Do you have experience planning office events or functions?

How to Answer
Entry Level
Answer Example
Community Answers

As an Admin Assistant, you may be responsible for planning company functions and special events. Walk the interviewer through some of your experiences. You could also bring your expertise to life for the interviewer by telling a story of a recent event you planned and the steps that you took to ensure it was a success!

If you are new to your career, you could mention that you are comfortable taking the reins on event planning projects. This approach will show the interviewer that you are eager to learn new skills.

"Rest assured; I will plan any event or function with care and pride. Although my event planning experience comes from personal events, I believe that my organization skills will be valuable since I would first map out the event idea, and then create a checklist of to-dos. I am creative and have a lot of good ideas, so I am confident that I could execute a terrific company event or function."

"For the past eight years, I have planned our company's holiday party. I also plan our weekly leadership meetings, team lunches, and I arrange for continued training workshops every quarter. I have a checklist that I use for each type of event or meeting. I also know who I need to engage for assistance, who the top vendors are for things such as catering, sound, and decor. I work fast and within budget since I know how important it is to track all spending. The last holiday party that I organized, we were 10% under budget, which made the company owner very happy. I will certainly bring this same level of care to your events, should I be the successful candidate."

Anonymous Answer

"Updated Answer. Yes, I do. In my current role at ______, I order food for breakfast and lunch meetings. Once I receive a confirmation of how many people will attend I call the restaurants and place a catering order. I choose to order items that everyone will like. There are 2 to 3 restaurants we use on a regular basis that know us well. On the day the order is delivered I will include a tip and keep the receipt so I can include it when I submit my HR Manager's monthly expenses in Concur. I also help plan events in our office such as baby showers. My HR manager and I will discuss the details. She will send emails and out ask people to RSVP with me. Then I will order a cake, party items and order food, etc. I also reserve a special conference room and set it up on the day of the shower. I really enjoy doing this for my office."

Marcie's Feedback

Great! What exactly is your role when it comes to arranging catering for meetings and planning birthday parties? Do you decide how much food to order? Do you place the orders? Do you set and/or follow a budget? Also, how does this help your current company? Do the meetings and parties improve employee morale? The more details you can provide, the better!