Sample Interview Questions Administrative Assistant

Sample Administrative Assistant Interview Questions And Answers

Admin Assistant Interview Questions with Answer Examples

When you being interviewed for the position of an administrative assistant, give everything you have got to let the interviewer see that you would make a great administrative assistant. While you are preparing for general job interview questions, you should also be prepared to answer job-specific questions that will be asked during the interview.

Do You Have Experience With Event Planning

Event planning is another important task for an administrative assistant, as weve mentioned when discussing previous questions. Candidates should be familiar with a variety of event planning tasks, such as creating invitations, coordinating catering, arranging transportation, and other items that help the events run smoothly.

Sample answer:

I have previous experience planning events like company parties, promotional events, and team lunches. I used to work as a wedding planner, too, so I can handle a variety of events.

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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Administrative Assistant Job Description Template

Overview

The Administrative Assistant will be responsible for providing administrative support to management and managing the day-to-day office activities such as filing, taking phone calls, data entry, and maintaining filing systems. The ideal candidate should have excellent communication skills and organizational skills, as well as familiarity with standard office equipment and software tools.

Job Responsibilities

Assist supervisor in all administrative projects.
Answer and route phone calls and take detailed messages.
Schedule appointments and meetings for leadership.
Make travel arrangements as needed for executives and managers.
Order office supplies.
Create and document office procedures.
Maintain physical and digital office filing systems.
Support the human resources team in maintaining files and distributing job postings.
Submit and reconcile expense reports.
Greet office visitors and provide general support to clients.
Perform clerical duties as necessary, including typing, proofreading, dictation, etc.

Qualifications

Two years of experience in an office setting preferred.
High school diploma or GED required. An associates degree or bachelors degree is preferred.
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Excellent problem-solving and time-management skills

Here are some helpful questions to ask when interviewing candidates for an Administrative Assistant role.

What office software tools are you familiar with?

Sample Administrative Assistant Job Description And Interview Questions

Sample Interview Question For Administrative Assistant And Answers ...

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Administrative assistants are the glue that holds many companies together. They keep things running smoothly behind the scenes and are an essential part of many projects, meetings, and more. When hiring an administrative assistant, its vital that you have a good, accurate job description to bring in talent with the skills your organization needs.

If youre thinking of hiring an Administrative Assistant for your company or just want to learn more about the role, explore the below Administrative Assistant job description example to learn about the key job duties and required qualifications. Weve also provided some suggested questions to ask Administrative Assistant candidates during job interviews.

What Experiences Do You Have That Fit The Position

Another important question to ask a candidate for an administrative assistant role is inquiring about the experience and qualifications that make them ideal for the job. The answer they provide will obviously depend on the qualifications listed in the job description, but this is a good general question to have them detail their skills for the job.

This question should open the door to other questions that dig deeper on each of these experiences. For example, if an interviewee mentions they worked six months as an assistant during an internship in college, ask them what they did on a day-to-day basis during that position.

Sample answer:

I have a degree in business administration, and I have previous experience working as an administrative assistant at the deans office in college. During that time, I helped the payroll team process reimbursements, schedule catering for events, and connect with the marketing department on how to communicate events promoted by the dean were happening around campus.

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How Do You Balance Multiple Priorities

As an administrative assistant, you should possess the time management skills to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. For example, you be responsible for answering phones while preparing reports and other documentation.

Interviewers want to know that you have the organisation and time management skills to perform multiple tasks while maintaining quality levels.

Here is an example answer to this question:

When I am working on multiple tasks, I always assign priority to each task. This enables me to ensure that the most important tasks get completed first. I always ask my supervisor if there is a deadline for tasks, and if there is prioritise those with the nearest deadline.

I have the cognitive flexibility, organisation and time management skills to perform multiple tasks to high standards simultaneously. In my last role, I received written commendation from Management for my organisation skills.

4. What Software and Technologies Do You Use for Administration?

Administrative assistants are required to use many different technologies and software systems, such as Microsoft Office.

Interviewers ask this question because they want to know if you will be able to use their systems and if youre capable of learning to use new technologies.

Here is an example answer to this question:

I am an expert with Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Access. I am also adept with Travel Perk and Google Workspace.

5. How Do You Handle Confidential Information?

Q What Software Applications Can You Work With

7 ADMIN ASSISTANT Interview Questions and Answers (PASS!)

Computer can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. It can make you more effective, and it can slow you down in work. But you should try to befriend it, and build a strong relationship with the machine, because unless you apply for an administrative assistant job in one of the least developed countries of our world, you will work with computer all day long.

Make a list of software programs you can work with, and mention each of them in your interview. Tell us how long you have been working with the software, and how it has helped you in your past job , to work more effectively. You can even say that you plan to attend evening computer classes, to improve your skills, or to learn other programs that will help you in your job and life.

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Office Assistant Interview Questions And Example Answers

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Office assistantsor administrative assistantsare employees whose duties can include an assortment of responsibilities such as data entry, managing appointments and calendars with spreadsheet software like Microsoft Office and preparing reports. When going into an interview for the role of office assistant, the interviewer will most likely ask about these skills as well as other details of your background and work history.

In this article, you will learn common interview questions for administrative assistants and appropriate answers to help you prepare.

Video: Top 6 Common Interview Questions and Answers

Jenn, an Indeed Career Coach, breaks down the intentions behind employer’s questions and shares strategies for crafting strong responses.

