Secretarial Interview Preparation Guide
Sharpen your Secretarial interview expertise with our handpicked 13 questions. Our questions cover a wide range of topics in Secretarial to ensure youre well-prepared. Whether youre new to the field or have years of experience, these questions are designed to help you succeed. Secure the free PDF to access all 13 questions and guarantee your preparation for your Secretarial interview. This guide is crucial for enhancing your readiness and self-assurance.13 Secretarial Questions and Answers:
1 :: Describe how your work experience relates to this job?
Look at this from the employer's point of view. Focus on the aspects of your experience and any formal or on-the-job training that apply to the tasks and responsibilities of this secretary job and the needs of the company. Analyze the job posting/ad to determine the key skills required for the job and detail your experience in each of these areas - examples include writing and editing correspondence, scheduling, dealing with inquiries and information management.
2 :: What software packages are you comfortable with?
List the packages you are familiar with. Discuss how much experience you have with each package, describe the functions you regularly used and the type of work you have generated. You can support your interview answer by taking along some work samples.
3 :: What sort of documents have you produced on Excel? What is the most complicated thing you have done on Excel?
Detail your knowledge of Excel. Relate your data management skills to the job requirements. Use examples of the functions you are familiar with such as creating, modifying, formatting spreadsheets, to support your proficiency level.
4 :: What sort of word documents have you been responsible for typing?
Be detailed and demonstrate your familiarity with the functions. "I performed tasks such as creating and editing tables, columns and charts as well as sorting table data and performing calculations in tables. I created and formatted forms ......."
5 :: What experience do you have with planning meetings
Detail the actions you have taken to set up and coordinate meetings like organizing the venue and times, informing participants, preparing agendas and organizing documentation. Go on to describe your experience in taking minutes, typing them up and distributing them (this is another opportunity to provide a work sample. Focus on your efficiency and planning skills - essential secretarial skills
6 :: Describe how you handled your managers work schedule?
Detail how you kept yourself informed and up to date with your manager's commitments and co-ordinated his or her appointments and meetings. What systems did you use to manage schedules and calendars? How did you follow up?
7 :: How have you gone about prioritizing your work?
One of the key secretarial interview questions. Explain how you schedule and prioritize your tasks and activities appropriately. How do you decide which are the most important tasks? Focus on key aspects like finding out the urgency of the task, determining deadlines, working out how long the task will take and setting realistic targets for yourself. When do you develop your list of activities to be completed- at the start of the day or before you go home ready for the next day? How do you reshuffle your priorities as situations arise that demand a change in your priorities?
8 :: What sort of correspondence were you responsible for generating?
Detail the types of correspondence you were responsible for and focus on your written communication skills, accuracy, spelling and grammar ability. Highlight the level of responsibility you were given - reports, letters, memos etc. Refer to the methods you used to send and distribute correspondence.
9 :: What kind of inquiries did you have to respond to?
Secretaries and Administrative Professionals are expected to have good communication and interpersonal skills. Describe the type of interactions you had with colleagues, management and clients. Highlight how you used your knowledge of the department, organization and business to respond efficiently to these queries.
10 :: Describe what record-keeping you were responsible for.
Secretaries or administrative professionals serve as information managers for the company. They are responsible for objective and detailed record keeping. Explain which record keeping you were entrusted and how you made sure these records were updated and accurate. What methods did you use - electronic or manual? Highlight your attention to detail and accuracy.