Retail Interview Questions & Answers

Firstly completed their application form and personality test online.
The interview was a set of competency based questions such as "What is exceptional customer service and tell me about a time you have expereinced it"

"Describe a time when you did not do something properly or did something badly and had to re do it"

Look up some competency based questions and prepare answers before hand. Go in with some notes of things you want to remember to say. Also make sure you understand the role you are applying for.

It was individual interviews with myself facing the assistant branch manager(taking notes) and the branch manager asking questions.

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 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!

Online Application:
You will be asked competency based questions (team work, organisation , leadership) as well as your reasons for working for Halfords and on their scheme.
You also have to submit a cover letter and CV.

Telephone interview:
More competency based questions - it is helpful to review what you said in your application as you don't want to repeat yourself.
Other questions included: your role model, motivations and influences, greatest achievement.
They praised me on my enthusiasm for Halfords and passion for retail.
Make sure you do your research on the company, as this can be impressive if you can include it in your answers.

Assessment Centre:
See below

Final Interview:
You meet with the head of retail, and head of retail (people) for a half hour interview. They had my CV in front of them, and asked me questions based on that. One was taking notes, while the other asked the questions. They asked me to describe why I had studied my degree, why my part-time jobs had been useful etc.
They also ask you to give examples of things you have done as part of your job or society - and they asked specifically from what I had on my CV, so make sure you come up with some competency examples for all of the things you include on your CV. They were really friendly and relaxing during the interview, but they seem to be quite specific about what they want and who they want, so they mark you harshly on how well you do. I think they want a 'type' of person. So don't be surprised if you do well in your interview but don't get offered a job.

If you had a newspaper advert, with 6 things on, what would they be?

What's the most interesting thing you found out when researching Halfords?

If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

What has been your greatest achievement? Why is this a good achievement?

I feel I did by best all the way through the process and got to the very end, but didn't fit the right type. So give it your all, and take it as good experience. They were really friendly, and you learn a lot (especially from the assessment centre) so use the experience wisely. I haven't been to an assessment centre so friendly before! But be aware, they are always watching you to give you credit or take it away, so you need to constantly be on the ball!

At the assessment centre we did a short icebreaker where we have to make a tower from straws, newspapers and marshmallows. They are looking for your team working skills and how you interact with the other people in the group.

Then you do a presentation (which you prepare before hand) about Halfords values based on an object personal to you. You do this to other people in the group - listen and ask questions after their presentations. Try and think of interesting links of your object to Halfords and be prepared to answer questions afterwards. Make sure you practice timings as they are harsh on that.

Then you go to speed interviews. There were 6 tables and you got 10 minutes at each one. Each table ask you different questions. Try and come up with good examples to competency questions which you can articulate well in a short period of time as the questions are quick fire. You need to make a good impression quickly so try not to be nervous!

Then you do a big group task called a 'pit stop' They are looking for how well you deal with the team but also with the data provided. You get an A4 sheet filled with target and sales data as well as key store information and you need to show you can understand and interpret it, without stepping on other people in the group. try and give yourself a task in the group, specific to you, so you stand out (eg. time keeper, scribe). Then you have to do a presentation to the assessors about the data you have interpreted. be confident, and make sure all of the group is involved. They will ask you questions and interrupt you to put you under pressure, so stay calm!

Finally, you do a role play task. You have ten minutes to prepare from a brief that you provide you with. Try and remember as much as you can from the sheet and use the time wisely - they commented that I prepared well, so they might mark your notes! Then you have to interact with one of the assessors (the customer) and solve their problems. try and understand everything they need help with before you advise them. They don't want you to be an expert of the Halfords equipment, but they are looking for your communication with the customer and how you deal with the situation, so take your time and go with it!

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.

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.

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.

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.