1. What knowledge do you have about the company as Office Coordinator?
You should do your research prior to the interview. Look into background history of the company, this will help you stick out. Learn about main people, have they been in the news lately? The interviewer doesn't expect you to know dates and certain people, but showing that you have enough interest to research the company is a positive impression.
2. Explain me what is the potential for growth for this position?
This question will help you understand where you can potentially go so you can see if it fits in your career objective.
3. Tell me what skills would you point out as the most important for the job?
Don't worry about being right or wrong. What matters is a thoughtful answer based on experience. For example, you might begin by saying that people skills are very important, since a coordinator interacts and communicates with employees all the time. But add that this alone is not enough, because a coordinator must also be able to understand the company's business plan, internal structure, budget, etc.
4. Tell me do you have any questions about my qualifications?
Candidates can go into great detail about their past experience and educational background, but they sometimes miss something. Asking hiring managers if there is any needed clarification displays a keen eye for detail.
5. Can you tell us what do you consider to be your best strength?
This question allows you to brag on yourself, but keep in mind that the interviewer wants strengths relative to the position. For example, being a problem solver, a motivator, and being able to perform under pressure, positive attitude and loyal. You will also need examples that back your answers up for illustration of the skill.
6. Tell me why did you choose to work as a front office assistant?
As someone who is organized by nature, possess great communication skills, can handle adversity, and likes meeting new people, working at the front desk made great sense to me, as I get to do the work that I am best prepared for.
7. Tell me how is the position managed and who do I report to?
This will display an interest in who manages the employee(s) in the position and what style of management is entailed.
8. What field experience do you have as Office Coordinator?
I have been working with computers since 2001. I also have a degree in network support/computer repair. I have built my last 3 computers, have work with Dell as an employee. So I have around 15 years experience working with computers.
9. Tell us what motivates you to be the best Facilities Manager?
Regardless of what profession you are a part of, motivation is the driving force behind your success. This is a personal question that only you can answer. Motivating examples are: challenge, achievement and recognition. Examples: “I have always been motivated by both the challenge of finishing my projects on time and by managing my team towards achieving our goals.” OR “I want to be successful in my job, for my own personal satisfaction as well as for my employer and our customers.”
10. What tasks do you expect to perform as the Accounting Coordinator?
Reveals candidate's job expectations.
11. Tell me what is your understanding of the office manager role?
Use this as a guide to develop your own office manager interview answer.
"Typically the office manager is responsible for ensuring the efficient functioning of office operations which includes planning and organizing work demands, efficient resource management, supporting and monitoring staff performance, coordinating data requirements, implementing and overseeing best practices and providing executive support to ensure the achievement of organizational objectives"
12. Explain your experience preparing financial documents and keeping books?
Demonstrates job knowledge.
13. Tell me what employee-related responsibilities did you have in the past?
Administrative employee-related tasks might be managing employee turnover, motivation and recognition, absenteeism, work ethics, and interpersonal employee communication. HR coordinators usually cooperate with HR managers on these issues.
14. Explain me what skills do you think are important to work at this position?
If one wants to work as a front office assistant, the primary skill one should have is the ability to communicate well with people from all walks of life. Furthermore, it is important to be organized as one has a lot of information to deal with, and possess the ability to handle several tasks at the same time. Additionally, it is important to be highly motivated, possess knowledge of core front desk operations, including PABX handling, and manage customer complaints efficiently.
15. Explain me your style of management and how you create the right team environment?
Answers to office manager interview questions about how you manage people should focus on your ability to adapt your management style to different employees and situations.
"I have learned that it is most effective to select my management style according to the individual and the specific situation."
"With more inexperienced employees I provide a higher level of task direction and closer support and supervision so the employee feels secure in what they must achieve. With more experienced employees I delegate the task, ensure they have the right resources to complete it, and tell them to ask for help if they need it.
If an experienced employee is given a new task then I consult with her on how to go about completing it and provide any support that is required before handing over the responsibility to her."
16. Tell me what do you see yourself doing in the next 3 years?
I hope to train as an executive coordinator soon, allowing me to use the diverse skills that I have in this capacity, in a more profound manner.
