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.
