Common Administrative Assistant Interview Preparation Guide

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► When was the last time you were in a high pressure situation?
► What was the biggest challenge in your previous / current position?
► What are your strengths?
► How do you handle a large workload?
► Why do you want to leave your current employer?
► What salary are you looking for?
► Do you have any questions for me? (Always important)

► How do you organize your daily schedule?
► What practice do you follow answering emails?
► What practice do you follow when dealing with confidential paperwork?
► How would you prioritize tasks if you support more than one person? Is there a system you follow?
► You've been asked to set up a meeting. What actions will you take?
► Are you good at keeping matters confidential if required?
► Are you open to working after hours if required and be available on email?
► Our requirement is for someone who can multi task and wear many hats. Does this sound like something you are interested in?
► Describe a time you were working on a project, and your colleagues did not agree with you, how did you solve this and come to an agreement?
► How do you deal with difficult situations at work?

► Tell me about yourself?
► What are your current duties as an Administrative/Executive Assistant?
► What skills will you bring to the company?
► What are the most important qualities to have as an Administrative/ Executive Assistant ?
► Did you look at our company website? If for some reason you did not get time (which should not happen), don't lie?
► What type of personalities do you work best with?
► How do you rate your computer skills?
► Describe yourself in three words?
► Do you have experience booking domestic and international travel?
► Do you have experience handling calendars? Go a step further and mention you handle calendars in multiple time zones?

► Tell me about yourself?
► What are your current duties as an Administrative/Executive Assistant?
► What skills will you bring to the company?
► What are the most important qualities to have as an Administrative/ Executive Assistant ?
► Did you look at our company website? If for some reason you did not get time (which should not happen), don't lie?
► What type of personalities do you work best with?
► How do you rate your computer skills?
► Describe yourself in three words?
► Do you have experience booking domestic and international travel?
► Do you have experience handling calendars? Go a step further and mention you handle calendars in multiple time zones?

► Describe the office applications that you used. What type of documentation did you prepare?
► What is your proficiency level in computer applications such as MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint?
► How often have you prepared spreadsheets, data graphs or reports using these applications?
► What messaging system and calendar programs did you use?
► Describe the company proprietary/specific software base application that you use for monitoring work tasks.
► What types of faxing applications, copier, printer and scanner have you most recently used?

► Can you describe your previous duties as an administrative assistant in a business office?
► Were you responsible for noting and correlating executive meeting events into documentation?
► Are you secure in handling confidential paperwork?
► Do have any public/human relation experience, or have you attended classes dedicated to this field?
► Are you familiar with hiring processes?
► Have your previous administrative positions involved customer service experiences?
► Concerning office policies and procedures have you ever been responsible for mentoring others?
► How do you organize your daily schedule?
► Have you needed to handle sensitive or confidential tasks in the past and were you comfortable performing these tasks.
► What do you believe your superiors would say regarding your administrative strengths?

I understand that the administrative assistant is very important employee for the company. If she does her job well and quickly, the office will function better as a whole. Therefor I really try my best to improve my performance every day, working a little bit faster and a little bit harder. I also study a lot, lastly time management and effective communication, to keep improving. If you choose me for this job, I will be glad to get some advice on the subjects I should focus on in my study, to be able to start as well as possible.

► 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.

I have been working with MS Word and MS Excel for the past five years. I have used it at school too. While I do not consider myself an expert, and can not use all the functionality it offers, I was always able to find what I needed to accomplish any task. All in all, I would give myself eight from Word and six from Excel.

I have always worked on my time management skills. Actually, I can organize my work pretty well, so it rarely happens that I need to take care of two different tasks at a same time. In the morning I always prioritize my work, consult it with the manager and work according to the plan we set. Doing so, I waste no time in work and am just rarely forced to deal with multitasking.

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.

"People say that I am very responsible. I am always on time. My level of motivation is high all the time, doesn't matter if we speak about work or any other activity I do in my free time. On the other hand, I know I should work on my management skills a little bit, because I sometimes find myself in a situation when I do not manage everything in time."

Humble employee is a good employee. You should feel free to talk about your weaknesses in an interview. After all, interviewer is aware of it, doesn't matter if you talk about it or not… Therefore, try to be honest. But do not stop there. Elaborate on your answer, explaining what you do to improve on your weakness. That is an attitude of a responsible assistant, an attitude all interviewers seek in the applicants.
We all have weaknesses… But just some of us are able to admit it and do something to improve on it.