17. Why do you believe we should hire you as Office Coordinator?
This question needs to be carefully answered as it is your opportunity to stick out from the rest of the applicants. You should focus on skills that you have, including those not yet mentioned. Simply responding “because I'm really good” or “I really need a job” isn't going to work. You shouldn't assume the skills of other applicants or their strengths, focus on yourself. Tell the interviewer why you are a good fit for the position, what makes you a good employee, and what you can provide the company. Keep it brief while highlighting achievements.
18. Tell us what does a typical day look like for this position?
This displays a genuine interest in the exact details of day-to-day responsibilities and will signal hiring managers that you are trying to imagine being in the position. You also get an idea of what a workday would include to see if it is a good fit.
The work in itself is satisfactory. When all that I have done during the day brings the workday to a positive end, it makes me feel that the job is indeed worthwhile. If I haven't met all my goals by the end of the day, I work harder the next day to make sure that the work remains worth my while!
20. Tell us what have been your main duties as a front office assistant in your previous workplace?
In my previous role as a front office assistance, I was responsible for greeting customers and visitors, providing them with required information, directing them to correct departments and / or personnel, servicing telephone calls, handling inventory of office supplies and creating and maintaining vendor liaison.
21. Explain me as far as billing is concerned, what has been your experience?
While billing work is not something that I have done extensively, I have worked in a medical facility setting where handling copays and calculating costs was part of my work.
22. Have you ever made an accounting mistake? How did you resolve it?
Shows accountability.
23. Do you know what is the company culture and work environment like?
This shows what the company is like and whether or not this will be a fit for you.
24. What is your biggest weakness as Office Coordinator?
This question is asked in virtually every job interview and is designed to determine your critical thinking and self-awareness skills. Be prepared to answer this question as it is designed to be an eliminator question, weeding out those candidates that don't deal well under pressure. Try to provide a weakness that everyone can relate to and never use an example that shows inappropriateness in your job. Give an honest, confident answer and always show how you have resolved these issues, either partly or wholly. Example: “I tend to be a perfectionist, therefore it has been difficult for me to delegate to others. But I have found out that in order to develop the organization, as well as my team, everyone in the company must be experienced with many tasks.” What not to say: “I am a perfectionist and therefore, I rarely believe in anyone who can work as well as me. As a result, I avoid delegating important tasks to others.”
25. Basic Office Coordinator Job Interview Questions:
☛ What computer skills do you have and what programs are you comfortable using?
☛ Are you comfortable using a phone with multiple lines and handling a high volume of telephone calls?
☛ At this company, we like to think of ourselves as a team that works together towards the same goals. How do you feel about working in a team environment?
☛ How would you feel supervising two or three other employees?
☛ What is your greatest strength and how will it help your performance in this position?
☛ What is your greatest weakness?
☛ How do you handle stress and pressure?
☛ What was it like working for your supervisor?
☛ What do you expect from a supervisor?
☛ Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
☛ Do you work well with people?
☛ Give some examples of teamwork.
26. Operational and Situational Office Coordinator Job Interview Questions:
☛ If you report to multiple people, how do you prioritize your projects?
☛ What would be the first thing you would do in the office if you were hired?
☛ How do you feel about handling multiple phone lines simultaneously? What do you do to avoid confusion?
☛ If I asked you to find ways to improve efficiency in the office, where would you start?
27. Professional Office Coordinator Job Interview Questions:
☛ Can you describe a typical day(week) in this department?
☛ What are the responsibilities of this position?
☛ What are the strengths in this department? What are the weaknesses?
☛ What would your past assistants say was the best part of working for you? What would they say was the worst?
☛ What direction do you see the company going in the next five years? Do you feel that there are any threats to its success?
☛ Why did your last assistant leave the position? What were his/her strengths? What were his/her weaknesses? What is he/she doing now?
☛ What characteristics did your best assistant have? What about your worst assistant?
☛ How often are performance reviews performed? Who conducts them?
☛ What skills are most important to you in an administrative assistant?
☛ How do you reward and encourage the people who work in your department?
☛ Are there any ongoing production issues in this department?
