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Welcome to your guide…

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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS &

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ANSWERS
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For personal use only.

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
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Q1. Introduce yourself and tell me why you want to become an Administrative Officer?
Sample Answer:
I am an attentive, professional and passionate Administrative Officer who, over the years, has gained lots
of experience in a variety of different situations that means I will always perform my duties diligently. I am
positive; I have excellent communication skills; I am high organised, and my time management skills are
exceptional. I understand how important this role is to the effective operation of your department, and I
can assure you I will not only be able to hit the ground running but I will work at fast pace, too. I want to
be an Administrative Officer because I feel this is the role I am most comfortable in, and the one where I
gain the most job satisfaction. I enjoy working under pressure and having responsibility for lots of
different tasks. If you hire me as your Administrative Officer, I will always go above and beyond what is
required, and I will make sure your working life is as hassle free as possible by making sure I do
everything that falls within my remit on time and to the right standard.

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Q2. Why do you want to work here?
Sample Answer:
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I am looking for long-term employment with the same company as an Administrative Officer and I want to
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stay in the role so that I can become a highly efficient and trusted member of the workforce. I have
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researched your organization and apart from having an impressive track record of achievement, you
seem to not only treat your employees well, but you take pride in doing everything to a high standard. I
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want to work here because I feel this is a place that I can stay long-term and I will feel both happy and
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fulfilled in my work.
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Q3. What do you expect to be doing on a daily basis as our Administrative Officer?
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Sample Answer:
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I expect to be the person who has responsibility for all administrative tasks and more. I will be the first
point of contact for people who communicate with the business. I will handle a variety of different
administrative tasks including organizing meetings, taking meeting minutes, filing documents, maintaining
records, handling incoming and outgoing post, responding quickly to emails and calls, and conducting
invoicing and budget duties, all of which will need to be done to a high standard and on time. In addition
to these duties, I will be available to help the department in any way you see fit. The transferrable skills I
can bring to the organization mean I will always be a highly adaptable, conscientious and flexible
Administrative Officer.

Q4. How do you manage a large workload whilst under pressure?

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Sample Answer:
To be truthful, I work better when I’m under pressure and I have lots of different tasks on the go at any
one time. In my previous role, I had an efficient system for managing multiple, time sensitive tasks. I
started off by creating a ‘to do’ list of everything I needed to do at the start of each week. I would place
each task in order of priority and I often stayed behind late after work to get things finished so I could
start afresh the following morning. Whenever things became challenging, I remained calm, I concentrated
on the task in hand and I made sure everything was still done to the right standard. Planning effectively,
being organized and having the confidence in your abilities is all part of being a proficient Administrative
Officer and I have no problem taking on a large workload.

Q5. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

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Sample Answer:

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My strengths include my exceptional communication skills. Whenever I communicate either internally or

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externally, I will be professional, and I will remember I am representing your organization. Other
strengths include the fact I am a very fast worker; I am accurate in my duties and I am a loyal and
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hardworking person who takes great pride in my work as an Administrative Officer. In respect of my
weakness, I would say I am stubborn sometimes and I prefer to figure things out for myself if I get stuck
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with a difficult task. Of course, it would be far more efficient if I asked others for help whenever I do get
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stuck, and I am trying to change that. One thing is for sure, if you see anything about my work you want
me to change, just let me know and I will get straight on to it.
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Q6. Why should we hire you?

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Sample Answer:
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I am a loyal, hard-working and professional Administrative Officer who has a track record of achievement
within every role I have undertaken. Outside of work, I am settled which means I can put my all into this
role and also be available to work additional hours as and when needed to assist you in your role, and
also help the organization achieve its objectives. My CV/resume is a perfect match for the position of AO.
Not only does my CV include experience within roles where I was required to manage multiple tasks and
projects all at once, but it also has plenty of experience in customer/client facing roles where I was the
first point of contact. I feel strongly that, if you hire me as your Administrative Officer, you will be more
than pleased with my strong work ethic, ability to take on numerous tasks and also my level of
professionalism and strong values.