This question belongs to the most common in an interview. They use it everywhere. Inexperienced HR managers use it to learn something about your weaknesses. And sometimes they use it simply because it can be found on the majority of interview templates. They follow no special intentions with it…
However, the experienced recruiters have another reason to use it. Of course, they are able to assess your strengths and weaknesses without inquiring about it. That's their specialty, the skill they get their salary for. But they use this question to check your trustworthiness and humility, to see if you can assess and admit your own weaknesses.

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.

You can find a list of duties on a job description. This should help you to understand if they want to hire a secretary, on office manager, or something between these two. It should be easier for you to identify their goal and talk about right duties in your answer.
After all, your attitude matters the most. Show them that you are ready to work hard and do more than expected of you.
Sample answer:
"I believe that the main responsibility of an administrative assistant is to take care of all administrative and other assigned duties, so the managers can focus on the important tasks and carry out their job well. I believe that a good assistant should try to create a motivating and positive atmosphere in an office too."

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.
Sample answer:
"Good administrative assistant should listen to the boss and work on the assigned tasks constantly."

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.
Sample answer:
Each of us has some preferences. Speaking honestly, I never wanted to have a job when one deals with new challenges every day, manages the others and is responsible for making major decisions. I prefer to have my job in an office, being focused and knowing always what to do and what action to take. Therefor, I am looking for an administrative job.

This is one question to which you really ought to have a well thought-out answer, because it shows the interviewer you're goal oriented and you plan for the future, and this job you're applying for is a part of that plan. In your response, appeal to the needs and desires of the employer, which include commitment, stability and ambition. Employers will give you greater consideration if you can ensure them that their investment in you will be good for their business. Indicate your intention to stay with this company long-term and express your desire to excel as an administrative professional.

The important thing to remember when responding to this question is to stay positive. Don't ever say anything negative about any of your previous employers. Instead, list one or two reasons related to your desire to learn and grow in your career. Perhaps you're looking for opportunities to contribute more than you have in the past, or you're looking for a greater challenge. Regardless of the actual reason, the person interviewing you will note that you elected to speak respectfully and professionally about past employers, which speaks volumes about your character and integrity as an employee.

Your answer to this question can reveal a couple of things about you: you're committed to self-improvement and you stay current with the latest trends and technology. As an admin assistant it's important to remain dedicated to improving your efficiencies and understanding operational systems currently used in the business world. Maybe you acquired continuing education on laws and regulations related to privacy, for example. Be sure to highlight the things you've learned that relate most to the company or industry for which you are applying to work. Include workshops, conferences or online courses you've attended, or books you've read.

This question presents an opportunity for you to toot your own horn, but you want to approach this answer with caution. Spending too much time on this question, by going on about how great you are or how many strengths you possess, is a strategy that will most likely backfire. Try to focus on no more than three specific strengths and select those strengths beforehand, so they're tailored to the needs and expectations of the employer.

Job candidates sometimes fall into a trap when responding to this question. The answer you want to avoid is something along the lines of, "my greatest weakness is that I can do everything that can be done in office but I just don't have enough time to do it." Hiring managers want you to provide an honest and modest answer so they can gauge your level of self-awareness. It's okay and encouraged for you to be upfront when answering this question. The truth is everybody possesses weaknesses, just be sure you choose a legitimate weakness and highlight what you have done to address the weakness.

Certification is not required for employment. However, the U.S. Department of Labor states, "[Job] opportunities should be best for applicants with extensive knowledge of computer software applications." The Career Step Executive Assistant program prepares you for the Microsoft Office Specialist Master credential with training on either Microsoft Office 2010 or 2007 software applications. Earning the MOS Master credential will prove your knowledge of software applications and increase your job opportunities and earning potential, and a free exam voucher to take a Microsoft Office Specialist exam is included with the course upon graduation (a $120 value).

The U.S. Department of Labor report states that the middle 50% of administrative assistants nationwide earn between $25,350 and $39,440 annually. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that executive assistants earn more, reporting average annual salaries of over $48,000 a year. You may also qualify for benefits as an administrative assistant or executive assistant.