Q What Are The Main Responsibilities Of An Administrative Assistant From Your Point Of View
Job description will help you greatly. Have a look at it, print it, and read the principal duties and responsibilities. You can just repeat them in your answer, and most interviewers will be happy that.
But you can actually list even more duties , showing the interviewers that you actually plan to do more than expected from you, that you like to have your hands full and do not plan to hang around checking stuff on your phone.
Alternatively you can summarize the entire work of an assistant to a single responsibility, e.g. helping the managers with all administrative and office tasks, in order to improve the efficiency of their work, and to allow them to focus on more important tasks .
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How Do You Approach Learning Something New
Companies sometimes change what softwares they use for project management, communications, and more. Administrative assistants are often required to learn new software programs quickly so they can 1) use them, and 2) help other people within the company use them. This interview question will help you know how the administrative assistant deals with change and learning something new.
Sample answer:
I usually approach learning something new by taking a step-by-step approach. Ill watch videos or read tutorials to get a basic understanding of how the program works. After that, Ill start practicing using the software with real-time application so I can get more comfortable with it. I try to take any official certification or tutorial courses from company if they offer it.
Q What Do You Want To Accomplish As An Administrative Assistant
You can hardly talk about changing someones life as an administrative assistant, or taking the company to the next level. It is just out of your reach, out of the scope of your duties, and possibilities, at least on this position.
Nevertheless, you should still try to talk about some accomplishments, and ideally you should talk about them from a perspective of your employer .
For example, you can say that you hope to help them improve the productivity of work, or that you want to help create the best possible atmosphere in the office, with your attitude to colleagues and clients, being attentive to their needs and feelings, always trying to build a good relationship.
Alternatively you can focus on yourself , saying that you hope to learn a lot of things while holding the position, and that you hope to grow professionally in the company, perhaps later on trying to get a job of an office manager, or a similar role.
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What Are The Best Project Management Applications Needed For The Admin Assistant
Best project management applications needed for admin assistant are:
- RationalPlan: RationalPlan is an easy to use software suite used to plan, manage, and track business project. It is a desktop application developed by Stand By Soft.
- Trello: Trello is a web-based project management tool created by Fog Creek Software in 2011. This collaboration tool helps the admin assistant to organize projects on board.
- Airtable: It is a project management solution which is suitable for organizations and businesses of all sizes. It offers organization and collaboration functionalities in an effective and mobile-friendly Table solutions
- Backlog: A backlog is an excellent project management software that is feature-rich while being easy to use. The plans are cost-effective with multiple subscription options and are billed per company rather than per user. Both cloud-hosted and on-premise versions are available, as well as a free plan.
Can You Detail Your Customer Service Experience
A very important question to ask a candidate for an administrative assistant role about their customer service experience. This question will help you gauge:
- Past experience in dealing with customers
- How long theyve had roles where they have to communicate between two parties
- General communication skills
- Their problem-solving capabilities
All of these experiences are important for an administrative assistant roleespecially communication and problem solving.
Sample answer:
My customer service experience is extensive and includes phone, email, and in-person interactions. Im patient and efficient when resolving customer issues or concerns.
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Need More Interview Prep
Dont leave your next interview up to chance. Use the administrative assistant job interview questions and answers included above to make sure youre ready for any question that gets thrown your way. After reviewing these questions, give our tips for a successful job interview a read to further improve your next interview performance.
Why Would You Succeed In This Position
Next, the employer is likely to ask a question or two about why youre confident youd do well in the role.
They might ask very directly, like, Why should I hire you? or they may phrase it differently.
Be confident and answer directly. This isnt the time to be shy or humble. Your answer should sound like this:
You should hire me because I have a background in ___ and ___ and have been doing this for X years. In my last job, I accomplished ___, and based on your job description, it sounds like you need similar work here. Thats why Im confident I can succeed in this role.
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Explain The Characteristics Of A Team Player In Administrative Assistant Work
The characteristics of a team player in administrative assistant work are:
- Understand the role: Team members of organizations should provide good results and profitability performance. This can clear about the expectation about the goals.
- Taking decision: An administrative assistant is responsible for deciding whether the team would be functional, dysfunctional, or high-performing.
- Committed to the team: The team a group of competent and dedicated people. The leader of this team should obstacles related to the skills, training, and performance management.
- Future-focused and optimistic: The team should view their self as optimistically. A good team approach can work strategically and anticipate various actions for business growth.
What Are The Roles Of An Administrative Assistant
If youve researched the subject and worked in the field, youre probably aware of what an administrative assistants responsibilities are. The interviewer here wants to assess your expertise and determine whether you have sufficient knowledge of the role so that he can hire you based on your abilities.