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Q7. What qualities and attributes do have that will make you a competent Administrative Officer?
Sample Answer:
I have 7 core qualities and attributes that I feel would ensure I can not only manage the workload
required to be a competent Administrative Officer, but also excel in the role. I am someone who is highly
PROFESSIONAL and will always strive to carry out each task to the highest standards possible. I am a
FAST LEARNER who will learn the role quickly, meaning you don’t have to spend invaluable time
teaching me. I am someone whom you can RELY UPON to act as a positive role model for the
organization. I am TRUSTWORTHY and will never let you down or make lots of mistakes. If I do make a
mistake, I will immediately put my hand up and rectify the issue. I will be RESPECTFUL when dealing
with your clients and partners and will also strive to IMPROVE within the role so that I can perform to
peak standards. Finally, I am COMPETENT in the use of all relevant software packages and computer

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systems that are needed whilst working in the position of Administrative Officer.

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Q8. If your manager wanted you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you?
Sample Answer:
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As an Administrative Officer, I am there to support the manager in their role and take away the problems
and stresses of the tasks they do not need to be involved in. Therefore, I would keep my opinions to
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myself and trust their judgment. Having said that, if I felt there was a better or more efficient way of
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completing a task or project, I would offer my input, if it was required or welcomed. I think one of the most
important aspects of being an Administrative Officer is to build a positive and professional relationship
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with your manager, and on that basis, I would only offer my input or suggestion if the time and situation
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was relevant.
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Q9. What’s your approach to taking minutes in a meeting?

Sample Answer:
I already have plenty of experience of taking notes and minutes in a meeting. First and foremost,
I would plan the meeting well in advance, to make sure the meeting room was prepared, and
people were fully aware of the time and location etc. I would also ensure the meeting participants
receive the agenda items, are aware of the people who are attending, and they also receive any
previous meeting minutes, if applicable. Then, during the meeting I would note the names of the
participants and any apologies or absentees, the agenda items, the main discussion points, the
decisions made by the participants, any calendar or due dates and also any future decisions or

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future meeting dates. Following the meeting I would quickly organise the minutes to check for
accuracy before asking my manager to check them over before finally sending them out to the
meeting participants.

Q10. Tell me a time when you managed multiple tasks all at once?
Sample Answer:
In my previous job, I had a situation one day where the Managing Director required multiple tasks
to be completed within a very short time frame. A situation occurred whereby a key member of
staff was off sick, so somebody needed to step up and get the work done in super-fast time. The
tasks involved: organizing an important meeting for the following day; taking notes and recording

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minutes for another meeting that afternoon and also collating sales data for the next day’s meeting

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and briefing my Managing Director. I set about creating a plan for each task based on the priority

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and importance. The following days meeting was organized first of all. I booked the meeting room,
sent out invitations and created the meeting agenda. I then planned for the meeting that afternoon
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by reading the meeting notes from the previous meeting to make sure I was fully briefed and aware
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of the action points and agenda. Following the meeting, I wrote up my notes before starting work
on the collation of sales data. It became apparent that I would not finish the collation of data in time
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for 5pm, so I briefed my manager that I would stay late and send over the figures as soon as they
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were ready. He was happy with my suggested resolution. By 5:45pm I had completed the work
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and went in to brief my manager. He thanked me for my hard work and was impressed with my
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organization and planning abilities.

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Q11. Tell me a time when you made a mistake at work?

Sample Answer:
Early on in my career I made a mistake which I have never made since. I was working as a
customer service agent and I inadvertently sent out the wrong order to a valued customer. The
mistake I made had the knock-on effect of impacting 3 other customer’s orders, so I was absolutely
distraught at the error I had made. I immediately identified the mistake and informed my line
manager straight away, so we could take steps to sort it out as soon as possible. We worked
together to resolve the issue for our customers and I then volunteered to undertake some additional
training in my own time to ensure it never happened again. I am an honest person and would

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always put my hand up if I made a mistake. However, I learned a tremendous amount from that
incident and I am pleased to say I have not made any mistakes since.

Q12. Tell me how you would deal with a difficult client or stakeholder?
Sample Answer:
I would deal with them courteously and professionally at all times, and remember that I am the first
point of contact for your brand and organization. For example, in a previous role, we received a
complaint via email from a customer who had ordered some goods from our website that ended
up being faulty. I immediately took control of the situation and contacted the customer by both
email and telephone to explain I would be the point of contact for the complaint. The customer was

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clearly angry and upset at the situation. I listened to their concerns and demonstrated empathy

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during the call. I managed to persuade the customer to give me the opportunity to resolve the

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situation for them, which they agreed to. After I had got to the bottom of the situation, I apologized
to the customer and detailed very clearly the steps I was going to take in order to resolve it. I asked
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our warehouse team to dispatch the new goods on a priority delivery service and arranged for a
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courier to also pick up the faulty goods to save the customer having to do it themselves. I then
arranged to call the customer the day after the goods were delivered to check they were happy
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with the service and goods they had received. When I spoke to the lady on the phone, she thanked
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me for sorting out the problem quickly and to her satisfaction. Whenever dealing with your clients,
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or potentially problematic situations, I can be relied upon to sort things out quickly and will always
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take responsibility for a situation.

