The CEO Interview: An Overview of Tactics and Questions. How to pass an interview for the vacancy "Assistant to the Manager"

If a well-written resume of a candidate for the position of an assistant manager interested the company, then another difficult stage of employment begins for the applicant. After all, the position of assistant manager is one of the key, so the applicant for the role of "trustee" of the director of the company, as a rule, has to endure a number of tests.

The interview is an integral part of employment. Exactly on this stage you and the employer meet face to face. It is important to understand that it provides not only an opportunity to present yourself, but also a great chance to get acquainted with the requirements and features of the upcoming work.

The number of interview stages can vary, but whether you're interviewing a staffing agency, a company's human resources manager, or a CEO, you'll always need to be prepared. And so that the midterm interview does not turn out to be the last, you must seriously prepare - psychologically and tactically.

First of all, try to learn as much as possible about the company you are seeking employment for - study the website, get acquainted with publications in the press and the Internet. Prepare a set of documents in advance - work book or a copy of it, diplomas, certificates, recommendations, 2-3 copies of your resume. Make a list of questions that the employer may have for you, prepare approximate answers to them, and also write down your questions to the company representative.

On the pages of the Career Encyclopedia, the favorite questions of HR and employers have been repeatedly discussed. Among the most frequently asked are the following.

Could you tell a little about yourself?

You should not retell the information contained in the resume - the employer read it before inviting you for an interview. Be concise, do not go into unnecessary details, because the main task of a personal assistant is to save the main resource of the leader - time.

Why did you choose this particular profession?

You are expected to have a clear understanding of the essence and complexities of this profession, which is seriously different from the related specialties of a secretary / office manager / referent; internal readiness to always remain "in the shadow" of the leader, to respect and promote his position and decisions.

What are your strengths/weaknesses?

Emphasize first of all those qualities that are important for a personal assistant. Your shortcomings should look like a logical continuation of your own strengths. And do not forget to mention that you are constantly working on yourself: "Sometimes people around me mistake my determination for impulsiveness, but I try to watch my manner of expressing thoughts."

Why should we hire you?

In addition to declaring your high professionalism, it would not be superfluous to demonstrate that you are aware of the company / industry.

What are the reasons for leaving a previous job?

In no case do not speak disrespectfully about the former team and leader - no one needs conflicting employees who do not know how to be critical of themselves. It is better to focus on the advantages of the new company that attracted you than on the shortcomings of the old one.

How do you envision your career in a few years?

For representatives of other professions, the vertical of career growth is quite obvious, say, from a legal adviser to the head of a legal service. A similar question addressed to you as a candidate for the position of assistant manager is designed to reveal your ambitions, motivation. Based on the answer to this question, the employer can judge the significance of the proposed work for you - do you see it as an opportunity to apply your best qualities and strengths, or consider it just a springboard and intend to change the direction of your career in the future.

What do you think a boss should be?

In fact, they want to find out from you the level of your constructiveness, whether you are prone to conflicts with the leader. The ideal answer would be a neutral one: "A competent, strong leader with a lot to learn from."

In turn, you have the right to ask about the work schedule, the possibility and frequency of business trips, the structure of the company's secretariat, the reasons why the position of assistant manager turned out to be vacant (unless, of course, this is a new staff position) - in a word, find out all the points that are important to you, related to future employment. Thoughtful and deep questions will emphasize your interest in the vacancy, help create the image of a serious candidate, a professional employee.

The interview happens...

Screening interview or phone interview

When there is a big competition for an advertised vacancy, experienced HR managers resort to the so-called screening interview. It is carried out remotely, i.e. without visual contact with the applicant, using the Internet (e-mail) or by phone. This type of test allows the recruiter to optimize the process of finding a suitable candidate, and a telephone interview, among other things, gives him the opportunity to test your ability to conduct telephone conversations - one of the most important skills of a personal assistant.

In order not to be caught off guard, you should make sure that you always have a pen and paper, your resume, job posting or job description, a sample job application, and a list of questions you would like to ask about the organization you might be working for.

If you are not ready to talk, apologize, citing the inability to continue communication, and specify when it would be convenient to call back.

During a telephone interview, speak clearly, to the point, avoid monosyllabic answers, but do not indulge in lengthy discussions. If the vacancy requires knowledge of a foreign language, be prepared to switch from Russian to foreign during the interview. Take notes - they can be useful to you at the next stage of the interview.