Sample Answer
Administrative Assistants are responsible for conducting and directing an organizations day-to-day administrative operations. An Administrative Assistant job description often emphasizes the importance of organizational abilities, communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple tasks or requests at the same time. Soft skills like professionalism and excellent time management are also important.
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Mention The Important Characteristics Of Legal Admin Assistant
the important characteristics of legal admin assistant are:
- The legal admin assistant performs legal analysis and research.
- Interpret rulings, laws, and regulations in the documents.
- Create, proofread, and revise legal document drafts.
- Record keeping with hard copy and an electronic copy of documents.
- Obtain needed information from other agencies or companies to complete the Task.
- Create and manage information, and also generate reference tools that can make work easy.
- Make and format legal reports related to management.
- Regularly maintain and update tracking systems and databases.
- Respond to queries that are related to a legal case.
- Make sure effective and efficient administrative information and assistance.
What Were You Responsible For In Your Most Recent Position
Employers always value recent work the most, so be prepared to talk about what you did in your last job.
Even if its not 100% related to admin work , you still need to be ready to show how you were successful, and how those skills will allow you to succeed in this next job.
Make sure youve researched the company and read the job description so you know what this next job involves. You cant highlight the most relevant pieces of your past if you dont understand this next job!
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Operational And Situational Questions
- What interests you about working in an administrative position at this company?
- What kinds of administrative projects do you like to work on?
- What administrative projects are less interesting for you? How do you overcome your disinterest in order to do a good job?
- How would you rate your computer skills?
- Describe your experience with calendar management.
- What kinds of documents have you made from scratch using MS Office programs?
- What is your experience with data entry?
- How do you ensure accuracy in routine tasks such as processing expenses and preparing reports?
- If you support multiple people at one company, how do you decide which projects to work on first?
- Have you ever been on a team with a difficult coworker? How did you handle it?
- Describe a time you worked with a team to meet a common goal. What was your role?
- Describe a time you suggested a way to save time, lower costs, or increase revenue.
- What does managing up mean to you? In what ways have you done that?
- Some of this work can be repetitive. What motivates you to excel in this role?
What Are Interviewers Looking For When Theyre Hiring For Administrative Assistant Roles
For entry- and mid-level administrative assistants, companies seek candidates with great soft skills, more so than a predefined number of years experience or technical background.
In general, hiring managers are looking for candidates who communicate effectively, solve problems creatively, and stay on top of endless details to support the team and help everyone move the business forward.
The main things hiring managers are looking for are:
Keep these skills in mind as you prepare to answer questions for your administrative assistant interview. Working them in where it makes sense can help solidify you as the best candidate in the mind of a recruiter or hiring manager.
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How Do You Stay Organized
Next, you can expect a question or two about organization and time management skills. This is not something you want to say youre trying to improve try to sound like an expert or someone who is already very good at organization and time management.
If they ask about how you handle complex projects, tight deadlines and schedules, etc., its best to sound like you have a system or plan you follow for each new project. That will make them feel confident that youll be successful for them.
Thats one of my favorite tips: To sound like you have a system you follow to overcome complex situations and tasks. This is also true if they ask, how do you make decisions?
Why Do You Want To Work For This Organization As An Office Administrator
Another question that may be asked during your interview is this one. The objective of this question is to give the interviewer an idea of how enthusiastic you are about your work and the position.
Sample Answer
I prioritize and value administrative responsibilities such as maintaining schedules, assisting with data entry, and engaging with customers. Ive always been interested in assisting others in staying organized and providing administrative assistance. Due to my experience and skills, I believe I would be a good fit for the administrative assistant position.
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Have You Had To Handle Customer Complaints If So How Did You Handle The Situation
Administrative assistants often the first line of defense for customer complaints, whether that be at a welcome desk at a business or when handling emails for certain employees. Candidates should be familiar with resolving customer complaints, sending customers to the right people when they have questions, and generally providing excellent customer service.
Sample answer:
I used to get customer complaints frequently when I worked at the front desk at a dentists office. Patients often had questions about billing and what their insurance did or didnt cover. I tried to send them to the right insurance and billing experts in the office to answer their questions. Even if they werent happy with the answer, I tried to put the customer first and get to the root of their issue.
Top Tips & Interview Questions For Administrative Assistant Selection
By Sheryl McAteeCategories: Administrative Assistant & Front DeskTags: administrative assistant interview
Administrative assistants are sometimes the first faces that customers and important stakeholders see. They may answer your phones, set up meetings and screen incoming information. On the other hand, other administrative assistants may be more back-office focused, interacting with few people, but engaging in the detailed work of file system administration and management.
