Hopkins Marine Station Administrative Coordinator Interview Flashcards

Vocabulary and key concept flashcards prepared for the Hopkins Marine Station Administrative Coordinator interview based on transcript notes.

Monterey Print Shop Experience

Co-owned business where candidate handled administrative and financial operations for almost 7 years, including daily expense tracking, bi-weekly wholesaler orders, vendor payments, and monthly reconciliation.

Lead Teller at Wells Fargo

Role providing financial control, compliance, and confidentiality experience through handling large transactions, deposits, withdrawals, balancing, and customer service.

MBA Dec. 2026

Target completion date for candidate's MBA degree, which reinforced candidate's value for continued learning and motivation to pivot into administrative/operations coordination.

Hopkins Marine Station (HMS)

Stanford location on the Monterey Peninsula (about 10 minutes away) offering a hybrid schedule where candidate seeks to support faculty, researchers, students, and staff.

Influencing Without Formal Authority

Professional development area identified in candidate's MBA leadership development plan focused on gaining buy-in, understanding others' priorities, communicating reasoning, and building consensus.

Software and Systems Used

QuickBooks Online, Printavo, Wells Fargo teller/transaction platform, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Canvas.

System Learning Strategy

Approach of understanding overall workflow and 'WHY' first, followed by hands-on learning, taking notes, referencing documentation, and asking questions early without guessing on financial/policy issues.

Financial Discrepancy Resolution

Process of establishing expected vs. actual amounts, using the variance amount to narrow possible transactions, reviewing history and documentation to identify root cause, and following established procedure.

Budget and Purchasing Problem Solving

Method demonstrated during an apparel order by working backward from customer quote and target margin, comparing alternate suppliers by cost and availability, securing client approval for alternatives, and maintaining schedule and target costs.

Print Shop Workload Management

Managing 20–40 active jobs simultaneously by prioritizing deadlines, deposits, artwork readiness, materials, and production capacity, especially during rush requests like Car Week.

Initiative Under Pressure (Exotics on Broadway / Car Week)

Event where an employee no-showed and partner was stranded due to a canceled flight; candidate stepped in to organize workflow and keep shop open, generating almost $3K in shirt sales.

Miss Lippes Event Coordination

Experience organizing farmers markets, local pop-ups, registrations, permitting, local establishment partnerships, and dumpling-making parties.

Handling Confidential Information

Daily practice at Wells Fargo involving strict access and protection policies for financial and personally identifiable information, following standard procedure during audits without taking shortcuts.

Unallowable Faculty Expense Protocol

Step-by-step process: verify policy first, explain restrictions clearly and professionally, seek appropriate alternative funding paths, and involve finance if uncertain.

Print Shop Work-Life Balance

Structure where candidate handles backend administrative duties during evenings and weekends while business partner handles production, keeping standard business hours open for Stanford.

Salary Expectation Strategy

Alignment with the posted $40–$45/hr range, targeting the upper half based on prior experience while remaining open to overall compensation discussions.

Good Administrative Support Definition

Making it easier for others to do their specialized work by anticipating needs, executing accurate processes, delivering reliable follow-through, communicating clearly, and solving problems independently.