Do you have strong negotiation skills?
"I imagine that an attendance clerk would need to use negotiation skills when giving out tardy notes, verifying the authenticity of absence notes or calling parents of students to verify absences. I have a small background in retail sales, in a commission driven background, so I am confident in my negotiation abilities."
"My negotiation skills are strong! Working with kids for so long, and being a parent myself, I have had no choice but to hone my negotiations skills."
Being an attendance clerk requires you to negotiate with your students quite often! The interviewer wants to know if you are capable of negotiating when needed. Tell the interviewer about some situation where you had to use your negotiation skills. It will be useful to mention how often you have to use this ability in your job and how successful you are.
"Negotiating is a very regular part of my job. I have to regularly use this skill while communicating with the students, teachers and sometimes the maintenance staff. The last time I had to use my negotiation skills was when things got stuck in calculating the holiday benefits for the employees. The administration wanted to make some cuts while the employees were not in favor of this. I mediated and explained to the employees the reason behind this decision. I explained to the administration that it was unfair to dismiss the benefits. We reached a mid-ground, and everyone was happy."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
It may not be my strong suit, but having three children has made me a better negotiator.
Rachelle's Feedback
Nothing teaches negotiation more than raising children :) Referring to the job description, are you aware of when you may be required to negotiate with others? How would you approach a situation that required negotiation or compromise?
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