Operations Coordinator

To do justice to the position of a front office coordinator, one has to possess exceptional coordination and communication skills. Since people working at this position are at the forefront, it is important for them to have a pleasant personality and the ability to handle difficult situations. Knowledge of scheduling is one of the most important skills that an individual needs to possess if he or she wants to work as an office coordinator, as most people working at this position handle the organization’s calendars as well.

The skills set that one needs to work flawlessly in the role of an operations coordinator include ability to handle work order generation duties, expertise in performance management programs, capability to coordinate utilization of support staff, and supervision acumen. Apart from this, you will need to maintain professional decorum at all times and ensure that each step you take is carefully thought out and in sync with the company’s practices.

While this question is an invitation to do some chest pounding, remember to illustrate strengths that will benefit the employer and are relative to the position. For example:

☛ being a problem solver

☛ being a motivator

☛ being a natural leader

☛ the ability to perform under pressure

☛ a positive attitude

☛ loyalty

Great managers tend to empower their employees to be successful through strong coaching. They understand how to manage relationships - this is commonly referred to emotional intelligence. They have to be able to handle both client and staff situations that require them to be calm under pressure to clearly think of solutions to complex problems. Most importantly they must be able to articulate the vision to the team and inspire them to work together to collectively achieve that goal

Be positive and nice about their competitors but also discuss how they are better than them and why they are the best choice for the customer. For example: "Company XYZ has a good product, but I truly believe your company has a 3-5 year vision for your customer that aligns to their business needs."

I am a solution-oriented individual. If the going gets tough, I don’t dwell on the problem. Instead, I work hard to find a solution to ensure that the operational consistency of the company is not harmed.

☛ Tell me about a time you found it hard to multi-task. What did you do to fulfil all your responsibilities on time?

☛ Recall a time you worked efficiently in a team. What was your biggest contribution?

☛ Describe a time you made a suggestion for the office that saved money or time

I hope to train as an executive coordinator soon, allowing me to use the diverse skills that I have in this capacity, in a more profound manner.

Discuss how you've improved yourself through work experiences, books you've read, classes, club(s) / extracurricular activities and describe the process on how it's happened. For example: I've improved my presentation skills tremendously because I've had to do 2 presentations this year for my communications class.

I have recently acquired training in 2 accounting disciplines, and I am presently working towards learning new accounting software to upgrade my knowledge.

The primary responsibility of an accounting coordinator is to assist with the overall operations of a company’s financial processes. It includes coordinating accounts payable, accounts receivable and payrolls as well.

Discuss your passions. Ideally if it's work related that's fantastic! If not, talk about your academic / extracurricular passions and WHY you enjoy them. For example: I love playing sports because of the team work aspect - it's fun winning together! (This example shows you're a team player)

Companies want staff that can ramp quickly, but also want people who are realistic. So take into consideration how intense the job is and then give a good answer. For example, if you have simple responsibilities that don't require a huge development curve, then your ramp time will probably be shorter. If it's a complex set of skills that you need to develop, then your ramp time could be longer - the key is you have to explain why you believe that ramp time should be.

Well, no one really likes to get into unpleasant situations but handling irate customers and visitors is all part of the work of a front office coordinator. I don’t mind it a bit and take the challenge positively.

An accounting coordinator liaises with external suppliers and lenders to ensure that receivables and payables are all handled efficiently. He manages both verbal and written communication to ensure that payments are expedited.

Possible ways to find out about the job: Online website listing, friend, professional referral, mentor, career fairs, networking events. You should know about the roles and responsibilities of the job and what they're looking for. Make sure you read up on that online beforehand or ask the person that referred you.

Describe work you've done that you feel doesn't take advantage of your full potential. For example, "I once had to make paper copies for my job and I feel it didn't take full advantage of my skills. However, it did teach me to be humble in my work and to appreciate a good opportunity when it arose to use my skills"

A front office coordinator is responsible for greeting clients and visitors, ensuring that they are directed or escorted to the person or department that they wish to meet / go to, screen telephone calls and relay messages, type correspondence and reports, and handle some billing duties when required.

Many consider this question to be a loaded gun – dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced. Often times, an interviewee will start talking salary before they’ve had an opportunity to illustrate their skill set and value making any sort of leverage valueless. Here, knowledge is power, as salary often comes down to negotiation. Do some research into your industry to establish base rates of pay based on seniority and demand but keep in mind – your employer is hiring you for what they believe you are worth, and how much benefit they feel you will provide.

While billing work is not something that I have done extensively, I have worked in a medical facility setting where handling copays and calculating costs was part of my work.