Interviewing Questions

– Doug Fleener

These are three of my favorite interview questions. I think they help me identify the type of person that will deliver great customer experiences and be a good addition to the store team.

1. Tell me about your favorite boss. What's his or her name, what made that person so special, and what is one lesson you took away and used yourself?
   
   I like to ask this question of all employees, but especially those I'm hiring into management. The answer a management applicant gives you will tell you exactly what type of manager they aspire to be. I watch for how the applicant starts the answer. You'll often see the person's expression and body language change before you. Those who have had a great experience with a boss often smile and tell you in great detail about the person. One of the reasons I enjoy this question is: I get to hear about great managers and maybe take away something that helps me. I also like to hear about how they apply what made that manager so good. It's almost like features and benefits. The better someone can explain to me how he or she applies management techniques, the better I understand how much they really comprehend managing people. I once had an applicant that, going into the interview, I really liked and thought there was a good chance I would hire. That is, until he told me about his favorite manager. His favorite manager, one he wanted to emulate, went to great lengths to control everything that happened in the store. It was quite clear that this person's way of operating was to micromanage the store and staff, and that is exactly what I was not looking for in a store manager. I'm not sure I would have learned that about this person had I not asked this question. This is a good question for non-management applicants as well. By answering, the applicant will tell you exactly how they like to be managed.

2. Tell me about a time a retailer fell short of your expectations. What happened, how did you feel, and what was the outcome?
   
   Applicants show up ready to tell you their retail superhero story where their actions saved the day. Been there, heard it. Instead, I like to turn the tables and hear about the applicant's perspective as a customer in that type of situation. I'm looking for a few things with this question. First, I want to know about the applicant’s ability to analyze a poor experience. I like when an applicant tells me about a poor shopping or customer experience and, at the same time, is telling me what the retailer did wrong. Even more importantly, I like to hear what they could have done to either avoid or rectify the situation. I've had some very good applicants just tell me about an experience where they were wronged and that was it. The best examples include how the applicant was a participant in the solution. I listen closely to how they describe how they felt. Experience has shown me that those who gloss over that part of the question usually aren't very empathetic with customers themselves. The more an employee understands how a poor shopping or customer experience impacts the customers personally, the better they'll resolve them in your store.

3. Pretend I'm a customer and sell me these scissors. (Or telephone or belt or immersion blender or whatever you choose.)

   Eight out of ten applicants will just start babbling about the scissors, which is pretty much what happens on most retail floors. I'm looking for the other two. One of those two will ask you some clarifying questions about selling you the scissors. These applicants are usually good critical thinkers and can be a great addition to the team. The tenth one will start selling you the scissors by asking you some questions about your needs before showing you the scissors. I usually hire that one on the spot!

   Beyond these questions I'm looking for someone who is well groomed, smiles, seems well prepared, and someone who has taken the time to learn something about the store.

   Remember, if you're not totally excited about your applicant then you need to take a step back and determine if you'd be offering them a position because you need to fill an opening or because this is the right person to join your team.