interview advice for Secretarial, Office Support & Customer Service jobs based in Scotland
Before you head off to your interview for your prospective
Secretarial job in Scotland, its essential that you read through all the interview preparation information available to you, and ensure that you’re fully prepared for your interview. In the current marketplace employers can afford to be increasingly particular about who they employ, so preparation is as important as cultural fit or skill set.
We have split our interview advice into 8 sections:
1. General advice relevant for all roles.
2. Competency questions for Reception/Front of House positions
3. Competency questions relevant for Office Support/Administrator positions
4. Competency questions for Secretarial/PA/Exec Assistant roles
5. Competency questions for Customer Service Roles
6. Questions for Temporary Candidates
7. General competency questions for all positions
8. After the interview
1.General advice for any interview:
• Have you looked at the website of the company with whom you’re interviewing? It’s very important that you do so. There may be many questions that you’re asked during the interview where you can refer back to information that you have read, e.g. recent awards they may have won, their values and mission statement, their global reach. Referring back to information about the company will impress your interviewer and show that you’re keen to work for their organisation.
• Never be negative about past employers. If you want to leave your present job for negative reasons, be careful in how you express this to an interviewer. Perhaps mention that you’re looking for a new challenge or more responsibility instead.
• It’s advisable not to speak of remuneration or salary in connection with your desire for a new job.
• Make sure that you know your CV inside out. If you have stated that you can use a particular programme or system, you may be questioned about it during your interview (similarly with any previous responsibilities stated in your CV). Make sure you know all of your education and previous employment dates off by heart.
• Maintain a positive attitude throughout the interview. Ensure that your facial expressions and body language appear enthusiastic and interested. Smile throughout.
• Make sure that you dress conservatively – smart attire, groomed hair and minimal jewellery.
2.Core competency questions – Reception/Front of House positions:
• What do you feel is the most important responsibility for a receptionist?
• Describe a situation on your team which you had to deal with quickly in order to stop the problem escalating.
• Tell me about a time when you really had to pay attention to what someone else was saying, in order to be able to understand their message and react upon it accordingly.
• What do you least like about dealing with customers that come into reception? What do you enjoy most?
• A person walks into the building and asks to speak to one of the managers that he knows is in the office (either from phoning previously or perhaps he can see him/her through a window). The manager has informed them that he/she is unable to speak with anyone today. What do you tell the visitor? What if they argue? What if they won’t take no for an answer?
• What are you trying to accomplish when answering the phone?
• One of your managers is not picking up the phone, but a client needs to speak to them urgently. What do you do?
• A person comes into reception with a complaint to make, and is attempting to do so very loudly in front of other visitors. What do you do?
• How many phone lines are you comfortable handling?
• When was the last time that you had to take on extra work at short notice?
• Tell us about your reception experience.
• In your current position, what are your duties other than the general reception responsibilities?
• Tell me about a situation in which you had to deal with an upset call from a colleague.
3.Core competency questions – Office Support/Administrator positions:
• Give an example of where you’ve highlighted a problem, investigated, and consequently resolved it.
• When you take on a project do you prefer to attack it as part of a group or individually?
• Describe a situation where you’ve had to work with a colleague/supplier who was difficult, how did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you’ve relied on another person to help you with a work-related task or problem.
• When was the last time that you had to take on extra work at short notice?
• Do you speak any other languages? (remember what you stated on your CV)
• What office packages are you able to use?
• How do you handle stressful situations, or demanding colleagues/suppliers?
• Do you have experience making national and international travel arrangements?
• Have you ever had to deal with underachieving suppliers? If so, how did you handle that?
• Do you consider yourself a fast worker, or one who is slower paced yet persistent and consistent?
• Do you have experience with the organisation of small events?
• Describe an occasion when you had to make use of your multi-taking skills.
• Talk me through your current duties and what your employers expectations?
4.Core competency questions – Secretarial/PA/Exec Assistant roles:
• Describe a business trip that you’ve organised in a previous role that included multiple destinations, detailed itineraries, transfers etc.
• How do you prioritise your work load when supporting more than one person, when they have the same deadlines?
• What types of situations put you under pressure, and how do you deal with this pressure?
• Give an example of a difficult problem you solved and the process you used to do so.
• Describe the type of manager/director you prefer to support.
• Describe a situation where you’ve had to work with a very difficult and demanding person, how did you handle it?
• Describe a situation where you’ve been given an almost impossible task. What did you do?
• Tell me how you managed your day the last time your manager was not around to help, advise or delegate work.
• Do you have experience arranging events or conferences, both nationally and internationally?
• Your boss has asked you to make an arrangement (e.g. a particular seat on a flight, room at a hotel) but there is no availability. Your boss is adamant. What do you do?
5.Questions for Call Centre and Customer Service Roles:
Sometimes the first interview stage for customer service type roles will involve a phone interview - so that the company can assess how you come across in a none face-to-face environment. You may also be asked questions which show your ability to communicate with customers such as:
• Discuss your experience of dealing with a difficult customer and how you resolved the problem
• Tell me about a time when you exceeded a customer's expectations
6.Questions Specifically for Temporary candidates
If you're interviewing for a temporary position, the pressure is sometimes more intense, as the company is looking for someone who can hit the ground running. Your interviewer will want to make sure that you’re the right personality and cultural fit for the company and team, while determining if you’ll be a valued and productive addition. Therefore, you need to sell yourself according to the requirements of your potential employer – and meet what they're looking for in a successful applicant. Concentrate your answers towards their needs, rather then focusing on your own.
It's vital to explain your experience clearly and to quantify the value you have brought to previous employers. And, because of the nature of temporary work, you may find you're quizzed closely on previous employment dates etc. Typical questions our temporary candidates have faced recently (depending on the role) include
• Can you clarify the dates you worked?
• Can you confirm the exams you sat at school and the grades?
• Why have you moved around so much?
• What have you learnt from each of your last few assignments?
• What do you enjoy about contracting? What's the hardest thing about it?
• What tricks do you use to acclimatise yourself to a new business when you start?
• How do you quickly prove your self?
• If this position had the option to go permanent would you accept it?
• If you received this job offer and another permanent job offer, which would you accept?
• How do feel your experience matches our requirements?
• Provide an example of where you have had to prioritise your work
• What would say are your strengths / weaknesses?
• Which aspects of your previous role challenged you the most?
• What is your greatest career achievement?
• Give an overview of your day-to-day duties in your last position
• Provide an example of a project that has not quite gone to plan
• What would you be remembered for in your previous role?
• What is the most challenging situation you have had to deal with during an assignment?
• What interests you in this temporary position?
7.General competency questions for all positions:
Competency based questions are used to assess your personal and professional skills. Remember it's not enough to simply say you have the ability to do the job, you must back this up with examples. Most candidates who miss out on the job offer at final interview stage fail because they don't give enough detail to support their answers
adaptability
• Tell me about a time when you changed your priorities to meet others' expectations.
• Describe a time when you altered your own behaviour to fit the situation.
• Tell me about a time when you had to change your point of view or your plans to take into account new information or changing priorities.
client focus
• Give an example of how you provided service to a client/stakeholder which was beyond their expectations. How did you know what they expected? How did you respond?
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult client.
• Give me an example of a decision you have made which benefited the client but not you.
communication
• Describe a situation you were involved in recently that required you to communicate with people at a senior level
• Give an example of a difficult or sensitive decision that you have had to communicate to others
problem solving and judgment
• Tell me about a problem you have recently encountered.
• Tell me about the last problem you could not solve.
results orientation
• Tell me about the last long term goal you set yourself and how you have achieved it
• Describe something you have done to improve your own performance
• Give me an example of when recently you have failed to meet target.
teamwork
• Tell me about how you helped the last person to join your team feel part of the team.
• Describe a situation where you were successful in getting people to work together effectively.
• Describe a situation in which you were a member (not a leader) of a team, and a conflict arose within the team. What did you do?
impact and influence
• Describe a time when you changed someone’s mind.
• Describe a situation in which you needed to change a decision which had already been made.
innovation
• Tell me about the most mundane part of your job. What have you done to make it more interesting or challenging?
• Tell me about a recent problem in which old solutions wouldn't work. How did you solve the problem?
leadership
• Tell me about a time when you had to take the lead role in a group so that it achieved its objective.
• Describe a situation where you had to lead by example
• Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a common goal.
relationship building
• Give me an example of a client that you have developed an effective win/win relationship with. How did you go about building the relationship?
• Tell me about a time when you relied on another person to help you with a work-related task or problem.
• Give me an example of a time when you deliberately attempted to build rapport with a co-worker or customer.
self-motivation
• Describe the last time you were under pressure. What did you do to keep the level of stress manageable?
• Describe the last time you had to pick yourself up from a disappointment.
strategic thinking
• Describe how you have changed the way you normally work in response to changes in your industry.
• Describe a time you created a strategy to achieve a longer term business objective.
• Describe a time when you had to think strategically in order to make a difficult decision.
initiative
• Describe when you have had to make a decision by yourself about how something should be done.
• Give me an example of a time where you had to balance getting the job done well and getting it done quickly. How did you balance these 2 factors?
conflict management
• Tell me about a time when you voiced a concern or disagreement to a co-worker
• Tell me about a time where someone has been unhappy with you or how you work.
planning and organisation
• When you were planning your day to fit in this interview, how did you decide which task got top priority?
• Describe a time when your schedule was suddenly interrupted.
• When was the last time that you had to take on extra work at short notice?
• When was the last time that you had to work to a particularly tight deadline?
8.Closing Questions
Typically, as an interview draws to a close, you'll usually be asked questions about the company and your thoughts on the position in question. The more you know about the company, the greater your interest and enthusiasm for working there will seem. This is a very big thing at the moment. Employers have so many applications for each position sometimes their decision will boil down to who is most enthusiastic about the role.
It's therefore vital that you research the company and are aware of their products, services, reputation, business principles, mission statement, competitors, culture and history. You need to go further than the just visiting their website - make sure you read any relevant press articles etc.
Questions could include:
• Why do you want to work here?
• What do you know about us?
• Tell me about our business, products and services
• What countries do we operate in?
• How many divisions do we have?
• Who is our competition?
• What differentiates us from our competitors?
• How do we differ to your last company?
• In what way do you think you’ll be able to make a contribution to this company?
As the interview draws to a close, you may also be given the opportunity to ask your potential employer a question. If you feel the interviewer may still have a concern about your suitability for the position, you might want to address this by asking "Do you have any reservations about my suitability for this position?" and then addressing those concerns calmly and with examples.
after your interview
Make sure to ring your consultant as soon as possible to let them know how you found the interview, if you’re interested in the position and if you’d like to work at the company. Your interviewer will often call your recruitment consultant after the interview to find out your feedback. With your feedback your consultant will be able to reinforce your interest in the position and keenness to start. Your consultant will also be able to answer any queries that your interviewer might have that were possibly not addressed fully during the interview.
Try to tell your consultant your feedback as soon as possible – any delay might be looked upon negatively by your potential employer.
Good Luck!