Why Do You Want To Work As An Office Administrator At This Company

This is another common question that may be asked during your interview. The purpose of this question is for the interviewer to get a sense of how passionate you are about your work as well as the position. Be prepared to answer this question by connecting what the company does and why to your current or future career goals and your own core values. This will show the interviewer that not only are you passionate about your career, but you are also passionate about your career in this position, too.

Example answer:I prioritize and place importance on administrative tasks like keeping schedules organized, helping complete data entry tasks and interacting with customers. Ive always been passionate about helping others stay organized and offering financial support, and I feel that Save Financial is passionate about the same things. Because of this, I think I would be a great fit for the role of administrative assistant.

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Questions To Ask In An Administrative Assistant Interview

Along with the questions weve covered for administrative assistants, you should also expect to be given an opportunity to ask questions of your own. Here are good questions you can ask:

What are you hoping a new person can bring to this role?
Has anyone failed in this position, and why?
What does a typical day look like?
Can you show me examples of projects that I would be working on?
How much interaction with clients or customers will I have?
What abilities are most important for a new person in this job?
What would success look like in the first three months in this role?
What are the biggest challenges for a new person in this role?
What have people in this job gone on to do in the company?
When can I expect to hear feedback about the next steps in the hiring process?
When do you expect to make a hiring decision?

For a list of further questions to ask employers, read this article.

And if youre speaking with a recruiter, here are 10 good questions to ask recruiters.

Reflections On Relationships And Personalities

Tough Interview Questions for Executive Assistants

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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Deeper Dive Into Work Styles

Managers often dont know the work style of candidates until theyre on the job, but its worth asking about the way they take direction, their communication style, how they prefer to structure their day and whether theyre adaptive, dependable, efficient, able to multitask and so on.

16. Can you walk me through a typical day in your current/most recent position?

17. Have you ever reported to multiple supervisors at once? If so, how did you juggle each persons priorities?

18. What is your first step when given a large project to manage? How would you organize it?

19. Can you describe a challenging project you were assigned in the past and how you approached it?

20. Are there any tools, equipment or procedures you would replace or change at your most recent/current job? If so, what changes would you make and why?

Question: Tell Me About A Time When You Had To Deal With A Difficult Client Or Customer

Intent: Some support jobs are internal positions, while other positions, like receptionists, interact with customers or clients. Either way, hiring managers want to assess your interrelationship skills and how you diffuse conflict, Crompton says.

Response: Any question that begins with, Tell me about a time when is a behavioral interview question, where employers use your past experiences and behaviors as an indicator of your future success. So in this case, its important to prepare a compelling anecdote of when you used your communication skills and professional demeanor to respond to a difficult client or customer.

Crompton recommends framing your answer by explaining how the issue arose, how you analyzed the situation, and how you resolved the issue diplomatically. For example, At my last job, a customer angrily complained that a shipment was late. I apologized profusely and was able to track the shipment and saw that our drivers truck broke down, which delayed delivery. I explained this to the customer and offered her a discount on her next order to help smooth things over.

Administrative Assistant Interview Questions Faq

How Do I Prepare for an Administrative Assistant Interview?

To prepare for an administrative assistant interview, you should thoroughly research the company, read and understand the job description, and have a mock interview to boost your confidence.

What Are the Top Three Skills of an Administrative Assistant?

The top three skills of an administrative assistant include communication skills, organizational skills, and time management skills.

What Software Should an Administrative Assistant Be Familiar With?

An administrative assistant should know Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Dropbox, Zoom, Slack, Calendly, Asana, pgAdmin, and FileZilla. Many other software tools may come in handy, but it will depend on the specific industry you are interested in.

How Do You Answer the Question Tell Me About Yourself as an Administrative Assistant?

To answer the question tell me about yourself, you should mention your educational qualifications, job experience, and skills. An example is, I am a business administration graduate and I have been working as an administrative assistant for five years. I currently work at a non-profit organization with the HR department and I handle scheduling, meetings, and planning for my superiors. I also handle reports and presentations for my other co-workers.

About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.

Tell Me About A Time When You Encountered An Unhappy Client Or Customer As An Office Assistant How Did You Handle The Situation

Administrative Assistant Interview Questions (and Sample Answers)

An interviewer may ask this question to assess how you handle difficult or stressful situations. Be honest in your answer, and include how you felt in the situation and how you handled it. Similarly, you can answer this question with how you would handle a stressful situation if one were to occur if you have no prior experience diffusing a conflict in the workplace.

Example answer:As the office assistant at Save Financial, I once dealt with a frustrated customer on the phone. The customer was stressed and angry that a seemingly unwarranted charge had been made to their credit card. I did not interrupt the customer even though they were yelling at me, and I reminded myself how worried and anxious they must be to be acting out that way.

After acknowledging the customers feelings, I asked the customer for their membership information and continued to explore the problem. It turned out that the customer forgot the due date for their membership. Once we solved the problem, the customer was calm and apologized to me. We ended our conversation talking about the weather and my three-month-old puppy. I always strive for patience and empathy when working with clients, as I would want my experience to be the same.

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Federal Government Administrative Assistant Interview Questions

Executives count on administrative assistants to keep busy schedules and company activities as clear and easy-to-navigate as possible. Expect questions about your organizational, time management, and communication skills. Many of these questions will be story-based, so come ready to explain a time when you successfully juggled multiple deadlines or were able to handle difficult customers at the front desk. Though these interviews focus primarily on soft skills, you may be asked to answer a question about your ability to use basic administrative software.

administrative assistant interview questions at federal government shared by candidates

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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