Recruiting now
So you have finally received an invitation to attend an interview for your dream secretarial post. Suddenly a whole raft of concerns comes to mind; what to wear, what will they ask and how will you give answers which are good enough to get the job.
An interview can be a stressful and nerve-wracking situation and this article provide essential advice for those attending an interview for Secretarial posts.
What They Will Ask
The questions asked will be driven by the type of job, the level the post is at and by the interviewing style used by the employer. Trying to anticipate all the various combinations and question types is an impossible task, however, by remembering that the interviewer is interested in three factors, Capability, Commitment and Compatibility you will be able to answer any question thrown at you with ease.
There are a variety of areas that will be covered during your interview such as your skills and experience, why you have applied and what direction you want to take your career. You will be able to get a better idea of these areas by studying the Job Description and the Person Specification and any additional research about the company will give you a broad idea of what they are looking for.
With a basic role you may be asked questions relating to; communication skills, an ability to effectively plan and organise, a good use of time management and your ability to achieve results as well as how effective you are with problem solving. You will also need to be able to demonstrate good computer literacy.
So what about for senior roles? Well you may need to answer questions on how to motivate and develop a team, what your ability is in regards to building relationships, how you would manage a large department and how you would plan and develop a strategy.
Sample of typical interview questions for Secretarial Job Interviews
1. What software programmes are you proficient with?
2. How do you manage your time and objectives?
3. Tell me about a recent situation where you had to work to an extremely tight deadline. What was involved and what was the outcome?
4. What is your experience with planning large meetings and taking minutes?
5. Tell me about a time when your communication skills played a key role in achieving a successful outcome. What was involved and what part did you play?
6. Describe a time when you had to work exceptionally hard to provide great service to a customer or client. What did you do and what was the outcome.
7. Describe a situation where you had to take many different actions and overcome a variety of obstacles in order to deliver a successful result.
8. Describe a time when you were required to analyse a large amount of data and to make a decision or a recommendation based on the results.
9. Tell me about a time when you used your initiative to solve a problem
How To Answer Successfully
As I previously mentioned, you can't guarantee you will know the exact questions that are going to ask during the interview. However you will know the areas covered by reviewing the Job Description and Person Specification.
It is important that you prepare your answers in advance and practice vocalising them until you can deliver them smoothly and confidently.
Where possible, give practical examples which demonstrate your ability to use your skills. For example if asked question 4 above, talk about a recent meeting you planned successfully. Explain how you organised the venue and how you informed people of the location and time. Talk through the logical process you followed when it came to preparing agendas and organising documentation. Mention how often you have to plan such meetings and the number of attendees. It is also a good idea to discuss your experience of having to take minutes during some of these meetings, again the more information and examples you can squeeze into the answer the better.
Take question 8, which refers to a situation in which you had to analyse a large amount of data and make a decision or a recommendation based on the results. You should aim to answer questions such as these in short informative stages, starting with how you gathered the data and placed it together to gain your results. Explain the process you took when analysing it, what you were looking for, the software you used. Then when you go on to describe how you came to a decision or recommendation you should discuss how your experience played a part and the thought process you went through.
How To Give Winning Answers in Secretarial Job Interviews
For expert advice on how to answer any interview question in Secretarial job interviews have a look at InterviewGold. This unique online system contains questions and answers for Secretarial posts and has helped thousands of candidates win jobs.
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