10O ffice A ssista n tIn terv iew Q uestion s a n d

Ex a m p le A n sw ers
By Indeed Editorial Team
Updated June 22, 2022 | Published December 12, 2019

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers,
researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and
insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Office assistants—or administrative assistants—are employees whose duties can include

an assortment of responsibilities such as data entry, managing appointments and
calendars with spreadsheet software like Microsoft Office and preparing reports. When
going into an interview for the role of office assistant, the interviewer will most likely ask
about these skills as well as other details of your background and work history.

In this article, you will learn common interview questions for administrative assistants
and appropriate answers to help you prepare.

Show Transcript

Related: Top 6 Common Interview Questions and Answers

Jenn, an Indeed Career Coach, breaks down the intentions behind employer's
questions and shares strategies for crafting strong responses.

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Common office assistant interview questions

Here are common interview questions you may encounter during your interview for an
office assistant position, as well as sample answers:

1. Describe your experience as an office assistant

This is commonly the first question interviewers will ask you. While the purpose of the
question is to essentially get to know you, when presented with this question, share
your past accomplishments and skills, past work experience and your present
circumstances as they relate to the requirements of the administrative position.

Consider highlighting any professional achievements to show that your career

development is important to you. This question also allows the employer to get a better
understanding of your personality and how you will fit in the role of their assistant.

Example answer: “I came from a small town in Michigan where I graduated with honors
from my high school. I then came to New York to attend college at NYU where I am
currently completing my associate degree in business administration. I have recently
completed an internship as an office assistant at a local financial firm where I feel I have
really developed my organizational and data management skills as well as my customer
service skills.”

Read more: Interview Question: How Would You Describe Yourself? (with
Examples)

2. What do you know about our company?

Before interviewing, you should have done some research into the company you applied
to. You will want to be prepared for this question with knowledge of what the company
provides to its customer base, its core values and some insight into how the company
provides its products or services. When being presented with this question, present
what you understand to be the company’s mission and show the interviewer that your
values connect with the company’s. Employers like to know that their employees care
about their goals and values.

Example answer: “I am familiar with what Save Financial offers its clients, and I’m
personally drawn to the company because I feel that the values Save Financial holds
reflect my own values regarding secure financial aid for families and retirees and
customer care and satisfaction.”

3. Why do you want to work as an office administrator at this company?

This is another common question that may be asked during your interview. The purpose
of this question is for the interviewer to get a sense of how passionate you are about
your work as well as the position. Be prepared to answer this question by connecting
what the company does and why to your current or future career goals and your own
core values. This will show the interviewer that not only are you passionate about your
career, but you are also passionate about your career in this position, too.
Example answer: “I prioritize and place importance on administrative tasks like keeping
schedules organized, helping complete data entry tasks and interacting with customers.
I’ve always been passionate about helping others stay organized and offering financial
support, and I feel that Save Financial is passionate about the same things. Because of
this, I think I would be a great fit for the role of administrative assistant.”

4. What administrative duties have you been responsible for in past

roles?

Interviewers will likely ask this question as a way to address the responsibilities and skills
you have outlined on your resume. This helps the hiring manager determine if and how
they fit in with the administrative role you are interviewing for. This is also an
opportunity to highlight the work experience you listed in your resume. Here is an
example of how you can answer this question.

Example answer: “As the administrative assistant for Time Wise Financials, I was the
first person to meet customers—in person and on the phone. I maintained the main
office phone line as well as five separate lines for company vice principals. I was also in
charge of managing the calendars of my vice principals, arranging business
conferences and travel and helping produce presentations using PowerPoint and Apple
Keynote.”

5. What are your greatest strengths and how do they help you perform as
an administrative assistant?

If you are presented with this question, give the interviewer an honest answer. Think of
one to three strengths you feel reflect your professionalism and skill level.

Example answer: “I feel my greatest professional strengths are my communication

skills and organizational skills. In my last position at Save Financial, I managed the
company’s email account and created weekly updates that team members received. I
helped keep the team organized and on task through these email updates, and
everyone felt they were so helpful that the emails became part of the daily tasks
required by the assistants. If hired for the position, I would use these strengths to help
contribute to the productivity of the company.”

Related: Interview Question: “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?”

6. How do you keep administrative schedules organized daily?

The interviewer may ask you this question mainly to assess how your administrative and
organizational skills match up with the requirements of the position. Your answer will
also allow the employer to get a sense of how you might perform the administrative
duties of keeping track of multiple schedules and appointments and whether you can
complete your daily tasks competently and promptly.

Example answer: “In my role as an office assistant, organization is a top priority. I start
my day by first compiling a to-do list of all tasks that must be completed that day. Then I
check my calendar for any meetings, appointments or other scheduled events so I am
aware of them. I am constantly taking calls and checking my email for any new tasks as
they come up so I can follow up with them accordingly.”

7. What kind of computer skills do you have?

Interviewers ask this question to determine what your computer skills are and whether
your skill level will meet company requirements and expectations of what they are
seeking in an office assistant. Additionally, this type of interview question can give
employers an understanding of how you might step up to the challenge of learning new
office software. In your preparation and research into the company, consider learning
about what programs the company uses before going into your interview so you will
have a higher chance of showcasing how your skill level matches with the position.

Example answer: “I feel my computer skills are proficient in completing office

administration tasks. In my last role, I not only used Microsoft Office daily, but I made
weekly updates to the company website so I am familiar with using WordPress as well.
When presented with learning new computer programs, I find that I can usually answer
any questions I have with a quick internet search. However, I appreciate learning from
my coworkers, too.”

8. How will your administrative skills contribute to our team?

Administrative assistants do not have a small role by any means. Show employers that
you can make a big impact by sharing the ways you expect to contribute to or support
their success. Administrative assistants have multiple responsibilities and contributing to
a team of workers is of utmost importance to an employer. Show the interviewer how
you plan on supporting the company’s growth and development in your answer.

Example answer: “I feel confident in my ability to keep everyone organized and on

schedule so we can all meet our objectives. I also feel that by taking over the majority of
administrative duties, team members can delegate their time more efficiently as well as
increase their work productivity.”

9. Tell me about a time when you encountered an unhappy client or

customer as an office assistant. How did you handle the situation?
An interviewer may ask this question to assess how you handle difficult or stressful
situations. Be honest in your answer, and include how you felt in the situation and how
you handled it. Similarly, you can answer this question with how you would handle a
stressful situation if one were to occur if you have no prior experience diffusing a
conflict in the workplace.

Example answer: “As the office assistant at Save Financial, I once dealt with a
frustrated customer on the phone. The customer was stressed and angry that a
seemingly unwarranted charge had been made to their credit card. I did not interrupt the
customer even though they were yelling at me, and I reminded myself how worried and
anxious they must be to be acting out that way.

After acknowledging the customer’s feelings, I asked the customer for their membership
information and continued to explore the problem. It turned out that the customer forgot
the due date for their membership. Once we solved the problem, the customer was
calm and apologized to me. We ended our conversation talking about the weather and
my three-month-old puppy. I always strive for patience and empathy when working with
clients, as I would want my experience to be the same.”

Read more: Interview Question: “How Do You Handle Stress?”

10. Do you have any questions about the office assistant position?

If this question comes up during your interview, use it to your advantage. Ask questions
that will help you assess if the company would be a good fit for you, just as the
interview is assessing your fit for the company. Consider the following examples of
questions that you could ask the interviewer in answer.

Example answers: “What more can you tell me about the day-to-day tasks and
responsibilities of the office assistant job? What are your expectations of your
administrative team? How do you measure achievements and success? Why did the
last office assistant leave the company? Are there any continuing training or
professional development opportunities offered by the company to help develop my
administrative skills further?”