Interview Questions for Administrative Assistant

Question: Was there an inconsistency in systems or were there procedures that you corrected?
Answer: Coauthored 100-page Personnel Manual that brought congruity to administrative procedures in seven departments.

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Question: Did you manage the same or a greater amount of work while also dealing with cuts in staffing?
Answer: Created procedures and documen-tation systems to accommodate increase in workload despite a 30% cutback in staffing.

Question: Did you improve file management?
Answer: Eliminated filing backlog; created new filing systems and procedures that ensured critical material was easily accessible at all times.

Question: Were you hired when the company first opened or did you help launch a start-up operation or new branch office?
Answer: Established plans and procedures that supported growth from 30 to 600 employees over 4-year period, with international offices in Canada and the United States.

Question: Did you develop any procedures to speed repetitive tasks?
Answer: Wrote and catalogued standardized word-processing clauses to expedite document processing and project completion.

Question: Did you handle an increase in work demand without the need for part-time or temporary help?
Answer: Accommodated significant increase in production (from 450 to as many as 720 radio spots per day) without need for additional support staff.

Question: Did you field problems that enabled your supervisor to be more productive or relieve your supervisor of specific duties?
Answer: Took on cash-management respon-sibilities normally handled by super-visor; initiative enabled supervisor to concentrate on special projects that had been “on hold” for more than a year.

Question: Are you more efficient than most? For instance, do you do the job it used to take 1.5 or 2 FTEs (full-time equivalents) to do?
Answer: Maintained attorney/support staff ratio below industry norm. Perform volume of work previously handled by 1.5 FTEs.

Question: Did you save the company money?
Answer: Restructured use of maintenance contracts for business office equip-ment, saving department $6,000 per year; procedure was subsequently implemented companywide.

Question: Did you develop forms/systems that improved office efficiency?
Answers: Reorganized a supply room that hadn’t been given attention since 1980; sorted and moved old files to storage, freeing space for previously inaccessible supplies.
Identified and consolidated more than two dozen forms that were outdated or duplicative.

Question: Are you often the first one in and last one out of the office?
Answer: Earned reputation as being the first in and last to leave, especially when facing critical project deadlines.

Question: Did you rate above average on performance evaluations?
Answer: Consistently earned above-average marks on performance evaluations. Comments from supervisor include “Susan is the consummate adminis-trative assistant… outstanding technical skills, polished presenta-tion skills, always anticipating needs… she makes me—and our company—look good.”

Question: Did you extend your knowledge beyond your normal responsibilities?
Answer: Requested cross-training in order-desk and data-processing functions; initiative spared company from hiring temporary help during short-term absences of staff.

Question: Did you take part in computer conversions or software upgrades?
Answer: Aided in major software upgrade, accomplishing task without disrup-tion to work output.

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These Administrative Assistant Interview Questions can be used in other related careers such as:

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