Job interview advice for someone who has never had a job.

Hi! I have an interview for a Christmas retail job at a major supermarket. For context, I'm 18 and I've never had a job before. I finished school in June, had some time for myself over the summer and started the demoralising trawl through the job market a month ago.

From what I've seen, the interview will ask at least one question relating to customer service, asking about a time you dealt with a difficult customer.

I have no work experience whatsoever, let alone experience in customer service, so I'm not sure how to answer this question. Also, one or the questions is 'tell me a bit about yourself' so I'm not sure what they'll want to hear on that one.

I'd really appreciate some advice about this specific question and just interviews in general. From what I can gather, it's a fairly informal interview, and the questions like that are only a small part of the interview. The rest of it is mainly about availability and stuff from what I've seen.

Reply 1

rachaelt123

5

Hi,

Try to relate your answers to other parts of your life - eg for the difficult customer, can you think of any times you've had to deal with angry people?

In regards to "tell me about yourself", think of skills you have that would be good for a retail role.

Reply 2

HousesInCork

15

As someone who has interviewed for entry level jobs, the interviewers will most likely be aware that many of their interviewees won't have specific work experience and will often say specifically that you can use examples from other parts of your life. Some places you can draw examples are: working on school projects or events; being a member of your school council; if you've been a member of any clubs or societies or Scouts/Guides; any volunteering you may have done; sharing a bedroom/work space with a sibling. You can use these for examples of lots of things related to work, such a team work, problem solving, conflict resolution, work ethic etc. You can also say something like 'I haven't personally had experience of this but I would approach it like this...' and then go on to explain what you'd do step by step.
I'd also recommend having a think about your own positive customer service experiences and what made them so good (i.e. how the person behaved, how they made you feel welcome, how they helped you, etc.). You can then use this to inform your own answers in the interview.

Reply 3

jwt2002

8

Original post by HousesInCork

As someone who has interviewed for entry level jobs, the interviewers will most likely be aware that many of their interviewees won't have specific work experience and will often say specifically that you can use examples from other parts of your life. Some places you can draw examples are: working on school projects or events; being a member of your school council; if you've been a member of any clubs or societies or Scouts/Guides; any volunteering you may have done; sharing a bedroom/work space with a sibling. You can use these for examples of lots of things related to work, such a team work, problem solving, conflict resolution, work ethic etc. You can also say something like 'I haven't personally had experience of this but I would approach it like this...' and then go on to explain what you'd do step by step.
I'd also recommend having a think about your own positive customer service experiences and what made them so good (i.e. how the person behaved, how they made you feel welcome, how they helped you, etc.). You can then use this to inform your own answers in the interview.

Yep, I found out this for my first one, you can use any experience that shows a similar skill from school or other activities. Using your experience of receiving good customer service is good too, however I'd also recommend considering what the supermarket's values are and what they see as good customer service.

I've found that it's always good to do your research on the place you're applying to in order to see what they're looking for, such as skills, experience and personal fit.

For an informal interview like this, you'll do great as they'll just be getting to know you and your preferences better. Take deep breaths and treat it like a discussion with a careers advisor or teacher. Best of luck!

Reply 4

Lilyanne2

8

Original post by mx-person

Hi! I have an interview for a Christmas retail job at a major supermarket. For context, I'm 18 and I've never had a job before. I finished school in June, had some time for myself over the summer and started the demoralising trawl through the job market a month ago.

From what I've seen, the interview will ask at least one question relating to customer service, asking about a time you dealt with a difficult customer.

I have no work experience whatsoever, let alone experience in customer service, so I'm not sure how to answer this question. Also, one or the questions is 'tell me a bit about yourself' so I'm not sure what they'll want to hear on that one.

I'd really appreciate some advice about this specific question and just interviews in general. From what I can gather, it's a fairly informal interview, and the questions like that are only a small part of the interview. The rest of it is mainly about availability and stuff from what I've seen.

The advice that has been given so far is excellent. Remember that the company is looking to see your personality and check that you would be a good 'fit'. If you come across as friendly and keen to learn, and have found out a bit about the company and their typical customer (they could ask you that. Always be positive about their customers!), you will be doing very well. 'Tell me a bit about yourself' is always a hard question to answer. Don't just say: I work hard. Companies like to hear examples - for instance, if you help an elderly neighbour out by doing chores for them, say so (that shows you are helpful). Good luck.

Job interview advice for someone who has never had a job.

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