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If you are attending an interview for a Customer Service Assistant then you will no doubt have some previous Customer Service experience. Dealing with customers can be both rewarding and challenging and you need to be able to talk to customers of all levels on an equal footing.

Tips for the Interview

You could be dealing with customers face to face or over the telephone so any previous experience you have will count in your favour and allow the interviewer to tailor specific questions to you.

Make sure that before any interview you always do thorough research into the company and the role to ensure that you can already analyse what type of customers you will be dealing with in what situation.

Customer Service Assistant Interview Questions

During your interview you could be asked questions such as:
In your opinion what makes a good customer service person?Have you had experience of a difficult customer? Please describe how you handled this?Have you ever had any good customer feedback and what was this?Have you ever worked to targets?What customer service have you had experience in providing?Your interviewer will be looking to establish how confident you are when talking to customers, how quickly you learn about their products and services and how you will be able to provide advice and support to the customers.Think about any customer service training that you have had in any previous roles and how you can bring this into the role that you are being interviewed for, what can you bring to their team?Before the interview think of a couple of questions you would like to ask in case you cannot think of anything during the interview itself. It looks like you are not interested if you don’t ask any questions when prompted so it is important to listen carefully to the interviewer.

Good luck.

  
If you are looking to be a florist and have been successful in gaining an interview for a role as a Florist then you will normally have some previous experience with flowers and or dealing with customers maybe from working in a small shop.

Your interviewer will be looking to assess your knowledge on flowers, do you know the names of flowers and what they look like, have you got some interest in flowers and plants, can you talk to customers and help them if they do not know what they are looking for?

You will get to know some of your customers well in a small local florist so your interviewer will be keen to know that you want to and can develop these relationships. You will need a creative eye for making sure that the bouquet or arrangement the customer wants looks good and they will be happy with.
You may even have some part of liaising with the suppliers of where you get the flowers from and ordering in specific flowers for customers. You will need to have excellent communication skills and be able to judge appropriate conversations such as dealing with flowers for a funeral or a wedding.

Make sure that you do your research properly into the florist, how long have they been established? Do they just have the one shop? Is it family run business? Where do they get their flowers from etc? You can use this information in your interview to show that you have looked into their business and it shows that you are showing interest.

Florist Interview Questions

During your interview you could be asked questions such as:
What are your favourite flowers?What other products could you entice our customers to buy?Compared to other florists that you have visited what stands out in this florist?Why would you choose to work here?How would your colleagues describe you?There are various questions you could be asked, if the florist is a family run business the interview is likely to be less formal and the interviewer will want to know they can work with you so personality is the key here.

You should also prepare answers for the typical interview questions:
Tell me about yourselfWhy should we hire you?What makes you better candidate than other?What is your weakness?Good luck.

  
If you have got an interview as a Checkout Operator then you will need to be familiar with the role itself unless you have done this before. Before your interview pay a visit to the store where you are hoping to be a Check out operator and see what the store is like, maybe go at different times of the day to see how busy the store gets and how big the queues get that you will be dealing with.

Do you research into the company, are they expanding, why the vacancy is it replacing someone or expansion or a new store etc, there is always a reason. How much do you need to know about the products they sell? Have you used a till system before, changed till rolls etc, all these things are important for the role of Checkout operator.

Dress smartly to your interview, you will probably wear some kind of uniform if you are successful so it is important to dress smartly for your interview so that you are showing that you find the interview important.

Checkout Operator Interview Questions

During your interview you will probably be asked some of the following questions:
Have you operated a till before and what kind?At what point do you cash up?Do you know roughly the prices of products or are you reliant on the till?Do you know roughly what products we sell?How do you deal with customers?What do you think is good customer service?There will be numerous questions that you could be asked related specifically to the job itself so it is very important to research the company well so that you can be prepared in advance as to the questions you could be asked and also the questions that you want to ask when you are asked what questions you have.

