Questions and Answers

Question 1

What are your weaknesses?

Answer 1

‘I’m always seeking to improve my current skillset and communication to be a better presenter. Recently I started getting involved with an online service called Brainscape, which allows me to share my knowledge with other people on certain topics by creating flash cards. Recently, I started learning how to read Chinese. As I’m learning, I can share my learning.

Question 2

Why should we hire you? / What can you offer that other candidates can’t?

Answer 2

I embody many skills that would make me a great reception helpdesk assistant.

• I work well both as an individual, and therefore can hold me own, and as part of a team. While working in my family’s Chinese takeaway, I was 1 of a team of 3. I worked under pressure, across all stations, filling in wherever necessary.
• I’m a very good communicator, both orally and in written form. I am the graduate of two degrees and have written over a dozen essays across my academic career, covering many topics.
• I can handle a heavy workload. I worked in the Takeaway during both of my degrees, commuting over the weekend when I was at Lancaster. The degrees themselves was a lot of work. I had to keep to a vast reading list, as well as write multiple essays, many falling on the same deadline. Nonetheless my work remained of a high standard. I marked high across all my assessments.

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Being a graduate of Durham University, I also know the area very well. I’m familiar with the environment and I believe having been a student myself, I would know how to work with students and staff. This is an essential part of the job.

Question 3

Why do you want to work here?

Answer 3

While I have developed many of the skills required for this job, it’s a sector I have yet to dive into. I believe in taking on new challenges and to succeed in a new sector would be fulfilling as well.

Question 4

When were you most satisfied in your previous job?

Answer 4

When your hard work pays off. It’s very important to me to provide a high quality service but that requires a lot of hard work and discipline. Therefore it’s always so lovely when we heard from our customers telling us they loved the food. The shop was open for twenty years and we were fortunate to have so many regulars.

Question 5

How do you manage a heavy workload when it’s busy?

Answer 5

I’m a planner. I always have been. If I’m aware of that I will have a heavy day or week ahead, then I will plan. How much time will be devoted to this and how much time do I need to spend on that? When should this piece of work be handed in? If the workload comes out of the blue, then I would first ask myself what’s the most important thing to get done? I would categorise my work by their level of importance, working on the most important first.

Question 6

What software are you comfortable using relating to administrative work?

Answer 6

I’m a very proficient user of Microsoft Office. I use Word on a daily basis, and have experience using Publisher and Excel. My time studying two degrees has also made me familiar with different university systems; Durham has DUO and Lancaster University had Moodle and Student Portal.

Question 7

What do you think is the most essential quality for a reception helpdesk assistant?

Answer 7

The reception is usually the first point of contact for many places, therefore I think qualities such as good communication are essential. A reception helpdesk assistant should also be inviting and friendly. Customers should be able to speak to us with confidence.

Question 8

Do you have experience working on multi-line phone lines?

Answer 8

I haven’t had the opportunity to work on multi phone lines. But I’m a fast learner and willing to take any training in advance of my start date should I be selected for the position.

Question 9

What’s your typing speed?

Answer 9

I haven’t tested my typing speed recently, but I believe my typing skills are strong since I’ve typed up many essays across my degrees. I’m very attentive and have always made sure that each essay is carefully proofread and edited.

Question 10

Tell me about a situation where you had to deal with a difficult customer?

Answer 10

While working in the Chinese Takeaway, I often had to deal with inebriated customers, particularly if the football had been on. There was on situation where two girls wouldn’t leave the premises and insisted on staying overnight. They didn’t order food either. I asked them to leave in a calm manner, and when they still refused, I told them I would call the police. I dialled 999 on my phone but did actually place the call since that was enough to get them to leave.

Question 11

How do you manage confidential information?

Answer 11

I would make sure all confidential information is only handled by me or the members of my team who have the authority to handle such information. I would make sure no one from the members of public could see this information. If there were people that wished to see it, then they would need permission. If they insisted then I would try to verify if they had permission, but if I couldn’t verify, then I wouldn’t give any information out.

Question 12

How would your previous employer describe you?

Answer 12

A team player, willing to share the workload and help others in order to maintain a steady workflow. Someone who is a hard worker and a fast learner, good at listening and following instructions as well as making decisions using my own initiative.

Question 13

What do you know about the work we do?

Answer 13

• The Estates and Facilities Department.
• reviewing maintenance programmes in relation to sort, medium and long term needs of buildings and facilities.
• providing technical service to the university
• dealing with day-to-day services for the university
• managing services and facilities

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Reception helpdesk assistant would assist on the front desk, greet students, staff and customers, providing assistance.