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Q13. Tell me a time when you demonstrated adaptability at work?

Sample Answer:
In my previous role as a sales assistant in a small electronics shop, I frequently worked at the
checkout. On occasion, we would have customers entering the shop minutes before closing time.
Sometimes, these customers would quickly find the item they were looking for, purchase it, and
leave. In some cases, customers were less aware of our opening and closing times, and would
therefore take their time in the shop. While the shop was meant to close, I would make sure not to
rush the customers, since it was important that they had the most comfortable experience possible.
Often, this meant that I wouldn’t close the shop until five or ten minutes past closing time. However,

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
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I made sure that stock checks and other procedures were carried out with the utmost care. I did
this to ensure that, not only were customer experiences as pleasant as possible, but also to
maintain safety and security in the shop once it had closed.

Q14. Tell me a time when you completed a difficult, time-sensitive task whilst under
pressure?
Sample Answer:
In my current role as customer service representative, I am required to work under pressure on a
daily basis. Recently, I was presented with a situation where two members of staff had gone sick
leaving me with only three other staff members to manage the shop during a busy Saturday. During

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the morning we were due to take a stock delivery which meant that I had to perform many tasks

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without taking a break. During the day I dealt with two customer complaints, took delivery of the

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stock, served customers whilst others took their break and also dealt with a fire alarm actuation. I
am often required to perform under pressure and thrive in such conditions. I always adapt well to
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situations like these and ensure that I still maintain a high level of professionalism at all times.
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Q15. Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it?
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Sample Answer:
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One particular day at work, a client called me directly and started shouting abuse at me down the
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telephone. She was complaining that she’d been charged twice for some work we had carried out
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for her. After she had the time to vent her frustrations, I set about resolving the situation for her. I
logged on to our computer system, identified the error and refunded back the second payment
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straight away. I then apologized and explained that the error had been unintentional, which she
accepted. Whenever there are stressful situations at work, I feel I am at my best. I always remain
resilient during stressful situations and focus on what I want to achieve. Dealing with stress at work
is all part and parcel of everyday life and I would always be determined to see things through to a
successful resolution.

Q16. What are the top three skills needed to be a great Administrative Officer?
Sample Answer:

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The top three skills, in my opinion, are being ORGANISED, PROFESSIONALISM and being able to
MULTI-TASK. Without the skill of organisation, an Administrative Officer cannot manage his or her
workload effectively, nor can they prioritize tasks based on importance. Without the skill of
professionalism, people you come into contact with on a daily basis, will not have faith in your abilities.
You also have to remember as an Administrative Officer that you are, effectively, a role model for the
company you are working for. Professionalism is very important, and you also have to maintain
confidentiality at all times in this role. Finally, being able to multi-task is an essential skill. An
Administrative Officer will be given many and varied tasks each day, and you have to be able to multi-
task whilst under pressure. There are no excuses for not getting your work done to the required standard
and on time.

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Q17. What would you do if you didn’t get on with someone in the team?

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Sample Answer:

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Although I have never found myself in this type of situation, I feel I could handle it maturely and
professionally. I understand that sometimes we can’t get on with everyone, but I would always try
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my best to be friendly, professionally and helpful with anyone I worked with. If there was someone
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I didn’t get on with, I would first of all go out of my way to try and make friends as this would be
beneficial to the team environment. I would also look at my own actions to see if I were doing
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anything that was potentially contributing to the situation. If I had tried absolutely everything, and
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we still didn’t get on, I would always be friendly and professional as the goals and aims of the
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organization must always come first.

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Q18. Tell me a time when you worked as part of a team to complete a difficult task?
Sample Answer:
In my previous job I volunteered to work with 5 other members to complete a difficult project that
had fallen by the wayside due to a contractor going out of business. The task required all 5 of us
to work closely together to integrate a new software system with the client’s website. We only had
four days to complete the task in accordance with the specification and the client’s requirements.
Time was of the essence and we needed to work hard to get everything done to a professional
standard. We started out by reading the client brief carefully and then I decided to take the lead
and allocate specific tasks based on each team members capabilities and area of expertise. We

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
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then set timescales for each team member to reach, which would ensure the task got completed
in time. Throughout the four-day working period, we all supported each other as and when required
in order to motivate each other through regular communication. The end result was the project was
completed on time and to a high standard, much to the satisfaction of the client.