Interview with a recruitment agency

If the company has delegated to a recruitment agency the task of selecting an assistant manager, then first you will have an interview with his representative.

At the initial interview, it is important for a recruiter to establish your compliance or non-compliance with the requirements of an open vacancy. To check the availability and level of professional skills and knowledge, he, as a rule, first gets acquainted with the documents confirming your competence - diplomas, certificates and recommendations from the previous place of work, and then offers to perform a number of standard tasks:

create or convert a document on a computer (in order to determine the level of proficiency in an office software package - Word, Excel, etc.);
check the correctness of the execution of the draft order submitted to the manager for signature, for example, on the creation of a commission, and, if necessary, edit it (diagnosis of knowledge of the basics of office work, in particular the rules for compiling and processing administrative documentation);
transfer information from a multi-page text document to a table (such tasks make it possible to judge the candidate's ability to perform routine, repetitive work without compromising its quality);
highlight the most important facts in the text of an article printed from the company's website (checking abstracting skills - the ability to select the most significant theses from an array of information and fix them in writing);
translate text or compose a business letter in a foreign language, for example, a request for data for obtaining a visa for an executive (this will determine the degree of foreign language proficiency).

The ability to perform several tasks at once, the ability to quickly navigate the situation, the skills of organizing business trips and events, knowledge of the basics of business etiquette - usually all this is found out in the course of working with various cases. For example, you may be asked to describe in detail the actions you will take if you fail to meet necessary time get a visa at some embassy for an urgent business trip of the head; draw up a detailed plan for organizing the reception of VIP guests from abroad; act out an "unpleasant conversation" with a high-ranking official about canceling an appointment; demonstrate a polite refusal to connect the manager with a conflicting client; offer several solutions to a situation where, due to a traffic jam, the manager is late for an important meeting with partners.

In a word, going to an interview at a recruitment agency, get ready for a serious aptitude test. Better plan only one meeting a day, or make sure you have enough time for the interview and the road to the next meeting, otherwise you will be nervous and spoil the impression of yourself.

Interview with the head of human resources department of the company

Unlike a representative of a provider company, for the head of the personnel department of a company interested in obtaining a highly professional personal assistant, the first place will be the question of your compliance with corporate standards, leadership style and communication.

In this interview, you should ask in detail about the upcoming official duties, about existing mechanisms for motivating employees (bonuses, preferences - the ability to use a company car; parking place, gasoline, car service for a personal car; additional days off after business trips or during the absence of a manager), etc.

Naturally, at this stage of the interview, there is also a high probability that you will be attracted to participate in small role playing, work with situational examples - cases, various tests and tasks that allow you to evaluate your professional and individual-personal qualities. Sometimes personal interviewers resort to non-trivial interviewing methods:

group interview- an interview to which all candidates for a vacant position are simultaneously invited, and each of them is invited to ask another applicant a question on a professional topic. This is done to identify not only the level of special preparedness of applicants, but also their ability to confidently stay in stressful situation, leadership qualities, the degree of conflict, etc. Quite often, professional psychologists are invited to such events. Based on their analysis, management selects those candidates who will be asked to interview with the company's CEO.
stressful job interview- a specially simulated environment of discomfort, provoking the applicant for a direct, spontaneous reaction, which makes it possible to reveal the hidden sides of his personality. In its “pure” form, such an interview is very rarely used today, but the position of an assistant manager is in the “risk zone” - it’s no secret that stress resistance and loyalty are among the most important qualities of a personal assistant. The only recipe for successfully overcoming a stressful interview is a high degree of composure, composure and prudence. If you think that the opponent has gone beyond what is permitted, you can always refuse to continue communication. Indeed, today there are enough companies on the market that are more tolerant of potential employees, able to detect the degree of vulnerability of a person and the manner of his reaction in difficult emotionally intense situations without using incorrect statements about him.

HR officials argue that they are driven to use non-standard methods and techniques by the need to expose “professional” applicants who easily get jobs by following recommendations for passing different levels of interviews. Recently, the "funnel technology" has become widespread, in which the interviewer gradually moves from general questions to more specific, clarifying ones. Answering such narrowly focused questions, working with details and a large number of examples can very clearly demonstrate your qualifications to your opponent.

If you qualify, some organizations may offer you a short internship, such as a one-week internship with a company - without enrollment, but with guaranteed pay. Real work helps both parties to get rid of many illusions. True, the current legislation provides for hiring with a probationary period, so this method of hiring cannot be called impeccable.

