A great administrative employee can be a valuable asset to your business. On the other hand, an employee who is not the right fit for your organization will probably not last. Hiring the wrong person can force you to part ways with your new hire and restart your recruiting journey from scratch.
The good news is that you increase your chances of finding a great administrative team member by familiarizing yourself with must-have administrative skills. When screening prospective administrative employees, you should focus on candidates who exhibit the following attributes:
1. Attentiveness
Administrative employees often have direct contact with prospective customers and vendors. They are also responsible for providing much-needed support to your other employees.
Consequently, any administrative staff member must exhibit superior attentiveness. They need to tackle incoming tasks with a sense of urgency so they do not fall behind or cause costly delays.
Gauging attentiveness can be quite difficult, especially during an initial interview. Any job seeker will likely be attentive and dialed in when they are vying for a position, but this initial enthusiasm might not carry over once they land the job.
With that in mind, you should consider using advanced screening tactics such as administering skills tests or partnering with a staffing firm.
2. Proper Etiquette
Administrative employees will have a profound impact on how vendors and clients view your brand. During the course of their duties, these employees frequently send out emails to vendors and clients, answer phones, or greet people as they enter your facility.
Because of this visibility, it is vital that you hire an administrative employee who practices proper etiquette. Otherwise, you may inadvertently bring in someone who negatively impacts your brand’s reputation and causes friction among clients.
Typically, an applicant’s etiquette will be immediately evident during the interview and hiring process. If you have any concerns about an applicant’s etiquette, it may be best to eliminate them from your candidate pool.
3. Relevant Experience
Relevant experience is always a plus. However, finding someone with administrative experience may not always be possible, especially when filling entry-level positions. Still, you should strongly consider the scope and volume of applicants’ experience when making hiring decisions.
4. Adaptability
An applicant who exhibits a high level of adaptability will be able to thrive in a fast-paced work environment. They will likely be good at multitasking and will also be able to learn new processes, technologies, and platforms.
In order to screen for adaptability, you should consider administering a skills assessment. Such an assessment will provide measurable insights into an applicant’s ability to adapt and learn new skills.
5. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence refers to a person’s ability to read and appropriately respond to their own emotions and those of others. Emotionally intelligent individuals will be able to demonstrate empathy and other emotions in a positive, appropriate manner.
Administrative employees need to possess a healthy level of emotional intelligence because they will encounter frustrated or outright angry clients and vendors on occasion. Emotional intelligence will enable them to successfully navigate these stressful situations in a manner that positively reflects on your business.
Need Help Recruiting Talent? Connect with Smart Staffing Solutions
At Smart Staffing Solutions, we can serve as your personal human resources department by connecting you with talented new home sales or leasing professionals. Our people management experts provide recruiting and staffing support to homebuilding and multifamily companies across the nation.
To learn more, explore our staffing solutions or contact our team directly.