What are some of the Technical Questions I can ask the Candidate who is applying for a Secretarial Position ?

Question

If you could please advise some "how would you handle this situation" kind of question during interview, it would help. Otherwise, please advise some general technical question that i can ask the candidate (Secretary).

Thanks.

Answer 1

"if a customer is calling ranting and raving and being rude what would you do?"



"if someone is calling demanding to speak to me and its a matter of urgency but i am unavailable what would you do"



"why do you think you would be good for this position"



"if a job needs to be finished but its past the time for you to leave what would you do?"



"what are your career plans long term"



sorry just tryin to think of some i was asked but this is all i can remember

Answer 2

Ask the candidate questions relating to the position. Don't you know what kind of employee you need to fill the spot? If I were to interview with you and you started spouting "technical questions" with the obvious bewilderment you present in your question, I would hit the ground running. Lack of knowledge from a superior is the number one reason why people get frustrated at their job. Forget "technical", sit down at the spot and do the job for one day. Do you have to use Word? Print labels? Stylize documents? Create a spreadsheet? Handle a multi-line phone? Update a calendar? Complete forms? Use the xerox, scanner or fax? Figure out what the candidate needs to know to fill the spot and ask those questions. And please avoid those pointless, boiler-plate questions like "what's your biggest weakness", "if you had a banana and a cantolope, which would you eat first and why". They're silly, insulting and make you look like a giant buffon with no original thought.

Answer 3

"If you were managing the workload for two directors and had a deadline for both & one said that their deadline had now changed to an hours time, how would you deal with it"



Answer - Prioritise the workload and ensure that the deadline was met on both, however to ask for additional help should it be required"



"If a customer was to call ans become obusive or offensive how would you manage the situation"



Answer - Politely ask the customer to calm down and explain the situation to you whilst ensuring them that you will do everything you can to resolve the matter. Should this not help then pass him/her onto manager or give complaints section details"



"How would you set about using your own initiative to prioritise workload"



"How do you feel about making teas/coffee"



Answer - Any good secretary would explain that this is not part of her job role however should it be required once in a while for the Manager or importnant clients then she/he is willing to do it, LOL



I have been a secretary in the past and am now an Office Manager and I manage to work my way up the ladder without having to skivvy about making tea for everyone, even when I was a junior.



Hope your interviewing goes well.

Answer 4

1) You have 4 customers on the phone at once and they are all demanding YOUR attention. Your boss walks in, hands you a letter and says he needs typed up and sent out immediately. A second later a client walks in to purchase an item over the counter. Next thing you know someone in another office is screaming because their printer is out of toner and they are required to have a 100 page report on their boss' desk in 5 minutes or else. ...and all larger supplies (like toner) are locked up in a closet in your office.

Who comes first?

2) A client walks in the office raving mad because the item he purchased the other day malfunctioned and is under warranty. You can't refund the money or exchange the item without the boss' approval but your boss and all the other managers/supervisors are in a top level meeting with the owner. ...and you were given strict instructions not to disturb the meeting for any reason unless it is a life and death emergency. What do you do?

3) First thing in the morning an employee desperately needs your help to get a 200 page report ready for distribution at a meeting for a new project. 10 min later your boss plops down a large pile of handwritten pages he wants typed up as new forms and expects it to be complete by 10am for distribution at the manager's lunch meeting at noon. ...but the employee's reports must be ready by 10am also for the 11am meeting. What do you do?

Answer 5

The phone is ringing on more than one line, the printer is making a horrible noise, the copy machine is broken, and the fax is ringing but nothing is coming through AND you have a customer in front of you who won't quit talking so you can answer the phone....What would you do?



You have a customer demanding to speak to someone who is currently with a customer and they are getting louder and more agitated by the minute. What do you do?



You have a customer on the phone who refuses to tell you who they are. They just keep demanding to speak to Mr. X. What do you do?



You have more than one line ringing, you are on one line with a customer, and they don't stop talking long enough to let you ask them to hold. What do you do?