Interview with the manager

This is the most crucial stage, so to speak, the “general” fitting. The search for a personal assistant, unlike other specialists, the director cannot fully entrust to the personnel service. Since he will have to communicate with his assistant very often, it is important for him to understand whether the candidate is psychologically suitable for him, whether it is possible to interact effectively with him.

“Of course, high professionalism is a necessary condition for an applicant for the position of a personal assistant, because the manager simply does not have time to train, organize and control a poorly trained employee,” says Elena Vladimirovna Samginova, head of the HR and labor relations department of CJSC PK RUST. But still, the requirements regarding personal qualities personal assistant, much more stringent. This is due not only to the fundamentally important point of compatibility between the leader and assistant, but also to the need to communicate with a large number of people who are much higher in status than the assistant himself, to participate in negotiations and attend various events. Add to this irregular working hours and constant stress, and it becomes clear that for this profession, psychological characteristics are sometimes more important than professional skills. The problem is that the individual qualities of a specialist in an interview are very difficult to test, and even the use of projective techniques does not always allow you to see the "true face" of the candidate, so the employer has to "invent" situations that contribute to the most complete disclosure of the applicant.

Therefore, when going to an interview, you need to be prepared for any surprises - you may well be invited to a restaurant, to a planning meeting, a presentation or an industrial exhibition, where you will be asked to take part in a business lunch, draft the minutes of the meeting or act as an interpreter. However, a meeting in the office can also be not without surprises. Here are some examples.

The head of the personnel department escorts the candidate for the position of personal assistant to the office of the general director, sits him down at the table on which the control materials lie: test tasks to assess the level of knowledge of office work, to test literacy writing, the ability to compose a standard letter (for example, a request for data for obtaining a visa to the head), a document for translation in a foreign language, etc. The head continues to deal with papers, not paying attention to those who entered. This goes on for several minutes. No one forgot about the interview, this situation was specially modeled (delay in the start of the conversation - taking a stressful interview). During all this time, the employer observes the actions of the candidate - one will examine the office of a potential boss with interest and meekly wait until they pay attention to him; the other, in order not to lose time, will take up the tasks before him; the third will begin to show aggression. So even before the start of the interview, the manager has a certain impression of the applicant. Having found out the model of the candidate's behavior, the director apologizes for the delay and ... either proceeds to a substantive conversation, or politely says goodbye to the applicant under a plausible pretext.
Many modern companies are equipped with special cameras that allow online monitoring of what is happening in various parts of the office building. The unsuspecting candidate is shown to a waiting room and asked to wait a bit. After a while, the secretary comes out of the reception, leaving the applicant all alone, and a minute later a respectable person appears and starts to make a fuss, demanding to immediately let him through to the director. The behavior of an applicant who finds himself in a similar situation without any support, his ability to “take the hit himself” and resolve the conflict without losing self-control, can serve best recommendation for the employer.
The leader accepts the candidate very friendly, starts a conversation on abstract topics and instead of the expected test tasks for professional suitability, he asks him, according to the proposed scheme, to fold some simple figure out of paper. It is believed that such a “frivolous” activity as folding origami can tell a lot about the personality of the subject: about the speed and flexibility of his thinking, his ability to concentrate, accuracy, patience and, finally, the ability to get involved in any “game”, treat what is happening with feeling humor.
To check the reliability of the applicant, his ability to correctly handle confidential information, they can ask a question about the mistakes and mistakes of the former leader. Naturally, in such a situation, one should not spread rumors or give out classified information, it is better to "keep your mouth shut."

If you fit the company in all respects, except for the level of foreign language proficiency, do not hesitate to declare at the interview that you are ready to improve your English in your free time. It is possible that the decision on employment will be made in your favor and you will be sent to language courses at the expense of the company.

A few words about formalities

Remember, there is no content without form. The applicant is always evaluated comprehensively: how he looks, speaks, presents himself. Therefore, do not forget about the elementary rules for passing the interview: punctuality, turned off the mobile phone, clothing appropriate for the occasion business style classic colors, clean shoes, moderate make-up, skillful use of accessories and jewelry, neat and discreet manicure, light (neutral) perfume, energy, self-confidence, openness and, of course, a smile.

