Interview Tips

Preparing for a job interview can be daunting, so it's important to make sure that you're fully prepared. By following some key interview tips you'll be able to build on the success of your CV and impress your potential employer and, hopefully, get hired. While it's hard to know exactly what will be asked of you or thrown your way, there are some common principles to follow that can help you secure that retail job.

Preparing for your Interview

Once you've been invited to your interview, there a few things that you should to do to make sure that you're as ready as possible come interview day.

Firstly, thoroughly research the company – from its background and history, to its current advertising campaigns, to what and where they sell.

Secondly, make sure that you know the job description and your CV inside-out. It's likely that the interviewer will pit your skills and experience mentioned on your CV with certain roles and duties expected of position you're going for. Therefore, make sure that you can pick examples from your CV that will compliment the job description.

You'll also want to prepare what you're going to wear. By doing so, you'll avoid a fashion faux pas and any stress the morning of your interview. Make sure that your outfit is suitable for the environment. Also, be sure to plan your travel and arrival time so that you avoid being late. Plan ahead and allow yourself to arrive 10-15 minutes before the interview.

Potential job interview questions

There are a whole host of things that you could be asked in your retail job interview and so we've put together just a handful of potential questions that you may be asked. We suggest preparing some answers to them in case they, or similar questions, come up.

• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work for us?
• Have you shopped in our store before?
• Have you ever had to deal with a difficult customer? What did you do?
• Why are you interested in this role?
• Retail jobs require flexibility with hours. Can you commit to this?
• What has been your biggest challenge in life, to date?
• Where do you see yourself in five years time?

We suggest preparing some answers to these questions in case they, or similar questions, come up. It's also worth doing a question and answer role play with a friend or family member to fully prepare your answers.

It's also a good idea to prepare some questions for your interviewer. Asking some questions, yourself, during the interview will impress and show that you're interested.

After your interview, the employer will usually give you a time frame as to when you'll find out how you got on. If you don't hear anything from them a day or two after their deadline, don't be afraid to contact them to find out how you got on.

For further career advice, head over to the CV-Library Career Centre.