- What is your greatest professional weakness?
Your prospective employer wants to know how you respond to setbacks. This reveals a lot about your drive and ability to learn from your mistakes. When you encounter administrative assistant interview questions and answers like this, it is imperative to keep your reply positive. Focus more on how you overcame the setback or issues. Furthermore, show how it made you a more effective professional.
- Do you work well in a team environment?
Depending on the size of your prospective employer, you make have to work with another or multiple administrative assistants. Together, you will manage the necessary administrative tasks to make the enterprise as effective as possible. Give an example of how you were able to delegate and focus as an integral part of a team. Keep the anecdote short, but make your point.
- Tell us why do you want to leave your current job?
For a long time I really enjoyed working for my current employee and I have felt that I learnt a lot from the role and also from my manager. However, the job is limited and doesn’t provide me with much room to grow (you can expand this for what ever reason fits your circumstances). I feel that this position will give me the opportunity to expand my skill set and also move forward in my career.
- Tell us are you good at solving problems?
Not all administrators need to be excellent problem solvers so if you are not the best, be honest and say so. You could say that you are not good at solving problems but you understand the skills of your colleagues well and will always be able to persuade somebody to assist.
- Do you have any skills such as shorthand/touch typing?
Ideally you will be able to touch type well, so say yes to this. Shorthand is a dying art and fewer people are learning how to do this well. If you have the opportunity to learn it, then do so, because some managers like their administrators to be able to take down shorthand.
- What do you believe to be your biggest strength?
I am very well organized in my head which I can translate perfectly in actions. This strength alone has helped me secure a permanent position as an administrative assistant after going through training for just three months.
- What are your accomplishments?
When I accepted the position at ABC Company, there was no centralized filing system. Trying to find important documents was nearly impossible. I identified the problems with the current filing system, and put in place a new, more efficient system so that document retrieval became faster and easier.
- How do you cope with busy, stressful periods?
Answer that by staying organised and keeping a strict diary you find that stress does not become a real issue. As soon as you identify a possible delay due to high work volumes you raise this with your manager to see if the work can either be reallocated or given priority.
- How do you deal with authority?
Say that you deal with authority as you deal with customers – with integrity, professionalism and politeness.
- What are your salary requirements with us?
At this point, salary is not an issue for me. I’m more concerned with the position and the opportunity to learn.
- What don’t you do very well?
I am a people person. I like to work with people. If I couldn’t, it would be difficult.
- How do you feel about multitasking at work?
Multitasking is a necessary part of an administration job, so say that you enjoy multitasking and the challenge of ensuring that multiple functions and jobs are completed accurately and on time is part of what motivates you in your work.
- Are you able to use any relevant software packages?
If you have experience, mention the packages you have used. If not, get some training in the most important packages before your interview. Ask your recruitment consultant what are the best packages to learn.
- Do you have a valid driver’s license? Any tickets?
Yes, I possess Houston State Driver’s license with no tickets
- What is your greatest professional strength?
When you are asked about your strengths, you want to relate your response to skills and abilities that are relevant to your prospective position. Perhaps you are excellent at speaking and working with clients or keeping the office impeccably organized. Either of these can be highly prized in the right environment. Frame your strengths as an asset to your prospective employer.
- How would you react if you felt you were being pushed too far at work?
If pushed too far you would consider speaking to your manager about workloads and expectations and try to resolve the situation.
- Do you enjoy meeting new people and interacting with customers?
Meeting people and speaking to customers is often a vital part of being an administrator. Say that you enjoy talking to people and that interaction with other people is often what makes the work most interesting.
- Why do you want to be an administrative assistant?
Most people try to get this job simply because it is convenient, offers routine duties and clean working environment. And a decent salary of course…
Well, we naturally apply for a job to earn money (nobody would work full time for free). But earning money should not resonate in your answer.
Oppositely, you should try to convince the hiring manager that you really want to have this job. Motivation is crucial for every administrative assistant, do not forget on it. If you want to get hired, you can’t look like someone who takes this job as a last option only.
- What is your reason for leaving your current/former employer?
ABC is a small company with limited opportunities for advancement. While I have thoroughly enjoyed my work there, I decided it was time to move on in order to advance.
- What role do you think an administrator plays in the office dynamic?
