Job of a secretary does not belong to the careers young children dream of. They want to fly to space, save lives as firefighters, become princesses or nurses, or teach at school. As we grow up, however, our priorities change, and so do our dreams. We understand that life isn’t a game, that we need money to live decently, and that we have some strengths and weaknesses, and have to take them into consideration when we decide about our studies and our professional career. And this is exactly what you should refer to in your interview for a job of a secretary.

Tell them that the job is an excellent match to your strengths and skills. You can also say that it fits your personality, that it is the type of work you enjoy doing. Another option consists in referring to your professional experience. If you’ve spent most of your life working in the office–not necessarily on the position of a secretary but taking care of similar duties, it is only logical to continue in the same field, benefiting from the experience you’ve already gained up to this point of your career.

You can come up also with some other, more unconventional reasons of your career choice, and we will look at all options in my sample answers. Do not forget to check also the conclusion at the end of the article, in order to understand what mistakes you should avoid while dealing with this particular interview question.

 

7 sample answers to “Why do you want to be a Secretary?” interview question

  1. I find the job a perfect match to my strengths. Excelling in communication and typewriting quickly, I am efficient around the office. What’s more, I have a great memory, can stay focused, and, in my experience, people generally feel good in my company. And though I’ve never worked as a secretary before, I believe to understand the role, and feel that my strengths make from me an excellent candidate. That’s why I decided to pursue this particular career, instead of another one.
  2. The reason is simple–I just enjoy this type of work. Have tried different jobs in my young career, with various responsibilities. But the one I enjoyed the most was the job of a medical secretary. Being a part of a healthcare team, and in a way participating on healthcare, while taking care of office duties, I really found a meaningful purpose in this work, and enjoyed it a lot. It was an interim placement though, I had to go, but now I am looking for a similar position, and am glad to have a chance to interview with your clinic.
  3. I want to be a secretary because I thrive in this type of working environment. Answering phone calls, greeting guests, organizing schedule, taking care of correspondence, paperwork, making great coffee–I feel like a fish in a water when taking care of such tasks. What’s more, I am very efficient in my work, and rarely make any mistakes. I believe I can bring some value to the team in the office, and hope you will give me a chance to prove it.
  4. I want to build on my existing experience. As you can see on my resume, I’ve had a job of a secretary for fifteen years already, in two different companies–one big and one small. In such a long time I’ve really seen it all, and faced every problem you can possibly face as a secretary. If the owners did not sell the company, I would still be working there, making sure the office runs smoothly, and the directors can focus on their jobs. But I had to go, and now I am looking forward to a new place, ready to bring my vast experience onboard. If you are looking for someone experienced, I am definitely your candidate.
  5. I want to be a secretary because I see it as a springboard to managerial career. With my education I cannot realistically apply for any managerial roles in your company, or in any other serious business. However, I have the skills, I can manage myself, the office, and also other people. Once I am in, and prove my skills as an excellent secretary, I will likely get a chance for a promotion. At least that’s the plan. And if it doesn’t work out, job of a secretary isn’t a bad career either, at least in my opinion.
  6. My story is a bit more complicated. I always wanted to work in education. And I tried my best, studied hard, but it seems I was not blessed with a level of education that would allow me to pursue a career of a teacher. It was not easy to admit it, but at the end of the day we should be honest to ourselves. However, I understood that I may still work in education. I found the role of a school secretary, and understood I could get it with high school diploma only. And so I worked on my computer skills, communication skills, and understanding of the role. Now I feel ready for the job, meeting all requirements, and I finally applied for it with your school. Maybe my lifelong dream of working at school will finally come true.
  7. I know it may look strange that I apply for a job of a secretary, after working in IT for seven years. But you should know that I experienced a complete burnout as a programmer. I could not tolerate working alone for twelve hours a day, always looking at a computer screen. Sure enough, I’ve earned a lot of money. But money cannot buy happiness. I hated waking up in the morning, and eventually I felt completely drained emotionally. Hence I decided to change my career, to look for a better balance of activities, more variety in work, and also for an opportunity to spend more time with other people. At the same time, however, I still wanted to work in an office, and benefit from my existing career in some way. Considering my criteria, job of a secretary seems like a great choice. That’s why I decided to apply, and I am glad you gave ma chance to interview for the job face to face.

Any reason is good, as long as you explain it

As you can see in the answers, there are many reasons why people pursue a career of a secretary. And they are all good, as long as what you say makes sense to the hiring managers. Express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest. Tell them your story. It doesn’t matter if this is your first job application in the field, or you’ve worked as a sectary for ten years already. Even if you’ve had completely different jobs up to now, you can still convince them.

The key is to explain your reasoning, and ensure them that you really want the job, and not only need one. Many people found themselves in tricky situations recently, with everything that’s going on in the world. And maybe you also need any job, and do not care much what job it will be. Even if it is the case, however, you should not sound desperate in the interviews. You apply for a job of a secretary because you have the skills, like the job description, and believe you will do it well, and enjoy doing it…

Ready to answer this one? I hope so! Do not forget to check also other tricky interview questions for secretaries:

Matthew Chulaw
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