Your business is growing, and you simply can’t do it all. You’re increasingly forced to choose between completing the day-to-day administrative functions of your business or continuing to serve your clients and acquire new ones. You’ve made the decision to hire an Office Manager. Congratulations! Not only are you doing what you know is best for your business, but you’re also contributing to the economy by providing an employment opportunity.
Qualities of the Right Office Manager
Just what are the qualities of a good Office Manager? Some of that will depend on exactly what you will need this person to do for your business. So, the first step in hiring the right Office Manager is for you to make a list of the responsibilities this person will hold. This will help you determine what qualities you need.
- Can do attitude. Even when your Office Manager is faced by new or difficult tasks, you want someone who looks at what needs to be done with a positive attitude.
- Great communication skills. When you’re entrusting a portion of your business operations to anyone, they need great communication skills. This needs to be a person that can communicate well with you. They are honest. They are factual. They are straightforward.
- Acts like an adult. It’s sad that this needs to be said. It’s important to hire an Office Manager that is mature. Stress can bring out the worst in people. It’s important that your Office Manager be able to appropriately deal with stressful work related issues.
- Knows how to be flexible. Office management isn’t all about being a deadline driven office monster. Deadlines are important, but people are more important. Your clients and any other employees in your office need to have an Office Manager that can be flexible and understanding. It’s important that your chosen Office Manager is comfortable when change needs to be implemented.
- Takes responsibility. You’ve hired an Office Manager to help you run your company. You need someone that can take responsibility for their actions and for the results of their actions. A good Office Manager does not play the blame game.
- Works well with others. Your Office Manager must work well with others. The other people could be staff or it could be your clients. Regardless, they must work well with others. They must be able to help the rest of your staff grow in their careers. They must be able to work with clients who are upset.
Post Your Job Opening
There are a lot of places online that you can post your job opening. You could even post it on social media. Let your friends and colleagues know about your opening. Also, make sure that you make it easy for potential candidates can apply. You can accept resumes through email or in person.
Make sure that when you write your job description that it’s clear. It needs to say more than “Office Manager wanted.” Every business is different. If you want people with a specific type of experience to apply, you have to be more descriptive. Being more descriptive will cut down some of the unqualified applicants.
For example, if your Office Manager will be responsible for any Human Resources duties, such as staffing, you need to include that in the description. There are laws that must be adhered to in Human Resources. It would make sense to look for an Office Manager with at least some experience in this area.
Interview Perspective Office Managers
Once you’ve culled through the responses and picked out a few potential Office Managers, it is time to set up interviews. Not sure what to ask? Read the list of questions below and it should help you get started:
- How do you plan each work day? This is an important question because the Office Manager will often determine the priority of the tasks that need to be completed.
- Tell me about your responsibilities in your previous / current job.
- What goals did you set in your last position? Did you reach them? It’s important to know that your Office Manager can reach the goals that they set or at least have continued, measurable movement toward the goals.
- Tell me about a time where you resolved an office conflict. What did you do and why did you choose to do it?
- What would you consider an office crisis?
- How do you track office supplies?
- Have you ever written and implemented new policies? If so, what were they? How well did they work? In this set of questions, you’re discovering experience and whether they learned something from it if it didn’t work well.
- How do you deal with employees if they request confidential information?
- Tell me how you train new employees.
- What is the most difficult thing in being an Office Manager?
You can find more questions that you can use on Snag-a-job’s website.
Get Help!
If you’re considering the need for an Office Manager who can help you recruit, hire, and also manage your office policies, but you don’t know where to start, check out Clients A.R.M. With more than 30 years of experience, Clients A.R.M. can help you with your Human Resources, office policies and procedures, and so much more. Check out what we have to offer. Using our services can save you a considerable amount of money and time. Give us a call or use our contact form to find out more.
