Interview Questions For Store Manager

In this article, you will learn about some of the most asked questions in the interview for the store manager position. So, if you have your interview coming up or if you are just curious about knowing what type of questions the store manager role gets asked, then keep on reading! 

15 Most Likely Asked Questions In The Interview For Store Manager Position

Below are the Interview Questions For Store Manager

• Question 1: How can you differentiate yourself from other applicants for this position in terms of the store manager experience that you hold?

These types of questions are generally asked at the beginning of your interview session. The reason for that is it gives the interviewer a chance to get to know a bit more about your background and that helps them to frame further questions accordingly. For you as an applicant, this question gives you the chance to turn the interview into the part which you are comfortable with. 

Example Answer: “I hold some experience in managing large teams as well as small teams from my previous jobs as a manager of the store. I have also worked in a large retail company consisting of multiple departments. All this experience has helped me enhance my skills to deal with different kinds of situations, employee issues, and the store’s overall performance.”

• Question 2: How familiar are you with our store as well as our competitors? 

This type of question is mandatory in any job interview since it helps the hiring managers to get aware of how knowledgeable the applicant is about their company. That is the reason why you must be prepared with your research about the store and its competitors. If you are successful in providing them with the answer they are expecting from you, then it shows that you are enthusiastic about the company. 

Example Answer: “I have worked in several retail stores similar to this one that has made me quite familiar with the products the store sells. I try my best to be up to date about the store’s products. I am also looking for new items we could add to our offerings. I have invested enough time to learn as much as I could about the competitors by online research as well as by visiting their stores and trying to understand how they function.”

• Question 3: According to you, what qualities does a retail store manager need to have to be successful in their job?

By asking such types of questions, the hiring manager will learn about your views on what it takes to be an ideal store manager or basically how an ideal store manager must be. Your answer will help them determine whether or not your views about the qualities of the store manager align with theirs. To prepare for this question, you can take a look at all the qualities listed in the posting of the job you have applied to. 

Example Answer: “According to me, to be a successful store manager the most required skills are responsible, attention to detail, powerful work ethic, flexibility, and ability to lead the team. The combination of all these skills will help you to effectively manage the store along with the ability to handle unexpected incidents and changing work environments. Not only that, but the manager must possess strong communication skills as well that will help them to interact with the customers and assist the employees better.”

• Question 4: What techniques do you use for training new store hires?

These kinds of questions are known as operational questions that help the hiring manager to know the steps you follow to perform your job. The best way to answer such questions is to provide a step-by-step detail of how you were able to perform the task the interviewer is asking you about.

Example Answer: “Being a store manager, I am not usually involved directly in the process of training new employees. But, I do possess a lot of experience in managing the training systems which the store uses. And that process includes online training depending on different roles along with in-person training by the store manager. The next step includes the evaluations of fresh hires’ performance. I also make sure to keep someone to see if the new employees are performing their role properly.” 

• Question 5: Explain how you manage to keep your staff motivated along with some examples you used in the past. 

This is another example of an operational question which the hiring manager might ask you. They are asking you to describe the time where you did that in the past. If you possess some experience as a store manager, then it must be easy for you to answer this question. You must mention an example that can be relatable to the job that you are currently interviewing for.

Example Answer: “I have used various methods to keep the employees that work under my influence motivated during my previous job as the store manager. I realized the techniques that employed the carrot rather than the stick are more effective. I would like to share one example of the same where I asked to create a leader board in the breakroom. If any customer appreciates the performance of a specific employee, then he/she receives the badge on the board which is shaped as the company’s logo. At the end of the month, the employee with the most number of badges receives a gift card that could be used to buy items from the store.”

• Question 6: Describe a time where you handled an underperforming employee.

You all must be aware of the fact that one of the key roles of a store manager is to deal with employee performance. And this is the question where you have to describe your way of handling that situation. Your answer either requires some motivational way or discipline which will show some positive action by your side. 

Example Answer: “I try my best to be careful while approaching such kinds of issues where the employee is underperforming so that they don’t get unmotivated. I positively address the issue by talking to them about their performance and asking the reason why it is so. Then I put forth the reasons why they were needed to address and offer some ways how their performance could again meet the standards of the company. I then provide them with a particular timeline within which they should achieve that. At the end of the timeline provided, I again meet them to compliment them on their achievements or else take some actions against them.” 

• Question 7: Describe a time where you made a mistake in your previous job and how did you make up for it?

This is again another example of behavioral questions. The hiring manager wants to see how you put up your mistake and how good you are at admitting it. Then they try to see how quickly you admit your mistakes and try to correct them. notice how you correct them. You can answer such questions by first describing the situations, then mentioning the task that you had to accomplish, and lastly the detailed description of how you took the actions along with its results.

Example Answer: “At first, I would like to admit that, yes, I have made some mistakes during my role as a store manager. I realized the main reason for most of my mistakes lies in how I interact with my employees. But, I try my best to realize my mistakes quickly and make sure I don’t repeat them. I would like to mention one example from the past where one of the employees was underperforming. I assumed that they were not involved in their role completely, so I decided to do something to improve their performance or else terminate them right away. However, when I approached the employee about their performance, they disclosed that their spouse had been diagnosed with cancer. After hearing this, I showed my empathy and provided some resources on how the management team could help them. Along with my management team, we provided them with a lenient work schedule and some counseling programs. This resulted in improving their performance. Luckily, their spouse got good treatment and went into remission. That situation made me realize how wrong I was in assuming one’s performance not knowing what situation one is going through. And I try not to repeat that in the future”

• Question 8: How good are you at delegating tasks?

