Senior Administrative Assistant Interview Questions
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Senior Administrative Assistant interview questions shared by candidates
What is your age, sex, and location?
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I'm about 99.9% sure this is a scam. Razorfish Health was once owned my Microsoft and was sold to the French company Publicis in 2009 for $530M +3% stake in Publicis. I'm sure their HR dept. does NOT do interviews on Google Hangouts using gmail email addresses. I am stringing these people along to get as much info as possible that I wlll eventually forward to the pertinent authorities. Hopefully they will send me a (fake) check and the feds can get fingerprints. Less
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I was also on the same boat... I rejected the position, but I already gave them some of my details (not SSN or banking number). The overall process felt rushed. They either replied very late (waited for 45 minutes for a reply) or replied very fast when they asked you to answer questions. They often reply with a very long "copy and pasted" text and ignored some of the things i said and asked. I wrote a very long answer and within seconds, they said, "great, you're a perfect fit with the position base from your answers". After telling you you're hired, they rushed the process by telling you what you're suppose to do within the next day without giving you a chance to ask about the company. Overall experience is very suspicious. Less
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I had the same interview. I knew the "age" question was inappropriate, but continued anyway. After answering about 10 standard interview questions, I was told to hold on while the "lead" desk checked my info against the resume' they had on file. (I did not divulge any info other than name, address, age & sex). The interviewer returned and said I was hired and that I was to log onto the "Google Hangout" by 8am this morning for further instructions. I pointed out that I thought this was all rather sketchy (No paperwork - W4's, insurance app's, etc.) and the interviewer assured me that I would be contacted via telephone to set up a personal meeting with her "superiors" and that all pertinent paperwork would be handled in person. I will continue this until such time that they ask for info (SSN, bank info, etc.) that I'm not willing to give online. I will return here to post the results of my further interactions. Less
Why should we choose you over someone with more experience, background, and education?
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Answer: Experience, background, and education might work upto certain extent after that all we need is applycation of logic with nominal basic knoledge and coordination depending upon situations to be resolved. Less
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Why should we hire you?” It’s the underlying question inherent in every interview inquiry. Even if interviewers don’t ask this exact question, it’s what they want to know. Your job is to supply appropriate answers. You’ll need to describe reasons using concrete examples illustrating how and why you are a good fit for the organization. Answering the question well requires two, equally important elements: Knowing what you offer. Understanding what the organization wants. Less
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
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I never try to set goals too far in advance. I like to leave myself open to new opportunities as they come to me. I think if you set a goal or plan, then you put blinders on to new opportunities because you feel as though you will let yourself down or disappoint yourself if you get pulled off track. Sometimes you miss out on the best opportunities that way. The executive agreed and said that some of her best opportunities had come outside of her plan. Less
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Some hiring managers or companies don't see it that way; they think you are not patriotic and loyal to their company. I lost a final interview because of a similar answer; the President said he needed someone who will pledge allegiance for a long time, even though we all know it's not realistic. Less
Often times here, we have to deal with situations in which we have to say no to people. Please describe a time in which you've had to do this.
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I mentioned my work as a volunteer coordinator and having to tell volunteers they weren't allowed to do things, such as requests to change their shifts. I also mentioned having to tell my lab PI that some projects would have to wait because we didn't have the bandwidth for them. Less
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Were you offered the job?
Are you a people person. Are you a good fit for the company brand and VP
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They are going to ask questions from your resume. Be prepared to talk about it but put it in a story format. Less
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You have to understand we are in a negative economy with too many applicants. It is definitely an employer's market, not an applicant-market. Meaning that yes, the odds of you getting hired depends mostly (besides your qualifications, most applicants can and could do the job) on the hiring personnel and your "brand". First, the hiring personnel is going to stereotype the living hell out of you. Say you have a White female and a Black female interviewing a White, executive-type, with an MBA and plenty of experience vs. a less qualified Black female, but one that could easily perform the duties of the position, then the Black female wins every time, period! If you really think they care about your MBA or background at being an expert your sadly mistaken. Next, your "brand" means everything. Say the two female interviewers were very easily hired many years ago when it was mandatory to hire them (because of hiring quotas) and now they are IN CHARGE do you really think your "executive brand means anything to them? Nadda, not, zip. They will just be looking for a FIT. They figure your executive brand has ruled the roost long enough, and you will only be allowed to enter over their dead bodies! Lastly and not mentioned yet, most good or great federal job listings are not publically announced, they don't have to be. Title 5 allows for internal direct hire, meaning no interviews, etc. Your name is John, you're part of the club, there is an opening at the 65k/year level, and you just got the job. In that case, it doesn't matter at all what the two female interviewers have to say! You see, both hiring sides know how to play the game, it just depends on where you are at the time of hire, as to your chances of getting in or getting promoted. I was at Chalmer's P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus Ohio and I saw all of this, so yes it's true no matter what anyone tells you. If you're black, female, transgender, then by all means apply and you'll most likely be joining the machine and be given the directive to report to work on Monday morning for orientation. Less
The questions were very typical, in my opinion. 'Tell me about yourself...' I was asked to describe my approach communicating with stakeholders, how do you set priorities etc. Among others, what is your biggest accomplishment professionally?
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I gave examples about my previous experience managing multiple stakeholders, and what kinds of tasks I managed as an Administrative Assistant/ Executive Assistant. When speaking about accomplishments, I spoke about supporting a team and Partner through a complicated and major acquisition and how complex scheduling under very confidential circumstances meant having a flexible approach and an adaptability. Less
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Were you offered the position?
