My name is Richard McMunnn and in this training video, I'm going to teach you how to answer

a Personal Assistant or P.A. interview.

So, if you have one coming up, I promise you this video is going to help you.

Please do watch it from beginning to end because I'm going to give you some great tips.

I'm also going to give you a load of sample Personal Assistant interview questions and

suggested answers, so please listen in and take notes as we go along.

So, before we get into the questions welcome to this tutorial - a very warm welcome.

That's me there on the right-hand side.

I've been helping people like you pass their interviews for over 20 years now and in this

particular interview training video we're going to focus on the P.A. or Personal Assistant

interview.

So please do make sure you SUBSCRIBE to this channel by clicking the red link below the

video.

That way you will not miss out on any of the videos that I'm creating every week.

Please also, if you like the content give it a thumbs up.

I would very, very much appreciate that.

It motivates me to do more for you.

And also, in return, if you tell me the industry of the PA interview that you've got coming

up in the comments section below the video I will give you a list of five interview questions

to prepare for, in addition to the ones that are coming right now.

OK.

Let's get straight into it.

PA interview question number one.

Tell me about yourself why you would make a good PA?

So it's an introductory interview question and you want to answer this by getting off

on the right foot.

So, a couple of tips.

Two important tips before I give you the suggested answer to this question.

Number one: use the words PROFESSIONAL, ORGANIZED AND CONSCIENTIOUS in your answer to this question

because those are the kind of skills that somebody who's hiring a PA will be looking

for.

Tip number two: tell the interviewer you take pride in your work and that you enjoy being

the person who has the responsibility of organizing things for other people.

So, as a PA, as you know, you have to take responsibility, OK, and be able to work on

your own and achieve your goals and targets.

So here's my sample response for you based on the PA Interview Question “Tell me about

yourself and why you would make a good PA?”

Here we go.

“I am a professional, conscientious and a highly organized person who has a passion

for my work.

I take the responsibilities of my role seriously and I very much enjoy being the person who

has the responsibility of organizing and planning things for my employer.

I am a positive person who will not crumble under pressure and I am able to plan, multitask

and organize my work in accordance with strict timescales.

I believe I would make a great PA, simply because I care about my work.

I very rarely make mistakes and I understand the role is very important to my employer.

If I do not perform to the required standard as a Personal Assistant, a lot of people suffer

as a consequence.

A great response!

OK, a brilliant response to that first interview question “Tell me about yourself why you'd

make a good PA?”, and it gets you off on the right foot!

Question number two for your P.A. interview.

“What are the top three skills for a P.A. position?”

So, three tips here: Before you answer this question there is actually no right or wrong

answer but give the interviewer three skills that will be of benefit to them, and how you

do that is by looking at the job description.

So, if there is a job description for the role you are been interviewed for, have a

look at it and it will tell you what the key requirements are and then to say what the

top skills are.

Pick them out from the job description and tip number three: In my opinion, someone who

is organized being professional and also being able to multitask right up there with some

of the main key skills for a PA position.

Also, being confident and also acting in a confidential manner because you're going to

be dealing with confidential information so we're going to put those in the response to

interview.

Question number two: here we go for you – “The top three skills, in my opinion, are being

organized, professionalism and being able to multitask, too.

So, without the skill of organization a PA cannot manage his or her workload effectively

nor can they prioritize tasks based on importance.

Now, without the skill of professionalism, people you come into contact with on a daily

basis will not have faith in your abilities.

You also have to remember as a P.A. that you are effectively a role model for the company

you are working for.

Professionalism is very important, and you also have to maintain confidentiality at all

times in this role.

Finally, being able to multitask is an essential skill.

A PA will be given many and varied tasks each day and you have to be able to multitask based

on the pressure.

There are no excuses for not getting your work done to the required standard and on

time.

Another really strong answer for you, for your PA interview.

Question number three: “Where do you see yourself working in five years’ time?”

Now this is one question will be asked during your P.A. interview because it can take quite

a while to embed in the P.A. role, get to know your boss well and understand the role

so that you can virtually do it with your eyes closed.

What they don't want to do is get you in the role for six months and then you end up moving

on.

So, you want to be there.

You want to be answering this question that you're gonna be there for quite some time.

So, here's two tips.

Tip number one: show the interview panel you are someone who does not change jobs often.

Tip number two: in five years’ time you should want to still be working in that job

you are applying for.

So, let's have a look at my suggested answer to PA Interview Question number three.

Here we go.

“If I am successful interview today, and you are pleased with my work, I plan to still

be working here at your company in many years to come.

I am looking for a stable employment position as a P.A. where I can really get to know the

role well and perform the duties to the best of my ability.

I believe it's important to have a P.A. you can trust in and rely upon.

Trust is built up over a prolonged period of time and I do not plan to move jobs if

I am successful in this role.”

So that is a relatively short punchy response and that is telling the interview panel what

they want to hear.

