Questions to help you get ready for an interview with an office manager
Office managers are in charge of running the office and doing a wide range of administrative and clerical tasks. When applying for a job as an office manager, it helps to know what kinds of questions are often asked and what kinds of answers employers like to hear. During the hiring process, possible employers want to know about different parts of who you are and what you can do. They talk to people to find out this information. In this article, we talk about the different types of interview questions for office managers and give a list of 12 common questions with sample answers. an interview with an office manager
General interview questions for the job of office manager
The point of these questions isn’t to see how skilled you are, but to see if you’d be a good fit for the work environment and culture. General questions may seem less important than questions about skills and experience, but they can be very important in the hiring process, especially in smaller offices where people work closer together. Here are 10 general questions you can ask a manager of an office:
- What sets you apart from everyone else running?
- How have you handled conflicts at work?
- What keeps you going at work?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- When you’re not working, what do you like to do?
- Why are you quitting your current job?
- What is the most important thing you’ve done?
- What are some things that drive you crazy at work?
- What would you say about how you lead?
- What do you think a good boss is?
Questions about experience and qualifications for the office manager job
You give more information about your work history when you answer questions about your experience and background. These questions give you a chance to show off your office manager-related skills and experience. Here are 10 questions about experience and background that office manager employers often ask:
- Have you ever run a business?
- How long have you been running things for a living?
- How did you get your first job in that field?
- What did your past employers do for a living?
- How many people did you have to look after the most?
- What hardware and software did you use at your last job?
- Do you have experience in client relations?
- How much do you know about making office schedules?
- Tell me about a time when you got someone else to do something.
- How long have you been in charge of a boss’s money?
Interview questions with a lot of depth for the office manager job
In-depth questions help the person interviewing you learn more about your skills and experiences. With these questions, you’ll talk about specific situations and steps to show how you work at work and how well you can do the job’s duties. Here are 10 detailed questions that could be asked during an interview for office manager:
- What is the most difficult part of running an office?
- What accounting software have you used?
- Tell me about a time when you had a problem with a coworker.
- Who have you done business with as a client or a supplier?
- Have you found out anything about what we do?
- What kind of software do you use well?
- What did you do at your last job that was the most important thing?
- What issues have you had with IT? How did you make them right?
- What were the things you had to buy?
- Do you know about video conferencing services that you can use online?
Sample answers to interview questions for the job of office manager
Consider these examples of questions and answers to help you prepare for your interview with the office manager:
1. What were the most important things you had to do at your last job?
This question is meant to find out if your experience at your last job has prepared you for this one. If you were an office manager somewhere else, they want to know if the tasks you did there are the same as the tasks for this job. If you’re coming from a lower-level job, you should show how you went above and beyond your job duties to improve how things worked at the workplace.
“I ran a regional office for a company that ships goods all over the world. I bought office supplies, oversaw a small group of office workers, and set up meetings for our regional executives. I talked to the regional vice president about what the workplace needed and how much money the department needed.”
2. Have you ever had to make decisions for other people?
Most of the time, office managers are in charge of other people who work in administration. When you answer this question, be sure to explain in detail how you managed your direct reports. If you’ve never managed other people before, use your answer to show how you’ve used your communication skills, taken on more responsibility, and shown you have management potential.
“At my last job, I was in charge of seven administrative workers, such as secretaries and clerks. I had to hire people, train them, set their schedules, and tell them what to do.”
3.Why do you want to run an office as a manager?
People who are interviewing you want to know why you want the job. If you want to give a good answer to this question, you should explain why you want more responsibility or why you think your skills make you a good candidate. This gives you a chance to show off your good traits and skills again.
“I want to be an office manager at this company because I’ve been an administrative assistant for five years and am ready for the next step.” During that time, I learned the skills and technical know-how I need to be a manager, and now I’m looking for a job where I can use them.
4. What makes you want to work here and do this job?
This question checks how much you know about the company you want to work for and how well you know what an office manager does. Before an interview, do some research on the company and team to know how to answer this question.