☛ How have you dealt with personnel problems in the past?
☛ What are some of the biggest challenges for a person in this position?
☛ What is the most rewarding aspect of this position, in your opinion?
☛ Do you (Does the company/department) support memberships in professional associations, and continuing professional development?
☛ What would you describe as the role of the administrative staff in this office?
☛ Are overtime or weekend hours expected?
☛ What do you like most about working for this company? Are there changes you would make?
☛ What do you like least about working here?
☛ Do you encourage the department to work as a team, or concentrate more on individual contributions?
28. Role-specific Office Coordinator Job Interview Questions:
☛ What daily duties does an office coordinator have? How would you prioritize them?
☛ What office software are you familiar with?
☛ How do you use technology to stay organized?
☛ How fast can you type?
☛ What do you do to protect confidential information?
☛ How do you ensure accuracy in routine tasks such as processing expenses and preparing reports?
☛ Who would you consider your most challenging customer (internal or external)?
☛ How do you ensure all company policies are implemented in the office?
29. Sample Office Coordinator Job Interview Questions:
☛ What computer programs are you most familiar with?
☛ What is your average typing speed per minute?
☛ How do you keep yourself organized?
☛ How comfortable are you handling multiple phone calls on multiple phone lines at once?
☛ How are your math skills?
☛ How are your written communication skills?
☛ You are asked to organize a meeting. What steps do you take to ensure everyone attends?
☛ What do you consider to be the most important skill for an office manager?
☛ Are there any tasks you are not comfortable performing?
☛ Tell me about a time you gave outstanding customer service.
☛ Tell me about a time you made a mistake with your customer service.
☛ How do you keep track of [items, documents, stock, etc.]?
☛ Are you comfortable taking orders from multiple supervisors and associates?
☛ How comfortable are you dealing with confidential information?
☛ There may be times that you are asked to provide help for projects outside of your job description. Are you comfortable providing assistance where needed, even if you have not ben trained?
30. Can you tell us are you willing to work overtime, if needed, to complete a project?
My career is my number one priority right now, so I would not have a problem putting in extra time to complete a project.
31. Please explain when you had to use your judgment to make a difficult decision in your job?
Judgement is the ability to look at all the relevant information and consider the best alternatives. Once you have come up with the right alternative it is key to commit to it and take action.
"I had delegated an important task to a senior employee who was confident that he would complete it by a tight deadline. I noticed that he was spending time on other work and I was concerned about meeting the deadline.
I consulted with him and asked for a progress update. He told me he had completed the majority of the assignment and would show me his work the next day. I felt that this was not accurate feedback and asked him to provide me with what he had done to date. He said I should trust him to get it done.
I had to make a judgment call and I insisted on seeing actual evidence of the task. He became defensive and I decided to take the project over immediately, suggesting we work on it together.
He felt I didn't given him the credibility I should have but it was a key assignment and we had to meet the deadline. Organizational objectives were more important in this instance than his feelings and the project was completed as required"
I would gladly take up front-end work because I feel that I have it in me to interact positively with different types of people on a regular basis. I like working at the forefront because of all the challenges that it has to offer.
33. Tell us are you familiar with office related duties and technology?
HR coordinators make and answer phone calls, use fax and email, handle documents, type reports, etc.
34. Suppose if you were the hiring manager for this position, what would you look for?
Prepare for this question before going in, by really examining what exactly this job would entail. This question is designed to be a trap, weeding out those candidates that don't have a clear understanding as to what their role would be. Keep your answer concise and professional. Example: Say you would hire either the best candidate for the job or an individual possessing the qualities and strengths…and list the attributes you told the interviewer you hold. By doing this, you make yourself the candidate you would hire without explicitly saying this. What not to do: Never say that you are the best candidate for the job, as you have no idea what qualifications the other candidates hold.
35. Tell me how skilled are you in your line of work?
I am a stickler for perfection which makes it easy for me to handle the various aspects of my work in a diligent and responsible manner. My communication skills are excellent, making it comfortable for me to work with people from all walks of life, and I am very well organized. All this is a recipe for working successfully as a medical front office assistant.
