Retail assistant interview questions and answers

About the job itself

Why do you want to work as a retail assistant?
What drew you to this work, what you already know about it, and something from your past that shows you will be good at it.
What pay are you looking for?
A figure you can justify. Adverts for this job usually pay £24,800 to £26,500 a year, so check the advert, know your number and give it calmly.

Questions for retail & customer service

Tell me about a time you turned an unhappy customer round.
Listening, a fix within your power, and a customer who left satisfied.
How do you stay productive on a quiet shift?
Replenishing, tidying, learning the products, helping colleagues.
Have you handled cash and tills?
Accurate, honest, and you know what to do when the till is out.
How would you meet a sales or service target?
Being helpful rather than pushy, and knowing what you sell.
Can you work weekends and the busy seasons?
An honest answer about your availability.

The questions every interviewer asks

Why do you want this job, here?
That you looked at the employer: what they do, where, and one thing that appeals to you about them.
Why are you leaving your current job, or why did you leave the last one?
A reason that looks forward (more hours, a shorter journey, a step up), never a complaint about the old boss.
When could you start?
A straight answer. If you have notice to give, say how long; employers respect somebody who works their notice.
Is there anything that would stop you working the hours or shifts we need?
Honesty now saves both sides a bad start. Say what you can do, not only what you cannot.
What is the hardest part of this kind of work, in your view?
That you know the job as it really is, and how you handle its bad days.

Questions to ask them

At the end you will be asked whether you have any questions. Have two ready:

What does a normal day or shift look like?
What would good work look like after the first three months?
Who would I work with, and who would I report to?
What training will I get at the start?
When can I expect to hear back, and what is the next step?

For the employer: what you must not ask

The same questions work from your side of the table. These do not, because UK law forbids them or makes them a risk:

Age, date of birth or when somebody left school. Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Ask whether they meet any legal minimum age, nothing more.
Marriage, children, pregnancy or plans for a family. Protected characteristics. Ask everybody the same question about whether they can work the hours.
Health or sickness absence before a job offer. Section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 bans it, except to make adjustments for the interview, to check they can do a task that is intrinsic to the job, or for monitoring.
Religion, nationality or where somebody is "really" from. Protected characteristics. Check the right to work for every candidate in the same way, after the interview, not by guessing from a name or an accent.
Spent convictions. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 a spent conviction need not be disclosed, except for roles exempt from the Act, where a standard or enhanced DBS check applies.
Trade union membership. Refusing work because somebody is or is not in a union is unlawful (Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, section 137).

Ask every candidate for the same job the same core questions, and write the answers down. It is fairer, and it is your best evidence if a decision is ever challenged.