Know the questions to ask when hiring an administrative assistant

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Snelling administrative assistants and receptionistsAdministrative Professionals’ Day is rapidly approaching – April 22.  Do you have a great administrative employee that you would like to acknowledge?

If not, do you how to hire one?  Do you what skills you need and how to ascertain that a particular candidate has those skills?

The answers may be simpler than you suspect.  To learn more, just continue reading this blog.

An outstanding administrative employee should have great

  • Technical skills
  • Customer Service skills
  • Communication skills
  • Organizational skills

Technical Skills. Proficiency in a variety of software programs and apps, including those residing on the desktop and in the cloud, is absolutely essential.  Now, whereas all candidates should undergo a valid skills assessment, the following questions are helpful in determining whether or not your candidate has the technical skills you need.

  • Our company uses (fill in the blank) for (fill in the blank). Can you tell me about a time that you have used this program and in what capacity?
  • If you could only use two types of technology to perform your job, which ones would you choose? Why?

Customer Service Skills. In many cases, your administrative employee will be the face and voice of your company.  You need to find someone who has a “service heart”…in other words, you need a candidate who is passionate about supporting internal, as well as external customers.  Some questions that will help you determine that are:

  • What do you enjoy most about working in a support role?
  • Why did you choose to work in the administrative field?
  • When work becomes mundane, how do you stay motivated?

Organizational Skills.  Organizational skills, attention to details and multi-tasking are a must.   Most offices are generally very busy, so the ability to manage people, paper, processes and priorities is a must.  Some questions you can use include:

  • If you have multiple tasks to accomplish by the end of the workday, how do you prioritize those tasks?
  • What strategies do you use to plan your time each day? Each week?

Communication Skills. Communication is the backbone of any company.  There are no real questions you can ask directly about communication skills, but – no matter the question – the candidate’s answer should be clear, concise and logical.  Here are two possible questions:

  • In what areas are you truly an expert?
  • Explain a [hopefully complex] project you participated in. What was your role?

An outstanding administrative assistant could be the strongest asset you have.  So interview them carefully and once you have hired them, treat them well.

The good news is that Snelling can help.  We have been finding and hiring great administrative employees for our clients for over 60 years.  We know what we are doing, and we can put our know-how and skills to work for you.  So let’s get started.  Locate your local office, and contact us today.