Admin and secretarial interviews check organisation, accuracy, discretion and office software skills. A short typing or Excel test is common.
Admin and secretarial interview questions and tips
How do you organise your day when everything is urgent?
List tasks, rank by deadline and impact, ask your manager when unsure, and update people.
Which office software do you use well?
Name Word, Excel, email and others, and what you do with them.
How do you handle confidential information?
Need-to-know, secure storage, no gossip, and ask when unsure.
Tell me about a mistake you caught before it caused a problem.
Use STAR, showing attention to detail.
What does a typical day for an administrative assistant look like?
Describe answering calls and emails, managing the diary, preparing documents, filing and supporting your manager.
How do you deal with confidential information?
Explain that you keep it private, share it only with authorised people and store documents safely.
How fast and accurate is your typing?
Give your real words per minute and accuracy. You can practise with our typing speed test before the interview.
How do you prioritise when two managers give you urgent tasks?
Explain the situation to both politely, ask which is more urgent for the business and agree on a timeline.
How do you keep records organised?
Mention clear file names, folders, regular backups, labelled paper files and a system others can follow.
Describe a time you spotted and fixed a mistake before it caused a problem.
Use STAR. Show attention to detail and that you took responsibility for checking your work.
General questions to expect as well
Tell me about yourself.
About one minute: who you are now, one or two relevant strengths or achievements, and why you want this job. Do not read out your CV.
Why should we hire you?
Match your skills and experience to the job requirements in two or three clear points.
What salary do you expect?
Research typical pay for the role first. Give a reasonable range, and say you are open to discuss based on the full package.
See all ten in our common interview questions.
Use the STAR method for behaviour questions
When a question starts with “Tell me about a time…”, answer in four short parts:
- Situation. Set the scene in one or two sentences.
- Task. Say what you had to achieve.
- Action. Explain what you did yourself. Use “I” more than “we”.
- Result. Say what happened, with a number if you can, and what you learned.
Before the interview
- Read the job advert again and prepare one example for each requirement.
- Bring copies of your CV, certificates and ID. The job application checklist lists what to carry.
- Practise out loud with the interview practice timer.
- Plan your journey, arrive early and switch off your phone.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common admin and secretarial interview questions?
Typical questions include: “How do you organise your day when everything is urgent?” “Which office software do you use well?” “How do you handle confidential information?” Each question above comes with a tip.
How do I prepare for a admin and secretarial interview?
Read the job advert, prepare an example for each requirement, practise your answers out loud and research the employer. Admin and secretarial interviews check organisation, accuracy, discretion and office software skills. A short typing or Excel test is common.
More interview questions
Free tools you may need
Interview Practice
Common interview questions by role, with answer tips and a countdown timer to practise out loud.
Aptitude Test Practice
Timed numerical, number series, verbal and logical questions like graduate recruitment tests, with scoring and review.
CV Builder
Build a clean CV in minutes. Nigerian, international and simple templates. Download as PDF or Word.
Typing Speed Test
Test your words per minute and accuracy. Useful for clerical, bank and government job tests.