Every manager must hold this skill to be successful in their role. And the hiring manager will ask you this question to make sure you have that. If you are not able to delegate, you will be easily overwhelmed resulting in an inability to perform the role properly. They might ask you to mention the example of the same, so be prepared with the one. 

Example Answer: “Fortunately, I was able to understand early in my career in retail management that as long as I am capable of delegating tasks effectively, I can meet the standards of the company expected from my side. I have noticed one thing that several managers do is try to retain way too much control over the employees that fail to perform their roles properly. One time, I was asked to update the anti-theft policy of the store. However, instead of doing that myself, I prepared a team that consisted of the manager of each department and asked them to do the task. with updating the store’s anti-theft policies. The result was the formation of the most effective anti-theft policy because of the familiarity with particular operations within the store.”

• Question 9: What would you do in case there is an understaffed shift?

The probability of getting this question asked in your interview for the store manager position is very high since this type of situation is very frequent especially in retail stores. Always keep in mind that you must describe the entire process of how you accomplished the task that you are being asked for in the interview. 

Example Answer: “Yes, I had to frequently face the situation where the shifts are understaffed. Most probably it occurs during the holiday season when the employees are busy with the preparations or spending time with family. Being aware of this, I schedule additional staff beforehand. I also let the department and shift manager know that they must be prepared to clock in whenever it is needed. This makes up for the understaffed situations for the moat of the time, and the customers never know that.” 

• Question 10: Sometimes a product might perform better at a competitors’ store than at ours. How would you react to this situation?

This question will assist the hiring manager to understand how would you react to some situation that is most likely to happen in your job. You could use the steps to describe the situation you may have experienced like this in your oast manager role while answering the question. Mention the examples that can fit in your role at the store you are interviewing for. 

Example Answer: “Products would be sold differently at different retail stores. The reasons for this may be the location, promotion, and complementary products available. Before making any changes in the store, I make sure to decide which of these is the main reason that is affecting the sale of the product. After I have successfully found out the right reason, that is when I take further steps in the store to enhance sales of the product.”

• Question 11. What are your current responsibilities?  

To prepare for this answer, it is recommended to keep some of the most relevant responsibilities of yours ready beforehand along with some examples. Take a look at what the job posting says about the responsibilities they expect from you and then align them with yours. For instance, if the job description includes managing suppliers, you must mention the responsibilities required for the same and try to give them a brief answer of your current role.

Example Answer: “My current job would be described as a retail assistant manager. In this position, my day-to-day duties were to make sure the sales floor is running smoothly. Then I am required to handle the monthly budget along with meeting the monthly target. Next things on the agenda are training the new hires, solving any customer’s issues, and appointing shifts to the employees.”

• Question 12: What do you have to offer to the company? Why should we hire you?

This question will give you a great opportunity to put forth your capabilities and sell yourself for the role. You can steer their views about you by answering the question in a way they expect from you. If you fail to answer it properly, it may lead to a negative outcome. However, if you pass, it will most likely increase your chances of getting the job you are interviewing for. 

Example Answer: “I believe that I will be able to enhance the productivity of your company by increasing the sales. That is because, in my previous job, I was successful in increasing the sales of the store by 10% per annum, which leads to increased productivity of 50%.” 

• Question 13: If you face an objection while selling a product how would you overcome it? 

If you have experience in retail, you must be easily able to answer this question. There are some objections that everyone working in retail experiences while selling products to customers. However, while responding to this question, you have the strongest objection that you have dealt with selling. Provide a brief answer about how you overcame them. You could talk about some of the most common objections such as price, quality, etc.

Example Answer: “While selling products, we have come across enough objections by the customers in my past job experience. From which the most common is the price that the customers think is way too high for the product. However, since I have quite a good marketing knowledge, I was always able to justify the product’s price by explaining its value, quality, and necessity. While I explained all this to the customers, I always made sure that I communicated with them politely throughout and understood their concern.”

• Question 14: Tell me in what way did you sell XYZ items in your previous job?

This question is kind of the same as the previous one. The only thing differentiating this question from the previous is the fact that it is more targeted to a particular product. Even though it is not your duty to sell products upfront, still the interviewers would like to know about your knowledge in retail and customer interaction. While answering this question, make sure to provide a brief detail on the method you use to sell the product. It would be great if you mention more than one method since it will show more versatility and thus the hiring manager will get impressed with your knowledge. 

Example Answer: “At first, I understand what they expect from the product by asking them their reason for buying that specific product. Then I present the item to them based on their preference and give detailed information about its benefits and features. That’s how I sell a product.”

• Question 15: How would you solve a conflict between any of your store employees? 

By asking this question, the hiring manager is trying to see how good you are at handling conflicts that might occur within your team. So, mention some techniques you might have used in a similar situation in your past job experience.

Example Answer: “I would like to answer this question by mentioning the same incident that happened in my previous job where I found about two staff members arguing with each other. I called them individually and talked to them. I heard what they wanted to say about the issue. Finally, I assisted them to figure out the problem and made them understand where they went wrong in the situation. And hopefully, the issue got resolved and there were no grudges between them.”

Conclusion

So these were the 15 questions you will be asked in the interview at any company for the store manager position. Remember the answers are just to give you an idea of how you should answer the questions to pass an interview. Your answers should be your own, honest and real. Let us know in the comments how your interview went and what questions you were asked!

Prepare well and best of luck with the interview!