In the process of preparing for a conversation with the first person of the company, it is necessary to take into account what position the candidate is aimed at. When the CEO is the immediate supervisor of the recruited specialist, then professional topics are touched upon during the interview, and it is important for the top manager to understand how much the person "fits" into the team, whether his values coincide with the values of the company. If the meeting is scheduled for approval for the position of an applicant presented by his future immediate supervisor, then it is rather formal, although in any case, the CEO is interested in the personal qualities of a person applying for the role of an employee of his company.

An interview with the CEO of the company in which the applicant gets a job, as a rule, is the final stage in the recruitment process. However, not every applicant is assigned a meeting with the head of the enterprise. It is worth preparing for a top-level interview in several cases:

The candidate is applying for a leadership position.
The department where the specialist is employed is a key one for the company (for example, when sales are such a priority, an interview with the first person of the company is obligatory step for sales managers).
The specialist gets an ordinary position, but in a small company.
Applicants are being considered for the position of Personal Assistant.

In small and medium-sized companies, an interview with the first person can be assigned even in a situation where a vacancy is open for a completely ordinary position.

In the first and last cases, when the CEO is the immediate supervisor of the recruited specialist, professional topics are touched upon during the interview: the candidate's future responsibilities, his experience, the goals and objectives that the vacancy implies. In addition, it is important for a top manager to understand how a person "fits" into the team, whether his values coincide with the values of the company, how close its corporate culture is.

“There was such a case: the CEO of a fairly large company, conducting an interview with his future direct subordinate, at the end of the conversation honestly warned the candidate that he was sometimes harsh, and asked if this fact would become an obstacle to their joint work in the future, - says the managing partner of the company MarksMan Inna Sumatokhina. – And sometimes it also happens that the candidacy of the applicant is rejected due to the fact that the director is simply afraid of competition. This happens when he is looking for a substitute and meets a very strong man superior to him in one way or another. Once in our practice, a candidate for the position of Deputy General Director, when asked what he expects from working in the company, answered that he was primarily looking for growth. Growth in this situation could only be for the position of the general director himself ... Naturally, he was not accepted.

If a meeting with the CEO is appointed to approve the position of a person represented by his future immediate supervisor, it is more of a formality. “In our practice, there were interviews that lasted five minutes,” shares personal experience Inna Sumatokhina. - As a rule, it takes place in the form of a conversation and is informal, professional topics are hardly touched upon. Once, two expats, a CEO and a candidate, met at an interview, the conversation began about Moscow in the evening, and then a 40-minute conversation between two foreigners in a foreign country followed, and as a result, the interview was reduced to a discussion of Moscow clubs and restaurants.

The questions asked by the CEO are often in the nature of cases, practical tasks.

At the same time, in small and medium-sized companies, an interview with the first person can be appointed even in a situation where a vacancy is open for a completely ordinary position. As a rule, this is due to the fact that the owner (aka the general director), due to the specifics of the business, is responsible for all current organizational processes. Therefore, when recruiting staff, he is ready to personally talk with each potential employee.

During the interview with the director, it usually becomes clear whether the candidate will be able to enjoy the trust of the head of the organization, whether it will be easy and comfortable for them to communicate, whether the newcomer will take root in the company. The CEO mainly listens to his intuition - the totality of knowledge, experience, professionalism, foresight. After all, sometimes the experience of the applicant is suitable, and the appearance, and the results are amazing, and the education is prestigious, and intuition tells us: “He doesn’t suit us, it will be difficult with him.”

Obviously, preparing for a meeting with the CEO must be serious and thorough, because how you perform in an interview with a top manager ultimately depends on receiving a job offer. In the process of preparation, pay attention to the following recommendations, which are designed to tip the scales in your favor.

Collect information about the company and the market situation, analyze it.

Try to make a portrait of the person you are going to interview for: read his articles and interviews in the press, look for materials covering the corporate culture of the company he leads, chat on forums with its employees, possibly your future colleagues.

Most employers take the position that the more a person asks, the more motivated they are.

“Once a candidate was interviewing a CEO, a Frenchman, for English language, and ended the conversation in French, ”recalls Inna Sumatokhina. – The manager was pleasantly surprised and, in turn, pleased the interlocutor with a job offer. Foreigners really appreciate the respectful attitude towards their country and the corporate culture of their company.”

Consultant THI Selection Anna Oblova notes that “your savvy will be appreciated, do not hesitate, but you should not go too far. So, some candidates, having learned in advance the director’s hobby, are ready to attach, for example, a skydiver’s certificate to the resume, if the top manager is a passionate fan of skydiving. At the same time, do not be afraid to comment on the actions of the leadership. Objective criticism is only welcome."

