Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com,
and in this tutorial, I am going to teach you how to pass a secretary interview. Now,
it does not matter which secretary role you are applying for, and it also does not matter
which organization you are being interviewed for to become a secretary, please do watch
this video tutorial from beginning to end, because I will give you my top seven secretary
interview questions, and more importantly, my high scoring answers! Now, before I get
into those, a very warm welcome to this tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn. That's me there
in the center of the screen. I've been helping people like you for about 20 years now to
pass their interviews, and I do that specifically by giving you top scoring answers you can't
find anywhere else. Please do SUBSCRIBE to the channel by clicking the red button below
the video, and then you won't miss out on any of the weekly training videos that I am
uploading. And I would also appreciate your support (thanks) if you give the video a LIKE.
Thank you very much. So, let's get into those secretary interview questions and high scoring
answers. You can either take notes as I progress and write down the questions and the answers,
or if you stick around, I will tell you where you can download my full set of 21 great answers
to tough secretary interview questions. So, here's the first one you will be asked at
the start of your secretary interview: Tell me about yourself? It might be posed as: Please
introduce yourself to us? Now, we want to get you off on the right foot. We want to
give them a punchy response and also one that's positive and loaded with great keywords! So,
here we go. “Thank you for inviting me to be interviewed for the position of secretary
today. I am an ambitious, hard-working, positive and professional secretary who has a track
record of achievement in all work I undertake. I believe one of the most important skills
to possess as a secretary, is that of being able to carry out multiple tasks to a high,
consistent standard – this is just one of the many skills I have that makes me the perfect
candidate for this position. Outside of work, I have a happy, stable and positive life,
which means when I am at work, I am attentive, organized and effective.
If you hire me as your secretary, I believe you will be impressed with my ability to complete
tasks quickly, and also my strong work ethics and values, as well as my ability to communicate
effectively with both internal team members and external clients or stakeholders.” If
you use that answer at the beginning of your interview, when they ask the question, tell
me about yourself, you will be up and running and it will also give you great confidence
when you move forward and answer the next questions! So, the second secretarial interview
question I want you to prepare for, is: why do you want to work for our company as a secretary?
Why have you chosen our company or our organization? Now, I want to give you a short and positive
answer to this interview question. You can use this for any kind of organization. “As
a secretary, I think it’s important to choose the company first over the position. I am
keen to work for a company who I can commit to for a lengthy period of time, and having
researched your organization in detail, I believe the high standards you set, and also
the enthusiastic plans you have for the future, make you an extremely attractive employer
to work for.” That's all you need to say! Okay, great answer to the question. Why do
you want to work for our company or our organization as a secretary? Next interview question: In
your opinion, what are the top seven qualities needed to excel as a secretary? Here we go.
“As a secretary, you need to possess a multitude of different skills, qualities and attributes
in order to be effective. In my opinion, the 7 most important qualities are being ORGANIZED
and RELIABLE in all work you undertake – your employer should be able to give you lots of
work and expect it to be completed on time, without having to chase you up. You also need
to possess excellent COMMUNICATION and INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, especially when dealing with external
clients, organizations and stakeholders. As a secretary, you are often the first point
of contact, and on that basis, you need to act as a positive role model for your organization
in how you communicate. Other top qualities include having strong ATTENTION TO DETAIL
SKILLS, being able to MULTI-TASK, acting with LOYALTY, HONESTY and INTEGRITY in all of your
work, and finally, being COMPETENT IN THE USE OF ALL APPLICABLE APPS AND SOFTWARE PACKAGES
that will enable you to PERFORM YOUR TASKS TO A HIGH STANDARD.” So, those are the top
qualities needed to excel in the position of a secretary. My advice is to utilize those
in your answer to that question. What is your biggest weakness? Guaranteed to come up at
some stage during your secretary interview. So, we have to be very careful when answering
this question. And on the surface, it appears very easy to answer. Now, you have to be honest.
However, what we don't want to do is to give them a weakness that is aligned with the role
of a secretary. So, here is my great answer to this interview question: What's your biggest
weakness? “My biggest weakness is that, in the past, I used to spend too long on certain
tasks and projects, simply because I wanted to make sure they were one hundred percent
accurate and correct. I have strong work values and I set very high standards, but the amount
of time I was spending on some tasks, checking for accuracy and detail, was taking too long.
