25 Administrative Assistant Interview Questions

25 Administrative Assistant Interview Questions25 Administrative Assistant Interview QuestionsHiring a great administrative assistant requires two things knowing exactly what skills, experience and partality traits are necessary to succeed in the role and fit in at your organization - and recognizing those qualities in administrative candidates. It sounds simple enough. But as every hiring manager knows, its trickier than it sounds.The second parte of the equation - evaluating the candidate - is best accomplished through the job bewerbungsinterview. Your choice of interview questions for administrative assistant candidates directly determines how much information youre able to glean.What are the best administrative assistant questions to ask?Ideally you want a range of queries that cover topics such as fit with the organizational culture, skills and experience, workplace relationships, work style and enthusiasm.The following 25 interview questions for administrative assistants can give you a fuller picture of the candidate and, ultimately, help you succeed with one of your most important hires.Administrative assistant questions about fitHiring people who fit your corporate culture and want to work in an office setting similar to yours takes skill. More than six in 10 human resources managers surveyed by OfficeTeam said they had misjudged a candidates fit with their companys work environment, and two-thirds said their firm had senfgas an employee who was not suited for the work environment. Be sure to clearly communicate what its like to work at your organization, and ask questions that shed light on whether the candidate would be a good fit.1. What comes to mind when you think of our company? Why do you want to work here?2. What appeals to you about this particular administrative job?3. How do you envision an administrative assistant being able to contribute to our firm?4. In which type of office environment do you excel most?5. Why did you leave your last a dministrative assistant position? Or Why are you looking to leave your current administrative assistant position, and what would have convinced you to stay?Interview questions about skills and experienceUnlike your long-ago predecessors, youre probably looking for administrative professionals who take on mora responsibilities than typing and answering the phone. But what skills do you need in an administrative assistant? Specific industry experience? Word processing or Excel familiarity? Planning, communication, purchasing and customer service skills?6. Why do you think youre well-suited for a position as an administrative assistant? For this job in particular?7. What special skills do you possess that will help you do well at our company?8. How would you describe your comfort level when it comes to (a particular software program)? What is the latest version of this software that you have used?9. Give me examples of how youve used (the software program) on the job. What advanced fun ctionalities are you familiar with?10. What would you consider your biggest professional accomplishment to date? Your biggest professional failure?HIRING? WE CAN HELPQuestions about relationships with managers and coworkersAn important role of administrative assistants is as support staff, which means they may have to deal with a wide range of personalities and priorities. Is it important to you to find someone who is easygoing or someone more assertive? Respectful? Problem-solving? Diplomatic? Ask questions to determine whether the candidate has the characteristics you want in the workplace.11. What type of supervisor helps bring out your best wertmiger zuwachs?12. Can you share a piece of constructive feedback a manager has given you? What adjustments, if any, did you make because of that feedback?13. Have you ever reported to multiple supervisors at once? If so, how did you juggle each persons priorities?14. Can you tell me about a workplace conflict you were involved in as an ad ministrative assistant and how you handled it?15. Can you describe the most challenging colleague youve had to work with? How did you handle that relationship?Administrative assistant interview questions about work styleThis is another area where youll want to find someone who is a good fit for you and your staff. Managers often dont know the work style of candidates until theyre on the job, but its worth getting an idea ahead of time about the way they take direction, their communication style, how they prefer to structure their day and whether theyre adaptive, dependable, efficient, able to multitask, trustworthy and so on.16. Can you walk me through a typical day in your current/most recent position?17. How do you prioritize projects when you are juggling several tasks with similar deadlines?18. What is your first step when given a large project to manage? How would you organize it?19. Can you describe a challenging project you were assigned in the past and how you approached it? 20. Are there any tools, equipment or procedures you would replace or change at your most recent/current job? If so, what changes would you make and why?Questions about the administrative professionIts important to find out if the person youre interviewing is serious about being an administrative assistant and understands what the job entails. You want someone who is genuinely interested in the role - and also in your company.21. Whats the most interesting project youve worked on as an administrative assistant?22. What do you enjoy most about administrative work?23. How have you changed the administrative assistant position at past companies?24. What trends do you see impacting the administrative assistant role in the future?25. Do you have any questions for us?Finding administrative assistant candidatesOf course, having the right interview questions for administrative assistant candidates works best when you have top job seekers to interview. We can help make the process of findin g and hiring an administrative assistant easier. You can see profiles of skilled administrative assistant candidates in your area using our online database. Tell us who interests you, and we can arrange an interview or placement ASAP.Find administrative assistant candidates in Austin, TexasFind administrative assistant candidates in Boise, IdahoFind administrative assistant candidates in Charlotte, N.C.Find administrative assistant candidates in Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.Find administrative assistant candidates in Tucson, Ariz. Tags