Question number four: “How would you organize your day as a PA?”

So, how would you organize your day?

So, a few tips, a couple of tips for answering this question before we move on to the sample

response.

Tip number one: being organized is very important and you have to make sure you do not forget

anything or miss tasks or deadlines, as you know!

Tip number two: consider saying you would use a P.A. organizational app to make sure

nothing gets missed.

So, I'll give you one of those apps in a second, in the response.

Here we go: “Being organized is critical to the role of a P.A.

Whilst I do believe I have an exceptional memory, I always make sure I write everything

down on my TO-DO-LIST that sits next to me at my desk and I tick off the tasks and jobs

as and when they are completed.

I also would utilize the WUNDERLUST program on my computer, as I can access this anywhere

and on any device.

For example, if I was off work and you needed me to do a task for you, I could access the

WUNDERLUST app on my phone and get access to the information I needed, quickly.

Whilst I haven't made many mistakes in previous jobs, I do understand the importance of being

highly organized and also making sure everything is backed up, just in case things go wrong.”

So, that's a great response to the P.A. interview question, “How would you organize your day

as a Personal Assistant?”

Okay.

Question number five, we're making great progress.

“How would you take minutes in a meeting to make sure everything was covered?”

So, I would imagine during your interview you will be asked a question that relates

to something based around taking minutes in a meeting.

So, two tips: taking minutes in a meeting is an important and acquired skill, so you

need to know how to answer this interview question effectively.

Now, if you've never done this before, this answer will still be relevant to you.

You can still use it.

Obviously, if you have taken minutes before, brilliant, you know you can rely on that experience

in your answer.

Tip number two: there are a number of things to consider when answering this question,

and here they are.

Here we go.

“Yes, I already have plenty of experience of taking notes, some minutes in a meeting.

First and foremost, I would plan the meeting well in advance to make sure the meeting room

was prepared and people were fully aware of the time and location, etc.

I would also ensure the meeting participants receive the agenda items, are aware of the

people who are attending, and they also receive any previous meeting minutes, if applicable.

Then, during the meeting, I would note the names of the participants and any apologies

or absentees, the agenda items, the main discussion points, the decisions made by the participants,

any calendar or due dates, and also any future decisions or future meeting dates following

the meeting.

I would quickly organise the minutes to check for accuracy before asking my manager to check

them over before finally sending them out to the meeting participants.”

And that response tells the interview panel you know what you're talking about and you

have a structured approach to taking minutes at a meeting.

Question number six: a really difficult question.

Don't forget, if you like this video so far, please give it a THUMBS UP.

I would really appreciate that, and you can tell me the name of your P.A. interview if

you want, in the comments section below and I'll give you a list of five questions to

prepare for.

“What's the biggest mistake you have ever made at work?”

Now we all make mistakes.

So, what you don't do is say: “Well, I've never made a mistake!”

We all make mistakes, but obviously as a PA, if you make a mistake it can impact significantly

on the organisation or the person you are working for.

So, we have to answer this carefully.

So, I'm going to give you a situation that has got nothing to do with being a P.A.

OK, here we go.

Two tips: Be honest when answering his P.A. interview question.

We all make mistakes but how we respond to them, that's the important part!

Tip number two: Identify the mistake you made, acknowledge the mistake and put steps in place

to make sure it never happens again.

So, here we go, here's my suggested answer and this is a great response for this question.

“Early on in my career I made a mistake which I've never made since.

I was working as a customer service agent and I inadvertently sent out the wrong order

to a valued customer.

The mistake I made had the knock-on effect of impacting three other customer's orders.

So, I was absolutely distraught about the error I had made.

I immediately identified the mistake and informed my line manager straight away so we could

take steps to sort it out as soon as possible.

We then worked together to resolve the issue for our customers and I then volunteered to

undertake some additional training in my own time to ensure it never happened again.

I am an honest person and I would always put my hand up if I made a mistake.

However, I learned a tremendous amount from that incident and I am pleased to say I have

not made any mistakes since.”

So, if you answer that question using that response you come across as an honest person,

which is what you want and also someone who takes responsibilities and takes steps to

prevent things from happening again.

That's a great response to that question.

Okay.

A few more P.A. interview questions.

“What would you do if you disagreed with the way your manager wanted you to handle

a situation or a problem whilst working as a P.A.?”

“What are your greatest strengths?”

“What is your greatest weakness?” and you should give a weakness.

I will tell you where to get answers to these in a second.

“Why did you leave your last job?”

“What experience do you have for the P.A. role?”

“What additional job training have you done recently?”

Because, as a PA, you need to be keeping your skills up to date.

“What do you know about our organization and what we are striving to achieve?”

Another question: “You are working as a P.A. and a valued client calls you to discuss

a problem and your boss isn't available and it is an urgent issue.

He starts to get irate with you on the telephone.