Education & School Administrator Interview Questions & Answers
Education & school administrators (postsecondary) oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities.
Interviewers look for candidates that demonstrate excellent skills such as:
- Problem-solving skills
- Organizational skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Computer skills
In this blog, we discuss commonly asked interview questions during job interviews for education and school administrator positions. We also discuss the qualities that interviewers look for in successful candidates. In other words, we’re here to help you out!
Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.
Skills Interviewers Look For In Successful Candidates
Below we discuss the skills you can highlight in your answers to demonstrate that you’re qualified for the job.
Computer skills
Why interviewers are interested in your computer skills:
Postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records.
Interpersonal skills
Why interviewers are interested in your interpersonal skills:
Postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents. For example, those in admissions need to be outgoing, so they can encourage prospective students to apply to the school.
Learn more about interpersonal skill interview questions and how to answer them!
Organizational skills
Why interviewers are interested in your organizational skills:
Administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff.
Learn more about organizational interview questions and how to answer them!
Problem-solving skills
Why interviewers are interested in your problem-solving skills:
Administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions.
Learn more about problem-solving interview questions and how to answer them!
(source: bls.gov)
Education & School Administrator Job Interview Questions & Answers
During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:
- Employment history
- Skills and abilities
- Accomplishments
- Job qualifications
- Educational background
- Career goals
- Personality
Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.
Examples Of General Education & School Administrator Interview Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- How would you describe yourself?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What interests you about this position?
- Walk me through your resume.
- What motivates you?
- Why are you leaving your current job?
- Describe your work ethic.
- What is your greatest strength?
- How does your experience qualify you for this job?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- Tell me about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
- What are your expectations for this position?
- What are your career goals?
- Why should we hire you?
- What did you like most about your last position?
- What did you like least about your last position?
- How do you handle stress?
- What is your greatest accomplishment?
Learn how to answer these common job interview questions!
Examples Of Specific Education & School Administrator Behavioral Interview Questions
Learn more about answering behavioral interview questions by using the STAR interview technique.
- Which skills do you think are essential for education or school administrators? Can you give me an example of how you use these skills in your daily work?
- Give me an example that demonstrates your problem-solving skills as an education or school administrator.
- What would be your approach to and how would you decide on organizing a team-building activity?
- How would you involve parents in the education of their children? Can you give me an example?
- Tell me about the methods and strategies you have used to resolve conflicts between students, teachers, or parents.
- Give me an example of how you measure the effectiveness of teachers.
- How would you deal with a situation where a teaching assistant approaches you in confidence to complain about something a teacher did? Can you give me an example of how you handle such situations?
- Give me an example of a time you were given a task you had no experience in. How did you approach it? What results did you get?
- Tell me about a time you had to gather information from multiples sources. How did you determine which information was relevant?
- What is the most challenging obstacle you faced in your work as education or school administrator? How did you handle it? What did you learn from it?
Learn more about questions to ask the interviewer during your job interview.