Essential Retail Interview Preparation Guide

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You would have thought about your personal impact you hope to make on the new job. People will not hire just for looks and personality. It is all about getting the job done in the public service, keeping the public and your colleagues happy. If you can contribute to making that happen in some way, you would be most valued. Is there anything you could better? Anything you could introduce to make the service more effective. Any suggestion would show your careful thought about the job and the fact that you would be coming in to help to make that difference and the job a little bit more fulfilling for all concerned.

A very crucial question because the response will show your own understanding of the industry, your competence in producing those qualities and your judgment of what the job requires. The top skill is communication, both listening and dealing empathetically with customer and staff concerns. If you can reach out to others in such a way that make them feel comfortable and heard. You would be a winner. A caring, helpful, inclusive, and cheerful disposition is also extremely important to make people of all races and creed feel reassured and at ease. Respect for the customer, that he/she is always right, would be crucial too in crisis times. The personal qualities would all revolve around people skills and anyone who has those, especially with a very bright and welcoming smile would be definitely favored for such a position.

Be careful with this one. It is very tempting when one is feeling comfortable to rubbish past bosses to make the potential one feel better, what I call giving them the halo effect while you turn your former boss into the devil! Please resist it. This is not a time just for negativity. You are also showing your own quality if judgment with your reply. You can point out someone, nameless, say a couple of things did that you felt hampered your development or irritated you. However, the main thing to remember is to end on a positive note by pointing out other things the person did which helped you too or which you believe were fair. If you are only going to blame and accuse them, your interviewers will be wondering if that is how you will be treating them too when you leave their company.

This question aims to separate the leaders from the followers. If you were good at using your initiative and being self-directed then you would be different in approach and appeal from someone who prefers closer direction, routine, and more regularity. By stating which type of job, you prefer the interviewers would be able to see your potential development while gauging your personality and ambitions more accurately. Be clear about which would suit you so that you would then be placed in the right environment for your growth. For example, if you were easily bored, then a changing routine would be much more appropriate to motivate you. Your response here could help place you when assigning tasks.

Most people seek security and companies do not wish to be recruiting every minute, often a bad fit leads to short stays. The recruitment process is a long and expensive one, especially where agencies are used to introduce the candidate, so companies seek to avoid that at where possible. The best response is to indicate that you expect to be with the company for a few years, noting that you would enjoy being part of any expansion, which will aid your personal development. If you can reassure an employer that you would be there for a reasonable time, you are more likely to be considered. Young women candidates tend to get this question more than men, because of the possibility of pregnancy later on, but that should not be a barrier to having a permanent job or be used in a bias way against them.

This is one of the most important questions about how you are perceived by others, and your ability to work in a team, not how you would like them to see you. It must not sound too gushing and syrupy or too negative. A healthy balance in your personality and aptitude would go down well. Descriptions that include mainly positive observations will make you appear more realistic and human. However, stress aspects to do with your ability to do the job, not just personal things. For example, they would probably comment on your enthusiasm and keenness to learn, your knowledge of the merchandise, how you deal with customers in a very empowering way.

The reputation of a company controls its profit margins. A bad reputation means fewer customers. If you cannot handle difficult customers, that would be a major obstacle for you in a job where dealing with irritated members of the public will be routine. Start generally but select one incident soon afterwards and describe the outcome of that. Be very clear about the circumstance what happened and how you dealt with it, especially how you resolved any tricky issues that arose. The key words here are mutual respect, listening to the customer, being calm in the face of irritation and concluding the situation positively.

This shows whether you are a one-dimensional person who just plays football. For example, someone who also uses his or her brains and is not just tied to one activity. More important, sometimes companies promote a particular sport among their staff and want team players for it. For example, if you are a good golfer, that could come in handy for company golfing events and would add to your appeal. Again you have to be honest here, or it could come back to haunt you!

This is another very good question because it helps to pin down what makes you tick, what you really like and what would put you off. This is about self-knowledge. You need to appreciate what turns you on and off and what has helped to get you to where you are today. For example, if the things you did not enjoy were allied to what you are applying for now, that would rule you out because you would be getting more of the same in another form. It also helps to draw out your sincerity in what you really desire in your life. So make sure you really know how you felt about your last job so that you can identity what you liked and disliked about it in order to get more of the enjoyable bits.

This is really about your career history but do not make it into a boring autobiography. Identify things you have done which match the current job role and describe them briefly so that your experience speaks for itself. For example, if you have been used to buying merchandise or working in the after care section make sure that the one you highlight aligns well with what you would also be doing in the new job. Pointless stressing your role as a buyer if you will be dealing with customer complaints, you can mention it briefly. Make sure you also add what you would like to learn too, even if you have no experience of it, which shows your varied interests and desire to grow. Whatever you say, honesty is of the essence here.

You can tell right away if someone has reservations about it. Hemming and hawing, or a vague yes are usually signs that someone is uncomfortable. If you ARE comfortable with it, but just have some more questions, do NOT be afraid to ask. You should leave the interview with a clear understanding of how you will be paid. Make sure to ask when commissions are paid, is there a penalty for not meeting sales goal, etc.

This question has to be asked. If you are speaking to an employee who is looking to make between $10 and $12, and you know that you can only realistically offer $8.50 (or that is what your commission based associates are averaging), do not go any further. It would not be fair to you or the candidate to bring them on board, train them, and then have them leave because the money just is not there.

No retail position is totally behind the scenes, so make sure that the candidate is not afraid to answer basic questions if needed, such as where the restroom is, or where an item or department is located. A friendly personality is always necessary in retail. Make sure that shines through!

It is important that you are able to count on a person. Most support positions require early-morning, either late night or even overnight hours. Make sure the candidate understands this up front. If you are looking for a 9-5 opportunity, I can tell you right here, retail is not what you are looking for.

A candidate should not be shy here. Someone who tells you that they are uncomfortable when being solicited for proprietary charges by other retailers will not be successful in your organization. If that is something that you as a candidate struggle with, make sure that you portray your desire to succeed. Tell the employer that it is something that you are gaining skills on, and would love the opportunity to perfect your script.

Countless potential customers in retail shops go unnoticed every day. It is often this attitude of indifference that leads people to shop at other places. Make sure that you have a candidate that will meet and greet your customers. Interviewees, let your personality shine here. Let your interviewer know that you are not afraid to introduce yourself to customers, and that you will not be hiding in the back restocking something.

It is important to have knowledgeable sales people. Since they are the front line between the customers and the organization, you want them to be armed with product knowledge. In today's information-rich society, there are many ways for a person to gain that knowledge. As a potential employee, make sure that you understand how to get the information that you need. Do not be afraid to ask if there are seminars, or informational materials that have been written about the products that you might potentially sell. Customers trust knowledgeable salespeople who are not aggressive and pushy.

Again, do not accept the "people-person" cliche. In my business, I am looking for someone that is fun, fashion-forward, and friendly. I like people who are enterprising people, and enjoy suggesting things to people.

In this question, I am not looking for a company history. I like to hear some basic things. If you are a large retailer, candidates should know your basics. "I understand that you are a major retailer in almost all 50 states." If you were on a smaller scale, it would help if the candidate checked out your website, or came in to browse a little bit before their scheduled interview.

After your first few "warm-up" questions, it is time to start asking some of the harder questions. Do not be afraid to ask (within the legal limits of course). You have a right as an employer to understand how an individual would fit into your company. Potential employees should not be afraid to ask questions either. If you are unsure of something that your interviewer says, or you want some further clarification on a topic, ask! It helps you come off as a proactive person.

This would give the candidate an opportunity to express why they are seeking a job with you. This can also be very telltale. If someone tells, that "are just looking for a job" and I look down at his or her application and see that have no retail experience. On the other hand, if a candidate tells that they are pursuing employment with my organization because they love selling and enjoy shopping at my store, and possess some retail or customer service background, they may get a little extra time.

Either way, it helps to come to the table prepared with reasons why

1) A candidate would want to work for you

2) Why you would to give a position to the candidate? I have been in some facet of retail for 12 years now, 7 in supermarkets and 5 in major department store management.

I interview people all the time. The candidates that stand out are usually the people that get the positions. It seems as if every interviewee uses the standard answer "I'm a people person!" when faced with the question "Why are you interested in a sales position?Dig deeper than that. As an employer, you deserve to know what qualities about the individual will contribute to their overall success in your organization. As a job seeker, you need to be able to relay those qualities about yourself. Do not be afraid to brag. The following question scenarios are meant to be a guideline to a successful interview.

As an interviewer, always begin with a short introduction of yourself. No biography needed just your name and title. Do not dig too deep in your first questions. Since it sometimes takes some people a few minutes to be "warmed up," you do not want to scare them off with hard questions right away. The following scenarios may be some help:

Depending on the role, you might want to ask questions about career progression, opportunities, what type of tills or security system they use.

I hope that by putting a bit of effort into your preparation, you will come across really well in your interview and land that job.

This can be a question, which people find uncomfortable to answer, as many are uncomfortable selling themselves so directly. Try to highlight examples of what you have done in previous jobs. By focusing on these rather than just saying 'I'm a good team player', then it should not feel so hard!

A particularly relevant question for a retail job, given that retail staff often does not stay in one job for their whole career. The key with this question is to focus on the positive reasons for wanting to take on this new job, rather than any negatives over the previous job. Of course, there may be valid reasons why you need to change job such as your spouse has been re-located to another city.

You probably do not want to be brutally honest in answering this question. 'I'm dreadful at time management' or 'I have anger management issues' are not advisable, especially if you are dealing directly with customers! Similarly, 'I don't think I have any weaknesses' suggests that you are not being honest, or lack self-awareness. What should you say then? There is no doubt that this can be a difficult question to answer. A common response is to take a weakness that some people might not regard as a weakness, and provide examples of what you have done to work on it.