Say that an administrator plays an important role in ensuring that diaries are properly managed and that all outgoing correspondence is well written and all incoming correspondence is read and delivered to the relevant managers quickly.
- Are the timings of this job suitable to you? Can you work overtime and weekends?
Yes, these timings are perfect for me and I am readily available and willing to work overtime and on weekends.
- Do you have any experience with multitasking, if yes the how did you handle it?
Administrative assistants are typically pretty busy people. A big pile of papers on a table of an assistant is a common picture we see, not only in the films. And obviously, there’s “a mess” in their computer too 🙂
Interviewers are aware of it and try to find out if you are able to prioritize your tasks, or to work on different tasks simultaneously. Your goal is to convince them about your time management skills, an ability to organize work and recognize the most important tasks to take care of immediately.
- On rare basis, can you travel to other cities and towns on official tours? (With the travelling allowance provided)?
I enjoy travelling. It will be my pleasure to travel for official work.
- Tell us something about your previous experience as an administrative assistant?
There were several things that I had to fit into one work day including taking phone calls, directing visitors to the right departments, taking minutes of meetings, assisting in procurement of supplies and equipment and of course managing mail.
- Can you work with MS Office? How would you rate your skills with it, on a scale from one to ten?
This question is much more difficult as it sounds. While interviewing people for office jobs, I saw many candidates get caught in the trap while answering this question. You know, all job applicants try to picture themselves in a best possible light. So when they should evaluate their own skills with MS Word or MS Excel (or another common office software), they give themselves 9 or even a perfect 10.
This would be all right, if they did deliver on their promises. What we did in interviews, and what many companies do until today, is letting the applicants to complete a practical task on computer, right after they answered this question. They had to execute few calculations in MS Excel, or typewrite something to MS word and format the text… We could see how fast they typed and what methods they used when working on a computer. And many who gave themselves 9 or 10, worked actually very poorly, or weren’t even able to finish the task in time.
- Are you at ease with complex phone systems and large call volumes?
One of the hallmark duties of an administrative assistant is answering a stream of telephone calls. You must remain courteous at all times and maintain a high level of efficiency. With these kind of administrative assistant interview questions and answers, the hiring manager wants to know that you are completely capable of this task.
- How do you handle a particularly busy day and still manage to run a smooth office?
At times work can be quite demanding and 8 working hours seems too little. However, I have learned that if you prioritize your work, you can manage even the busiest day with a lot of ease.
- Tell me a little more about your experience (education)?
Interviewers can read. They have seen your resume. They know pretty well what you did in the past. So why do they ask this question?
There is a reason, like for any other question. If there was no reason to ask it, they would not do so. They inquire about your education and experience to check two things:
► Your real level of experience. You know, it is pretty easy to compose a perfect resume. One can think up anything… But once you asked about details (they will most likely give you additional questions on your experience), it is pretty clear if the things on your resume are true or not.
► To see what matters for you and if you think positively about your past and future.
► Let’s have a closer look at the second point. Many people see only negatives. When they talk about last job, they talk about problems they had with the boss, or claim that everyone was feckless in the company. However, this is a huge mistake! HR managers do not want to employ people who complain about everything. Such people only make problems
- What different systems have you used to store information and documents?
What record keeping were you responsible for?
what sort of data were you responsible for processing?
Administrative assistant interview questions will explore your ability to gather and manage information. Detail the types and volume of data you had to manage and how you ensured your information management was up to date and accurate.
- How do you ensure to keep good qualification for this job as Office Support Assistant?
Your attitude is tested once again. Most people quit working on their skills, as soon as they get the first job. School has finished, and so has learning something new. Or not?
The one who is not progressing does not stays on the same place. He is actually moving backwards, when compared to other job applicants, as those new one and those who learn are passing him by! School of life never ends!
Office software, ways of effective communication, Outlook, internet, cooking good coffee. Things change and develop in time. One can not remain on the top of his job, if he does not constantly devote some time to learning and improving himself.
- Are you familiar with professional use of Microsoft Office? Specifically MS Outlook, Word and Excel?
Yes. I have used all of these at the previous job as well as company’s own oracle based enterprise software application
- What do you think is the main responsibility of an administrative assistant in our company?
Some people think that a typical day of an administrative assistant consists in making coffee and typing data to the computer. Some job seekers have the same opinion.