Example: “I’d like to work for your company because I’m interested in the business you’re in. Your magazine is well-known for being a cooking magazine, and I love to cook. I wanted to apply for the job because I was interested in it and had worked in administration for a long time.”
5. What are your best workplace skills?
Hiring managers ask this question to find out what you are passionate about at work and how many different skills you have. When you answer this question, talk about your office management skills to show why you’re the best person for the job.
Example: “I would say that my best skills are being able to talk to people and knowing a lot about math. Throughout school, I did well in math classes, and in my previous jobs, I was praised for being able to communicate with coworkers in a clear and caring way.
6. What are your worst skills at work?
When asked about your weakest skills, it’s best to pick one that won’t get in the way of you doing the main tasks of the job you’re applying for. You can talk about what you’re doing right now to get better at these things. A good strategy is to be honest about your flaws and show that you’re trying to fix them.
Example: “I would say that my IT skills and my research skills are my weakest skills. To get around this, I’m taking a few online IT certification courses right now. I’ve also started my own research project in my spare time to learn more about online research tools.
7. What makes you different from the other candidates?
This is a question that interviewers often ask to find out things that might not be on your resume or cover letter. You could talk about highly relevant experience you have or think about the parts of your skills, experiences, or personality that you think make you truly unique. Tell the interviewers not only what this unique trait is, but also how it applies to the job of office manager.
“I think what sets me apart from other candidates is that I know a lot about chemical engineering. Before I became an office manager, I went to college to study chemical engineering. I think this information would help me do a good job as the office manager for your company that sells chemical additives.
8. Why did you leave the job you had before?
Interviewers often want to know why you left your previous job or why you plan to leave it. People sometimes quit their jobs because of problems at work, problems in their personal lives, or other bad things. Even if this is true, you should always answer in a good way. Think about whether you want a more stable job, the chance to grow in your career, or the chance to learn new skills.
Example: “I’m leaving my current job because there aren’t any ways for me to move up in my career there. I hope that by coming to work for your company, I can build on the skills I’ve gained over the past 10 years and eventually move into a management position.”
9. Have you worked with clients and vendors before?
In order to run an office, you often have to buy office supplies and equipment from vendors and talk to contractors and clients. When answering this question, you can show that you can work with and talk to these kinds of people. You can also talk about your ability to plan and organize.
“In my last job, I was in charge of ordering office supplies from two main places: a company that sold paper products and a company that sold dry goods. I was also in charge of making appointments for five lawyers to meet with clients. Because the software we used was always changing, I often scheduled IT help during and after office hours.”
10. Have you ever had to fix a mistake in your schedule?
Interviewers ask this question to see how well you can solve problems and make plans. To answer this question, you have to be honest about how the mistake happened. More importantly, you can explain in detail how you fixed the mistake and what new rules you put in place to stop it from happening again. Interviewers will be impressed if you answer this type of question in a positive way as a learning experience that made the workplace better.
“I was in charge of managing a group of five office workers and setting up meetings for three high-level company executives. Most calls about meetings came to my desk, but one of the administrative professionals got a call from a client and set up a meeting when the executive already had a client coming. I apologized to the second client in person, rescheduled the meeting, and made a company-wide calendar to keep problems from happening again.”
11. What do you want to achieve in the future?
=To answer this question, talk about your personal and professional plans and how they relate to the job. Answering this question in a way that shows drive and commitment is good. You can talk about how working for this company could help you reach your personal goals or move up in your career.
If I get this job, I hope to gain more experience in the field so that I can eventually move into a management position. Some of my long-term goals are to become an expert in my field and to help people who are just starting out.”
12. How much do you know about keeping books?
Those hiring for this job are interested in how well candidates can do accounting and office work. When answering this question, describe your experience with a wide range of accounting tasks, such as buying things, keeping track of orders and payments, and using the right computer programs.
Because of my most recent job, I have a lot of experience ordering and stocking office supplies from many different places. I was in charge of managing and keeping track of the money given to my department, as well as keeping an eye on logistics to make sure things got done on time. I paid our vendors myself with checks and a company credit card. My simplified tracking system made it possible for our bookkeeping team to make all the necessary entries 12% faster than they could before.
