Interview Questions To Ask Office Manager

Office Managers Facilitate Communications Throughout The Workplace Ensuring That Everyone Understands The Proper Procedures For Completing Certain Tasks A Successful Office Manager Should Have Multiple Strategies For Implementing Policy Changes Taking People’s Current Habits Into Account They Should Understand That Some People Struggle To Adjust To Change And Have Precautions Prepared To Make Transitions Easier This Question Gives Candidates The Opportunity To Showcase Their Teamwork Collaboration And Communication Skills

Top office manager candidates should reference the following in their answer to this question:

• Knowledge of current workplace behaviors

Here is one example of a successful answer that addresses the key points of the question:

Example:

“When upper management decides to make a policy change, I make sure to immediately update the employee handbook to reflect the change, including the paper version and any digital copies of the handbook. I send out an email to everyone in the office and post memos at places where people gather like the lunchroom. I would also post a reminder in the areas most influenced by the change. For example, if the process for printing documents changed, I would place a laminated sign on the printer to remind people about the new policy when it is most relevant.”

General Office Manager Interview Questions

These questions are designed to find out whether you’re a good fit for the workplace environment and culture, rather than how capable you are. General questions can seem less important than skill and experience-based questions, but they can be vital to the hiring process, especially in smaller offices where the staff works more closely together. Here are 10 general office manager interview questions:

• What sets you apart from other candidates?

• How have you dealt with workplace conflict?

• What are your professional motivations?

• Where do you see yourself in five years?

• What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

• Why are you leaving your current position?

• What is your greatest achievement?

• What are some things that annoy you in the workplace?

• How would you describe your management style?

• How would you describe a good manager?

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working Here

Knowing why someone enjoys working for the company can help you see the positive aspects of the company and get excited about working there. If the interviewer doesn’t have a strong answer to this question, then that may be a warning that the work experience is not enjoyable. Knowing this before taking a position can be beneficial in your decision making.

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Whats One Essential Skill You Learned In Your Most Recent Job

When you hear the candidates answer, ask yourself, Will that skill bring value to my company? If youre unsure about their answer, ask follow-up questions about their other skills to see if they can fill a void in your business.

It should also raise a red flag if the candidate cant think of anything they learned in their most recent job.

We should never stop learning. And even something as seemingly mundane as learning how to stay better organized shows that the candidate is always looking for ways to improve.

How Would Your Colleagues Describe You

Don’t be overly modest, but be cautious of sounding arrogant. Speak about your strengths. If you’re a good listener, use an example to back this up. If you’re supportive, tell the interviewer about a time when you helped a colleague. If you have positive quotes to use or compliments given to you from others, don’t be afraid to use them.

If this is your first job straight out of university, use examples from your work experience, volunteering activities or weekend or summer jobs.

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Question: What Computer Skills Do You Have

Intent: Youll likely be in front of a computer for the bulk of your day, and you wont be using it to check Twitter. Employers want to see that youre current with administrative technology, says Diane Crompton, career coach and author of Find a Job Through Social Networking. Some companies may require you to take tests for certain programs, Crompton says.

Response: One way to demonstrate your technical expertise is to use the right lingo when answering administrative assistant interview questions. Throw out specific terminology, says Garcia. When describing your Excel skills, for instance, you might talk about the process of creating charts, formulas, macros, or pivot tables. If possible, weave in metrics that quantify your achievements, says Amber Rosenberg, a San Franciscobased career coach who specializes in interview skills.

Why Are You Leaving Your Last Job

As noted in Career Contessa, raw honestly is not always exactly helpful in answering this question. No matter why youre looking for a new job, badmouthing former employers is always a bad look. Be as honest as you can be, while focusing on the positive opportunities of a new position.

Example answer: My last practice was a very large dental office with 10 different doctors and many assistants. It was hard to feel connected to so many people. Im looking for an office where I can really build a community of colleagues and get to know everyone individually, which is what drew me to your practice.

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What Sets You Apart From Other Applicants

This is a common question interviewers use to get information that may not be on your resume or cover letter. You could share highly relevant experience you have or think about the aspects of your skills, experience or personality that you think make you truly unique. When answering this question, tell the interviewers not just what this unique trait is, but also how it applies to the job of office manager.

