Sample Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position (with Answers)

This post provides lots of sample interview questions for retail sales assistant position that you can use in your preparation for the interview and improve your chances of doing well at the interview and getting hired.

The retail sales assistant job interview may be difficult, but if you knew the questions that may be asked and prepared your responses beforehand, then you would be able to give the right answers and pass the interview easily.

What do Interviewers look for in a Retail Sales Assistant?

When hiring for a retail sales assistant position, interviewers look for someone who has a lot of experience with sales in the field.

Therefore, you should have some experience working as a retail sales assistant.

Interviewers also look for someone who can articulate their ideas and speak clearly, so make sure that your answers are well-thought out.

When answering questions, it’s important to stay professional and not get too personal when talking about anything other than your abilities and skills in retail sales assisting.

10 Most Common Retail Sales Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

Here are major retail sales assistant interview questions you may likely be asked (and suggested answers):

1. What activities do you usually engage in your free time?

I like to read. I listen to music. I like to bike every Sunday and in the summer, I also like to go fishing.

2. Where or what do you want to be in five years?

I hope that in five years I can branch out of working at a retail sales assistant and have my own home-improvement business.

3. What is your greatest weakness?

I am a perfectionist, which can sometime be detrimental to my work. It’s always hard for me to make compromises with the quality of my work, but on the other hand, it makes me want to do everything better than it should be done by any means necessary (even if it’s not always possible).

4. What is your greatest strength?

I believe my greatest strength is that I’ve always been quick to adapt and able to bring myself up to speed quickly on any task no matter how difficult it is. In addition, I’ve had a lot of experience with people, which helps me a lot in my work as a retail sales assistant.

More Common Retail Sales Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

5. How would you handle conflict with another employee?

I think that the first step in such situations is to talk about the conflict individually with the other person and settle it pragmatically. If this doesn’t work, then you should try talking over the issue with your immediate supervisor or higher up in management as they will be able to help you better than anyone else can.

6. What is the best part of working at your company?

I like the fact that I get to work for my staff and interact with them. I also like the fact that there are never any fights between the staff and the management, which means that least amount of conflicts is allowed to come up in our store.

7. Why did you apply to work at this company?

I applied to work at this company because they were looking for a new retail sales assistant, and I’ve worked with them before through an internship program. Besides, they were one of the few places in town that was always hiring new people to fill positions.

Additional Retail Sales Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

8. What is your greatest weakness at work?

Well, I guess my greatest weakness is that I am too sensitive when it comes to people who are rude or disrespectful (whether they are customers or not), which sometimes get out of hand.

9. What would you do in a situation where you think one of your co-workers was stealing from the company?

I think that in this situation, I would report such an incident to my immediate supervisor or to the management team, who will be able to figure out the facts of the suspicion.

10. How do you think you would handle working for this company?

I think I would be able to handle working at this company because I have a lot of experience with and in working with people, which I believe will help me a lot in helping the company stay productive.

More Sample Retail Sales Assistant Interview Questions

Here are additional retail sales assistant interview question samples you can apply in your preparation for your upcoming interview:

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. What past experiences do you have that will make you culturally sensitive and attentive to customers’ needs?

2. Tell me about a moment when you had to deal with a particularly challenging customer. What did you do?

3. Tell me about a time when things were not going well, but it ultimately turned out to be a success?

4. What is the best way for an employee to provide good customer service in your opinion?

5. How would your co-workers describe your performance at work and ability to complete tasks on time?

Sample Case Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. How would you deal with a customer who refused to buy the item and demanded to speak to the manager?

2. Describe a situation where you dealt with a difficult customer.

3. How did you deal with a customer who was rude or demanding?

4. Tell me how you resolved an ethical problem for your manager if there has been such time.

5. What is the most difficult problem to solve in retail?

Sample Competency Based Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. What experience do you have in customer service?

2. Tell me about your past experience in customer service?

3. What are the qualities of a good employee in your opinion?

4. Give me an example of a time where you showed these qualities at work, please tell me about this situation in detail.

5. Why do you think your qualifications suit this job position?

Sample Problem-solving Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. What are the main events in your life that precipitated a loss of interest in your job?

2. Describe the worst day and what happened that made you feel like quitting your retail sales assistant job.

3. What did you do to disrupt yourself from feeling hopeless on those days when you were considering quitting?

4. What would have prevented those days from happening again?

5. How have these questions helped you to deal with it?

Sample Situational Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. What would you say is your selling point?

2. How do you feel about selling the product to a potential customer that doesn’t know anything about it?

3. How do you feel about a customer that is angry or upset at your company because of a problem with the product they had purchased from our retail store?

4. What do you think it takes to be successful in this position?

5. If we were hiring, what kind of questions would we ask during the interview process to see if you would be good for this position and what qualities would make an ideal candidate for this job?

Sample Communication Skills Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. How do you think that the company’s performance has been in the past 2 years?

2. What is your opinion on working with retail associates from different countries?

3. What do you know about our company, and how do you feel about working with us as a team member?

4. Do you have a personal goal for yourself in regards to your career?

5. What do you think are the biggest disadvantages of working in retail?

Sample Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. Tell me about your personality. Can you explain the different personas that may be present and their strengths and weaknesses?

2. What are your leadership strengths and weaknesses?

3. Do you trust easily or do you have trust issues?

4. Tell me about yourself (as a person, not as an employee).

5. Tell me something that you would change about in another person?

Sample Company Culture Interview Questions for Retail Sales Assistant Position

1. What is your favorite type of work, in particular?

2. What are your hobbies and interests outside the workplace?

3. Do you enjoy the company culture here at [company name]?

4. How do you know that we will be a good fit for each other?

5. What would be an ideal position for you to have over the next two years/five years’ time/one year’s time?

Sample Sales Interview Questions

1. What made you apply to work here?

2. What work experiences have you had with customer service?

3. What can you do for our company that others cannot?

4. How do you think this position fits in with your career goals?

5. Tell me about yourself.

Retail Sales Assistant Interview Success Tips

To improve your chances of passing your retail sales assistant interview, here are some tips you can use in your preparation and on the interview day:

1. Get the details right

Before your retail sales assistant interview, find out as much as you can about the company and the job you are applying for. The most important information to check is the company’s location, address, and phone number.

You will also need to know how long it takes to get there from your home. Knowing this information means that you can arrive at the interview on time and travel back home again afterwards with ease.

2. Prepare for the interview

Before attending an interview, it is important that you conduct thorough research about the company, its products, and the retail sales assistant position that you will be interviewing for.  

You should also be aware of the company’s mission statement, achievements and vision for the future.

This will allow you to ask intelligent questions during your interview that highlight your talent and enthusiasm for working there.

3. Arrive early for the interview

It is important that you arrive at the company for your interview at least 10 minutes in advance. This will allow you to relax, check that your appearance is appropriate and familiarize yourself with the surroundings.

4. Dress appropriately for your interview as a retail sales assistant

It is important that you dress appropriately for an interview as a retail sales assistant. Your decision on what to wear to the interview will depend on whether it is a formal or informal interview.

Conclusion

When preparing for a retail sales assistant job interview, it is important to learn about the possible questions you may be asked.

This will help you to prepare effectively for the interview and answer the questions that will be put to you confidently and knowledgeably, which will increase your chances of passing the interview and getting hired.

This post has provided exhaustive samples of interview questions for retail sales assistant position that you can use in your preparation for the interview.