Question 14

What strategies do you use to help you fix mistakes?

Answer 14

I would look at the situation as a whole. It’s important to look at a situation holistically in order to understand where something went wrong. After I worked that out, then I would take measures to ensure that the mistake couldn’t be repeated.

Question 15

Introduce yourself.

Answer 15

Hello, my name is Shelley.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity today to be interviewed for this position. Before I applied for the job I read over the essential qualities required for the job and I believe the qualities I possess are a strong match.

I have a lot of experience in a variety of roles that I think will help me succeed in the role of Reception Helpdesk Assistant. I am organised, I have experience working in a busy environment, advising a range of customers.

I will always embrace change positively and will put the needs of the team first.

Question 16

Give one example where you worked as part of a team?

Answer 16

During my time at Lancaster University, I worked as Assistant Editor of Cake Magazine, which was a poetry magazine run by students for students. We received submissions from applicants from across the country. We actually received more than we anticipated, so the team came together and we allocated work depending on people’s strengths. I was tasked with line-editing a bulk of the submissions because I had experience proof-reading and editing people’s work.

Question 17

What motivates you?

Answer 17

I’m motivated by many things - by personal happiness, like I’m moving forward both in my personal life as well as my work life. By doing a good job. This gives me a sense of job satisfaction. I’m motivated by goals. It’s always satisfying reaching the end of the day having ticked off everything on the list of things to do that day.

Question 18

Any questions?

Answer 18

What would you need me to concentrate on in the first few weeks of starting, should I be selected for the position?

Can you describe a typical day on the job?

How will shifts be allocated? By rota?

What advice would you give to a successful candidate who wants to excel in this role?

Question 19

Give me an example of how you delivered excellent customer service.

Answer 19

In my last position, I had a great deal of challenging customers. Since the business offered food, there is always going to be someone who may become dissatisfied with their order despite that we try to deliver a high quality service. Perhaps we got the order wrong or sometimes we forget to add a carton of sauce. Although my patience was often tested, I always remained level-headed, helpful, and positive. Becoming outwardly frustrated would have only made the customer feel bad or even upset them, which is something I would never want.

Question 20

What do you know about the work we do here? Leisure Assistant ver.

Answer 20

Team Durham is based upon the three core strands of Participation, Performance and Community.

You run weekly clubs such as basketball, tennis, badminton, and Hockey. You’re also home to local clubs such as Durham City Hockey Club.

It would be the Leisure assistant’s job to help set up the equipment needed for any matches etc, and put equipment away when people are done using them.

Question 21

Tell me about any experience you have working in a sporting environment.

Answer 21

I played in Lancaster university’s netball club for three years. The university was collegiate like Durham so different colleges within the university had their own club, and I joined the club at my college. I played for three years and was an executive for two of those. I also served as captain to two different teams. This meant that I had managerial responsibilities like arranging matches and training, collecting equipment, but I also lead training sessions for my own team and even served as a casual umpire during training.

Question 22

Do you have any experience dealing in first aid situations?

Answer 22

I have yet to gain any proper experience in first aid situations. But I am a fast and determined learner, and am willing to attend any training required of me in advance to the start date, should I be selected for the position.

Question 23

Do you have experience working in buildings, estates etc?

Answer 23

In my previous job, we owned a shop for the business, so I have experience working in that sort of building. I also have a lot of experience working in sports halls. I was a frequent user of the gym at Lancaster. Also, at the end of each year, Lancaster held a sports competition called Founders, between the two founding colleges of the university. My college was one of them. Every year our college netball club would play against the the other college’s club. Though we usually trained outside, we also trained a lot inside the sports hall since the competition was held inside the sports hall.

Question 24

What do you know about health and safety?

Answer 24

We had to comply to many health and safety regulations in the family business. For example, we had the appliances checked regularly, had fire safety assessments, the gas checked. Since we were also working with food, we also had hygiene assessments done regularly.

Question 25

What experience do you have as a financial administrator?

Answer 25

So far in my career, I haven't had any experience working as a financial administrator. However, I have had experience working in admin. I served as an administrator as a member of the exec in my netball club. While finance would be a new department for me, I think it's always good to branch out and challenge yourself in order to progress. You have to start somewhere.

Question 26

What are some of major challenges the accounting industry faces looking ahead? How will it impact the role of financial administrator?

