Office Manager 

How did you get your current job?
I got my job because the owners of the company are friends

What was the application process?
Submitted a resume

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes I had to interview with 2 people at different times. The interview process consisted of a lunch meeting and just talking and going over my qualifications and salary requirements with one of the owners of the company. The other interview was me going to the office and sharing the ideas I had of how I would organize the office and also went over my qualifications with my direct supervisor.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
The previous experience I had, What I wanted as a salary, how was I at organizing things, did I have any accounting experience, how I felt about working in a small office with me being the only office person, did I have good communication skills

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes I knew excactly what I was getting into and it sounded challenging.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was just a small amount of training but since one of the reasons I was hired was to organize the office and put procedures in place I started out with many new things , like computer programs, that were new to everyone so I basically had to just learn them myself and show my boss how to use them.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Definitely prepared me for my job. The accounting classes I took have provcen to be invaluable.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I had no internship

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend a background in accounting for my job since I do billing and I also take care of the account receivable part of the office. It’s necessary to have a basic background in this field to be able to balance the billing and the checks received. I would also recommend a background in business management since it has helped me tremendously in any job I’ve had.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
The ability to work with others in one of the most important aspects of this job. This means the ability to be able to interact with the employees of the company. Even though they don’t work directly with you all day you still have to have the skills to be able to direct them in the morning. You also need excellent communication skills since a large portion of this job is working with the public mainly through telephone calls. Organization skills are needed also since you are basically “running the show” in the office and everyone else depends on you to be able to locate what they need. Basic clerical skills are also needed and computer skills are must. The ability to work under pressure is needed on some days because on these days things are being thrown at you right and left and you have to be able to handle it.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes basic accounting, people skills and business management courses

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
You have to like what you do to be successful at it and have to be confident in what you do. The skills needed for this job can be obtained through education but the best knowledge that you can get in on the job training.