This question is critically important as your 1361516086office assistant5.75administrative assistant4.41receptionist3.76secretary3.12administrative2.733206783578467.2519.1739.40HOURLY8991356652025-09-012025-09-302025-08-012025-08-312025-10-05secretary will need to keep track of your meetings, trips and other events. You may also assign this person to manage your colleague’s calendars. An ideal candidate will have extensive practice using calendar management software. Their answer to this question will qualify them for this aspect of the job. What to look for in an answer:

• Experience using calendar software
• Practice managing multiple schedule’s at once
• Ability to communicate clearly with others about their schedules

The ability to communicate effectively, whether over email, over the phone or in person, is critical to being a good secretary. Secretaries spend most of their workday on the phone with clients, taking notes at meetings and sending important emails. This question will ensure that they are someone who can write and speak in a polished, professional tone. What to look for in an answer:

• Confidence in oneself and a clear answer
• Description of their abilities in detail
• A calm, professional tone

Even in the digital age, your company may still have paper documents that must be properly filed and maintained. A good candidate will have knowledge of various filing systems and possess good time-management skills. The answer to this question will allow you to tell if they can handle the workload at your company. What to look for in an answer:

• High level of knowledge of filing systems and digital filing methods
• Good organizational skills
• Experience handling a large workload in a timely manner

Answering the phone is one of the secretary’s most important duties. Some days, the phone might ring all day long with multiple callers at once. Your 1361516086office assistant5.75administrative assistant4.41receptionist3.76secretary3.12administrative2.733206783578467.2519.1739.40HOURLY8991356652025-09-012025-09-302025-08-012025-08-312025-10-05secretary needs to know who to prioritize, how to transfer calls, and how to operate the switchboard efficiently while remaining calm. Experience using a multi-line phone system shows that the candidate is qualified for this part of the job. What to look for in an answer:

• Desired number of years working with this technology
• Clear method for prioritizing calls
• Ability to stay calm and professional and not get overwhelmed by multiple callers

It’s important to know what the candidate likes and values about their position. A person who sees that their work is valuable and takes pride in what they do will be more effective than someone who just sees it as another job. This question will give you insight into how they feel about being a secretary. What to look for in an answer:

• Genuine enthusiasm about the job
• Examples of things they like about the position
• Sincerity in their answer

Secretaries have a diverse set of job responsibilities, including taking notes during meetings and composing meeting minute documents to send to participants afterward. This question allows an interviewer to learn more about a secretary's previous experience and their writing skills. It also allows interviewers to gauge a candidate's willingness to learn and adapt to new responsibilities. The candidate's answer should emphasize:

• Ability to write meeting minutes
• Knowledge of document layout
• Commitment to error-free writing