However, if you want to succeed in an interview, you need to show that you are ready to do much more than cooking good coffee and answering phone calls. You need to convince them that you see your vital role in a team and believe to influence the productivity of the office. Actually, the main duty of an administrative assistant is to carry out every task assigned by the boss, but on the top of that, to come up with his own ideas of what to do.
- Describe a complicated problem you recently had to deal with in your job. How did you go about sorting it out?
How do you go about getting the relevant information necessary to understand a problem in order to be able to decide on a possible solution?
Administrative assistant interview questions will focus on your ability to assess problems and come up with workable solutions. Explain how you got together all the necessary information in order to properly analyze the problem and considered the possible alternatives before deciding on a particular course of action.
- This job is repetitive. What would motivate you to do it well every day?
Motivation is a crucial factor for every employer. If a recruiter has to choose between inexperienced, but motivated, job seeker and a bored professional assistant with ten years of experience, in most of the cases, he will hire the motivated fresher.
Repetition makes job boring for many of us. Therefor there is this question, to see if you can find motivation in a routine job. You should do one of the following things:
► Stress that you prefer routine jobs. Some of us do not like challenges and prefer to have routine roles and carry out the same tasks every day.
► Stress that good relationships on the workplace, or other factors, matter for you more than the variability of tasks in job.
► Alternatively, you can try to convince the employer that from your point of view, this job is not repetitive.
- Tell me about a specific contribution you made to improve team performance?
Describe a situation where you were able to help out a colleague or team member?
Administrative assistants have to work effectively as part of a team or group. Your answers should highlight your ability to build relationships with other group members and show how you contribute to team success.
- What office-related software are you proficient with?
An office assistant is able to use various standard communication software, such as – emailing tools, Messenger, and Skype. Moreover, he/she is able to type and be proficient in Word, Office, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.
- What do you expect from a boss or supervisor?
This might feel like a trick questions, but it is not. The hiring manager’s job isn’t simply to hire the most qualified professional. He or she must find someone who will fit into the existing company environment. Understanding what kind of superior you work best with helps him or her decide if you will work well in the enterprise.
- Fresh Office Support Assistant Interview Questions:
► Do you consider yourself a patient person?
► Are you an introvert or an extravert? Are you more outgoing or a private person?
► How do you describe your personality? Bubbly? Upbeat? Reserved?
► Do you speak any other languages?
► Are you able to multitask? Provide me with an example of what you might be juggling on an average day.
► What office equipment are you able to use?
► With your current employer, what has been your attendance record?
► How are you with understanding accents and working with individuals who are foreign nationals?
► How do you handle stressful situations?
► How many phone lines are you comfortable handling?
► Are you capable of handling multiple inquiries simultaneously; staff, front door, customers, phone?
► What software are you comfortable using?
► Are you comfortable placing cold calls to leads and existing clients?
► Do you have experience making national and international travel arrangements?
► Are you willing/capable of traveling should we require you to accompany a manager or executive on a business trip?
- Basic Office Support Assistant Interview Questions:
► Tell me about your previous work experience as an office assistant.
► What were your primary responsibilities?
► What type of duties did you handle in previous positions?
► What type of reporting structure did you work within in previous jobs?
► What skills do you consider your greatest strengths?
► Have you had experience in maintaining office equipment? If so, what type of products?
► Tell me about a complex project you were tasked with completing under deadline.
► What type of documents and formats have you generated in the past?
► What have you done at your present/last company to increase revenues, reduce costs, or save time?
► What have you done to improve your skills as office assistant?
► What makes you a great fit for this position?
► What type of schedule are you looking to work?
► Would you be available to work extra hours if needed?
- First Office Support Assistant Interview Questions:
► Would you be able to comply with our company’s dress code?
► How are you at handling as-needed projects? Do you mind unexpected tasks?
► Do you consider yourself a brisk worker, or one who is slower paced yet persistent and consistent?
► Outline the types of people or teams that you’d supported over the years.
► Do you have experience managing an executive calendar and scheduling appointments? What software?
► Tell me about your customer service experience.
► Provide me with an example of a recent challenge you’ve faced with a visiting sales rep, vendor, customer. What happened and how did you handle?
► Tell me about your experiences working with your current manager. What do you find the most challenging?