Prepare to be asked to describe what steps you would take to solve a particular problem. The questions asked by the CEO are often in the nature of cases, practical tasks. Do not take such tasks as a free use of your professional knowledge and experience. A full-fledged business plan will not be required from you, but rather they will be offered to summarize the main ideas. Such cases very well reveal the way of thinking and work style of the candidate, allow you to get an idea of what kind of person he is - timid or decisive, cold-blooded or quick-tempered, whether he can make a decision in conditions of lack of time and information.

Another argument for candidates in favor of not giving up practical task, - the opportunity during his preparation to evaluate for himself the prospects of a future position. “At one time, I spent a week compiling a rough business plan, presented it, received a job offer and turned it down, because during my communication with the employer I did not receive clear answers to the questions asked in the “Risks” chapter,” reports one of the readers "Encyclopedia of Career" .

Don't be afraid to ask questions in an interview.

Be prepared for the unexpected to happen during an interview with the CEO.

Show your interest. Most employers take the position that the more a person asks, the more motivated they are. Initiative is generally regarded as a sign of professionalism. “At the same time, top managers are extremely busy people, so all questions addressed to them must be strictly on the case, which will only confirm high level your professionalism and competence,” comments Anna Oblova.

Mobilize your resilience.

When interviewing a CEO, the most important thing is not to worry. “I know a situation when one of the candidates fainted from excitement and, of course, did not pass the interview,” Inna Sumatokhina gives an example. Remember that in front of you is the same person as you, then you will be able to relax and show your best side.

“In our practice, there was a case when, in one large Japanese company, an excellent candidate, having gone through all the stages of an interview, failed it with the CEO, being at a loss in response to the request of the head to name the company’s slogan,” shares real stories Inna Sumatokhina.

The CEO understands that it is much more profitable to hire not a chronically tired workaholic, but a diversified person.

Be prepared for the unexpected to happen during an interview with the CEO. “For the most part, top managers are serious people,” says Anna Oblova. – Nevertheless, in my practice there were quite funny examples when a candidate with a technical education, applying for the position of a personal assistant, was asked by her future boss to draw a diagram of a radio receiver. In another company, in an interview, the director wanted to hear from the applicant his full biography, starting with kindergarten". When answering such tricky questions, it is important not to get lost, respect the interlocutor and, in any case, maintain a sense of humor.

Show that you are a versatile person.

The main task of questions that are not related to professional activities is to assess the personal qualities of the candidate, to find out whether he is “obsessed” at work or whether he has time and desire to do something else: fishing, skiing, photography, and so on.

A candidate applying for a leadership or managerial position, as a rule, has already achieved a lot, and, most likely, the stage when work and career were the main priorities in his life has passed. “Eternal values” come to the fore: family, friends, health, hobbies; comes the realization that working 10-12 hours a day should not be the only goal in life.

The CEO understands that it is much more profitable to hire not a chronically tired workaholic, but a diversified person who strives for a reasonable balance between work and personal life.

The interview is an integral part of employment. It is at this stage that you and the employer meet face-to-face. It is important to understand that it provides not only an opportunity to present yourself, but also a great chance to get acquainted with the requirements and features of the upcoming work.

First of all, try to learn as much as possible about the company you are seeking employment for - study the website, get acquainted with publications in the press and the Internet. Prepare a set of documents in advance - a work book or a copy of it, diplomas, certificates, recommendations, 2-3 copies of your resume. Make a list of questions that the employer may have for you, prepare approximate answers to them, and also write down your questions to the company representative.

On the pages of the Career Encyclopedia, the favorite questions of HR and employers have been repeatedly discussed. Among the most frequently asked are the following.

Could you tell a little about yourself?

Why did you choose this particular profession?

What are your strengths/weaknesses?

Why should we hire you?

In addition to declaring your high professionalism, it would not be superfluous to demonstrate that you are aware of the company / industry.

What are the reasons for leaving a previous job?

How do you envision your career in a few years?

For representatives of other professions, the vertical of career growth is quite obvious, say, from a legal adviser to the head of a legal service. A similar question addressed to you as a candidate for the position of assistant manager is designed to reveal your ambitions, motivation. By answering this question, the employer can judge the significance of the proposed job for you - whether you see it as an opportunity to use your best qualities and strengths, or consider it just a springboard and intend to change the direction of your career in the future.

