Contracts are affected by the laws. The contract administrator is your company’s first line of defense in making sure that a contract is being followed by both parties. They can save you time and money if they are on top of their job, but to do so, they need to have the background knowledge to spot an issue when one exists. You want to test how deep their knowledge is. What to look for in an answer:

• Evidence of deep subject matter knowledge
• A commitment to staying current on important issues
• Fluency in discussing contract administration principles

A contract administrator will invariably make a mistake at some point in their careers. They may miss something in a contract whether it is a small or large detail. You want to know how someone will handle it when they realize that they have made a mistake. You want to probe here because how a candidate can act to minimize the damage will dictate how much the company may lose. What to look for in an answer:

• The ability to realize that a mistake was made
• Honesty to admit error
• Pragmatism to call attention to the mistake

Organization is one of the major keys to avoiding errors in contract administration. You should know the candidate’s system for keeping up with deadlines. It is essential that they have a system because errors will happen otherwise. This question should include several follow-up questions to elicit more detail from the contract administrator. Whatever system that they have will dictate how your company’s contracts are administered in the future. What to look for in an answer:

• Evidence of a detailed organization system
• Fluency in scheduling tools and technology
• A regimented work ethic and attention to detail

It is a fact of the job that contract administrators are often overloaded. Your company may have a multitude of contracts and may be relying on the contract administrator to handle a full workload. You want to know which tasks the contract administrator views as the most important tasks because that dictates how they will juggle their workload. What to look for in an answer:

• Knowledge of what tasks take priority
• Ability to juggle different aspects of the workload
• Ability to reprioritize as new task come in

Changes to contract, whether actual or constructive, can become matters of litigation. Oftentimes, payments for constructive changes to contracts can be the difference between profits and losses on a contract. It is the contract administrator’s job to document and take some of the necessary actions when there are circumstances that may mean a change to the contract. They must always be on the lookout and document what they see. What to look for in an answer:

• Evidence of vigilance when monitoring performance
• Knowledge of anything that may depart from the contract
• Organized documentation of changed conditions

A contract administrator is responsible for educating employees about company contracts. You can use this question to identify candidates who would be an asset in improving compliance. An ideal contract administrator candidate would provide a feasible strategy in this area and demonstrate suitable skills in troubleshooting and strategy.

A candidate's answer should emphasize:

• Good problem-solving and strategy skills
• Ability to provide innovative solutions
• Ability to add value to management

An example answer to this question can look like this: