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Administrative Assistant Interviews

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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.

Top Administrative Assistant Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: Can you describe a situation in which you made an error and how you resolved the problem?

How to answer
How to answer: Everyone makes mistakes at work, even the most experienced administrative professionals. When answering a question about an error, briefly describe the situation and how the mistake happened. Emphasize what you did to resolve the error and how you'll avoid that mistake in the future. Use the STAR method to describe the situation, task, action, and result.
Question 2

Question #2: What office atmosphere do you prefer when working in an administrative assistant role?

How to answer
How to answer: Administrative assistants often serve as the face of an office, so they need to hold specific skills, including the skills required of receptionists. When answering a question about your preferred office environment, consider the atmosphere of the position for which you are interviewing. Discuss your ability to work as part of a team and interact with others.
Question 3

Question #3: How do you juggle multiple high-priority projects?

How to answer
How to answer: An administrative assistant might support multiple individuals who provide projects that hold a high priority level. This question helps a hiring manager determine how applicants use their judgment when managing projects and assignments and how they manage their time.

28,571 administrative assistant interview questions shared by candidates

All questions were behavioral type questions: Tell me why you left your last position Tell me a specific time you worked on a team and had favorable/non-favorable results Tell me what you liked and disliked about your last position Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond a goal Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a team Tell me how you organize your day and time Tell me about a time when you had to be creative to come up with a solution
avatar

Administrative Assistant

Interviewed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

4.5★
Jan 23, 2014

All questions were behavioral type questions: Tell me why you left your last position Tell me a specific time you worked on a team and had favorable/non-favorable results Tell me what you liked and disliked about your last position Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond a goal Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a team Tell me how you organize your day and time Tell me about a time when you had to be creative to come up with a solution

Are You currently employed? Why do you want this job? How would you describe your work ethic? Do you think you would be successful in this position? Have you ever worked from home before? What is your current typing speed? What milestone did you accomplish in your last job that was remarkable and you wold love to share? Do you see yourself as the regional manager for Teva someday? How much training do you think you need to be a productive employee? What do you understand by privacy and code of conduct? Suggest 4genuine reasons why yo should be hired to work for us? Do you smoke? Do you drink alcohol? Are you currently taking or receiving any form of medication that you could require an emergency? Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure?
avatar

Administrative Assistant

Interviewed at Teva Pharmaceuticals

3.6★
Oct 10, 2016

Are You currently employed? Why do you want this job? How would you describe your work ethic? Do you think you would be successful in this position? Have you ever worked from home before? What is your current typing speed? What milestone did you accomplish in your last job that was remarkable and you wold love to share? Do you see yourself as the regional manager for Teva someday? How much training do you think you need to be a productive employee? What do you understand by privacy and code of conduct? Suggest 4genuine reasons why yo should be hired to work for us? Do you smoke? Do you drink alcohol? Are you currently taking or receiving any form of medication that you could require an emergency? Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure?

they ranged from how would you deal with an upset patient to an annoyed patient and answering telephone ie how long can you let the phone ring whilst dealing with a patient face to face. also the private and confidential question is a key to getting the role you have to understand how and why they do this.
avatar

Administrative Assistant

Interviewed at NHS

3.7★
Apr 1, 2016

they ranged from how would you deal with an upset patient to an annoyed patient and answering telephone ie how long can you let the phone ring whilst dealing with a patient face to face. also the private and confidential question is a key to getting the role you have to understand how and why they do this.

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