The Threat to Real News and Why We Need It

The Threat to Real News and Why We Need ItThe Threat to Real News and Why We Need ItFake nachrichten is a herausforderung, politicians and activists are to blame, and journalists need to fix it, according to the results of a 2019 Pew Research Center survey about what Americans see as the biggest issues in the country. Fake berichterstattung ranked as the fifth biggest problem, trailing drug addiction, health insurance, the U.S. political system, and the gap between the rich and poor. In an era when print journalism is struggling to survive and TV viewers are tuning in to partisan news broadcasts, the truth is losing out. However, the data show that a large segment of the public mucksmuschenstill values accurate reporting and is looking for journalists to improve the situation. Defining Fake News Pews survey does not define fake news, nor any of the other issues listed as problems by respondents. Each respondent who listed fake news as a problem could have a different interpretati on of what the term means and a separate Pew survey bears this out. A 2019 survey asking whether or not fact checkers working for news organizations favor one political party or another showed that self-described Republicans are far mora likely to believe fact checkers are biased. Fewer than 30% of Republicans said they believe fact checkers are fair, while nearly 70% of Democrats said they do trust the objectivity of fact checkers. Slightly more than half of self-described independents said fact checkers are fair. Overall results show a roughly even split among those who believe fact checkers are fair vs. those who do not. While such survey results show that Republicans are more likely to view news as biased, they still do not provide a clear definition for fake news. Fake news is meant to describe intentionally false news stories created for the purpose of misleading readers or viewers, but some people expand the term to include news stories they simply dont like. How Real News Is Threatened Even among Democrats and independents who are most likely to trust in their news stories, the number of respondents who said they believe fact checkers are biased still numbers from nearly a third to about half. For a demographic most trusts the news, thats still a lot of people who do not. When readers and viewers dont trust the news, theyre more likely to be dismissive of the news and tune it out, leading to declines in readership or ratings. Those willing to broaden the definition of fake news to anything they find disagreeable are more likely to gravitate to more biased sources such as Fox News or MSNBC. Fox News has marketed itself as an answer to what it describes as liberal media bias, and analysts from news organizations including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Politico have stated that MSNBC clearly leans left, with the Washington Post going so far as to describe MSNBC as the antithesis of Fox News. When consumers of news knowingly embrace partisan reporting, it becomes more difficult for objective and factual news organizations to sustain the kinds of audiences they need to survive. As well, the electorate becomes less informed and more polarized at the same time. The Impact on the News Media The Pew survey shows that most Americans believe journalists are most responsible for fixing the problem of fake news even though most respondents say politicians and other activists are most responsible for the spread of misinformation. However, just as the survey does not define fake news, it does not spell out how journalists should go about fixing the problem. The problem presents extra challenges for print journalists who deal with declining resources due to newspaper subscriptions in the U.S. being about half what they were in 1990, according to Pew. Many news organizations have fewer resources in 2019 than they did in 1990 in order to establish credibility with an audience that increasingly distrusts journalists. The Impac t on Society Consumers of news must take an active role in counteracting the negative impact of fake news. Most respondents to the Pew survey put this responsibility on journalists, but the public was next highest on the list. While it is important that journalists emphasize facts, data, and multiple sources to support their news stories, it also is important that readers and viewers learn to become skilled consumers of news. When sources are unclear or the supporting data seems thin or incomplete, its important to question the validity of such reporting. This also means being responsible on social media and not sharing stories that include questionable or unsupported claims. A public that is more discerning about the news it trusts forces news organizations to be more factual and objective with their reporting- and vice versa. It is a symbiotic relationship that can lead to a more informed electorate when more people buy-in. Sources Pew Research Center 1, Pew Research Center 2

