Five Questions to Ask Every Administrative Candidate

When you are hiring administrative staff for your organization, you want to make certain any candidate you hire has both the soft and hard skills necessary to excel. The interview process gives you your best chance to learn about a potential new hire; however, you want to ensure you ask the right questions so you can find out if the candidate is a good fit.

Five key questions you should ask when hiring an admin include:

• What software programs are you familiar with? You want to make sure the administrative candidate you hire knows how to use the programs your organization uses. Admins often need to complete work projects quickly and many of those projects will require advanced knowledge of software features. This is typically not something that can be learned on the job if the administrative candidate doesn’t already have a strong background in using the software.
• Can you give me an example of how you’ve used software on the job? This question allows the candidate to provide concrete examples of their skills and abilities with different software programs. This is important because it’s easy to say you know how to use software even if you don’t – but it’s harder to exaggerate your abilities when you are explaining what you have accomplished in the past.
• What kind of supervisor helps you to perform best? Make certain the admin candidate is going to be a good fit with their direct supervisor and will be able to work well within your company culture. This question allows you to see if the potential new hire would be a good match.
• How have you handled conflicts that arose at work? Admins inevitably face points of conflict, whether there is a scheduling problem, an issue with workflow or a problem with someone who wants to get in to see the boss but can’t. A good administrative professional will be able to handle situations with grace. This question helps determine if a candidate has the skills to problem solve.
• Why do you want to work for this company? You want to know the admin candidate has done their research and seems excited about the job.

SmartTalent can help your organization to find skilled administrative staff at Kirkland, Fife, Renton, Lacey, Lynnwood, Everett and surrounding areas. To learn more about how our staffing service can help ensure you hire an administrative professional who will help your company to excel, give us a call today.