Anyone a school secretary/receptionist/admin assistant please?

Poppy9

Werdnal wrote: »

Today's new one was "what do you think we will gain by employing you". I said "you will get a conscientious employee who will give 110% to everything required of the post and make every effort to fill any gaps in my knowledge or experience. I am not afraid to admit I don't know something or ask for advice if I am unsure of a situation, but I will do my best to achieve everything asked of me". I wish you could get a results sheet afterwards to give some idea where I went wrong. I have asked for feedback before, and they normally just say my responses were good, but another candidate was better, so not much help really :mad:. They don't really have the time or inclination to go into any detail!

!

I work LA and I interview. Sorry to pull your answer above apart but the highlighted bits are very negative and depending how you said would sound pre rehearsed and insincere!

So what would the school gain by employing you? - use positive language i.e.

• I am an experienced administrator - give exampe
• I have recent experience of working in a school enviroment -school meals.
• I have excellent time management skills. I currently hold down two jobs and am always punctual and reliable in both positions.
• I am not phased by having to stop one task to attend to another i.e. deal with a child having an accident, a parent wanting to speak to me etc
• I can work on my own initiative or as part of a team - give an example of both.
• I am professional in my dealings with clients and know that confidentiality is important
• I know I will be representing the school and that I may be the first point of contact for a parent and I am confident I will represent the school in a professional, friendly manner.
• I am confident in dealing with third parties like supplies etc. give examples
• I enjoy being part of a school community as I currently as a school meals assistant

Remember breathe, ask for time if needed to compose your answer. Smile, display a small amount of humour. Don't put yourself down.

Achievement - good question to show your humour - i.e. I am still proud of wining the 3 legged race age 7! Then be serious. You worked full time while studying for qualifications. You can even lie - learning to drive despite being nervous, overcoming hesitancy, taking control etc.

Good luck.

Werdnal

Funky_Bold_Ribena wrote: »

I am afraid that answer, from a manager's point of view, doesn't actually tell me what I will gain...this answer is (I'm not being mean, just honest) run of the mill and a mid scorer. What they want to know is that you are x y and z, not x, I might make an effort to be y and I will try not to be z.

So 'you will get a punctual, conscientious administrator, with good all round knowledge of systems and procedures, keen to learn, self-aware and a self-starter, a good communicator who loves dealing with parents and children as well as colleagues' etc etc. if you make it easy for them to tick a box and score you a '1' for each point then you stand a better chance of making the cut.

I was quite chuffed with that one, off top of my head, but don't worry, criticism is valuable too. Thats my whole problem - I cannot sell myself enough, I'm too modest and I don't give them the WOW factor. I'm not the sort of person to be able to talk myself up and tell them what they want to hear ... maybe I've been away from the workplace too long, but with previous jobs, my qualifications sold themselves, ... its all different now. I am hoping to get a job that on paper I could probably do blindfolded with one arm tied behind my back, but I tend to under-estimate myself for fear of not living up to people's expectations. I'm afraid of letting others down, so I end up letting myself down ... maybe working the tills in Asda sounds more appealing after all ...

Funky_Bold_Ribena

Werdnal wrote: »

I was quite chuffed with that one, off top of my head, but don't worry, criticism is valuable too. Thats my whole problem - I cannot sell myself enough, I'm too modest and I don't give them the WOW factor. I'm not the sort of person to be able to talk myself up and tell them what they want to hear ... maybe I've been away from the workplace too long, but with previous jobs, my qualifications sold themselves, ... its all different now. I am hoping to get a job that on paper I could probably do blindfolded with one arm tied behind my back, but I tend to under-estimate myself for fear of not living up to people's expectations. I'm afraid of letting others down, so I end up letting myself down ... maybe working the tills in Asda sounds more appealing after all ...

But how do the people recruiting you know that? You have to spell it out. Recruitment is a game and you are playing the part of the perfect employee. That's just how it is.

JoolzS

I have to agree with a poster above - the expression 110% makes my hackles rise. I'm not a recruiter or an employer, but if I were then anyone saying "I will give 110%" to anything in a field of otherwise good candidates would get them a "no thanks". To me, it's like nails on a blackboard.

Savvy_Sue

You may find the local council has a 'temp bank', like an in house recruitment agency, where you could do part-time term-time work in various depts, as required. From there you'd get the recent admin experience which might just tip you into first place for a schools job.

Be aware though that you may still need some childcare for the odd day when the school's not open but you are needed (or would be helpful if you were there).