Admin Assistant Mock Interview
Master 40 Admin Assistant interview questions covering organization, communication, and office technology.
Question 23 of 40
Tell me about a time when you received criticism from your manager. How did you react to that criticism, and did you make improvements based on the feedback?
Entry Level
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Example Answer
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) A couple of months ago, my professor suggested that I work to increase my typing speed. (Task) I did not think it was slow at typing, sitting around 60 words per minute, but he wanted me to increase my speed regardless. As a student, of course, I should listen to feedback from those teaching me. (Action) To improve, I have been taking typing classes online and then testing myself once per week. (Result) So far, I am at a typing speed of 72 words per minute, and I can already see how this pick up in speed will impact my productivity once I gain employment as an Admin Assistant."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
The interviewer is seeking out information regarding potential areas of weakness. They are also looking for evidence of professional communication. Show that you can handle constructive criticism and that you respond appropriately. As an Admin Assistant in a professional setting, you know that feedback helps you to learn and improve the quality of your work, which is why you graciously accept constructive criticism. Give an example that will not make you exempt from the role. For instance, if one of the primary responsibilities of this role is calendar management, you would not want to discuss a situation involving disorganization on your part.
With this 'Tell me about a time...' style question, you will want to give a story-based example. To ensure that you are specific and organized in your story response, try using the STAR framework. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) Recently, I received instructions to create a PowerPoint presentation to promote one of our company's internal client appreciation events. (Task) As the Admin Assistant, it is part of my role to design the look of the presentation and edit the content that my manager provides. (Action) Although I do not have experience in graphic design, I felt that I had a good enough eye for style and that I could make the presentation look clean and attractive. I went ahead and completed the task in just four hours. After my manager reviewed my work, some of the slides required different wording, and he had a different color scheme in mind. I felt that my manager could have relayed those thoughts upfront rather than criticize my work after the fact. However, at the same time, I could have been firmer about asking for direction from the beginning. (Result) I listened to his ideas and incorporated them. I had the changes back to him within an hour, and he was very pleased with how quickly I incorporated his feedback. What I learned from the situation is that I should ask more questions if there is room for interpretation. I ask for firmer guidelines more often now, and this improvement has significantly boosted my productivity on particular projects."
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Anonymous Answer
Like everyone, I have received input from my managers that helped me to see how my work could be improved. Once I was asked to revise a project that I had spent a lot of time on, but after listening carefully to the critique, I saw how I could make changes that would strengthen the finished product. I am always eager to learn from people with different views and experiences, especially when the commentary can help me grow in my career and strengthen my skillset.
Chad's Feedback
This is a good start! However, with this "Tell me about a time..." style question, you will want to give a detailed story-based example. The example you have provided is too vague. Consider adding more detail, especially around the type of project you were working on, the exact criticism your work received and from who, and what the final outcome was. To ensure that you are specific and organized in your story response, try using the STAR framework. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Anonymous Answer
Updated answer - In my first administrative assistant role at _____, I was working on an email blast that was to be sent out to over 2,000 members and non-members regarding an upcoming golf tournament. I decided I would copy and paste the message in the body of the first email into each email message. In the middle of the email blast, I got sidetracked and stopped to check my email inbox. After replying back to a non-members email regarding membership fees. I accidentally copied and pasted that into an email that I send to several people on the list for the email blast. Luckily I caught it and after sending 3 emails. I quickly corrected the mistake to the three people I had emailed and included the correct info re the golf tournament. I told my boss who wasn’t happy. She said that I should have copied and pasted my message in a word doc and saved it on my desktop and worked from that instead of an email. I apologized and told her I would make sure to finish future email blasts before stopping to do something else. I didn’t make that mistake again.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! You come across as someone who is open to constructive criticism and always looking to improve, which the interviewer will undoubtedly appreciate. Can you provide some more details about your example so it's less vague? What kind of project was it? What kinds of changes did you end up making to improve the final product? The more details you can provide, the more meaningful your answer will be to the interviewer. Excellent job!
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