I have worked at old navy for 6 years, which I left in May of last year. Can you think of any interview questions I may be asked and in what way should I answer....for example I have no idea about what I should say about leaving Old Navy. I felt like I was being belittled at that job and not appreciated...so what should I say for that. Then I had a job at PCDI, which is a lot like that Penn Foster school, but I left because I felt like I was cheating people out of their money, because that school was a scam. Not only that, I am not very good with telephone sales, so what should I say there. the main reason I want another retail job is so that I can continue school First, you need to write down all the functions you performed at Old Navy, from sales to freight to register to straightening, any times you performed managerial work or inventory, or times when you were in charge of training others. Then if you got any recognition for highest personal sale of the week, highest average sale, best displays, etc, write that down. Review all you did that was good, and review it over and over until you start to realize how good you really are. Your self image is very important in an interview with retail managers, so work on building that up with your review of your past work.
There are numerous books at any library of sample interview questions, but the most important things they want to know for floor staff (salespeople and cashiers) are:
1. You are available when they need you.
2. You have a good atitude and a nice smile.
3. You like to help people.
4. You can work quickly and well under time pressures like big lines.
5. You enjoy being in retailing.
6. You don't job hop, and you are a keeper. The fact that you worked at one store for 6 years is a MAGOR ACCOMPLISHMENT! As a former American Eagle manager, it was hard to get someone to stay six months! Don't worry too much about leaving after six years, chances are there isn't a store manager in your new store that has been there that long.
7. You don't call in sick or ask for weekends off.
8. You really love the store you are applying for. Your enthusiasm for the product is important.
As far as the answer to why did you leave Old Navy, you can simply say that after six years, you felt you had learned and done as much as you could at that position, and wanted to look for a position with more growth opportunities.
For the PCDI, you left because you realized that the product they were selling was not reputable, and that you felt as though it was cheating people out of their money. This clashed with your personal value system, and you couldn't be dishonest any longer.
Your telephone sales skills are not at all relevant to a retail store, but if asked, say that you enjoyed working face to face with the customer, because it gave you a better understanding on how to serve their needs.
As someone who was in retail as a manager for clothing stores, if you came to the interview dressed nicely, with a smile on your face, a positive attitude, and you were available when I needed you to work, you would be hired! It is a very honorable thing to have two of the main characteristics that I heard in this description....loyalty and honesty.
As for feeling not appreciated, I think we all feel that way, especially from the management. They are under constant pressure to increase sales and cut costs, and are faced with pressures from customers, employees and bosses. This leaves little time to think about how people are feeling. Its sad, but the best way to feel appreciated is to help a customer the very best you can, and really absorb the thanks they give you, because its not up to the manager to do that. I have been in sales my whole life, and very very rarely did anyone go out of their way to make me feel good about what I was doing. You need to develop your own sense of worth. Mine came from hearing and really feeling the compliments of my customers, from reaching my personal goals, and from working on commission, the absolute best way to feel valued for your hard work. I generally made at least twice what anyone else did if I was on commission, but its not for everyone. If you can get into a store with a wage plus commission, like furniture sales, you can get a taste for if you like that.
Also, find a hobby that you really enjoy and can relax with on your time off to help you feel good. Balancing work with pleasure is very important. Whether you do scrapbooking, gardening, restore vehicles or love to cook, get your rewards that way. Personally, I love to bake and decorate cakes, or grow a big garden and give it all away.
Otherwise, be honest but positive in all your responses. If you feel uncertain before going in, write down both the questions and your positive answer, and review it.
One thing that will likely come up is a mock situation where they say "sell us this product", and they want to see how you react. Be able to go right into a sales pitch, using your abilities learned at previous jobs.
Whatever you are looking for, I hope you find it. And your new employer is going to have a gem of an employee in you. Best wishes! Remember, each job built your skills and allowed you to finally find something you want to do. Be positive. They may not even ask. Never say anything negative about a previous employer. For Old Navy, simply say that you had been there a long time and you had the opportunity at the other job and decided to try it and see if it was something that was interesting to you. Then for the other one, say you tried, but found the work just wasn't for you and you preferred working face-to-face with people than over the phone and you decided to go back and look for a retail job again which suits you better. That should suffice. |