The Shorthand of Strategy How to Set Personal Goals

The Shorthand of Strategy How to Set Personal Goals The Shorthand of Strategy How to Set Personal Goals You’ve likely been a part of goal setting for your last company. Take the same principles that lead to a strong organizational strategy and apply them to creating a strong job-search strategy.Any successful organization got to where it is today, because they decided long ago to focus on a goal and craft a plan to achieve that goal. You’ve likely been a part of planning or executing a strategy like that at some point in your career. The same principles that lead to a strong organizational strategy apply to creating a strong job-search strategy. Choose a goal and plan to achieve it.But it’s not as simple as tossing a dart at the board of career goals. This article provides the essential definitions and questions necessary to establish a winning job-search - or organizational - strategy.Let’s start with some key definitions:1. Your values Values are beliefs that determine behaviors. These last for all time. If honesty is one of your (or your organization’s) values, then you’ll tell the truth even if it hurts short-term results. Values are not necessarily what are posted on the wall; they are revealed by how you and your team consistently behave.2. Your purpose In their wonderful book, “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For,” Roy Spence and Haley Rushing define a purpose as “a definitive statement about the difference you are trying to make in the world.” A purpose is the reason why you (or your organization) exist. This also lasts for all time.3. Your strategy A strategy is a statement that describes what you want to achieve and what you intend to do to achieve the desired outcomes. This is a subset of your purpose and values. It is a description of what will drive decisions for the next three or so years.4. Your tactics Tactics are the carefully selected items on how you (or your organization) intend to fulfill your strategy in the next six to 12 months.5. Your planned actions Planned actions are the specific steps you will implement in the next 30 to 90 days in order to execute the tactics.In the end, a strategy answers four questions: What is your desired destination? What do you want to primarily focus on: (Choose one.) Customers (people)? Products (things)? Services (actions)? Technology (vehicles)? Method of selling or distribution (approaches)? Pricing (salary)? What do you want to secondarily focus on? (Choose one of the above.) How will you emphasize your chosen focus? The key is to decide what your organization will primarily and secondarily center on. Aspiring to focus on all these items equally is a recipe for disaster. And it’s okay to say that you will place less weight on some areas.Another great exercise is this: Make a list of ten professionals (or organizations) you admire, and ask yourself what you believe they are primarily and secondarily focused on. What career advice you take away from their success and apply to your own career?Not certain that you want to commit to such a long-term vision? You can always shift it as you go. Look at what happens when a professional (or company) shifts what it primarily centers itself on and makes a shift in strategic direction. Sometimes it dilutes a brand, but sometimes it expands it.Here’s an example: For many years, Apple primarily focused on products. It made computers and concentrated on constantly improving them. Then in 2001 it shifted its primary focus to technology. They realized they cou ld use the systemized knowledge they had gained over the years in electronic technology to make a variety of highly valuable items. This allowed them to get into the digital music industry with the iPod and the mobile phone industry with the iPhone.Similarly, IBM shifted its primary focus from products to services and built an amazing success in the business-consulting industry.SummaryA strategy comes to life when you decide what to do - and more importantly what not to do.After you make these fairly straightforward decisions, the success or failure of your strategy will largely lie in planning and execution. As you move forward in establishing your strategy, always work to maintain clarity and simplicity. It will reduce the amount of time, energy and resources that can be wasted in moving ahead strategically.