The Ultimate Guide to Acing Your Office Support Assistant Interview

Interviewing for an office support assistant position? This role is critical to helping keep any office running smoothly As an office support assistant, you’ll likely be tasked with a wide range of administrative and organizational duties – everything from managing calendars and schedules to greeting visitors, ordering supplies, filing paperwork, and more.

To land the job, you’ll have to impress hiring managers with your skills, experience, and personality during the interview process. And to do that, you need to be prepared to answer common interview questions about your abilities as well as situational and behavioral questions.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover:

• An overview of typical office support assistant duties
• 10 commonly asked interview questions for office support assistants
• Tips for giving great answers that will impress your interviewer

Let’s get started!

What Does an Office Support Assistant Do?

Office support assistants, also known as administrative assistants or office assistants, provide administrative support to an office. Daily tasks may include:

• Answering phones and routing calls
• Greeting visitors
• Managing executives’ and other employees’ calendars
• Scheduling meetings and appointments
• Making travel arrangements
• Preparing documents like presentations, reports, and spreadsheets
• Organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files
• Ordering and managing office supplies
• Running errands
• Providing general clerical support

The role involves juggling a diverse array of responsibilities – you’ll need to be highly organized, detail-oriented, comfortable with computers and new technology, and have excellent verbal and written communication abilities. Strong customer service skills are also a must, since you’ll frequently interact with clients, executives, employees, and vendors.

10 Common Interview Questions for Office Support Assistants

Here are some of the most common interview questions you’re likely to encounter when interviewing for an office support assistant job, along with suggestions for how to best answer them:

1. What interests you about working in an administrative position at this company?

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your interest in and enthusiasm for the role. Research the company so you can speak knowledgeably about their work, mission, and values. Highlight specific things that appeal to you. For example:

• You’re excited to contribute your administrative skills to help further their important mission
• You’re drawn to their commitment to sustainability/innovation/growth/etc.
• You’re eager to develop your career in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

2. What kinds of administrative projects do you like to work on?

Share some specific examples of projects and tasks you find engaging and enjoyable. These might include:

• Scheduling complex meetings and events
• Managing detailed executive calendars
• Researching and compiling information for presentations or reports
• Streamlining organizational and filing systems
• Planning office events or activities

Explain why these projects utilize your strengths.

3. What administrative projects are less interesting for you?

Be honest but tactful. Explain what types of administrative tasks may not be in your wheelhouse, but reassure the interviewer that you’re eager to learn. For example, you find data entry repetitive but recognize its importance and are committed to accuracy.

4. How would you rate your computer skills?

This is your chance to highlight your experience with essential software programs and applications. Provide specific examples rather than just saying you have “good” computer skills. For instance:

• I’m highly proficient with Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I have several years’ experience creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• I’m comfortable navigating new software interfaces and have experience quickly learning new programs like CRM systems and expense tracking tools. I enjoy mastering new technology.
• I type 90 words per minute and have experience transcribing notes, reports, and dictation quickly and accurately.

5. How do you prioritize tasks when everything is high priority?

Emphasize your time management abilities. Explain how you:

• Make to-do lists and update them throughout the day
• Identify the tasks with closest deadlines and work on them first
• Check in frequently with your manager to align on top priorities
• Streamline processes to work as efficiently as possible
• Ask for support when feeling overloaded

6. How do you handle pressure or stressful situations?

Remain calm. Share an example of a high pressure situation you faced and how you responded appropriately by:

• Taking a short break to clear your head before acting
• Asking a colleague for advice or assistance
• Making a plan to tackle things one step at a time
• Using stress management techniques like deep breathing

Be positive – explain that while pressure can be challenging, you see it as motivation to do your best work.

7. Why do you want to be an office support assistant?

Tap into your passion and enthusiasm for this role. Share why you find the duties inherently rewarding. You enjoy:

• Enabling managers and executives to be as productive and focused as possible by handling administrative minutiae for them
• Getting exposure to diverse aspects of a business by supporting various departments
• Being highly organized and detail-oriented
• Helping create smooth office operations through your administrative skills

8. What do you consider your greatest strengths?

Share attributes and skills that would make you excel as an office support assistant. These might include:

• Organization: You have systems for keeping supplies, files, schedules, etc. extremely orderly.
• Communication: You possess strong verbal, written, listening, and interpersonal skills.
• Technology: You adapt quickly to new software, devices, and platforms.
• Positivity and patience: You keep calm and focused when things get hectic.
• Accuracy and efficiency: You have an eye for detail and produce meticulous, quality work.

Provide specific examples of demonstrating these strengths.

9. How do you stay organized while handling multiple responsibilities?

Prove you have rock-solid organizational abilities. Discuss techniques like:

• Maintaining detailed to-do lists and calendars
• Creating systemized files, both paper-based and digital
• Setting reminders for important deadlines or tasks
• Blocking time for projects that require deeper focus
• Checking in frequently with your manager for direction when needed

10. Do you have any questions for me?

Always prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer. This demonstrates your interest in the role and the company. Good options include:

• What qualities make someone successful in this role?
• What are the day-to-day responsibilities of the position?
• How would you describe the culture here?
• Is there potential for growth or promotion from this position?

Tips for Giving Great Answers in Your Interview

You know what questions to expect – but exactly how can you make your answers stand out?

Here are tips for making a great impression during your interview:

• Provide specific examples from your own experience whenever possible. Don’t just state that you have a skill – offer a story that proves it.

• Quantify your results. Include numbers and metrics that showcase how you’ve made real contributions.

• Explain why you’re passionate about administrative work and this role specifically. Enthusiasm is contagious!

• Focus on the positive. Frame past challenges as learning experiences rather than failures.

• Be authentic and confident. Trust that you have exactly what the hiring manager is looking for.

• Ask thoughtful follow up questions to have an engaging, two-way dialogue.

• Maintain good eye contact, speak clearly, and convey energy and diligence through your body language.

With the right combination of preparation and confidence, you’ll be ready to have a stellar office support assistant interview. Use these tips and sample questions as a guide, highlight your unique experiences and strengths, and you’ll be well on your way to landing the ideal administrative role for you!