by Stephanie Stuart

Created on: July 12, 2008

Are you a retailer looking for a good employee, or a good employee looking for a retailer? Either way, it helps to come to the table perpared with reasons why 1.) a candidate would want to work for you, or 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 like 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 organiaztion. As a job-seeker, you need to be able to relay those qualities about yourself. Don't 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. Don't dig too deep in your first questions. Since it sometimes takes some people a few minutes to get "warmed up," you don't want to scare them off with hard questions right away. The following scenarios may be some help:

"Why are you intersted in employment at (company name)?"

This would give the candidate an opportunity to express why they are seeking a job with you. This can also be very tell-tale. If someone tells me that they "are just looking for a job" and I look down at their application and see that they have no retail experience, I know that this might not be a candidate that I will be very interested in. On the other hand, if a candidate tells me that they are persuing employment with my organization because they love selling and enjoy shopping at my store, and posess some retail or customer service background, they may get a little extra time.

"Are you familiar with (company name)?"

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 are 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's time to start asking some of the harder questions. Don't be afraid

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>