Q19. Tell me a time when you supported change in an organisation?

Sample Answer:
In my previous role as a sales assistant for a DIY shop, we had received comments from customers
that staff had not always offered to help them in taking products off the shelves for them. At the
time, our policy was to help those who had a physical disability which may prevent them from easily

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and safely accessing products on the higher shelves. For example, if someone used a walking

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stick or crutches, we would offer to obtain the products from the shelves for the customer. However,

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many of the customer comments highlighted that not all physical disabilities are obvious. There
were a few customers who had to proactively ask for assistance, rather than have the help offered
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to them by staff. I saw this both as an inclusivity issue and a customer service issue. I believe that
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all customers should have a comfortable experience. A policy changed was proposed: to offer help
to all customers, whether they had a visible physical disability or not. I took this policy on-board
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from day one, and incorporated it into my customer-service style to make sure that all customers
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felt comfortable and well-served in the shop. Since taking on this new policy, we’ve received
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positive comments from customers with physical disabilities. These customers seemed extremely
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happy with how they were served in-store.

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Q20. What was the last piece of professional development work you undertook?
Sample Answer:
I actually studied an online customer care course through the website Udemy.com. I wanted to
brush up on my customer service skills before applying for this job and I learned some useful
modern-day techniques for improving customer service and also upselling when the opportunity
arises. I see professional development as an important aspect of my role and would always take
onboard feedback relating to my performance in a positive way as I like to continually develop in
my work.

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Q21. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Sample Answer:
In five years, I see myself progressing within the company to the point where not only am not only
well-respected in the role, but I’ve also taken on further responsibilities. I believe that, in five years’
time, I will have proven myself as an invaluable member of the team as an Administrative Officer.
I would also take great pleasure in assisting the training and development of newer colleagues
who occupy a similar role.

Q22. What are your salary expectations in this role?

Sample Answer:
I have carried out some research in relation to the average salary for this position, and the general range

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is between £22,000 and £28,000. Whilst I do personally feel I am worth the higher end of the salary scale,

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I understand and appreciate I need to prove to you my worth. On that basis, I would be comfortable with a
salary of £25,000.
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NOTE: Please conduct your own research into the general salary range for the job you are applying for.
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Q23. That’s the end of your Administrative Officer interview. Do you have questions for the
panel?
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Sample Answer:
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QUESTION – What would you need me to concentrate on in this role within the first 30 days or so of
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commencing work here?

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QUESTION – What, if anything, has disappointed you about people who have worked in this position
previously?
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QUESTION – What’s the culture like here? I’ve heard some great things about the working environment.

How to Use These Interview Questions and Answers:

These interview questions and answers are intended to guide you in your preparation for your job
interview. These questions have been picked by the PassMyInterview team because we believe
that they are the best representative of what you will face in your interview.

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
 www.PassMyInterview.com

The sample answers in this resource are collated from years of experience and research in the
recruitment sector. The answers confidently display the appropriate qualities and competencies
that the interviewer expects from successful candidates.

Read the sample answers carefully, and take note of what skills and competencies they
demonstrate. You might notice that, when the question asks for examples, the answer uses the
STAR method to construct the response:

Situation. Start off your response to the interview question by explaining what the ‘situation’ was

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and who was involved.

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Task. Once you have detailed the situation, explain what the ‘task’ was, or what needed to be
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done.

Action. Now explain what ‘action’ you took, and what action others took. Also explain why you
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took this particular course of action.

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Result. Explain to the panel what you would do differently if the same situation arose again. It is
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good to be reflective at the end of your responses. This demonstrates a level of maturity and it
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will also show the panel that you are willing to learn from every experience.
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In order to get the best possible results, apply this system to your own examples and experiences
in working life. These sample answers are intended to inspire you to create your own responses
to the questions.

Disclaimer:
PassMyInterview is not responsible for anyone failing any part of any selection process as a result
of the information contained within this resource. PassMyInterview and their authors cannot accept
any responsibility for any errors or omissions within this resource, however caused. No

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
 www.PassMyInterview.com

responsibility for loss or damage occasioned by any person acting, or refraining from action, as a
result of the material in this publication can be accepted by PassMyInterview.

Get more guides, books and training courses at the website www.How2Become.com.

Copyright © PassMyInterview.com. All Rights Reserved. For personal use only.

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ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS