...to think this interview was unrealistic? (Long sorry)

[EveDallasRetd]

Went for an interview today, for an office manager/PA role. This morning was billed as 'activities' followed by an interview in the afternoon. I've bombed out, but am left wondering if it's 'me' or 'them'

There were 11 of us going for the job. Separately we were taken into an office, given a laptop and data stick and told to complete the exercises in 45 minutes. The exercises were:

*Put these 6 tasks into priority order explaining why you have chosen that priority and how you would action the tasks (things like "a person called from the LA saying there is a problem with a casual workers time sheet. The LA needs answer by 1200 tomorrow, but the casual workers manager is off work until tomorrow morning" and "You arrive at work at 0800 to a note from a colleague saying they have emailed you a doc that must be signed by the HT or DHT before 1100 or a trip will be cancelled. When you open the email the doc is corrupted and cannot be printed")

*Write a letter to a member of staff whose sickness record you are concerned about, pointing out how many sickness days she has had this term.

*Miss X is on maternity leave and has written a letter request she returns in a part time role. Write a letter to the HT and Governors explaining the law (you may use internet links) and suggesting a course of action.

*The attached document needs to be seen and signed by all staff within a one week period. You can use email.

*Send a text to all parents requesting assistance at the end of year disco. Mrs Y is organising it and her telephone number is 01234 567896.

*You receive an anonymous telephone call suggesting that the parent of Tommy Smith in Yr4 collected him from school yesterday smelling strongly of alcohol. You know that Tommy Smith is under CP. What do you do?

*Proof read this letter correcting all mistakes and punctuation.

And in the midst of all this i received a (pretend) telephone call from a local resident complaining about parking and litter and demanding to speak to the HT.

I didn't manage to proof read the letter and think I was prob a bit 'curt' on the phone. oh and I was annoyed by the alcohol scenario which probably showed. The current PA thanked me for coming in and said "I would have expected you to finish everything in the time provided, if we do want you to come back I will call you about 230"

So I'm not going back, am I?

Is that scenario normal? I thought it was too much to do in 45 mins, but am I just not as good as I thought I was . Do you think you could do that in 45 mins?

I think they've had a super efficient PA/OM and have had luck that she/he is able to do all those tasks for that money! (which as you say is not much).

I agree with Thenapoleonofcrime but you CAN work at 110% all the time if what the tasks you were set is what you do every day nothing else not much variation from them etc.

I was a diary secretary/PA in high level gov roles in London (temping) for ages and once you super priortise you know it inside out. But you literally have little time for breathing/breaks and is one of the reasons why I left!

But it was a learning curve and they may have to rethink what the role entails.

So what is the pay for that kind of job?

Is this the kind of job graduates do these days?

It was £16K Wetherall, 8 till 3.45 term time only plus 7 days. Advertised as "Office Manager/PA to HT

Next weeks job is £13K, 8.30 to 3.30, term time only plus 5 days. Advertised as School Administrator and Receptionist (in comparison).

Most of the jobs I have looked at are between £12 and £14K for similar hours/duties.

Sounds like a lot in 45 minutes, esp with having to write down the reasons for why you've done things in each order.

The safeguarding issue would not be dealt with my admin/PA at my school. It would be passed directly and immediately to the CP officer - in our case the HT if available, or the deputy CP office, in our case, the DH.

You really do get exploited, if you need a job compatible with small children.

I suppose that's not bad considering the term time hours.

If they are wanting lots of qualifications and years of experience though it isn't much.

it's not bad and slightly over.

really depends what you want to concentrate on, a good office manager for example depending on region can ask 40K etc...

really good PA depending on region etc... sky can be limit.

The child protection issue should have trumped everything else (sorry I haven't seen if you did prioritise it) and I have known schools I have taught in to strike a candidates name off their list if there are any doubts about their child protection knowledge, regardless of how well the candidate performed in the rest of the interview.

Sorry you didn't get it! Hopefully next time! X

roken, I think it would be really unfair to strike a candidate off the list for not knowing the school's CP procedures, unless they have worked in a school before.

What some candidates might think they "know" about CP and what their responsibilities are with regard to safeguarding within the school environment can be two very different things.

For example, if a child discloses something to you, you are absolutely not to ask any leading questions (such as "and did he ask you to do anything else?"). You just listen, record verbatim and report your concerns. We are also told to tell the child they were right to talk to someone and to thank them for sharing the information. If you ask a leading question and it ends up in court, you cannot use that information.

Well, I could but I can't promise it would be quality results.

For the phone call, I would have said "Sounds terrible, I'll have them give you a call right away." Gotten her number, thanked her and click.

This is why I don't do PA type jobs. I did one once, where I had to give tours and such, it wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't do it again either.

YANBU

I could not do that in 45 mins and have done PA jobs in the past

Sounds like a great experience for you ... As a practice interview. And from coming on here to dissect and analyse,I think you may have gained much insight into how to do a similar test in other interviews, and what areas you need to read up on (child protection). So, not a waste of time.

They seem to have got the idea of a good test, then actioned it with no clue as to the standard and realism needed! I would not have wanted to work for a school like that. And the rudeness of not even having read your cv, how rubbish and unprofessional.

Under £20k and expected to have experience and expertise in employment law, and goodness knows what else?!

Our office manager (not a school) earns over 45K, and certainly doesn't have that level of responsibility and accountability. Do you have to work at a school?

OP - you've dodged a bullet here. Your PA experience sounds great, but is obviously not what they need for this job - ie someone who has worked for years in school admin and is completely familiar with the working culture and all the necessary procedures. Why didn't they make this a prerequisite for all applicants?

What crap recruitment methods! I'd be seriously unimpressed with the school governors/HT panel if they have been unable to source/interview a single suitable candidate for the job - especially given that the competition for school-hours jobs is usually huge!

I don't have to work in a school MiscellaneousAssortment, but I did want to. I'd like to spend more time with DD before she turns into a teen and can't get away quick enough! I could continue to be the breadwinner and DH do the child care, but I worry that I'd never get him back to work if I did that.

I will do whatever I have to, of course, and I am already looking at jobs outside the school system, so if the right one comes up I'll apply. I agree with you that this was a good test and will stand me in good stead for the next interview. I've bookmarked some in-tray practices, the Children's Act and Child Protection sources, so MN has really helped me there.

lapsed, IME of working in schools, they will not be looking for someone who has spent years working in a school office. Schools are all different from each other in terms of how they manage their business, especially as we now have academies and free schools in the mix, and there are several different finance packages being used across the sector so that a skill in one may not mean a skill in another. Someone who has sat at the same desk doing the same tasks for years would probably not have much to offer in a sector where things change so often and so fast, it can feel impossible to keep up.

And I'm not sure they could make "several years working in school admin" a desirable criterion in the job spec!

We've had people from industry and the private sector come to work in our schools. They bring transferable skills and a fresh outlook. I think the OP did well under the circumstances. I'm not sure I could have done any better, except perhaps with the CP issue because I am trained in that area.

As this thread proves, we all work at different rates and have different ideas about a "normal" rate of work. I've just gone from working in one public sector organisation to another, and am astounded at how slowly people work in my new office.
They, on the other hand, are convinced things are "manic" because it's busier than it was in the past.

FWIW, I could've done those tasks in 45 kind but I wouldn't be convinced the letters were legally sound. I guess the point was to see how you prioritise, which seems a v sensible recruitment strategy.

When I read the OP I thought this sounded like a fairly standard exercise; I've done similar although for a completely different job. Was planning on posting to say that you must have misunderstood and that of course they didn't expect you to get it all done - they just wanted to see how you prioritise and cope under pressure. But that's clearly not the case! These exercises are no good if you expect people to get it all done; that's not the point of them at all. It sounds to me like someone in the school has read about in-tray exercises without really understanding how they work. Definitely a lucky escape for you if that's how they're planning on treating whoever gets the job! God luck for the next one.

Also, I don't know how your prioritised the tasks, but I think I would have done the first one (explaining how you'd prioritise) last, as that's the one you have most control over in terms of how much you do/write down.