One of the well-known facts about retail stores is that it has the highest rate of no-shows for job interviews. Moreover, it has trouble with high employee turnover because people usually join retail stores to learn some customer interactions and become confident. The fault also lies with the retail stores as they fail to identify the staff members suitable for the job and can have a huge impact on how their store operates. Mostly, job applicants for retail stores come hoping for temporary or seasonal work. Despite this, it is the store owners’ responsibility to ask them to appropriate retail interview questions as even for a temporary time; you need someone who can work efficiently and is the right fit for your store and business goals.
It helps in determining the skill level, experience, and attitude of the candidate. To avoid last-minute confusion and to miss out on important factors and queries, it is wise to prepare a suitable list of questions and be clear about the ideal answer you are looking for to pick out the best fits. Given these high-stakes, below, we mention the key characteristics required in an employee of a retail store, followed by the list of 4 retail interview questions to ask while hiring the right candidate.
What are you looking for in an employee?
- Relatability- Retail is one such industry where in order to succeed, one needs a combination of soft skills and sales skills to deal with customers. Relatability is one of the key natural traits that requires the employee to put himself in the customers’ shoes and show empathy that is not artificial but genuine.
It is only when the employee understands the customer and gains his trust; he is able to sell products and make them revisit the store.
- Reliability- The last thing you would want for your store is to see it shut at the peak hours of the day, and customers return just because your employee did not open the store on time or did not make it ready for the customers.
Therefore, finding a reliable employee, you know, who will show up on time and is ready to work efficiently is critical for you. Moreover, hiring committed employees who understand the retail business seasonality is important since, at the time of sale or festival, the work becomes more hectic, but it is more profitable.
- The meticulous working ability under pressure
As a manager, you need someone detail-oriented and ready to learn new things about the business. He must be ready to take up new tasks as and when required. He must work meticulously and take care of small details like making sure the display is on point, and everything is kept in order at the store.
Retail is a place that often requires multitasking by the employees to make sure the operations are seamless, and the expectations of the customers are met. Right from changing the display to processing freights and running numbers, the employees must be able to do it all. While this might feel like working under a lot of pressure, make sure you choose an employee who does not boil over and negatively impact the store.
What are the top 4 retail interview questions to hire the right candidate?
This is an important question to ask managers as by their answer; you will be able to assess their vision towards your retail store and learn about their understanding of your retail brand. Expect an answer that aligns with your corporate vision. They must possess knowledge about the brands and products you offer, as this knowledge will later help the employees sell the products to the customers.
Retail work can be stressful as the employee has to face a variety of customers, and not every one of them is sweet and polite. It is in these kinds of situations when the real test starts, and the employee must be able to keep calm and handle the customer properly. This question can enable the retail storeowner to see how the employee responds to rudeness, dismissiveness, and anger and whether or not he/she is a solution finder and de-escalator.
This question is necessary as it will let you know how versatile the employee is and whether or not they can multitask at the time of need. As the things at a retail store are not the same every day and there might be days when big shipments might come, or the storeroom could use some extra hands, or the IT department is going through some internal glitch; an employee must be able to handle it all without losing his/her cool and be extremely efficient. It is also important to note that even if the employee is not as versatile, he must be willing to learn new skills.
It looks like a very basic question, but it is a very important question as well. The strengths possessed by the employee must be in line with the job profile, and the weaknesses will help you in assessing his/her self-awareness, which is an important quality to possess. Learning about your potential employee will greatly help you handle him/her and assign a job, which he/she can do to full potential.
Asking the right interview questions indicates how invested your potential employee is in your business. As there are many vacancies in the retail sector, selecting the right candidate helps you increase sales and bring a positive brand image to your store.
Resource:
https://arirms.com/4-retail-interview-questions-to-find-the-best-fit-for-your-retail-store
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