Administration Manager interview questions and answers

Administration Manager Interview Questions

Administration Managers run business operations. They coordinate daily procedures, manage office supplies and monitor general and administrative (G&A) expenses.

For this role, a college degree is not always required, but candidates with a BSc in Business Administration will stand out. Keep an eye out for people with professional certificates and/or office management experience. They’ll be more familiar with basic procedures, like how to use office equipment and how to prepare regular reports (e.g. weekly expenditure reports.)

To hire a successful Administration Manager, screen candidates for soft skills. Opt for people who can organize their space, maintain efficient filing systems and manage their workload, despite deadlines. This individual will interact with teams and external partners by phone and email, so look for candidates with strong verbal and written communication skills. If the role requires supervising and training personnel, ask interview questions that reveal candidates’ management abilities.

Operational and Situational questions

• What language would you include in an office policy to explain proper use of equipment, like printers and scanners?
• If you had to prepare a report with annual expenses by department, what information would you need from each manager?
• How would you inform employees about a change in a regular administrative process? (e.g. how to submit a request for office supplies)
• How would you prioritize your work, if different managers assigned you tasks due at the same time?

Role-specific questions

• What software programs do you use on a daily basis?
• What kinds of spreadsheets do you regularly build in Excel?
• What’s your experience with calendar administration? What specific applications do you use?
• How do you keep track of office resources? (e.g. documents and supplies)
• How do you handle employee requests for confidential information?
• Do you have experience training employees? What’s your approach?

Behavioral questions

• In what ways have you improved efficiency at work? (e.g. finding a cheaper vendor for office supplies that reduced costs)
• What motivates you to stay productive during repetitive work?
• Recall a time you had to resolve a dispute between colleagues. How did you handle it?
• Have you ever lost a physical or digital file at work? What did or would you do, in that case?
• How do you manage to remain calm and productive when dealing with multiple tasks at once?