Tips for a retail job interview

[kickingfrog]

I know someone who's got an interview at Cabela's (no, not me). They know fishing/hunting but have zero retail experience, as do I, except from a consumer perspective.

 

Any tips for the interview?

 

PM if you prefer.

 

Thanks.

[manitoubass2]

Passion and people skills.

[redpearl99]

don't act over qualified

[dhickey]

I would love to have a chance like that.

 

Be yourself and talk about what you know.

 

Don't be afraid to ask questions...

 

Be yourself and don't bull crap.

[jedimaster]

Retail is a tough gig. I work at the head office in IT Management for a large national retailer. Best thing is to be honest. If you don't fit the mold of what they want you won't last and you will be out the door faster than what you got in. They are going to be looking for a number of people with very specific character traits. Those differ depending on the company. In general don't steal, don't lie, be nice to all customers, follow policies. Some places allow for policies to be broken to make customers happy but that is something that is identified.

[BillM]

If you aren't a people person, retail isn't for you.. Unfortunately this isn't a skill you can learn.

[Big Cliff]

Dress for success!

 

Don't go in wearing jeans and running shoes but don't go in wearing a suit either. Spend some time before the interview looking over THEIR store, explore their website, get familiar with THEIR products and policies, see how the rest of the staff are dressed and look like you would fit right in. Be polite, be professional, be prepaired!

 

Be a good listener; god gave you two ears, two eyes and one mouth for a reason, you be amazed at how many people I have seen talk themselves out of a job by talking when they should have been listening. The very best sales people are the ones that listen and pay attention to what the customer is saying, this is where you get to sell yourself, know your product!

 

If you have made it to the interview stage it is because they are already considering you for the position, go get it!

[aplumma]

Well said Cliff.

 

 

Art

[Ralph Field]

Don't ask about benefits and wages, that comes up in later interviews.

[adempsey]

Prepare like it's a licensing exam. Tell your friend to search through the internet for interview questions. It's the HR questions that are the worst (IMO). Simple questions, yet sometimes difficult to answer. So, you need to prepare a good response and deliver it like it's not rehearsed or canned. Questions like "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" , "Strengths and weaknesses". That type of garbage. With no experience, your friend is going to be asked a lot of those. Not to mention some hypothetical situations regarding co-workers and customers. Such as "What do you do if a customer is being belligerent toward you?", "What do you do if you see a co-worker steal something?", "I am a customer shopping for a pair of shoes, as the sales clerk act out that scenario for me". Also, have some questions prepared for the interview panel. They usually ask if you have any.

 

Personally, I think most of the time interviews are ridiculous. Especially the HR part of it. Sure, you can argue they help weed out the truly unqualified to some degree, but with enough practice, a horrible future employee can easily ace those questions.

[Headhunter]

Watch out for open ended questions. "Tell me about yourself". That's an open ended question and one that gets asked alot. There is really only one correct answer to that question and your response will tell the interviewer a great deal about the way you think.

The correct answer to that question should always be, "What aspects of myself would you like me to discuss".

Interviews are NOT about tossing hand grenades or atomic bombs at questions, they are about sharp shooters finding and aiming for a specific target. If you start to answer the question, without getting them to narrow down the question, you will be ssen as a person who jumps to conclusions (and tosses hand grenades!). If you jump to conclusions in an interview, you will do it in the job.

"Tell me about your experience fishing and your knowledge of fishing equipment".

Response - "I have been fishing for X number of years and have experience fishing multi-species. Is there a specific area of my fishing experience you would like me to discuss?"

The employer now knows that they can go to you anytime and you will give them what they want/need, without "stick handling" around the issue.

Again, if you do this in the interview, you can be expected to do it during your working life.

Also, remember that during the interview, the person doing the hiring is putting you into the role, in their mind's eye the entire time of the interview. How you say what you say is almost as important as what you say.

 

One last thing... people tend to get nervous during interviews. A little nerves are good, as they tend to get the blood flowing, a lot and your brain goes dead.

Smiling is huge! A smile says that you understand and agree, without saying anything.

Any other questions, let me know...

HH

[kickingfrog]

Thanks for the information.

 

It's already been pointed out not to ask "Why would a fishing/outdoor store schedule job interviews on the trout opener?" More brookies for me.

[BillM]

Thanks for the information.

 

It's already been pointed out not to ask "Why would a fishing/outdoor store schedule job interviews on the trout opener?" More brookies for me.

 

Because they know everything will still be blown

[Headhunter]

Interviews are like horse races... sometimes there is a clear winner and sometimes there is a photo finish. Sometimes you just have to be just that little bit stronger than your competition, to win.

HH

[spincast]

Thanks for the information.

 

It's already been pointed out not to ask "Why would a fishing/outdoor store schedule job interviews on the trout opener?" More brookies for me.

If you cant make the interview on opener, you'll be sick when walleye opens too, and bass, and , well you get the point.

[kickingfrog]

Thanks for the tips gang. He thinks the interview went really well. Won't know for a few weeks. Only thing to do is go fishing.

[SirCranksalot]

. Only thing to do is go fishing.

 

Things are tough all over!!

[singingdog]

Tell him to "massage" his online presence before he goes: about a 75% chance that they will Google him. Otherwise, some great advice.

[HTHM]

Tell him to "massage" his online presence before he goes: about a 75% chance that they will Google him. Otherwise, some great advice.

That is one of the good things of being older, all of our stupid stuff we did was before the internet.

[irishfield]

And apparently with Cabelas .. any visible tattoos is an immediate NO thank you.. if I can believe facebook.

[grimsbylander]

That is one of the good things of being older, all of our stupid stuff we did was before the internet.

True. And you would think the younger generation would best understand the internet. Just this week I had a young employee post his desire to find a new job two days after completing a course the company agreed to pay for. Strangely, he seemed surprised when I showed him the post.

[kickingfrog]

I did mention the internet thing as well.

[John Bacon]

That is one of the good things of being older, all of our stupid stuff we did was before the internet.

 

Polaroids can be scanned... you may not be in the clear yet.