What do you think a boss should be?

The interview happens...

Screening interview or phone interview

To avoid being caught off guard, make sure you have a pen and paper, your CV, job posting or job description, a rough job application, and a list of questions about the organization you might be interested in. , you have to work.

If you are not ready to talk, apologize, citing the inability to continue communication, and specify when it would be convenient to call back.

Interview with a recruitment agency

If the company has delegated to a recruitment agency the task of selecting an assistant manager, then first you will have an interview with his representative.

create or convert a document on a computer (in order to determine the level of proficiency in an office software package - Word, Excel, etc.);
check the correctness of the execution of the draft order submitted to the manager for signature, for example, on the creation of a commission, and, if necessary, edit it (diagnosis of knowledge of the basics of office work, in particular the rules for compiling and processing administrative documentation);
transfer information from a multi-page text document to a table (such tasks make it possible to judge the candidate's ability to perform routine, repetitive work without compromising its quality);
highlight the most important facts in the text of an article printed from the company's website (checking abstracting skills - the ability to select the most significant theses from an array of information and fix them in writing);
translate text or compose a business letter in a foreign language, for example, a request for data for obtaining a visa for an executive (this will determine the degree of foreign language proficiency).

The ability to perform several tasks at once, the ability to quickly navigate the situation, the skills of organizing business trips and events, knowledge of the basics of business etiquette - usually all this is found out in the course of working with various cases. So, you may be asked to describe in detail the actions that you will take if you do not have time to get a visa at an embassy for an urgent business trip of a manager by the required date; draw up a detailed plan for organizing the reception of VIP guests from abroad; act out an "unpleasant conversation" with a high-ranking official about canceling an appointment; demonstrate a polite refusal to connect the manager with a conflicting client; offer several solutions to a situation where, due to a traffic jam, the manager is late for an important meeting with partners.

Interview with the head of human resources department of the company

At this interview, you should ask in detail about upcoming job responsibilities, about existing employee motivation mechanisms (bonuses, preferences - the ability to use a company car; parking place, gasoline, car service for a personal car; additional days off after business trips or during the absence of a manager), etc. .

Naturally, at this stage of the interview, there is also a high probability that you will be attracted to participate in small role-playing games, work with situational examples - cases, various tests and tasks that allow you to assess your professional and individual personal qualities. Sometimes personal interviewers resort to non-trivial interviewing methods:

group interview- an interview to which all candidates for a vacant position are simultaneously invited, and each of them is invited to ask another applicant a question on a professional topic. This is done to identify not only the level of special preparedness of applicants, but also their ability to confidently stay in a stressful situation, leadership qualities, the degree of conflict, etc. Professional psychologists are often invited to such events. Based on their analysis, management selects those candidates who will be asked to interview with the company's CEO.
stressful job interview- a specially simulated environment of discomfort, provoking the applicant for a direct, spontaneous reaction, which makes it possible to reveal the hidden sides of his personality. In its “pure” form, such an interview is very rarely used today, but the position of an assistant manager is in the “risk zone” - it’s no secret that stress resistance and loyalty are among the most important qualities of a personal assistant. The only recipe for successfully overcoming a stressful interview is a high degree of composure, composure and prudence. If you think that the opponent has gone beyond what is permitted, you can always refuse to continue communication. Indeed, today there are enough companies on the market that are more tolerant of potential employees, able to detect the degree of vulnerability of a person and the manner of his reaction in difficult emotionally intense situations without using incorrect statements about him.

Interview with the manager

“Of course, high professionalism is a necessary condition for an applicant for the position of a personal assistant, because the manager simply does not have time to train, organize and control a poorly trained employee,” says Elena Vladimirovna Samginova, head of the HR and labor relations department of CJSC PK RUST. – But all the same, the requirements regarding the personal qualities of a personal assistant are much more stringent. This is due not only to the fundamentally important point of compatibility between the leader and assistant, but also to the need to communicate with a large number of people who are much higher in status than the assistant himself, to participate in negotiations and attend various events. Add to this irregular working hours and constant stress, and it becomes clear that for this profession, psychological characteristics are sometimes more important than professional skills. The problem is that the individual qualities of a specialist in an interview are very difficult to test, and even the use of projective techniques does not always allow you to see the "true face" of the candidate, so the employer has to "invent" situations that contribute to the most complete disclosure of the applicant.