It is important to be prepared through careful preparation and research down to the last detail, location, how you will get to the interview, what time you need to set off to arrive on time etc. Think and plan ahead.

Good luck.

  
If you have got an interview for a Hotel Porter position then you will know from the advert or job description what the role entails. Start by matching your previous skills with what they are looking for from the ideal person. Make a careful note of the things not in your remit and how would you start to learn these and how quick do you think you could learn them?

Related: Kitchen Porter Interview

You will also need to research the Hotel itself, is it somewhere you have heard of, do you know anyone who has been before? Take a visit to the hotel, can you have a look round, get a drink, have a bite to eat, anything that allows you to see what type of place the hotel is, what type of guests it has, is it for more business than
pleasure?

The role of a hotel porter is one that requires excellent customer service skills helping people staying at the hotel with their bags or getting a taxi or general help. You may be responsible for meeting and greeting at the front door, arranging for cars to be parked etc. This will all depend on the type of hotel.

Once you know where exactly your interview is going to be held and how you are going to get there, ensure that you dress very smartly for this interview. Your interviewer will be looking for a smartly dressed individual who portrays the image of the hotel and someone who is very polite and courteous.

Hotel Porter Interview Questions

During your interview you could be asked questions such as:
(If you have done the role before) – What is the strangest request you have had from someone staying at a hotel and how did you deal with this request?Describe the process of a guest arriving and how you would deal with this?What do you know about our hotel?What hours are you used to working and what restrictions do you have?A hotel operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week so there could be shifts which are at night, worth bearing in mind for this role as it could be a rotating shift pattern with another colleague.

You will need to be polite and a confident communicator to be able to liaise with guests and also other colleagues within the hotel.

Good luck.

  
If you have got an interview for a Sales Assistant role then you will be serving and selling to customers so will need to be an excellent communicator with a good customer service background. Sales assistants provide advice to customers and sell products to them. You could be working to targets depending on the store and may have incentives to boost sales etc.

Related: Sales Assistant CV Example

Do your research before the interview so that you know what kind of store you are hoping to work for, have you been in the store before? If not it might be an idea to go in and get an idea of the type of customers and products that you could be dealing with.

You can do a lot of research about a company from their website but you will get a feel for the atmosphere by visiting the store and seeing for yourself.

Related: Sales Executive Interview

Your interviewer will be looking to find out how you deal with customers and how good your communication skills are.

Sales Assistant Interview Questions

During your interview, you could be asked questions such as:
    What do you think about the products that we sell and who do you think our target market is?    What do you know about the company?    What sales targets have you worked to before and how successful were you?    Why do you like retail sales?    What would you do if the changing rooms were full and there was a long queue of people waiting to try clothes on?    To select a product and sell it to the interviewer.    A time where you have had an angry customer and how did you react?    What could you bring to this company    What are our brands and why do you want to work here?    What would your previous employers say about your character?    What are your strengths and weaknesses?    What do you find most rewarding about being in sales?    What do you least like about being in sales?    What makes you a good sales person?    What motivates you?    Have you consistently met your sales goals?     Do you prefer a long or short sales cycle?     How did you land your most successful sale?     How would your colleagues describe you?     How would your supervisor describe you?     What are your long term career goals?     What are your strengths and weaknesses?     What do you find most rewarding about being in sales?     What do you know about this company?     What do you least like about being in sales?     What interests you most about this sales position?     What is more important, a quality product or excellent customer service?     What makes you a good sales person?     What motivates you?You could be asked questions which are industry related for example if it is a footwear company looking for you to sell shoes they will ask specific questions about shoes and associated products.

Some of your interview will be centred on your previous experience especially if you come from a similar background. Your interviewer will want to know why you want to work for them and to find out what you can bring to the team.

Good luck.

photo by: molly dodge

  
As a Retail Manager you will be responsible for a store so if you have been offered an interview then you will have previous retail experience as well as being responsible for managing other staff. Your interviewer will be looking for you to be able to demonstrate this during an interview and will more than likely give you examples and want specific answers relating to your management style.

