Whether you operate a large retail store or a smaller mom-and-pop shop, you need qualified, talented workers to help you sell products. A great salesperson can drastically impact the amount of revenue you are able to bring in from one month to the next. Hiring on new workers starts with the interview process, so you need to know what questions to ask to find the best employees. Pay attention to the answers for these retail salesperson sample interview questions to get the best sense of a person’s capabilities.
Tell Me About Yourself
This is one of the most basic things you can ask, but it can be incredibly insightful. Many job applicants make the mistake of giving their whole life story, which can get boring and meandering. Instead, they should tailor their response to items that are relevant to the position at hand. They should talk about their experience selling, if any. Depending on the type of business you run, you might get candidate who have never worked before or at least have never worked a retail job before. They should talk about their general interest in what you have to sell and why they were interested in applying in the first place.
What Do You Know About Our Business?
This is a question you should ask to see if the interviewee has done his or her research. The candidate should have a thorough understanding of what products you sell and a little bit about the company’s history. Most retail salesperson sample interview questions will be about what the applicant offers, but this is to see if he or she takes the extra step to really get to know the organization.
What Are Your Career Goals?
This is to see what ambitions a person has. Chances are that an entry-level salesperson position is not going to be what they want to do their entire life, so you should see where they hope to be in five or 10 years. One thing to see is if an applicant’s goals could be benefitted by having this position. It is possible that a person hopes to one day own their own business. In which case, having salesperson experience would be incredibly beneficial in that path.
Tell Me About a Time You Experienced Professional Failure. How Did You Handle It?
Your retail salesperson sample interview questions should be open-ended. A question like this opens up a discussion where a candidate has to talk in-depth about past professional experiences. Too many employers ask closed-ended questions like, ïHave you ever experienced failure on the job?ï This could be answered in a few words, and you will not really learn anything about the applicant through it. Asking a question that requires a story will make the candidate stand out more in your mind. You will also be able to see pretty easily if an applicant is telling the truth in their response. A response you definitely do not want to get is an interviewee who says that he or she has never experienced setbacks. Everyone goes through hardships, so someone avoiding really answering the question may just be trying to hide something.
More Questions You Can Ask
Every business will need different things out of its employees, so there might be certain retail salesperson sample interview questions that will have more relevance to you than others. Here are a few others you should consider asking: – Have you ever received commissions? – Why do you believe you are the best candidate for this job? – Do you have any prior retail experience? – What are your biggest strengths