The interview questions you ask when recruiting an administrative assistant are critical to getting the right person in the door for the right role. Here are examples of each diverse role:
Role: Executive Gatekeeper, Scheduler and Negotiator
For this type of administrative assistant, interview questions should assess interpersonal skills, critical thinking, political sensitivity and decision-making. Here are three examples:
- Name a time when you had to disappoint someone in a position of power to meet another persons needs. How did you handle it?
- You notice that the executive you are supporting seems overwhelmed and is forgetting things. What do you do?
- Name a time when you had competing priorities with the same deadline. How did you handle it? What was the outcome?
Role: Back-Office Administrative Support, Filing System and Records Management
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Tell Me About A Time You Made A Mistake At Work How Did You Handle It
The business will also want to know that theyre hiring a candidate who can own up to mistakes and recover when mistakes do happen. Nobodys perfect, so dont try to act like youve had a mistake-free career.
Instead, show them youre a candidate who is honest, upfront, and accountable. Talk about a time you made a mistake, and how you recovered from it through communicating, problem-solving, etc. And then how you learned from the mistake and have made sure it doesnt happen again. This is what hiring managers look for with this question.
What Other Skills Do You Have That Can Transfer To An Admin Assistant Job
Employers are happy to know that you have skills that may extend beyond the scope of the job youre seeking. After all, an administrative assistant job can be a jack-of-all-trades position. So, besides talking about the specific job-related skills the employer may already know, this question offers an opportunity to speak about your soft skills, like optimism, self-confidence, and trainability.
This is a prime opportunity to discuss what you can bring to the job beyond what may be listed on your resume. For example:
I pride myself on being very resourceful and adaptable. Im always looking for new ways to streamline processes and increase efficiency. Im also excellent at problem-solving and have a knack for quickly understanding complex systems. Beyond that, Im confident, personable, and always willing to learn new things.
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What Management Style Do You Prefer
This question aids the interviewer in determining your level of workplace independence and whether your management style is compatible with your job preferences. Its critical, to be honest about your preferences while answering this question to ensure that the job is a suitable fit for you and the company.
Sample Answer
I prefer a boss that provides me with the knowledge I need to fulfill my job, has clear expectations and trusts me to accomplish those tasks without micromanaging me. I dont like to check in on myself frequently to ensure Im remaining on track and productive because Im organized and effective at managing my time. I also value occasional feedback that tells me how Im doing and, if applicable, makes suggestions for improvement.
What Is Your Experience With Scheduling
Scheduling is another important task for an administrative assistant, and this interview question will help you understand their experience.
Candidates should have experience creating and maintaining schedules for people other than themselves. Assistants are usually the point person on making sure everyone who needs to attend a meeting is available. They also need to make sure certain meetings take precedence over other tasks employees have on their docket.
Sample answer:
I have extensive experience managing schedules for teams of 10-plus executives, and Ive set company-wide meetings for a company with over 1,000 employees. I can handle any scheduling task, whether its for one person or multiple people. Im also familiar with a variety of scheduling software programs like Microsoft Teams and Asana.
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Q How Do You Handle Multitasking
Multitasking is a challenge for everyone, especially because, technically speaking, our brain can not multitask. We can focus on one task at a time onlyat least on the conscious level.
It doesnt imply, however, that we can not do more things at a time. We actually can, because we do some things automatically, without a need to think about them, or focus on them .
Tell the interviewers that you try to work simultaneously on tasks you had to focus on, and tasks your hands take care of, without a need to get some guidance from your brain. Alternatively you can say that you excel in planning your work, and organizing your office, and focus on one task at a time onlythe most important one, the one with the highest priority.
Reflections On Relationships And Personalities
An important role of administrative assistants is to support you and other team members, which means they may have to deal with a range of personalities and priorities. Is it important to you to find someone who is easygoing or someone more assertive? Respectful? Problem-solving? Diplomatic? Ask questions to determine whether the candidate has the characteristics you want in the workplace.
11. What type of supervisor helps bring out your best performance?
12. Can you share a piece of constructive feedback a manager has given you? What adjustments, if any, did you make because of that feedback?
13. Have you ever reported to multiple supervisors at once? If so, how did you juggle each persons priorities?
14. Can you tell me about a workplace conflict you were involved in as an administrative assistant and how you handled it?
15. Can you describe the most challenging colleague youve had to work with? How did you handle that relationship?
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