6 Office Secretary Interview Questions and Answers

Updated on: October 24, 2020

During an interview for the office secretary position, be prepared to discuss negative experiences that you may have had. An interviewer will do all that he can to make you stumble and give the wrong answer, eventually striking you off the list of possible candidates.

Do not let him win. Where negative experiences are concerned, say all that you can without showing that you felt defeated during any of your bad days in a previous role.

Some sample interview questions for an office secretary position are given below:

Office Secretary Interview Questions and Answers

1. In your opinion, what is the most important skill that an office secretary should possess? And why do you think this skill is important?

It is imperative for an office secretary to be well organized. Working as a secretary is all about organizing your day. If you have your schedule under control, all aspects of your work are in your control too, which is why being organized is essential.

2. What duties do you expect to perform if hired as an office secretary at our office?

As an office secretary, I expect to be given a plethora of duties including handling correspondence, responding to inquiries over the telephone, managing appointment scheduling, and travel arrangement duties, overseeing inventory of supplies and equipment, and providing administrative and clerical support to company executives.

3. What specific skills do you possess that make you an excellent contender to work as a secretary at our company?

For starters, I am an extremely well-organized individual. I can multitask efficiently, without compromising the quality of my work, and possess great insight into handling correspondence and inventory management duties. My communication skills are above par, which makes me an excellent candidate to work as a secretary, as I can handle both verbal and written communication with ease, no matter what my audience is. Additionally, I am a thorough worker, who never leaves a project unfinished and has the capacity to meet deadlines effectively.

4. What would you do if you were given an “un-accomplishable” task to perform?

I do not usually decide that a task is not accomplishable unless I try doing it and fail at it. If I am given a task that I feel is impossible to do, I will still try to think of a way of doing it. If I have tried everything and have been unsuccessful in achieving success, I will ask for direction from the person who delegated the task to me.

5. Tell us of your biggest work-related accomplishment to date.

Over the years that I have worked as an office secretary, I have accomplished quite a few feats. My most recent (and one that I consider the biggest achievement) is bringing on board an office supplies vendor, resulting in a 75% decrease in supplies and equipment cost annually, without compromising on the quality of either.

6. How do you decide priorities when you are given work by two or more executives?

If I am in such a situation, I always ask the executives what their priorities are and then work according to them.