Top Tips for a Retail Manager Interview

Do your homework into the type of retail business you are looking to work for.
Consider what they sell, find out who they sell to, what is the target market, what is their footfall in that store like? Why are they looking for a new Manager?What can you bring to the store? If it is an established store how will you get the team to respect you as your new Manager when you are new to the business?It is important when doing your research to not forget the basics of going to an interview, if you have been to the store before then you will know what the staff wear. Is it formal, young and trendy etc?Related: Sales Assistant Interview Questions

Mirror this image in your interview but make sure you are dressed smartly and mean business.

Retail Manager Interview Questions
What do you know about this company?Give an example where you need to use you disagreed with your manager’s decision and hat you did to deal with the situation.Why do you want to work for us?Give an example of a situation where you have personally identified a business risk and personally implemented a solution to mitigate that risk.What makes you angry?What would you do if you had a difficult team member to deal with?Where do you see yourself in 5 yearsCan you manage a newsroom full of opinionated temperamental people with big egos?Would you describe yourself as an introvert or an extrovert?Your interviewer will be keen to know how your management style is, how do you get your staff motivated, how many staff have you worked with in the past, give examples of good and bad times with staff as you are bound to be asked questions on this.

And don’t forget that as a Retail Manager you are meant to be able to lead the team and improve sales so your interviewer will be keen to know how you can do this and give examples of when you have done this in the past. The more previous work examples you can think of the better as it shows that you have previous experience and also shows the person interviewing you what you can bring to their business.

You will need to be motivated and an excellent communicator to do this role well so it is important to be able to demonstrate this throughout your interview.

Good luck.

  
Checkout Retail interview questions to be well prepared for your big day. It is very important to be fully ready for your interview because it’s the day that will effect your life and career.

You should be able to give answer that will impress the interviewer so review the questions below and try to find best answers for them.

5 Great Tips for a Retail Interview
Don’t be late for your interviewDon’t be too early for your interviewDress smart, what you wear is important for retail interviews.Be prepared!Send a thank you note after the interviewRetail Interview Questions

Tell me a time when you handled a customer issue and what was the outcome?How would you treat an incoming customer? How will you satisfy the incoming customer?What experience do you have with helping customers?What personal characteristics make you effective? How would you describe your interpersonal skills?Describe a specific situation where you have provided excellent customer service in your recent position.Give an example of work where you have worked in fast-pace environment?How would you ensure that we put our customers first?Tell me what is your weakness? And how you handle it?Give me an example about time you had to deal with difficult situations and what was the outcome?Give me an example about the time you had to provide good customer service. Give ne an example about a time you received good customer service. Give me an example about a time you dealt with an angry customer and what was the outcome? Give me an example of when you worked as part of a team. Give me an example of when you used your own initiative.Where you want to see yourself in the next five years.What is customer service, professionalism and customer management? Imagine a brick wall. Which brick would you be and why?What do you consider your most important professional accomplishment? Why?Are you available to work on weekends and holidays? How would you handle a drunk customer trying to buy beer?If you could be any animal, what would you be and how does it reflect your personality?Retail Job Interviews
Sales Assistant InterviewRetail Manager InterviewCall Centre Operator InterviewCheckout Operator InterviewBar Person InterviewCustomer Services Assistant InterviewFlorist InterviewCar Rental Agent InterviewGood luck.

  
If you have been offered an interview for an Insurance Claims Handler then you will come from a customer service background and maybe some kind of financial background or services. As an Insurance Claims Handler you will be speaking to clients/customers and advising them on every stage of their insurance claim from completing the claim to getting the money they are claiming for. You will need to be good at listening and communicating to do this role and have a good head for facts and figures.

Before your interview, please make sure that you have gone through all the information that you have been given including any job description and match this with your CV to highlight any areas you are unsure about your level of skill. By doing this before the interview you will avoid any embarrassing questions on areas you think you are not as strong on.

