Retail Interview Questions & Answers

The initial phone interview was extremely straight forward, it was a member of the Mothercare recruitment team and I was asked straight forward questions like if I knew what logistics was about and what the role would in tail. We quickly ran through my CV and she then asked me if I would be able to attend an interview the next day.
The interview was with the head of logistics and one of the team leaders, it started off with a quick run through of my CV, previous job experience, education etc. Then after that they had a sheet of pre planned questions in which they would run through. I think it was a total of 10 questions. Questions such as outside what is your greatest achievement? Name a time you have demonstrated good organisation and time management skills? What do you feel the role of an international logistics assistant involves? How would you rate your IT skills?
Once we went through the questions the head of logistics went on to talk about what the role involved and what would be expected of me on a day to day basis. I then asked the questions I had and that was the end of the interview process.

Name a time you have demonstrated your organisation and time management skills?

As always make sure you have a clear understanding of what the role involves, what it is you would be doing. Make sure you have good examples of times when you have demonstrated strong organisation and time management skills.

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In my telephone interview it lasted 15 minutes i was asked a series of questioms which included why I want to work for Decathlon? For this question you need to know why you want to apply for this position.
My retail experience? Link your previous roles to this and do not talk about irrelevant roles.
Which sports were my favourite?
Have I shopped in decathlon before?
Do I know what the job entails?

I think the most difficult question was why did I apply for the role and what could I bring to it.

Research the company properly and the job role I never dis this fully so when I had the telephone interview I realised it was not the right position for me, possibly go to the store and ask questions to get a bit more knowledge of the role.

It was a telephone interview

My telephone interview consisted of 25-30 mins of questions about myself and my suitability to the role. Initially I was asked to describe myself as a person; where I am education-wise, my personal hobbies and interests. Then I was asked to discuss why I had applied for the role, how it linked to my qualifications and career aspirations. Finally, I was asked about my interest in the company, what I thought I could offer them and what I was looking for in an employer.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time.
Describe a time when you had to change someones opinion.

Do some preparation beforehand. Guess some of the questions you think you might be asked and plan several strong answers in which you can reply with. Also, do some basic research on the company, it is always useful to have background knowledge. It is better to be calm as you will think straight and not get yourself stressed out.

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There are 3 stages pre-assessment centre:
1. Online application form, including competency questions. Tailor your answers to Tesco!
2. SHL verbal, numerical and situation tests. Standard schamdard.
3. Video interview: motivation and competency. You get a whole week to record and re-record, so be a perfectionist!

Describe a time when you stuck to your beliefs, even though it was unpopular.

1. Unseen presentation.

There are a few things you need to do. You're marked on them all. Firstly, stay calm, confident and hold your nerve under questioning. It helped me to think of the assessors as colleagues rather than examiners. Second, answer the question! Explicitly root what you're saying in all of the task's objectives and information, and in the company's values. Third, you'll need to think innovatively beyond the information you've been given. This is where understanding the industry and reading Tesco's yearly report will help! Fourth, know beforehand the general structure of a presentation. Don't forget to acknowledge the pros of the options you didn't take, and tackle the cons of the options and choices you did!

2. Group exercise

Half the marks here come from working with people well. That means you've got to put your points across and argue them out. Have opinions on each project and articulate them. Be willing to compromise. If you disagree with someone, remember to start your rebuttal by fairly summarising the person's viewpoint. Secondly, you need to draw everyone in. Ask each person for their opinion at some point. Ask or feedback on your ideas. Be positive, generous, let others speak. If someone's being unclear, ask them what they mean.

The other half of the marks come from saying intelligent things. Stay unswervingly focused on the objective, the criteria, the company's values. Keep those front, central, and explicit. But also make imaginative moves with the information you've been given. As with the presentation, that's much easier to do when you know about the industry.

3. Interview

Pretty standard competency and motivation questions. If you look these up and practice lots then you shouldn't be surprised by anything.

4. 3DCV

Tesco's not quiet about its own values, its passions, its style with colleagues and shoppers -- so make sure your attributes match theirs.

Also, they ask you to get creative. The easiest thing is to bring some objects and use them as talking points: the shoes you used to climb Kilmanjiro for charity (trying to make the world a better place), the boots you play football in (teamwork), the shoes you wore during an eye-opening summer placement (passionate and driven) etc. That works just fine.

The day was very relaxed. The assessors were fine and the graduate scheme coordinators are lovely. There were 3 (maybe 4) parts.

1. Unseen presentation. 40 minutes to prepare; 10 minute presentation; 15-20 minutes of questions afterwards. I was given a pack of information on three projects. My task was to pick one of three projects for the company to focus on, to explain why that one best aligned with the company's values and objectives (e.g. innovativeness, customer experience, turning a profit). I then had to outline how I'd implement the project practically.

2. Group exercise. 30 minutes to prepare alone; 30 minutes discussing in a group. This was very similar to the presentation. We were given a pack with information about six projects, and had to pick three of them according to some criteria and the company's values.

3. Interview. Motivation questions (why Tesco? why stores?) and competency questions.

4. 3DCV. A 10 minute presentation at the start of the interview. They ask you to talk about who you are, your achievements, strengths, values, passions, and style of interacting with others.

