Administrative Assistant

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.

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.

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.

► 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 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.

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.

► 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?

► 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)