According to an employment agency North York, administrative assistants are important to companies since they get things done. These people are efficient and always work behind the scenes. They make part of the successful admins in an organization.
Admin assistants get into contact with many people in an organization. So, they have a lot of experience handling people from different backgrounds in jobs in North York they work on. To become an admin assistant, you have to be thoroughly prepared.
1. What Are Interviewers Looking for When Hiring for Admin Assistant Roles?
Administrative assistant roles are hired according to levels. For entry and intermediate levels, administrative assistants are required to have impeccable soft skills.
That is, recruiters want candidates that are great problem solvers, communicators, and pro-actors. These are qualities that help grow a business.
Job agencies North York hiring managers are always looking for:
- Communication skills: recruiters insist on this skill because an administrative assistant will be working with employees of all levels. They need to communicate effectively to get the message across all levels while maintaining professionalism in their work.
- Organizational skills: these skills are important because they help the company to keep in line with deadlines and client meetings. Because an administrative assistant is responsible for planning events, managing calendars, and project management, they cannot afford to lack these skills.
- Collaboration skills: an administrative assistant should not be a selfish person who loves taking all the credit. They should be able to work with employees in other departments to keep everything flowing as it should.
- Computer skills: computer skills are core in this role because pretty much everything is done using a computer. For example, sending emails, creating PowerPoint presentations, scheduling meetings, and managing calendars. But, recruiters can overlook this qualification if you have great communications skills since they can teach you computer skills on the job but not communication skills.
Let us look at some of the questions asked about the position and see how professionals answer them.
2. What Tools Do You Use to Stay Organized?
Because administrative assistants have to be organized, they need tools to keep them this way since they can’t keep everything in their minds. Some of the great tools used by these people include Google Calendar, Asana, and Trello. When applying for this position, you can mention you are experienced in using such tools to help you stand out.
How to Answer
When preparing for an interview with an employment agency North York, look at how you have used project management tools in your life or with your previous client. You can answer this question like this:
“I easily pivot my to-do list by syncing my checklist with G Suit. It helps with working against deadlines. While working for my previous client, I kept notes updated for all the meetings the manager attended and then email them to him later. Asana was particularly a helpful tool that helped with keeping worked organized and keeping the to-do lists done on time.
3. Describe a Situation Where You Made a Mistake?
Hiring managers will ask you this question. Not to disqualify you, but to assess your problem-solving skills. They would be interested in knowing about how you handled the mistake.
How to answer
Hiring managers of an employment agency North York want to hear about a real example. Come prepared with one. Use the STAR method to present your case. STAR is an acronym for:
- Situation: give the situation of the scene and how it happened
- Task: talk about the task you were performing that led you to that situation
- Action: talk about what you did after the mistake happened
- Result: share the results that came with your action
Example:
Last summer, I was working as an intern. One of my responsibilities included scheduling my boss’s car services when he was around and during his vacations. I failed to schedule a car pick-up on Saturday because I had forgotten about his 24-hour layover in Chicago. He tried calling me upon his arrival, but I didn’t pick his calls since I was in a movie and had silenced my phone. I had to correct this.
I called back, apologized for my mistake without giving excuses, and rearranged my schedule. My new one had 30 minutes every Friday to cross-check everything and contacting the best contact for all the pickups.
Since then, I have not made such a mistake again.