The competency based interview included questions on the role- what do you understand about merchandising? how good are you with excel? Alongside more general questions like what makes a good team?
There were two interviewers (both from the merchandiser section at Matalan) and the interview was informal with an option to ask questions at the end.

When have you to explain something complex top people? give and example of a time you have received bad service?

Practice as much for the competency based interview as you do for the presentation, as you need to pass all elements of the assessment to be offered a job. Bring a hand out for the presentation as well.

The assessment Centre had 3 stages- first was a 10 minute Presentation in front of two interviewers (both from the merchandiser section at Matalan) on how a Merchandiser can help Matalan, followed by 5-10 minutes of questions. Next was the Competency based interview for about 20 minutes. Last was the group exercise were you work in a team to decide who to save in a theoretical cave in.

First step was psychometric tests including numerical and verbal reasoning.

If you are successful and pass the psychometric tests you will be invited to the assessment centre. Before the assessment centre they send you a personality questionnaire. This is very long (mine took an hour).

The assessment centre was with approximately 8 other candidates and involved 3 group exercises and an interview which lasted approximately 1 hour. The interview is partially based on your experience and CV but a lot of questions are based on the results of your personality questionnaire. For example, if it came across in your questionnaire that you do not make decisions they will ask you about decision making.

When have you implemented a change?

Be aware of the time - take a watch.
Make sure you express your views, particularly, in the group exercise.
Be prepared for a long interview at the end of the day.
Read up on the company and its values.

There were 4 parts to the assessment centre.
1. Interview
2. Group exercise - decision making regarding various scenarios.
3. Presentation - regarding a store scenarios - making decisions and discussing strategy. You have an hour to review the information and prepare a presentation. You then present the presentation.
4. Single exercise - you are given a scenario by one of the interviewers and asked to respond to several questions.

First step was psychometric tests including numerical and verbal reasoning.

The next step was a telephone interview. This was with a member of their graduate recruitment team and lasted 18 minutes. I was told it was to last no more than 20 minutes. They asked me general competency questions, what I knew about the Partnership and why I wanted to be a Partner.

I was successful at the telephone interview so the next step was the assessment centre. This was with approximately 10-12 other candidates and involved 3 group exercises and a small interview which lasted approximately 20-30 minutes.

Why is working for a Partnership important?

Really investigate the company, its structure (particularly the partnership model) and its values.
The recruitment team stayed with you throughout the process so remember to maintain professionalism at all times.
Be very aware of the time - wear a watch - everything is timed.

There were 4 parts to the assessment centre.
1. Interview
2. Group exercise - decision making n a group of scenarios.
3. Presentation - regarding store scenarios - making decisions and discussing strategy.
4. Group exercise - work as teams to achieve goals.

The first interview was a video interview to complete in your own time. It was quite straightforward, consisting of around three questions. You were given a short period of time to formulate your answer before the video starts recording. You do not have to use up all the time given by the software! Questions included introducing yourself, an achievement you were proud of and what you could bring to the company.

There were then two separate Skype interviews with A&F employees at their US head office. The first was mainly biographical, talking about your education and experiences such as team work, work ethic and leadership. The second interview was more technical, testing your knowledge of the role and the retail market. A project relating to the role of a merchandiser will be sent to you in advance and this will be discussed during the first half of the interview.

Talk about 3 trends you have observed recently.

Even though it is a Skype interview, A&F are a very image-conscious company - be prepared! It would be helpful to wear their clothes if you have any, or clothes of a similar style. You will be probed about your knowledge of fashion, current trends and competitor activity.

In comparison to other companies, the interviews are quite relaxed. Try to relax as much as possible when giving your answers in order to show yourself in the best possible light - this is a key part of the culture of A&F.

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The initial phone interview lasted around 40 minutes, including time at the end for me to ask questions about the role and the company.

The first questions were biographical, ensuring the details on your CV concerning your education were correct and up-to-date and then more practical questions about your available to start work.

The second part of the interview was based around Amazon's leadership principles and was a similar format to the competency questions asked by many graduate recruiters. It is good to use the STAR framework when answering (Situation, Task, Action, Result), in order to guide the interviewer through your answer logically.

There were also business-related questions relating to Amazon and its competitors, so it would be useful to do some background research about the company and current issues in the retail industry.

Talk about a time when you have made an improvement to a process.

The leadership principles are an absolutely key part of both the recruitment process and careers at Amazon - make sure to familiarise yourself with them before both your telephone interview and the assessment centre. Try to think of an example answer for each of the principles and structure your answer around the STAR framework.

Do some background research about Amazon, its competitors and the retail environment in which it is operating before your interviews, to enable you to offer informed answers about business-related questions. Although it seems obvious, also ensure you are familiar with Amazon's website, including all product categories, postage policies and additional services. This will help you to speak confidently about the company under pressure.

2 x one-to-one interviews (CV and competencies)
Group exercise
Individual exercise and presentation

My initial interview was with the store manager. He was very friendly and it wasn't too formal. He asked me questions about my CV, work experience, why I wanted to work for Decathlon and what I could bring to this role. I was very happy with how the interview went as the questions were quite straightforward to understand and not confusing.
He also gave me feedback which to me shows the commitment of the organisation and the staff towards the people they interact with, including candidates.

what were your career aspirations during sixth form and have they changed?

Prepare in advance, show your enthusiasm for the job

Havn't yet had an assessment centre visit - this may be yet to come