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I have an interview next week and I was already told that it will be a group interview, it is for an Administrative Assistant position, my whole week has been spent on doing internet researching how to do well for this interview, I want and need this job. I have been admin in HR but I don't remember the interview they gave. Has anyone interviewed recently for an Admin position or does anyone know the type of questions they would ask for a position that is to support people??? I am guessing it will all be Behavioral questions those of which I hate.

KS180's picture

We recently interviewed for an Admin Assistant position and the questions we asked were more about process. How would you do such-and-such? We were looking for detail and did they know the basic process.

Every company does things differently but we were interested if they knew their processes and to what level. How do you handle irate workers, customers, bosses?

Having interviewed with as many as 20 people it is important to look at the person that asked the question and also everybody else. Try not to be a bobble-head doll though. I try to look at the couple of people on each side of the person asking the question.

Good Luck and listen to the Interview podcasts. They are worth every penny and have given me more confidence when I interview.
Kevin

asteriskrntt1's picture

In group interviews, it is always helpful to have a pad and pen with you. I find I have to ask everyone's name and I write them down in their respective positions around the table.

Even though they see you looking at your cheat sheet for their names, the effort you make to use their names is very powerful.

The answers to behavioural questions have a format. Some people call it Par, some Sar. Problem/Situation, Action, Result. You should be thinking of your work history and list all the things that fit this model, then practice answering them. The more prep, the better.

Mommyneedsajob's picture

I just read over the job description and it says they are looking for someone with decision making skills, organizational skills, goal achievement and system design so I am guessing the interview may gear towards those areas to see if have those abilities. Any advice on that, I know I how to handle myself in those situation but I feel like I cant answer the question without rambling.

juliahhavener's picture
Licensee Badge

Try practicing your answers to made up questions. Go for the format * suggested. Give the problem/situation, actions taken, then the result of those actions. Think of a time you made a decision - now tell me about that decision. I'm a rambler. Having a framework to work in keeps me from rambling too far off course.

'Tell me about a time you made a crucial decision for your family with limited time or information available to do so.'

Recently I decided that it's important for my kids and I to have more quality time together doing something good for us. I tend to work long hours, and when I'm not I have plenty at home to keep me busy. I recently fell in love with the game of golf; in order to enjoy more time with my kids and get more fresh air and exercise, I've given them each golf sets. The early results are extremely positive - today we spent an hour and a half just the three of us talking and playing and helping each other at the driving range. Tomorrow I will be playing a round of golf at the local municipal course with my son.

If I needed more, I could cover other aspects of the project based on the format of the question - highlighting other goals accomplished, etc.

tomas's picture

My best advice would be to buy the Manager Tools interviewing series and put that into action with the time you have remaining. It is much better and more actionable than the vast majority of fluffy articles about interviewing out there on the web, some of which are plain wrong.

Mark's picture
Admin Role Badge

MNAJ-

I try not to sell our stuff here, so I won't explicitly recommend the interview series, but it sure sounds like you need it. For now, for free, you can get all of our free casts on interviewing here:

http://www.manager-tools.com/category/interviews

(Ignore the last cast - it's about interviewing someone else (you as the interviewer)).

Group interviews are NO DIFFERENT than normal interviews. They're a silly way to save time for companies, and they sacrifice effectiveness for efficiency.

Here's the only thing that you need to know: start your eye contact with the person who asked you the question. Then make eye contact with everyone else, and end your answer with eye contact on the questioner.

Simple.

We believe in you! Listen to those casts, and ask more questions. Send me an email if you need a quick reply.

showATmanager-toolsDOTcom

Mark

Mark's picture
Admin Role Badge

MNAJ-

I try not to sell our stuff, but I sure would recommend it here. There is a lot of it, though, so please do listen to the free casts on interviewing that we've shared, here:

http://www.manager-tools.com/category/interviews

(Ignore the last one, it's for someone interviewing someone else.)

Regarding group interviews, they're pretty simple. The only difference is eye contact. Start with the questioner, make contact with everyone else, and then end on the questioner.

As well, I wouldn't write down everyone's name, though I wouldn't categorically tell you not to. What I can tell you is that it is COMPLETELY okay to say, "I am so sorry, I have forgotten your name." REPEATEDLY. Don't knock it until you've tried it...

Mark

RichRuh's picture
Licensee BadgeTraining Badge

[quote]I try not to sell our stuff here, so I won't explicitly recommend the interview series, but it sure sounds like you need it.[/quote]

I [b]will[/b] explicitly recommend it- it is simply outstanding. You will learn at least a few very helpful tidbits in each episode.

There is simply no way you could follow the recommendations here and not get the job. No. Way.

Of course, it takes time to listen to the casts and prepare for the interviews, so it might be too late for next week. But not for the interview after that one.

--Rich

WillDuke's picture
Training Badge

Mommy - M&M have put out some excellent information on making effective use of administrative assistants. I would suggest reviewing these casts prior to your interview. You might be able to make very good use of that information.

asteriskrntt1's picture

Oh Will Duke

You are such a smarty! Great idea. Listening to the admin cast is a great idea. I think Mommy is going to be doing a lot of podcasting in the next 24 hours.