Example:âI think what truly sets me apart from other candidates is my extensive knowledge of chemical engineering. Prior to becoming an office manager, I studied chemical engineering in college. I think this knowledge would help me excel as an office manager for your chemical additive supply business.â

What Do You Think Makes A Team Effective

Being a front office manager means that you may handle some form of collaboration with your colleagues or team members. Your interviewer may ask this question to learn your opinion about what an effective team comprises. Discuss the necessary characteristics you believe such a team requires to excel. If you have any relevant experience in your past, it may be beneficial to mention it.

Example answer:’I believe a team can work together if the leader assigns each member responsibility and provides the necessary resources and guidance for them to perform. It’s the team leader’s responsibility to organise meetings to discuss goals, listen to contributions and complaints, handle any conflict and assign tasks based on a team member’s ability. It’s important that the team leader encourages communication within the team. Ultimately, I believe that good communication and collaboration amongst team members are what makes a team efficient.’

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What Is Your Individual Management Style

Different managers operate in different ways. They have unique strategies and individual things they do that alter the management style from person to person.

Accessing the particular style of the interviewee can assist you in understanding how they go about leading others. Topics such as how they react to issues, procedures they use to encourage their team, and their general way of working can help see into their particular management style.

This is an effective method to analyze their ability to increase productivity and build a company atmosphere that is beneficial for all parties. The best answers to this question revolve around a good personal understanding of their own strengths and capabilities.

They should be able to immediately identify what their style actually is and explain it in a manner that makes sense. If they are able to do this, then itâs likely they are actually mindful of the choices they make and how their actions as a manager influence others.

Have You Applied For Any Other Job Opportunities

Your interviewer likely expects that youve applied to other jobs. The key to answering this question is to be honest, but make the interviewer feel like their company is your number one choice:

Yes, Im actively pursuing a few different opportunities, but working for your company is my first choice. I have heard great things about the company from a friend of a friend , and it sounds like youve built a great team here and that the organization has a great company culture.

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Interview Questions To Ask When Hiring New Managers

One of the main factors of any successful company is having a team that is best suited for the job. Simply put, great managers bring great results, and they are the foundation of every task carried out by the company as a whole.

This is why knowing how to conduct an effective interview with a prospective manager is so important. Interviewing is what allows you to get a good grasp on the strengths and weaknesses of potential managers and reveals how they might function in your workplace.

Itâs important to take this process seriously because the information provided during a job interview can instantly be a deciding factor on whether or not the interviewee is fit for the job. The best way to take advantage of interviews is to be prepared with a variety of detailed questions that aim to dig beyond the surface level of the new potential hire. You want to open the floor for a genuine discussion that allows you to see their abilities as a worker.

The questions that are presented should be diverse and hit on a multitude of different characteristics so that a complete understanding can be developed. An example of different topics that are effective for this goal are ones that relate to the experience they have, their style of work, and their ambitions for the future.

Here are 7 specific questions to ask in a hiring interview that will help you to make the right decision and hire managers that impact your company for the better.

Describe How You Delegate Tasks To Team Members

Managers often need to juggle a hectic workload. Employers ask this question to discover how you handle your responsibilities and how you utilise your team.

Explain how delegation makes you more productive as a manager and how you use the time it frees up. Describe how you delegate according to team members strengths and how you use your organisational skills to ensure that tasks are distributed evenly among team members to ensure fairness and efficiency. Back up this response with an example of a time where you successfully delegated tasks to team members.

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What Office Manager Duties Do You Enjoy Most And Least

To answer this question, you should focus on the positive. What you enjoy the least should not be a core job function and should be an area where you can influence or improve.

Heres an example:

I really enjoy working in a busy office and solving problems on the fly. I enjoy the challenge of meeting tight deadlines and working in a team environment. I find it stressful when things are disorganized, and if I see someone who I can help be more organized, Ill step in and offer my assistance.

What Kind Of Work Environment Are You Used To

Managing a team is, by no means, an easy position in which to survive and thrive. Most businesses are full of high-pressure situations that can bring out the best in your team members.