► Provide me with a quick list of the last few projects you’ve worked on through the last 2-3 years.
► Do you like taking on adhoc projects? Or are you someone who prefers a set day-to-day schedule?
► If asked, what would your current employers say about you?
► Have you had any involvement with introducing new systems or technologies to help improve performance within the company?
► Any professional involvement with social media and online networking, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn?
► Do you help your current manager with maintaining his online presence?
► Lastly, do you like working in the front lines of a company? What do you think that is?
- How do you organize your daily schedule and prioritize your activities?
Tell me about a meeting you recently arranged. How did you coordinate and schedule it?
Tell me about a situation where you had to reprioritize quickly to meet changing demands?
Give me an example of how you had to multitask to meet your deadlines?
Focus on scheduling and prioritizing activities. How do you decide which are the most important activities? Include criteria such as urgency of the tasks, deadlines to be met, available resources and setting realistic targets. Outline the tools you use to plan your day including the computer applications you have found helpful.
- What are the most satisfying and the most frustrating aspects of your present job?
The most satisfying aspect of my role is being able to help the executives make informed decisions that affect the rest of the Company. I enjoy working with and supporting successful people at the top-level of their career. The most frustrating aspect is the slow pace in the office and it can be difficult to get things done on occasions.
- Although this is a temporary job, but if your performance exceeds our expectations we will consider hiring you as a permanent employee. Would that be okay with you?
I would definitely welcome such a great opportunity.
- We like to think of ourselves as a team at this company. What skills will you bring to our team?
I take pride my organization skills. I believe my attention to detail and desire to stay organized can only benefit the team I am working with.
I like to think outside of the box. I am always the one finding new ways to approach a situation or challenge.
- Describe the different types of business communications you were responsible for?
How do you make sure you have clearly and accurately understood an inquiry or request made of you?
Communication is key to any job that provides support and assistance in an organization. Your answers should clearly demonstrate your ability to express yourself effectively both verbally and in writing as well as your ability to listen actively and understand the communication taking place.
- What are you looking for here?
I am looking for a position that will allow me to use my experience in the ______ field, including xxx and xxx. I am also ready to take on increased responsibilities in a management capacity when the opportunity arises. I am eager to work in a company that can provide the opportunity for professional growth.
- Give an example of a time you have delivered great customer service?
Ideally you have some real work experience that you can talk about. Talk in some detail about what you did and why it was great. If you have no direct work experience then talk of an event where you helped a friend to resolve a problem and that these skills can be used in administration and customer care work.
- How many telephone calls can you attend in an hour, maintaining the same level of interest and professionalism?
It depends on the duration of the call. If it is a 5 minute call each, 9 to 11. If it’s a route/transfer call, 30 to 40. A mixture goes well, repetition of the same kind of telephone calls for example applicants interviews’ scheduling calls can become notorious at times
- Are you comfortable using a phone system with multiple lines and handling a high volume of telephone calls?
► Yes, I’m comfortable using multiple phone lines with a high volume of calls, and have done so in the past. I’m able to keep the conversations separated, and deal with the clients in a friendly efficient manner.
► I haven’t directly handled multiple phone lines, but I understand the importance of being courteous and efficient, and I’m a quick learner.
► I understand that phone contact is often the first interaction that a customer has with the company, and the first impression is extremely important. It is critical to maintain a friendly, professional manner on the phone at all times.
- Briefly describe your administrative experience?
What do you consider your administrative strengths?
How does your previous experience make you a suitable candidate for this job?
When describing your past experience focus on the aspects that directly apply to the job you are interviewing for. Consider the needs of the organization and relate your skills and abilities to these. Carefully study the job description or posting to determine what the employer is looking for and outline how your previous work experience has equipped you for this job.
- Tell us what are your communication skills like?
Say that they are very good and that you can communicate well face-to-face, on the telephone and via the Internet on email. Tell us about a time in your professional career when you went out of your way to complete a task for someone else
Hopefully you have some real experiences – but you may have forgotten them by now. Think back and try to recall a time that you may have helped somebody when they were under pressure or off sick.
- How do you keep yourself organised when dealing with tasks and requests from multiple sources?
The best way to stay organised is to keep a log of every request and each task completed so that nothing is accidentally left to go past a deadline. Mention any software that you use for this purpose.
