Retail Interview Questions & Answers

I was interviewed by two people from HR, who were both very friendly. They asked how I thought the assessment centre had gone and if I had been myself. They then asked me some questions about how I might react if certain situations came up on the job, so what would I do if there was a very experienced member of staff on my team who wouldn't respect my opinion. I was then asked how I would fit into Toys R Us not having had any retail experience. I was also asked what would I bring to the store and what is my managing style. The questions were not too difficult and the interviewers were pretty friendly.

What would you do if a member of staff refused to carry out a task that you assigned to them?

Come to the assessment centre dressed to impress, so many people were dressed too casually and none of them got through to the interview stage. Stay positive during the interview and don't hesitate to ask questions. Be enthusiastic to answer any questions they give you and volunteer yourself for tasks. Make your voice heard in the group tasks so that they know you are able to give an opinion.

I was told the assessment centre was going to be 3 hours long, but actually I was there from 10am to 3pm! This was however because I was chosen for a panel interview after the group activities. There were 20 or so people and we had to complete group tasks as well as introduce ourselves to the group and explain why we wanted to work there. We also had a task to talk positively about a certain 'subject' for a minute which puts you under pressure. The assessment centre had people of varied experience as I'm a graduate myself but some people were applying for a higher role and had years of retail experience! This actually helped me out as they were good support and had good knowledge in the group exercises. We then had a Q&A session afterwards when everyone could ask their questions and we found out lots about the job itself and the company's values. They were very open about the commitment you have to make for the company which I thought was great. At the end, they asked a few people to stay behind stating it was to 'clarify some things on their CVs' but it was actually to give them a one-to-one or panel interview.

The interview was done as part of the assessment centre. The lady who conducted the interview was lovely, but unfortunately I don't feel that enough questions were actually asked in order to show fully the skills I have which would have made me an ideal graduate on their programme.

When have you had to change your approach?

Be yourself, and try to be as confident as possible.

The assessment centre was mostly enjoyable, despite the obvious nervousness that most candidates will feel. The staff were friendly and offered advice and assistance and were happy to answer any questions we had.

I find it difficult being put up against other candidates, as I feel I need to be slightly competitive, but not show off.

The first task we had to imagine we were a store manager and prioritise certain tasks, then there was a one on one interview, followed by a role play and finally a group exercise.

The person who called me was very sympathetic and assertive. I think it was a good opportunity to a fist contact and impression. The interviewer tried to show how works the brand, which is its point of view, vision and another important informations and asked if we really would like to part of this.

Why did you decided to work for Decathlon if it is a different job of your graduation?

About the telephone first interview, try to be clear and honest. To the second part, which is another interview and team group work, it is advisable wear comfortable clothes and shoes or trainers and be prepared to work with different persons.

It was in a good place near one of the Decathlon Shops, which is very interesting because make possible take a look around the shop, the products and to see how everything works.
The interviews and dynamics happend in in a comfortable office, were very interesting and exciting. We could feel about the idea of team work proposed for Decathlon.

First was an online application which was fairly simple in terms of questions asked,
If you succeed in this you're invited to a group assessment centre which was the toughest aspect. If you succeed on this you are then invited to a one on one interview with the director, this is your standard CV run through and competency based interview.

What is our five year plan and how are we going to compete with other market leaders?

Research the background and current plans of Aldi thoroughly and it's competitors as you are quizzed around this quite heavily.

The assessment centre is tough, first you are given 15 mins to prepare for a short 2 minute presentation on something you are passionate about. Then you have your numerical and verbal reasoning tests which you don't have long for at all. After that it is a group task where you have to prioritise 10 items that would be useful if you were stranded in the Antarctic. Here they are looking for a leader and someone to take charge of the situation.

Interviewed with the manager of the store I was applying to work in. The conversation has always been pretty casual, and the manager has tried to make me feel comfortable from the start. It lasted around 1 hour, and I have been asked various questions regarding my cv, previous work experience, difficult situations I found myself in (job wise) and how I delt with them, and other more generic questions about my skills for that job, hobbies, ecc..

Describe me the job position you're applying for as if you were interviewing yourself/What skills do you think you should need to do this job.

