Retail – Administrative Assistant

Position Name: Administrative Assistant

Interviewer

Candidate Name

Interview Date

Introductory Questions

– Interviewer(s) share name, role, tenure, and hand business cards for thank you messages
– Share a brief overview of the company
– Give Candidate the Job Description, highlight Job Purpose, Schedule/Travel, Major Challenges & Key Decisions, and Physical Requirements

Tell us about yourself.

Transitional & Verification Questions

– Clarify any unclear information from resume or application
– Verify availability for work hours and schedule, start date, and other important details

What accomplishment on your resume are you most proud of?

Behavioral / Situational Questions

– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups. Follow up questions may include:
- Tell us more about the action you took and the outcome.
- What did you say at that point?
- How did you react to that situation?
- Explain your role in more detail.
- Tell me in detail what steps you took.
- And what was the result?
- Describe the obstacles you faced in getting it done.
- What other options did you consider?
- Why do you think you reacted as you did?
- How do you think others felt about your actions at the time?
- Were you satisfied with the outcome of your actions?
- If the same or a similar situation presented itself, what would you do differently?

Analytical/Detail Orientation

There are times when we inadvertently let details “slip through the cracks.” Tell me about a time when this happened to you. What was the cause? What were the results?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Give me an example of a time when you used tools such as survey, research or statistics to define and resolve a problem.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Judgement

Tell me about a project or task you completed with little to no guidance or support.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Planning & Organization

Describe a situation that didn’t go as planned. What would you have done differently?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Time Management

Where do you tend to get bogged down? Provide me an example of how you’ve worked to overcome that.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Candidate’s Questions

– Be sure to leave time for their questions, generally 1-3
– Paint a positive but honest view of the pros and cons of the work and culture

Notes

Closing Questions

– Describe where you are in the process, next steps, and when they can expect to hear back
– Ask if they have any final remarks

What is one thing I should know about you that I haven’t asked?

Interviewer Assessment

Enter your overall assessment about the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and fit for this position.

Would you recommend this candidate advance in the process?