Merchandiser Interview Preparation Guide

To answer this question, ensure that you research the business thoroughly, and show a lot of passion for them during interview. You’ll want to know what they do as a company, what they supply, their products/services, their competitors and as much as possible about them.

I believe that a good merchandise associate can drive sales and customer satisfaction at the same time. If the company’s products are good, and I believe yours are, then my job would be to help customers find the right product to meet their needs. If I do this well, customers will feel taken care of, purchase our product and develop loyalty to the store. This, in turn, will drive sales, and the cycle can continue to be beneficial to both parties.

AQL is connected to the quality of products. In textile industry Acceptance Quality Level is shortly designated by AQL.

This is where the interviewer tries to turn the tables on you. Answer confidently by stating 3 specific traits that are applicable to that job role. For example, a consulting job would likely look for someone who can think outside of the box.

After answering, ask them, "Am I spot on here and if not, what traits would you look for?"

Ideally you can handle all three well, but you may have a personal preference for one or a few. The key is to make sure you understand what the job is looking for and to pair your answer with that (assuming it's true)

This is a subjective question so there is no right or wrong answer. It is important that you justify the response that you give. A typically answer might be that it is the appearance of the product is the most important part of merchandising. Other avenues you could go down could be the placement of the product or the product's location relative to different products. Show a creative approach and acknowledge that merchandising different types of products requires different approaches.

In a previous sales position, I was exceeding my sales goals for every product except one. My manager met with me to discuss why I was underperforming. My contention was that the product was too expensive and not useful enough, meaning the established sales goal was unrealistic. After a long discussion in which we both genuinely listened to the other’s viewpoint, we reached a compromise. My manager agreed to reassess the price and nature of the product, and I agreed to try some new sales techniques he showed me.

You want to be persistent enough to understand why someone is saying no so that you could potentially convince them otherwise with a sound reason. However, if they are still saying "no" to you, then you need to humbly accept their position and move on.

Make sure you research Merchandising as a whole across different industries, and you are able to explain the differences. You should be able to distinguish between head office merchandising and in-store (visual) merchandising. In your answer, try and come up with tangible reasons why this particular sector interests you, and especially why you would be passionate about working within this market.

Yes, I would. I ran track in college, and through that experience I learned how to set goals and make plans to achieve them. I also learned how to keep raising the bar in order to challenge myself to improve, and I’ve carried this practice over into my work life. I enjoy pushing myself by setting challenging goals, and I’ve been able to succeed at every job I’ve held because of this attitude.