Stay calm and always answer the questions, even though you're not sure of what is the best answer. The interviewer will always try to throw you a bit off to see if you're capable of dealing with stressful situations, so just relax and speak your mind.

Didn't have to go to an assessment centre.

First I went to the recruiting day where I interacted with other candidates and I also had an one on one interview. The entire day was really interesting, informative and practical. It was an enjoyable environment.

I also had the unique opportunity to experience one day in the store where I could meet more people and especially, I had a clear understanding of the job and its responsibilities. This was the best part for me. Few companies offer this "real" experience as part of the recruiting process.

The difficult part is to evaluate if your own characteristics match with company's culture. Whenever you realize Decathlon is the right company to you, everything will be enjoyable and you will not face major difficulties.

Just be yourself. The company has a friendly and open culture which facilitates your performance during the recruiting process.
It is important to search about the company and check if your personality match with Decathlons' culture. Furthermore, the most important thing is to be passionate about sports. This is what leads the company and its employees.

It was a normal space. Nothing special that would make the candidates more stressed or tense. We spent most of the day in one of the rooms and we also spent some time inside the real store.

My Interview was very relaxed and was entirely competency based. It was very similar to the telephone interview and lasted about half an hour. The questions I was asked were the ones you would expect in a competency based interview e.g. why Tesco? why the scheme? tell me a time when. . .This was quite easy for me as I had done many of these before. Nothing to worry about just be yourself!

One of the more difficult questions was tell me a time when you have had to change your course of action due to unforeseen circumstances. This wasn't as easy for me as I hadn't prepared an answer for this so had to make it up on the spot.

Try to Relax and listen carefully to the questions asked.

The assessment centre was a good experience and very professional but the main problem was Tesco made candidates share a room with another candidate the night before the assessment day. They say it is to 'get to know your potential future colleagues' but to me it was about saving money. It doesn't help you relax before the big day!

My phone interview was with a member of the HR team in which we went through certain aspects of my CV and there were also some competency questions to answer at the end

Describe a time where you failed to meet an objective

Try not to be nervous and do plenty of research about the company beforehand

We were split into teams of 5 and each given a title of something which we had to discuss and then go on to debate between team members

I first had a 5-10 minute phone interview at the end of which I was invited to a recruitment day. The recruitment day began on time with a presentation on the company, it's values and the role I had applied for. The interview panel was made up of two store managers and a department manager (the role we were applying for) from one of the recruiting stores. We were then split into groups of three and asked to go onto the shopfloor and select a product. We then had to prepare a presentation on why we had selected the product and demonstrate it/ perform a sales pitch. If nothing else I improved my tent building skills.
After this we rejoined as a big group for a task. We were a town council and had to unanimously decide how to spend a grant, we each had been given an idea to put forward. After this we were left alone while the panel decided who would be staying for individual interviews in the afternoon and who had been unsuccessful. The two of us who stayed for the afternoon were taken for lunch with the panel before our interviews. The interview lasted around an hour, with a very broad range of questions. Later that day I was informed by phone that my application had been successful.

I cant remember many of the questions but there were lots that required me to reflect on past situations

Research the company before the interview as you will likely be asked about it. Be confident and energetic but most importantly listen to what is said to you, and think about what the interviewers want/are looking for.

The assessment centre was one of their stores, part of the day was spent on the shopfloor and part in an office section upstairs. Everything was arranged and set up before we arrived.

It was a relaxed face to face interview with the store manager and a department manager. They wanted to know more about my personality and experience to see whether I would be a good fit. They were both friendly and made me feel at ease. More specifically I was asked about previous management experience, why I wanted to work at the company and what I thought I could bring to the role.

I was asked to walk around the shop floor and pick 3 good things and 3 bad things about the store. This was a good exercise as it made you think on your feet and gave them an insight into how I thought.

Make sure you understand the core values of the company. They are key to how the company is run and the products designed and sold by Decathlon. In the interview make sure you let your personality shine through. The company wants passionate and energetic and it is important this comes across in the interview.

There was no assessment centre, I had to complete an online application. Once I had passed this stage I had a short telephone interview before being invited in for a face to face interview at the store.