During your interview, your interviewer will want to find out how you will deal with the customers and how good your customer service skills are.

Insurance Claims Handler Interview Questions

You could be asked questions such as:
How would you go about telling a customer that their claim had not been successful?Have you had any experience of dealing with difficult customers?Do you know three things that customers frequently claim for on their insurance?How would your previous Manager describe your work ethic?What do you understand about Insurance?Name a time you had to use an unusual method to get something done.Tell me about a time where you changed something within a company for the better?Give an example of Best and Worst customer service experienceHow do you deal with a difficult stakeholder?Tell me about a time you had to alter your work style to meet a diversity need or challenge?Why you applied for this positionWhy do you want to work with us?What is the biggest change you have made in your life?There will be many questions maybe around particular products and services so it is important to ensure that you have been very thorough when researching the company and their products and services.

Whilst you are doing your research it is important to think about the basic things such as location, how you are going to get to your interview etc so that you are as prepared as you can be and always take all the documentation you have and a spare copy of your CV and or application form.

Good luck.

  
If you have got an interview for a Credit Controller position then your interviewer will want to establish that you have experience of working in an Accounts department before and understand the accounting processes and procedures in principal.
A Credit Controller will look after all the invoicing coming in and going out of the business, follow up on late payments and make arrangement accordingly and deal with general Accounting queries.

Related: Insurance Claims Handler Interview

You will need a head for numbers and also have a thorough and accurate way of working.

Before going to your interview, make sure you have done your research into the company so that you know what kind of Accounts department they have. Find out how big the company is, what the structure of the staff is within the company and where your role sits within this.

If you have a job description, go through it matching it to your CV and outline the tasks that you feel that you can do well and the tasks that you would need some improvement on. Consider how you can make these improvements.

Credit Controller Interview Questions

You may be asked questions such as:
What payment terms have you been used to working to when sending invoices out?How soon do you begin chasing unpaid invoices?Who did you report to?What other accounting queries did you cover or deal with enquiries for?What does bloomberg do? Why Bloomberg?Why do you want to work with us?What makes you better candidate than others?When you would exercise a strike price, what is the difference between a call and put.Depending on what type of company you are hoping to work for will depend what other questions they may ask you more related to the particular industry to assess your knowledge in that area and see how much you know about their company from the research that you have done.

Your interviewer will be looking for someone who is authoritative and can deal with problems effectively and efficiently. You will also need to demonstrate that you are accurate and excellent with facts and figures.

Good luck.

  
If you have got an interview for a Mortgage Adviser coming up then you need to prepare well and do your research thoroughly. As a Mortgage adviser you will be advising customers on the best mortgages for them and advise them on what amount of mortgage they will be able to get for their income and what the repayment terms are and for how long etc. You will need to learn very detailed information and keep up to date as mortgages change frequently and if you are hoping to work for an independent company you could be working with many different mortgage providers.

Related: Credit Controller Interview

Your interviewer will be looking for you to demonstrate excellent customer service skills and be able to learn good product knowledge quickly. Maybe you have had some previous experience in a financial setting that you can use to your advantage.

Carefully go through your CV and the job description and match the skills that they are looking for with what skills you have already learnt and what you could do with improving upon.

Mortgage Adviser Interview Questions

Your interview could consist of questions such as:
What does the term “Mortgage” mean to you?Do you have a mortgage and what type is it?Do you know how to calculate a person’s income with how much they can get as a mortgage value?How do you work?What do you make of the current housing and mortgage market?List 3 different types of mortgage rateIf you are working for a bank or an independent place will depend on the exact detail of your interview questions as these will be tailored specifically to that industry and will see how much you know and how you will fit in with the other people in the team.
It would be important to see if there is any qualifications that you could do to further your career in the financial world and if this would benefit the role that you are going for.

Good luck.