1. Explain me what experience do you have for PA role?
Here you should just speak honestly about your experience. If you do not have much direct experience speak about any related work you have done, such as with voluntary groups or helping to organise events.
2. What are your strengths as Executive Secretary?
I'm very organised, I don't get stressed out easily and can deal with most situations. I'm also very intuitive and can juggle lots of different tasks
3. Tell me what are your career goals as Executive Secretary?
For a PA, this is a hard one to answer. Really the best answer you can give is to say that your goal, for now, is to be able to provide the best assistance possible in your next role and that you do not currently have any career aspirations outside of PA because you really enjoy this work.
4. Tell me how do you make sure that you stay organized?
As an executive secretary, organization is the basis of my work. I make sure that I make lists and schedules for myself and I do not let myself waver from them. Using technology to self-remind about appointments and tasks also helps.
5. Tell me what do you know about our company and products?
Again, do your research and know what the company does. Also, you should go into the interview with a clear idea of the role of the manager you will be PA for.
6. Tell us as a secretary, highlight your strengths and your weaknesses?
Focus on three or four strengths that refer directly to the secretarial job requirements. Potential examples include organizing and planning, adaptability, information management, attention to detail, problem-solving, reliability, initiative , discretion, multi-tasking, prioritizing, good judgment and communication and interpersonal skills.
7. Tell me why do you want to leave your current job as Executive Secretary?
For a long time I really enjoyed working for my current employee and I have felt that I learnt a lot from the role and also from my manager. However, the job is limited and doesn't provide me with much room to grow (you can expand this for whatever reason fits your circumstances). I feel that this position will give me the opportunity to expand my skill set and also move forward in my career.
8. Explain me what are the most important qualities to have as an executive assistant?
A crucial quality to have as an executive assistant is the ability to communicate effectively. Since my role requires communicating on behalf of the company via telephone, email and face to face interaction, it's important that information is relayed correctly and in a professional and timely manner. In addition to communication skills, organizational skills are just as important. It's vital that I stay on top of things and maintain order not only for myself, but the executives I work with as well.
9. Tell me what additional job training have you done recently?
When seeking a new role it is a good idea to further your training. If you are not already doing so enrol on some courses to help improve your typing skills or IT skills. You could also use books or the Internet to learn new skills. Explain what you are doing and why you have done it.
10. Please explain what are your accomplishments?
Now is the time for you to brag a little! Tell the interviewer about situations in which you did well and events that relate to the position for which you are applying. In order to brag effectively, do the following during the interview: 1. State the problem 2. Explain how you handled it 3. Describe the results (i.e., cost savings, automation, increased sales, etc.)
We will cover behavioral interviewing in a future article, but the advice here follows the S.A.R. guideline that is taught to hiring managers and other interviewers so that they can understand how you behaved in certain situations.