Those same high-pressure situations can also reduce the likelihood that a new manager will stay long enough to learn how to function in such a fast-paced environment.

Asking the interviewee what kind of work environment they are used to will help you understand whether they are well-suited to manage your team or not.

If you dont get an informative answer the first time through, you may need to ask follow-up questions such as, Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a high-pressure situation. How did you handle it?

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What Is Your Understanding Of The Office Manager Role

This is a basic question designed to test your understanding of the role and the skills needed to be successful in it. A lot of the content for your answer can be pulled from the job ad to reflect the skills that the company is looking for:

An office manager is responsible for ensuring that the office runs smoothly. This could include things like supporting and monitoring staff performance, composing documents, invoicing, basic accounting, communicating with clients, managing office supplies, and providing executive support.

Tell Me About A Time You Let An Employee Go

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

One summer, I was working as a supervisor for a local pool. We had a lifeguard who was consistently late to the job. As his supervisor, I pulled him aside on three occasions and spoke with him about why he was late and how that was a violation of the company policy, and how the fourth time would be grounds for his dismissal. I made sure to keep the HR team involved with every step and properly document each meeting. Unfortunately, he was tardy a fourth time, and I had to let him know that he was being terminated. It wasnt an easy task, but it had to be done.

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Office Manager Interview Questions About Experience And Background

Experience and background questions elicit greater detail about your work history. These questions give you the opportunity to highlight your skills and relevant experience pertaining to the office manager position. Here are 10 common questions about experience and background that office manager employers might ask:

• Have you been an office manager before?

• How many years have you spent in the administrative field?

• What was your first position in the field?

• What industries were your previous employers in?

• What is the largest number of employees you have managed?

• What equipment and software did you use in your previous position?

• Do you have experience in client relations?

• What experience do you have with office scheduling?

• Can you describe a time you motivated other staff?

• What experience do you have with managing employer funds?

What Other Jobs Are You Considering

For the most part, candidates should be looking for jobs in similar fields. It doesnt matter if theyre looking at other companies or even other niches within a specific skill set.

What might raise a warning flag would be if theyve applied for non-managerial jobs as well as the manager position in your business.

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Tell Me About Yourself

Though not technically a question, Tell me about yourself does generate the same type of response as the actual questions on this list. Its also a gentle way to begin the interview process.

When you ask this question, youre likely to hear some answers that start with information about the candidates personal life. Eventually, they should transition to how they became interested in being a manager and how they got started achieving that goal.

If you dont hear relevant information about the job for which theyre interviewing, you may need to ask a more specific follow-up question to get the response you need.

What Is The History Of This Position

The answer to this question lets you know if the position is new or has always existed and if the duties and responsibilities have evolved. It’s also helpful to ask about the future of the position to know if the role will expand to include extra responsibilities anytime soon.

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How Do You Ensure To Make No Mistakes In Your Office Work

Everyone makes mistakes. You can actually win some extra points confessing that you made some mistakes in your previous jobs, and even claiming that mistakes cant be avoided completely in a busy office.

Then you can say that you double check all important documents, would not aspire to handle the task that is outside your competences or expertise , and will also try to have a daily contact with both your superiors and subordinates , to simply stay in the picture and on the top of things.

You can also add that you will try to learn from each mistake, and improve the processes in your work accordingly, to minimize the chances of repeating the same mistake again.

How Do You Manage Conflict In Your Staff

Conflict in the workplace is a common occurrence that many people have faced at some point in their careers. If conflict is not dealt with, it can fester and escalate. The role of an Office Manager is to help overcome any conflict that occurs.

Answer: When dealing with conflict, I first encourage people to talk amongst themselves to see if they can iron out any differences. Often workplace conflict arises from a lack of communication.

Once work colleagues discuss their issues, they often come to an understanding and resolve the matter themselves. I would intervene if this fails or they feel uncomfortable having a one-on-one chat.

Firstly, I would speak to them separately to understand the roots of the conflict. Then I would have a meeting to encourage dialogue and straighten out the problems.

Conflict in the workplace can lower productivity and morale, so I would aim to stop any conflict in the workplace as soon as possible.

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