Secretary

kept yourself informed and up to date with your manager's commitments and co-ordinated his or her appointments and meetings.

Detail the actions you have taken to set up and co-ordinate meetings such as organizing the venue and times, informing participants, preparing agendas and organizing documentation. Go on to describe your experience in taking minutes, typing them up and distributing them. This is another opportunity to provide a work sample.

Focus on your organizational and planning skills in answering secretarial interview questions like this.

Secretaries and administrative professionals are expected to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Describe the type of interactions you had with colleagues, management and clients. Highlight how you used your knowledge of the department, organization and business to respond efficiently to these queries.

Secretaries or administrative professionals serve as information managers for the company. They are responsible for objective and detailed record keeping.

Explain which record keeping you were entrusted with and how you made sure these records were updated and accurate. What methods did you use? Highlight your attention to detail and accuracy.

Describe the qualifications listed in the job posting, then connect them to your skills and experience.

I'm not looking for just another pay check. I enjoy my work and am proud of my profession. Your company produces a superior product/provides a superior service. I share the values that make this possible, which should enable me to fit in and complement the team.

Prepare in advance, and in a word, research, so, you can provide relevant and current information about your prospective employer to the interviewer. Start by researching the company online. Review the "About Us" section of the company web site. Google the company, read blogs that mention it, and check Discussion Boards and social networking sites.

Use the information you have gathered to create a bulleted list of relevant information that you can easily remember during the interview. Taking the time to research will help you make a good impression with how much you know about the company.

An interviewer is looking to fulfill certain competencies, in this case motivation and commitment. "You might say 'I like doing a job well and perform best when stretched'," says Tim Forster, the head of UK experienced recruitment at Price water house Coopers.

"Although I feel my biggest achievements are still ahead of me, I am proud of my involvement with . . . I made my contribution as a part of that team and learned a lot in the process. We did it with hard work, concentration, and an eye for the bottom line."

Do not accept applicants' responses as facts. Check with the applicants' references. Speak with a few people on various levels of management; ask about reliability, capability, communication skills level and other important qualities. Even patience! Be specific and you may get 'real' information.

Try to determine how well the applicant interacted with her immediate superior, as well as other co-workers. Chances are it will be the same in your firm. Ask for specific positive and negative scenarios. Try to read between the lines.

A secretary must be able to work effectively with a large variety of personalities and cultures. He/she must be professional yet friendly, a people's person who is comfortable speaking with people. It is worthwhile to inquire as to the range of different types of people s/he has worked with, and how they all managed together.

A secretary is one of the most important individuals in the business, seemingly indispensable. Therefore, a secretary on vacation is a strain on the office. Inquire as to the planned frequency and length of intended vacations, and decide if it is within your comfort zone. This query can save you a lot of stress as you will be able to anticipate and plan properly for these leaves.

Patience is a virtue that few people possess in great amounts, but we all have some.

Everyone can answer this question affirmatively. Realize that patience is a very big advantage in secretarial roles, especially today when everyone expects everything to happen immediately, and just cannot wait. If the secretary can deal patiently with each request and interruption, she/he will be a sought after candidate.

Word to the wise: increase your patience quota. It will serve you well professionally and personally.