PA and Secretary Community - Deskdemon.com

Well, carrying on from my last post on this matter ...

I have an interview next week (at last, hurray!).  It's such a long time since I attended interviews for permanent posts that I'm not sure what questions I might be asked (other than why are you leaving your current post and why do you want this one).  I know there will be a technical skills test, which is OK, but what sort of questions are asked these days by interviewers, and how might I prepare for them?  I'd really appreciate your help and advice.

Thank you very much.

Rose Winter

Winter Rose

Laugh long, sing loud and dance when you get the chance

Rose,

Most interviews these days are competency based and are scored accordingly eg.....

1) How do you deal with multiple workloads / working for more than one boss
2) Give me a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer and how you dealt with the situation (hint: a customer can also be your boss)
3) Identify a problem and the steps you took to resolve it
4) Give me an example of a time you had to work as part of a team

Of course these are only some of the questions you might be asked.  You might also be asked how you feel your skills and experience meet the criteria for this role.  One other question I have been asked recently is, give 3 words that others might use to describe you.  

Interviews are 2-way and whilst the panel want to get to know you, it's an opportunity for you to find out as much as you can about the role and the company.

I wish you the best of luck.  Check out this website for some extra tips.  I have used it a lot in the past -

http://www.alec.co.uk

Many thanks, Gee.  That's a great help.

As I said, I haven't been to this sort of interview for ages so I'm a bit rusty.  The business world has changed a great deal and the jobs market is very competitive right now, so preparation is even more key.

Thank you again.

Rose

Winter Rose

Laugh long, sing loud and dance when you get the chance

You are welcome.  I've been through a few interviews in my time but not all are the same.  Hopefully that should help you prepare a few examples to talk about.

You may also be asked to discuss IT skills and your experience in organising board meetings/papers.  If the vacancies are as you say (supporting the top honchos), a lot of emphasis may be directed towards managing their diary, dealing with calls and interruptions and how you support them on a daily basis.  It's all about planning and proritising your work as well as dealing with confidential information eg.....

- Are you trustworthy?
- Can you work under pressure?
- Are you pro-active?
- Can you plan/think ahead?
- Are you organised?

Prepare some examples as you might be asked to support these statements.

Here are a few articles that are on DeskDemon

Be Ready to Answer the Top 10 Job Interview Questions

How to Answer the "How Do You Handle Stressful Situations?" Question

Job Interview Strategies: How to uncover the interviewer's hidden needs

Common Job Interview Questions

Interviewing the Interviewer

check out both the US and UK Career Sections, there are more articles that may help.

Susan,

Thanks for the links above.  No doubt the information will come in useful for anyone attending interviews in the near future.

Thank you very much for all your replies and the links to the articles.

My interview is early next week so I am going to do some serious preparation beforehand.  Have already checked out the company and the person advertising the post for which I am applying.  I remember hearing him on the radio when I was a teenager, and as I am considerably advanced in years from teenage I will remember not to remind him of that! LOLOLOL.

Winter Rose

Laugh long, sing loud and dance when you get the chance

Thinking about you Winter Rose, hope all goes/went well.