Job interview tomorrow - protocol

[Why2]

Hi

I am going to an interview tomorrow for a School Secretary position - I already work as a school administrator in a different school.

I have several questions - if they ask me what my strengths and weaknesses are - what’s a weakness that wouldn’t impact on that kind of job?

Also, the blurb says the salary is competitive based on experience - but the school can see what I currently earn from my application form.

Might they ask me how much money I “want” at the interview tomorrow, and how do I ask given that I don’t know what their upper and lower limits are? Also, the figure I do have in mind is quite a lot higher than the amount I currently earn - but I need to go for it if I can - however how would I justify it? I know my own reasons - I’m a single parent with three dc, but is this the kind of thing you would say in an interview?

Thanks a lot .

Hi - just bumping

Eurgh hate the weakness question. Could you use it as an opportunity to ask about what training is on offer?

What would be the true answer to the weakness question? I think sincerity often shines through, especially if you go on to talk about things you have done to overcome it.

For weakness you could say something about your Excel skills but that you’ve signed up for a course to up skill yourself.

You have no idea what they’re offering in terms of salary? The only justification for asking for your salary is that it reflects your experience and skills. Period. Don’t give them information about your personal life, its none of their business.

And best of luck!

Well what are your weaknesses and we can tell you how to spin them?

Mostly you should be looking for an increase in your current salary.

For weaknesses, the advice I was given was to talk about a genuine weakness that you’ve worked on to improve. For example, I talk about how I’m naturally shy and reticent but that I’ve taken on work, both voluntary and paid, that’s challenged that e.g. call centre work that helped cure my fear of talking on the phone, charity fundraising that meant I had to talk to people, etc.

Agree weakness such as excel. Do not say “ control freak or perfectionist”

Salary, “I’m currently on £xx and would be looking for an increase to reflect the role and responsibilities.

I've always dreaded that weakness question and fortunately for me it's never come up in an interview. The honest answer for me would be 'I'm prone to procrastination' and I wouldn't employ me if I heard that in an interview!

I'd stick with something very neutral like 'My IT skills are good but I've not explored all the more advanced features of Office so I feel that's an area where I could improve my skills, which is something I'd really enjoy doing too.'

Good luck!

Thanks a lot.

Well Excel would be a weakness if it’s a job which requires a lot of it - I do use it now but not extensively.

My real weaknesses, IMO however, are that I am not fantastic at filing, and find it difficult to prioritise as I always seem to be firefighting in my current job, so bigger more long term things get left to one side. I wouldn’t want to point either of these things out however , and they are fairly easy to work on in any case.

Money wise, no they have given no indication. Is this something that they are likely to ask me at a first interview? If they do, is asking for about 5K more than I currently earn inappropriate. From their size etc I think they are going to pay more than where I currently earn. People might even ask for too little not knowing how high they could go?

Sorry, I had missed the last two messages.

where I currently work

I agree with PP re. weaknesses. Be honest but obviously don’t let it be an obvious no-no. How recent are your First Aid skills?

Regarding the salary I would say just go for it. Point out how good/perfect you are for the job and say that your pay must reflect this. Could you argue that you could save the school money in the long run?
Women have a tendency to vastly undersell themselves and not be assertive enough when it comes to salary negotiations.
With the power of mumsnet behind me I asked for a substantial pay increase as a teacher recently and got it. You can do it! 💪

If they ask you about salary expectations , I'd answer truthfully but I wouldn't bring it up. Wait til you get the job and then be assertive. Good luck

Thanks for all the advice.

Re. the salary - how can I justify that much more since in the end one secretarial job in one school is going to be pretty similar to another in another school?

Is it a bigger school?

Yes much bigger - about 170 pupils as against the 25 / 30 where I currently work (a small special needs school).

What area are you currently trying to improve? Look (and phrase) it that way.

Bigger school-more responsibilities? To justify the salary increase.

With salary expectations I would say something like ‘I am currently earning £x (which I would always inflate by about 10%), and while the role is more important than the salary I have been looking at between £x and £x’

I think giving a range is important rather than an exact figure

Thanks for the suggestions.

I also found this which I think is helpful, and which recommends, amongst other things, asking them what range they are looking at (if they bring money up).

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/should-i-ask-about-salary-at-my-interview/amp/

Hi - just thought of another question - say they ask me what salary range I am looking at, and the figure I come up with is higher than their maximum. Am I then out of the running, or would they offer the lower figure anyway?

Possibly out of the running yes.

Ideally just state your salary and say you’d be looking for an increase in that.

Unless of course you’d be happy with same/less

Thanks. Yes I will do that. Not confrontational and I suppose you can always negotiate later if they want you / want you enough.

I know my own reasons - I’m a single parent with three dc, but is this the kind of thing you would say in an interview?

No. Definitely not. "I have looked at similar roles outside my current employer and can see I am currently underpaid against the average" / "in my role I have gone over & above and delivered these things on top of my job description" / "I can see that the role you are looking to fill includes these extra duties" - or a mix of these. On no account say "because I need the money", focus on "because I am worth it".

Weaknesses - I can't speak for all interviewers, but I would say that everyone has weaknesses and being aware of what you're not good at, and knowing how to work around that, is a really important skill to have. So it might be something you don't like doing but have practised to get comfortable with, or something you don't know how to do but have learnt, or something where you have a strategy to deal with it - the weakness itself isn't interesting, the way you think about it is...