mind was a vendor who repeatedly failed to send us material data sheets for the products they supplied. This was critical information that our customer needed to provide and resulted in our timeline being affected. After the third occurrence, I approached my supervisor and asked for guidance and assistance in approaching the vendor."

Describe a time you made a contractual mistake. What did you learn from it?

A contract administrator needs to ensure both the company and the contracting party uphold the terms of the contract. The goal of the question is to evaluate how the candidate handles a situation where the company is at fault. What to look for in an answer:

  • Attention to detail and organisation to review contractual specifics
  • Diligence to identify and bring critical errors to the attention of management
  • Ability to accept responsibility for mistakes

Example:

"One example I remember was a contract I was reviewing for a supplier. As I was reviewing it, I had to attend to another urgent task. When I came back to the contract, I picked up in the wrong place and missed an entire section, which I discovered after approving the contract. I immediately contacted my supervisor and..."

What advice would you give to a new contract administrator?

The goal of the question is to evaluate what qualities and duties the candidate feels are essential to success in the role. What to look for in an answer:

  • Awareness and understanding of the full scope of duties and responsibilities
  • Ability to express thoughts and ideas effectively
  • A positive and enthusiastic attitude

Example:

"If I had to advise someone starting their career as a contract administrator, I'd suggest they develop a detailed strategy to stay organised. Whether it's a spreadsheet or a calendar programme, write every deadline and milestone, and set reminders for important tasks. This has been my saving grace many times."

How would you explain a complex contract to a colleague?

A contract administrator often has to explain details of a contract to others within the company who don't have the same expertise. The goal of the question is to evaluate how the candidate communicates complex ideas to others without the same knowledge level. What to look for in an answer:

  • Communication skills to explain complex information in an easy-to-understand format
  • Ability to remain patient and calm
  • Solid foundational knowledge of contracts to have the expertise to explain to others

Example:

"When I need to explain a contract to others within the company, I usually focus on the areas they need to understand. I provide a high-level overview of the entire project and jump into the parts that affect them, like payments, quality control, or other areas. I break down complex parts of the contract into easy, digestible language. I also..."

How do you maintain confidentiality when handling contracts?

A contract administrator needs to handle contracts with sensitivity and confidentiality due to the nature of the information included. The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate's approach to confidential contracts. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to maintain the confidentiality of private information
  • Confidence in handling personal information and following best practises
  • Ethical, moral, and trustworthy

Example:

"In my previous position, I scanned all contracts and stored them in a secure intranet folder that only certain employees had access to. I filed all paper documents in a locked filing cabinet in the manager's office. I believe in upholding a high level of ethics and would never disclose private information unless approved by my manager."

Why are you interested in this role as a contract administrator with our company?

The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate's reason for interest in your position. It also provides insight into any research the candidate conducted to prepare for the interview. What to look for in an answer:

  • A positive and enthusiastic attitude about the company and position
  • Interest in long-term employment and career development
  • Research skills and desire to be prepared

Example:

"I'm excited to apply for this position because of your exceptional reputation within the construction industry. Your business is renowned for building some of the most recognizable structures in the city. I also know from speaking with network connections you offer exciting career development opportunities to your employees."

Three individuals are sitting at a table with a laptop, a disposable coffee cup, notebooks, and a phone visible. Two are facing each other, while the third’s back is to the camera. The setting appears to be a bright room with large windows.

Ready to get started?

Post a job

Explore Interview Questions by Title

No search results found

    Related articles

    How to conduct a job interview
    Read article
    Best practices for virtual interviews
    Read article
    How to write a candidate rejection email
    Read article