The head of the personnel department escorts the candidate for the position of personal assistant to the office of the general director, sits him down at the table on which the control materials lie: test tasks to assess the level of knowledge of office work, to check the literacy of written speech, the ability to compose a standard letter (for example, a request for data for issuing a visa to the head ), a document for translation in a foreign language, etc. The head continues to deal with papers, not paying attention to those who entered. This goes on for several minutes. No one forgot about the interview, this situation was specially modeled (delay in the start of the conversation - taking a stressful interview). During all this time, the employer observes the actions of the candidate - one will examine the office of a potential boss with interest and meekly wait until they pay attention to him; the other, in order not to lose time, will take up the tasks before him; the third will begin to show aggression. So even before the start of the interview, the manager has a certain impression of the applicant. Having found out the model of the candidate's behavior, the director apologizes for the delay and ... either proceeds to a substantive conversation, or politely says goodbye to the applicant under a plausible pretext.
Many modern companies are equipped with special cameras that allow online monitoring of what is happening in various parts of the office building. The unsuspecting candidate is shown to a waiting room and asked to wait a bit. After a while, the secretary comes out of the reception, leaving the applicant all alone, and a minute later a respectable person appears and starts to make a fuss, demanding to immediately let him through to the director. The behavior of an applicant who finds himself in a similar situation without any support, his ability to “take the hit himself” and resolve the conflict without losing his temper, can serve as the best recommendation for the employer.
The leader accepts the candidate very friendly, starts a conversation on abstract topics and, instead of the expected aptitude test tasks, asks him to fold some simple figure out of paper according to the proposed scheme. It is believed that such a “frivolous” activity as folding origami can tell a lot about the personality of the subject: about the speed and flexibility of his thinking, his ability to concentrate, accuracy, patience and, finally, the ability to get involved in any “game”, treat what is happening with feeling humor.
To check the reliability of the applicant, his ability to correctly handle confidential information, they can ask a question about the mistakes and mistakes of the former leader. Naturally, in such a situation, one should not spread rumors or give out classified information, it is better to "keep your mouth shut."

A few words about formalities

Remember, there is no content without form. The applicant is always evaluated comprehensively: how he looks, speaks, presents himself. Therefore, do not forget about the elementary rules for passing the interview: punctuality, turned off the mobile phone, appropriate business-style clothes in classic colors, clean shoes, moderate makeup, skillful use of accessories and jewelry, neat and discreet manicure, light (neutral) perfume, energy, confidence in yourself, openness and, of course, a smile.

The secretary is a kind of coordinating center of each organization.

There is a misconception that any competent person will be able to cope with the functions of a secretary.

However, this is not the case, and a candidate for the post of secretary must have a number of professional qualities to perform all functions.

The main functions of the secretary

The duties of the secretary of the head of any organization include the following tasks:

receiving and sending correspondence;
record keeping (creation and acceptance of documents, processing of materials necessary for the work of the organization and the leader personally, etc.);
organization of meetings and negotiations of the head, obtaining information for the head and sending his resolutions to employees;
conducting preparations for meetings and meetings and organizing their holding;
creation of the necessary conditions for the work of the head in his office;
contacts with visitors and clients of the organization in person and by telephone;
entering the necessary information into the data bank and printing out the information necessary for the manager or other employees from it.

Based on these functions, the secretary must know:

fundamentals of modern office work and archiving;
fundamentals of labor legislation and administrative law;
rules of business communication and preparation of business papers;
rules for organizing the work of the head.

Personal characteristics

Organization, goodwill, resistance to stress - these are the main features that a secretary must have without fail.

Every visitor of the company meets with the secretary, and all its employees are in contact in connection with their official duties. The secretary should communicate calmly and with a constant smile with everyone, despite his mood and his own well-being.

The secretary must have organizational skills and abilities, the ability to self-organize.

The ability to quickly reorganize in non-standard situations, take the initiative in organizing the work of the company, and act in some cases without special instructions is especially appreciated by managers.

We are reviewing the resume of the secretary

Interview questions for a secretary are very important, but it all starts with a review of the candidate's resume.

The main purpose of any resume is to present the professional skills and personal qualities required for a particular position.

A well-written resume is self-promotion designed to interest the employer..

You need to arrange it in such a way that you would like to meet and talk with you.

Compiling a resume is based on a specific employer. You can not use the same, universal text of a resume for the position of secretary to apply to all organizations at once.