Answer 26

Though I must admit I am unfamiliar with all the changes being made to the industry, I did do some research to help enlighten me on the subject and was quite intrigued by what I found. I find issues such as the introduction of AI to be really interesting overall, as well as the Tax Cuts and Job Cut Act, which I knew nothing about before commencing my research. It's hard to know for sure what their impact will be – all I can say is that I'm excited for the challenges that come with that, and will embrace change positively.

Question 27

What do you to ensure error free work?

Answer 27

Of course in any field, mistakes are not good, particularly in this field too. But no matter the piece of work, I always double-check my work, and then check again for good measure. Across my literature degrees, I had written dozens of essays and of course when you're writing essays that are 3000 words or 10000 words long, you can get tired and the risk of mistakes become higher. Especially for an English degree, it would be awful to make silly mistakes like spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. That's why I always read my work multiple times and it would be the same in any other department I worked in as well.

Question 28

Describe a situation you needed to use data to prove a point?

Answer 28

When my father was selling the business, I liaised with lawyers on behalf of and for my parents since they aren't fluent in English. All the terms of the contract were overseen by me in order to make sure everything was alright. In the contract, there was one particular clause that stuck out to me. It concerned VAT. This particular clause stated that we would be charged VAT if the new owners were not already registered for VAT, otherwise it would apply as a transfer of a business as a going concern situation. The buyers were not registered for VAT and the meeting where we were going to sign contracts was looming. Since it was already difficult to get together due to pandemic regulations, my parents dismissed my concerns. I was quite adamant however and calculated that, since we had already agreed to sell the business for a specific price, then the charge of VAT would fall on our side. That would mean we would lose 20% of the money we would get from the sale, which of course, was not ideal. I called my father's accountant in order to have this confirmed and ultimately postponed contract signing until the buyers were registered for VAT. It was frustrating since both parties had got to the point where we were ready to sign contracts, but it was necessary. I felt very comforted to have my concerns validated as well.

Question 29

Regarding culture, what environment do you feel you do your best work in?

Answer 29

I work well when I have clear direction and find a balance of solo effort, and working alongside a team. I can not only progress on a personal level but also it gives me a sense of fulfilment having completed a task with a team and done so well.

Question 30

What made you leave your last job?

Answer 30

I worked in my family's business for 8 years and in November last year, my father retired and sold the business. New owners came in and rebranded and I believed it was a good time for me to move. Working with your family is much different than working for others, there are pros and cons, but I can say that it was comfortable to say the least. I think in order to progress in my professional career I need to branch out and challenge myself. While I'm grateful for the experience I gained whilst working for my family, I think it's time for me to move on professionally.

Question 31

What can you bring that other candidates with the same education and experience can't?

Answer 31

My work ethic. Perhaps I won't be your best man with regards to particular skills, but I would be your best choice when it comes to work ethic and determination. All the success that I've achieved throughout my professional and personal life has been due to my hard work and discipline. I started school being told that it would be unlikely for me to get high grades in English because it wasn't my first language, to the only person in my family to have achieved a first in their Bachelor's degree in English Literature. Even when things got difficult, that didn't prevent me from putting my best foot forward and producing high quality work.

Question 32

Who has influenced you the most?

Answer 32

In the final year of my Bachelor's degree, I made a lifelong friend. We still talk now. She was definitely my support system throughout that last year and the years following as I went into my Master's degree. Having come from a background of an ethnic minority, I hold a strange liminal space in society. I'm inherently Chinese, and therefore I hold some conservative values, but having grown up in Britain, my sensibilities are also rather Western, or more so than someone who grew up in Hong Kong China.. I found no foothold with the large Chinese community within the university since my Chinese language skills are lacking, but then I found myself to be judged for not wanting to partake in drinking and partying etc. But Eva, my friend, also came from an ethnic minority and also grew up in England. I not only found someone who supported me in my education with regards to reading my work and listening to my ideas, but also someone with whom I developed an intimate understanding.

Question 33

What do you consider to be your best achievement in education?

Answer 33

In both of my degrees, I had the great opportunity to work with other students through academic workshops that I organised. Originally these were small; only a select number of my close friends originally attended. But since I was good at giving feedback and constructive criticism, it was suggested to me to expand the workshops to a larger scale. So I started to contact all sorts of people within my cohort, people from my modules, that I'd come across in lectures, and even started hosting workshops for Creative Writing, which was my minor across my Bachelor's degree. I've even read essays on Economics and Biomedicine, helping with grammar and syntax. I can proudly say that a lot of people benefitted from my workshops and many of the people I encountered went onto achieve firsts, which was wonderful.