Hiring the right person for the job is always challenging. When it comes to hiring for your administrative team, you know you need the best. You’ve spent time revising your job descriptions, and refining your search so you can find the best candidates.
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Asking the right questions in an interview could go a long way to helping you find and hire the right people. Here are six questions you must ask every time you interview for your administrative team.
1. How Do You Prefer to Communicate?
Good communication is foundational for virtually any job in your company. Your administrative team has to be communicative with all team members, since they need to coordinate schedules, and answer client questions.
With so many different modes of communication out there, it can be difficult to get everyone on the same page about what counts as “good communication.” If your organization prefers to use email, you’ll want someone who uses email proficiently. If your team likes chat more, then find someone who is comfortable with Slack, or another app.
2. How Would Your Former Bosses Describe Your Ability to Manage?
Asking this question should make your candidate reveal some of their strengths and weaknesses. They may be able to share feedback they were given by their former bosses and managers.
You’ll usually get better answers to this question than asking the candidate what they think of their own qualities. This question forces them to step into someone else’s shoes, and see things from their perspective, which provides a little levity. If the candidate tells you that all their former bosses would give them nothing but glowing reviews, you probably have someone with a perspective problem on your hands.
3. How Do You Prioritize Workloads?
Time management is an essential part of any administrative job, so asking about how candidates manage their time is key.
Of course, asking, “How are your time management skills?” probably won’t yield the answers you want. Instead, give the candidate a hypothetical situation where they need to manage multiple deadlines and calendars. Ask them how they’ll prioritize.
4. Describe a Complex Project You’ve Recently Managed
Asking about a candidate’s past experiences makes sense. It gives you some perspective on the scope of projects they’ve handled before, as well as how well they managed their responsibilities.
Asking someone to describe a “complex” project also gives you a window on what they consider to be complicated. If you two have different views of what counts as complex, then they might not be the right fit.
5. What Type of Office Environment Do You Thrive in?
This question looks to company culture, and how someone will fit in with the rest of your team. Are they someone who works well remotely, or do they prefer to be in the thick of the action?
You want to make sure the members of your administrative team will thrive in your environment, and work well with the office system you have set up. Good cultural fit plays a role in how long people stay with your team, so you should ask this question of every hire you make.
6. Ask about Hard Skills
It is still important to inquire about some of the hard skills administrative candidates have. Which systems are they familiar with? Have they ever used the platforms your team prefers?
While some basic computer literacy is required, you can also tell a lot about a candidate by asking which systems they’ve learned. Someone who knows many different systems may be more adaptable and even enjoy learning new proficiencies.
If you’re looking for people with the right skills, these interview questions will guide you. The team here at Liberty Staffing can also help. Get in touch with us and discover how you can start making better administrative hires today.