Before writing a resume, study the requirements of a particular vacancy, and write the text, focusing specifically on them. If there are special requests in the ad, do not forget to mark your compliance with them.

Education, experience and work skills are the main positions that are paid attention to when selecting candidates for secretaries, so they need to be presented in the most favorable light. It is necessary to indicate that the candidate for the position of secretary is punctual, diligent, sociable, stress-resistant.

One of the requirements of the resume is to provide a photo. You do not need to put in it a photo where you are relaxing at the sea, having fun in a club or smelling flowers in the country. Your task is to show that you are a business person, so imagine a photo in a business setting that clearly shows a face and a smart look.

Resume writing is a special issue.. The desire to paint a piece of paper with all the colors of the rainbow and monograms of various outlandish fonts leads to the fact that a potential leader does not even read the text. A resume is a document and it needs to be designed in a single, strict font of the same color, highlighting the most important points bold italic. Each block should be clearly structured and separated from others by a subheading.

Reread the text several times and check for errors. They should not be in the resume in any case, since the secretary must be literate. In the process of work, he will have to correct the mistakes of employees and even the manager, but how will he do this if he cannot competently build his own document.

Preparing for an interview

Each specific organization has its own specifics of work, so before the conversation you need to find out as much as possible about it and the area in which it operates.

In any case, behave with dignity, do not break into a cry. Even a failure in an interview is not the end of life and not a disaster, but a certain life experience. If you keep this in mind, peace and confidence are guaranteed to you.

As you can see, it is not so difficult to pass an interview for the position of a secretary, the main thing is to follow certain rules.

In our previous article, we already talked about the basic skills and requirements for candidates for the vacancy of an assistant manager and gave advice on the rules of behavior during an interview.

Since a properly selected assistant director is the face of a recruiter in the eyes of a manager, the selection for this position is carried out with particular care.

When preparing for an interview, in addition to information about the company, it is worth preparing for difficult questions. Of course, the ingenuity of recruiters has no limits, but we have selected for you the 5 most common tricky interview questions:

Tricky question number 1. What do you like the most I do not like as an assistant manager?

How to answer: You have to convince the recruiter that you like the process of working as an assistant manager. For example, some answer that the only thing they don't like is if there is little work or few tasks.

Tricky question number 2. How do you know that you have done your job successfully?

How to answer: Your main task is not to list that you perform all the functions assigned to you, but to show that you are responsible for your work, which means that you constantly analyze and improve its results.

Tricky question number 3. In the evening, the director asked you to print important documents for tomorrow's meeting with clients. You put off printing them until morning because you had more urgent tasks. There was a power outage in the office this morning. Meeting with clients in an hour. What are your actions?

How to answer: To take responsibility for your actions and mistakes, not to lose your composure even in the most difficult situations and to the last look for an opportunity to solve the problem - these are the qualities that a leader expects from you. Here's a pretty good answer to this question: “I won't cry or panic. If the documents are on a flash drive, or the laptop battery has not yet run out, then I will try to find the nearest neighboring office where there is light and ask to print it. If this is not possible, then I will honestly tell the manager everything and offer several options for resolving the issue, for example, reschedule a meeting with clients .... "

Tricky question number 4. You have been assigned an important task. You think that it is better to do it in the "A" way. Your director tells you to act in the "B" way. You are convinced that method "A" is better for the good of the cause. Your actions?

How to answer: In the work of an assistant manager, it is difficult to overestimate the candidate's controllability, his willingness to obey. But the most glorious thing is to show that you know how and can correctly prioritize and find a balance between the willingness to follow orders and your own view, personal initiative in work and the ability to convince. As a rule, experienced candidates respond that they first try to offer the manager their own course of action. Provide their own arguments. If the arguments do not have an effect, then they will obey the order, at the same time specifying in advance how they will act in case of negative consequences of the leader’s decision.

Tricky question number 5. A dissatisfied client is trying to get to the manager. He screams and threatens you if they don't let him through. The head asked not to let this visitor in under any circumstances. Your actions?

How to answer: A conflict situation is always a good occasion to show your goodwill, stress resistance, communication skills and constructive solution problems in conflict situation. When answering such questions, feel free to give examples from your practice, this will emphasize your experience. Be sure to indicate that the angry client does not need to argue, but you need to calm him down and convince him to reschedule the meeting to another convenient time. Smiling, calmness and self-control are your main weapons.

The site company wishes you good luck!

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