A previous manager pointed this out to me a while ago, but since it was brought to my
attention, I have changed my approach to completing tasks. Whilst I still maintain high standards,
I get the job done quickly and then move on to the next task. Conversely, I guess one
of my strengths is the fact that I will always take onboard feedback from my manager with
a view to continually improving and developing in the role as a secretary.” Now, you'll
notice what I've done there, is I've provided a weakness that I used to have, but I've resolved
it, and that's the important thing! But I've also added that bit at the end that demonstrates
that one of my strengths is the fact that I can take on board feedback, which is an
important strength. As a secretary, you have to be able to take on board constructive feedback
and criticism. Now, I still have a number of questions to run through, so please do
stick around. But when you are ready, if you CLICK THAT LINK in the top right hand corner
of the screen, it will take you through to my website (PassMyInterview.com) and you can
download my full set of 21 Secretary Interview Questions & Top Scoring Answers. Next question:
Describe a time when you completed multiple tasks whilst working under pressure? Now,
you and I know that one of the important qualities of a secretary is to ‘multitask’ whilst
under pressure. And they are asking here for a specific situation that you were in when
you've done this before, when you've completed multiple tasks under pressure. My advice is
to give a minimum of four tasks that you have completed over a period of one day, difficult
ones where you have to get them done under pressure. Here's my suggested answer to this
question: “In my previous role as a secretary, my manager came in one Monday morning, and
stressed he needed a number of urgent tasks to be completed all by the end of the day.
The tasks included arranging a priority meeting for the following day of important internal
company managers; extracting large amounts of data from company sales figures so he could
use that information at the meeting; creating a written report that was due to be finished
that same day, and finally, completing all of my usual workload, which included answering
all telephone calls, taking messages and handling organizational correspondence. I actually
really enjoy working under pressure, and so I created a priority list of what tasks needed
to be done and in what order. This enabled me to focus on each task, get it completed
successfully, before moving on to the next job. During that day, I worked solidly without
a break, and I also stayed behind late to make sure everything was set up and prepared
for the next days’ meeting.” So, that shows that you enjoy working under pressure,
and more importantly, you can handle it. And you know how to prioritize tasks which again,
as you and I know, is really important when you are working as a secretary. Next question.
How would you deal with a difficult client on the phone? How would you deal with a difficult
client on the phone? They are looking to see here that you can communicate with integrity
and professionalism and also remain calm. Here is my suggested answer. “It’s always
important to remember not to take things personally when dealing with clients, and sometimes,
people have valid reasons to be stressed. If someone was being difficult on the phone,
I would always remember I am representing your organization, and on that basis, I would
be professional at all times. I would remain calm, listen to them carefully, allow them
to speak and then take the appropriate steps to either resolve any issues they had, or
provide them with the information they needed. I would be confident and resilient at all
times in my communication with clients. I always find, if you are positive, if you listen
and you are genuinely nice to people, they will always come around at some stage during
the call, and you can then achieve your objectives.” That's a brilliant answer to that question!
How would you deal with difficult clients on the phone? Next question: how would you
handle stressful days at work as a secretary? You will have stressful days at work on a
regular basis. So, how do you handle stress? Here's my suggested answer. “I handle stress
really well, and as I mentioned in my previous answer, I tend to thrive in this type of environment.
I handle stress by always remaining calm and composed. If you get stressed, or if you let
your emotions get the better of you, you can’t concentrate and complete tasks accurately.
I always find the best way to deal with stressful days is to draw up a list of priority tasks
that need to be completed. That way, you are focused intently on what needs to be done.
I also set myself clear timeframes for getting jobs completed, and I then go all out to get
them done within the timeframe I have allocated for that particular job. I don’t mind working
extra hours, so I always have the back-up option that I can stay late, if needed, to
complete any other non-urgent tasks that might need my attention. The important thing for
me, is that I start the next working day fresh and with a new set of tasks and challenges
to focus on.” Again, that’s a very strong answer to that question! How do you handle
stressful days at work? It shows that you understand stress and the causes of it, and
you know that it's really important to remain calm and composed, because then you can concentrate
and get your tasks completed by drawing up that priority task list. Now, don't forget,
please do make sure you download my full set OF 21 SECRETARY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
by clicking that link in the top right hand corner, or by going through to my website
PassMyInterview.com. I hope you enjoyed that tutorial. Please don't forget to subscribe.
And as I say, I would appreciate your support if you LIKE the video, it always motivates
me to create more content if I know that you enjoy the tutorials. Thank you very much.
If you have any questions, please stick them in the comments section below the video and
I will be more than happy to answer them for you. I wish you all the best in your pursuit
to pass your secretary interview and have a brilliant day. Thank you very much.