Your Guide to Interviewing for an Administrative Assistant Job

Your Guide to Interviewing for an Administrative Assistant Job

Today’s blog is one in a series on education, best practices and industry hot topics related to careers in Administration, including but not limited to those working as Executive Assistants, Admin Assistants and Office Managers.  Today’s Admins handle duties that have no limits in scope and as the greater Philadelphia’s most trusted Corporate Transportation partner, Kevin Smith Transportation Group is invested in supporting those who work to make sure their companies run smoothly every day. 

At many companies, administrative assistants often wear more hats than a hat rack. They’re experts in office software and online research; they track and organize their managers’ projects and schedules; and they diplomatically represent their bosses at all levels of the corporate hierarchy.  

Because an admin’s duties are so wide-ranging, expect interview questions for an administrative assistant job to be wide-ranging as well. In particular, anticipate being quizzed about both your technical and interpersonal skills. Here’s a guide to help you get ready for your next admin interview.

Hard Skills Interview Questions

Good administrative assistant interview questions delve into where and how you applied certain hard skills, says a local Hiring Manager. For example:

• You list Microsoft Excel on your resume. What’s the latest version you’ve used?
• Have you used Macs or PCs?
• Give me examples of the things you’ve done with Excel. Have you started a spreadsheet from scratch and created formulas or entered data into an existing spreadsheet? How often did you export Excel into PowerPoint graphics?

If you’ll be managing travel, expect questions along these lines:

• What is your proficiency with travel coordination?
• Have you coordinated domestic travel? International travel?
• What visa issues have you encountered, and how did you solve those problems?
• Were you responsible for processing expense reports? How were they completed?

If you want to hire your own Personal Assistant to book ground transportation, call 610-222-6225 and speak to one of Kevin Smith Transportation Group’s Corporate Concierges who can assist you with everything from Airport Transportation, Executive Black Car Service and Employee Shuttle Services.

Soft Skills Interview Questions

How you answer the technical interview questions will tell the hiring manager whether you’re capable of performing the work. But to uncover how you’ll perform those tasks, expect questions about your soft skills as well.

Many HR Professionals like to ask the following question.

• How would your former bosses describe your ability to manage them?

Make sure your answer highlights your value-added abilities, such as a can-do attitude, organizational abilities, time management and creating a positive impression for the manager, they say.

Soft skills questions may be tailored to the specifics of the job.  For instance, if you’ll be working for multiple people, expect questions about time management:

• How do you handle stress and deadlines?
• Tell me about a time when you had to prioritize a heavy workload. How did you approach it?
• When have you had to communicate with a client or senior manager on behalf of your boss?
• Who was the most challenging customer — internal or external — and how did you satisfy that person?

If the job will involve project management, expect questions similar to these:

• Describe a complex organizational project that you managed recently.
• What is the most interesting project you have worked on?
• How have you used calendar management in past positions? How many calendars have you managed?

Also expect questions about your relationship with previous bosses:

• Describe your relationship with your current or most recent manager.
• What would have made you stay at your last job?
• What qualities do you consider most important in an administrative professional?
• How do you prefer to communicate?

Finally, be ready to discuss your preferences with regard to corporate culture:

• Describe the working environment you’re looking for.
• In what type of office environment do you thrive?
• What was the corporate culture at your last job?

The company is looking for someone who wants to work in an office setting similar to its own. Someone who prefers working on a team will die of boredom in a small law firm with three attorneys who are out most of the day. Someone who likes to work in a quiet office with the door closed will suffer in an open office with constant interruptions.

Go One Step Beyond

One general administrative/support interview question you should expect is:

• Do you feel your experience as an administrative assistant has gone beyond the scope of pure administration? How?

Your answer to this interview question gives you the chance to discuss other skills you can bring to the job, such as office management, team building, bookkeeping and phone screening. Have a strong answer ready, and you’ll have a good chance of sealing the deal on the job.

How to get the interviews

Now that you know the types of admin questions to prepare for, it’s time to start going after those interviews. One way to increase your odds of getting called in for a job interview is by having a resume that will make hiring managers sit up and take notice.

Need some writing tips to help your admin skills shine? Get a free resume evaluation today from a variety of online resources. You’ll get detailed feedback, including a review of your resume’s appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter’s first impression. Make a great impression right out of the gate.

If you want to hire your own Personal Assistant to book ground transportation, call 610-222-6225 and speak to one of Kevin Smith Transportation Group’s Corporate Concierges who can assist you with everything from Airport Transportation, Executive Black Car Service and Employee Shuttle Services.

Thank you for reading today’s blog on the Administrative Professional industry.  Please visit us every week as we continue to publish tips, industry news and strategies that directly impact every Administrative Professional.