- Suppose you are given three tasks at the same time: Order office supplies, make travel arrangements for a senior manager and call up a few clients to set appointments, how will you go about it? What will be the first thing you would do?
I will prioritize tasks according to the urgency and importance to the senior management. Multi-tasking will be my centralized approach.
- At this company, we like to think of ourselves as a team that works together to achieve our goals. How do you feel working in a team environment?
► I enjoy working in a team environment, and I get along well with people. In my past work experience, I implemented a system to help organize the communication between my coworkers to enhance our productivity as a team.
► I believe that I have a lot to contribute to a team environment, and am comfortable in both leadership and player roles. I’m outgoing, friendly, and have strong communication skills.
► I enjoy working in a team environment, and I get along well with people. In my past work experience, I implemented a system to help organize the communication between my coworkers to enhance our productivity as a team.
- Tell me about a time you had to deal with a very demanding customer. How did you handle it?
Describe a situation where you went out of your way to provide customer satisfaction?
Remember when answering administrative assistant interview questions about customer service that your colleagues, supervisors and managers are your internal customers in addition to any external customers that you have to deal with.
- What are significant characteristics for a successful office assistant?
Besides time management and cleanliness, an office assistant has excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively coordinate activities between the office manager and his business colleagues, present reports, send and answer emails, etc.
- What do you enjoy most/least about this type of work?
This is similar to the strengths/weaknesses questions – what you like least must be turned into a positive trait. Say that you enjoy the challenge of meeting deadlines and of working in a team environment. For what you like least, say that you do not like it when you see disorganized work and a poorly managed diary; you feel the need to help organize and manage the workload.
- Why do you think it’s important to be positive in an admin role?
Being positive is important because often a person’s attitude to their work can come across in their writing and presentation. Administrators sometimes provide the first impression a customer has of a business, so a positive and professional outlook is needed at all times.
- Tell us how you handled correspondence at your previous work experience?
I used to receive fax, mail and couriers with signing the receipts and maintaining an organized record of each, respectively. Then I used to sort and distribute all incoming or outgoing mail to the relevant departments and executives. It also included maintaining printers and fax machines for retrievals as well as routing incoming fax and also guiding others on how to use the specialized machines for sending fax.
- Are you willing to work over time, if needed, to complete a project?
My career is my number one priority right now, so I would not have a problem putting in extra time to complete a project.
- Do you think it’s important to maintain cleanliness in and around the office?
Besides duties like handling calls and other forms of communication, managing documentation, coordinating events, etc., an office assistant maintains an efficient and pleasant working environment by keeping it fresh and free of clutter.
- What experience do you have in administrator roles?
Here is your chance to run through all of your experience. Be concise and if you have done multiple roles, mention something specific for each one. Show that you have a lot of experience and are flexible.
- How do you manage deadlines?
I am very particular about deadlines. So if I know that I cannot manage a deadline in advance, I work extra unpaid hours to work towards it. I have not missed a single deadline yet!
- How do you think Administrative Assistants add value to a business?
Administrative assistants keep the office organized while ensuring that the operations of every department run smoothly. They add efficiency to the business’s daily routine work. In fact, they are lubricants that remove friction between departments by helping in maintaining a smooth flow of information, provision of office supplies while maintaining confidentiality.
- What can you tell me about time management in relation to the job of an office assistant?
Time management is crucial for any office assistant, who successfully coordinates and carries out many tasks simultaneously. Office assistants are often actively involved in managing the time of other office staff and managers. To be able to do that one must be able to manage his/her own time.
- What are your future goals as Office Support Assistant?
I eventually want to reach at a managerial level gradually where I would be able to utilize my experiences and talents for the growth of company..
- Why did you leave your previous job as Office Support Assistant?
Because the chances of growth became stagnant and the company shifted its head-office to Alabama where I was unable to shift my family to a new destination.
- What computer skills do you have and what programs are you comfortable using?
Answer for this questions will vary widely depending on the job for which you are applying. If you are applying for a high-tech position, for example, you should know your skills and experience like the back of your hand and be able to recount them without issue.
- What kind of documents do you have experience writing?
Office assistants typically write any or all of the following: thank-you letters, newsletters, labels, donor and annual reports, emails, messages, fax messages, etc.