The Importance of Hiring the Right Admin
Hiring the “right admin for the job” is a crucial element for companies to achieve. Yes, that’s my opinion, but it’s true!
Because of the differences in skills, experience, pay, culture and values, companies are constantly struggling to find the perfect candidate for positions.
Administrative assistants are the foundation to any business for many reasons. They make sure the office runs smoothly, deal with customer service inquiries, and can even boost office morale.
It is essential for businesses to hire an administrative assistant/administrative support who has the right qualifications.
Some people think that hiring an admin assistant is a simple task, but, if done correctly, it requires careful consideration. The right person should be someone who has experience in both customer service and office management, so he or she knows how things work behind the scenes.
Prepare to Interview an Administrative Assistant Candidate
Administrative assistants are an important part of any business because they help in providing support to the employees. They handle day-to-day tasks and making sure that everything is running smoothly.
In order for you to know what to look for in the interview with your potential admin, you need to be honest about what you need and want and understand the necessary skills for the job.
Be Honest About What You Need When Hiring an Administrative Support
Spending time figuring out what you’re looking for will help you and the admin you hire to work better together by setting expectations. Setting expectations can help to minimize the possibility of potential confusion later on with your future admin.
Know and Understand the Skills and Experience You are Looking For
Take the time to understand the difference between the many administrative roles. If you can break down the administrative job responsibilities, it will help you hire an admin who wants the specific job you’re offering.
Experienced admins will better understand what you’re actually looking for to help them better assess the position and whether it’s a good fit.
You want to have a clear idea of what tasks this person will be responsible for. You will also want to make sure that the person you hire has the proper qualifications and experience. That way, they can hit the ground running.
It is also important to know what their job responsibilities will be so you can create the right environment and set them up for success.
Please don’t assume your admin job is “basic” or “simple.” The mutual respect between you and the admin you might hire starts here.
5 Questions You Should Ask During the Interview Process
1) Why do you want this job? What interested you in this position?
2) What is your preferred work environment and management style?
3) What do you hope to gain or learn from this position?
4) If [manager] made a decision you disagreed with, how would you handle that?
5) If you completed a task in a way that your manager didn’t like, how would you prefer them to approach you?
What Qualities Should I Look For In My Ideal Administrative Assistant Candidate?
Excellent Communication Skills
Administrative assistants need to communicate effectively with all kinds of people – from executives and employees to vendors and clients.
Admins often need to adjust communication styles for all kinds of people in different situations. Sometimes they need to be authoritative and demanding, other times they need to be warm and welcoming. It can change from day to day, depending on the situation.
Communicating well is essential for staying on top of deadlines, and adequately representing your company and organization both internally and externally.
Whether they write internal memos for your company or craft press releases to the public, it’s important they can articulate a message in an engaging, concise way.
Team Player
Working collaboratively with different departments and colleagues is another important quality needed by an admin assistant.
However, being a team player doesn’t mean admins should never say, “no.” It means admins should work side-by-side with other teams or coworkers to make sure all needs are met.
To be a good team player and leader, a manager’s pride and ego should not come before the needs of any employee, especially that of an admin.
Experience:
Experience with general administrative tasks and programs is very helpful. Before you hire or even post your position, think about whether or not you need an experienced admin.
There is a difference between hiring a person to train how to be an admin so they can eventually be your admin and hiring an admin.
Make sure you know what you level of expertise you need and are prepared to compensate accordingly.
There are people who think just because they know how to turn on a computer and technically answer a phone, they count that as “administrative experience”. It’s not.
Personality Fit:
Consider the type of environment the candidate will work in with your current employees and yourself to determine the “fit”.
The personality fit when considering which administrative support professional you are interested in hiring is REALLY important. There’s a phrase, “Hard skills get you hired, soft skills get you fired.”
If you’re looking for an administrative support professional who you expect to work closely with you, consider what type of person and personality you’d like to have around you. What easily annoys you? What makes you happy to be around people? Think about the kind of team member would you like to work with because that’s who you should look to find.
Get insight from trusted colleagues about the type of team member you are and seriously consider what they say – it might surprise you. Hiring the right admin is a very important decision that is often overlooked – until you have a bad experience.
Choosing the right admin is just as much about you as it is the candidate. If you lie to yourself or choose to not be honest about what you actually want, it will most likely not end well.
Conclusion: Hiring the Right Admin
Hiring the right admin will help you grow your business and save you time and money. There is a lot you can do to make sure that you hire the best admin for your business, including asking the right interview questions and consider who you are, what you need, and what you want. That is the best way to hire the right admin.
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
