How to Conduct Effective Retail Interviews

Let’s be real – it’s not just the candidate sweating it in the interview room. As interviewers, you need razor-sharp retail interview techniques to land the right hire. Mediocre interviews can yield hires that don’t quite fit, plain and simple.

Here are seven actionable insights to improve your interview process and secure the top-tier talent your business needs.

The Importance of Effective Retail Interviews

Great talent is always in short supply. You already know that; it’s probably a significant factor in why you are having to interview new recruits right now.

Recruiting is a commitment. It takes time, effort and money, so you will want to get it right first time. This relies on more than the quality of the candidates, it’s down to the interviewer(s) too.

Here are some simple tips, suggested by our own ZD recruiters, to help set you up for a successful round of new recruit interviews.

7 Tips for Effective Retail Interviews

Know the Goals and Plan the Discussion

Be really clear about the skills, capabilities and traits you are looking for. Plan the flow of the conversation to ensure your questions target the areas about which you need information. There’s a limited amount of time available during an interview, and you don’t want it to end feeling like you haven’t got all of the information that you need.

Preparation

There are two key elements here: First, you would expect the interviewee to have done their homework about your organisation, so make sure you have done a little preparation about them.

At the very least, have a read of their CV. If you can, use it to personalise some of your questions. Each candidate should receive the same questions so you can make a clear comparison, but there is nothing wrong with tailoring questions so they relate specifically to the interviewee’s experiences.

Second, make sure you know the details of the job they are applying for (including salary and benefits). Also, consider what makes your organisation a great place to work. After all, if you’re going to invite your interviewee to ask a question or two, it’s best to be prepared to answer them.

Keep it Relaxed

It’s not an interrogation; it is an interview, and you want the candidate to leave the process feeling as though they would be happy to work for your brand – so smile, keep the language informal and make sure to make regular eye contact.

At the start of the interview, explain the process and what will happen. At the end of the interview, thank the candidate for taking part. And, don’t forget to tell them when they can expect to hear the outcome.

Start Soft

Don’t even think about skipping the icebreaker. It’s not some fluffy time-waster; it’s a strategic move. Getting your interviewee comfortable and building rapport isn’t just polite, it’ll help to unlock their true potential. Give them that breathing space to show you what they’re really made of. Skip it, and you risk missing out on seeing the best of them.

Ask Insightful Questions

“What is your biggest weakness?” is a question that has become a bit of a cliché.

In our opinion, this is something interviewers ask when they can’t think of anything else. Plus, the answer is almost always an invitation for a bit of pointless humblebragging, “If anything, I am perhaps just a bit too committed” etc etc.

We would always suggest asking a question to which you actually want an answer, rather than this sort of puzzle box question, which rarely provides any real insight.

“Can you think of an occasion when you had to think on your feet/deal with an aggressive customer/persuade a peer about a course of action, what did you do?” are all questions likely to deliver something of genuine value.

Probe Cultural Fit, but be Flexible

Cultural fit is a huge deal at Zachary Daniels. When a hundred candidates can look great on paper, finding the people who fit your organisation like a glove is the real skill.

Even so, there’s a balance to be struck. Cultural fit does not just mean finding more people like the ones we already have.

It could mean finding people from different backgrounds and with new ways of thinking, but who complement the culture you have already created and help it grow in new and exciting ways.

When asking questions about cultural fit, recognise that an unexpected answer is not necessarily a wrong answer, and that people can adapt and change to fit your mould.

Write Notes Now, Rate Later

It is tempting to rate an interviewee immediately after the interview, but this leaves you open to subconscious bias.

It is very easy to be swayed by an interviewee’s presentational skills when they sound convincing or sound like you (or both).

Yet with a bit of distance between you and the interview, you might see things differently.

So, rather than rating at the point of interview, write factual notes: “gave a convincing example of being able to persuade management” or “did not answer the question about making change stick”.

Then use those notes to rate the interviewees in one block at the end of the day/process.

Get Help

Prepping your interviewees and ensuring you have met their needs and made any reasonable adjustments takes time.

A recruitment partner will not just help you find the right interviewees, they will help you manage the process too. The smoother and more relaxed the process, the better the impression you will create.

For help in making your next talent search more successful, talk to us.