I have a 'group interview' on Wednesday, any pointers?

Lot’s of smiles. Laugh at your mistakes. And look desperately for any opportunity to say “Oh may I help you with that”?

A few tips from someone who has been interviewed, and interviewed others,many, many times. Wear a business casual outfit but one you feel comfortable in. Polish your shoes, clean your nails. Speak directly to your interviewer—look in his or her eyes. Don’t be afraid to inject a bit of humor in the conversation if you get the opportunity. Make your interviewer know you know something about the store. Refer to their Web site. Let them know you’ve shopped there and are at least somewhat familiar with their inventory. Stress your selling experience if you have any. Above all, be yourself and be confident. Now… go git ‘em!

The company I use to work for did group interviews. what always stood out to me was people that made a positive impression and answered questions directly.

Also I would suggest offering to go first, not like an eager go getter or anything, but obviously everyone is probably nervous, don’t be afraid to offer to go first. That always stood out to me.

Also, if applicable, provide examples from previous jobs of how you handled a certain situation. For example, if a question to the group is “How do you deal with an irate customer?”, provide your answer, tie in an example of how you applied that one time, and if you were able to positively turn the situation around.

I hope that helps.

Don’t be shy. Depending on your personality, you can either try to set the tone of the interview by being one of the first to speak or you can take a slight back seat and see what tone emerges. Research, research, research the company. What’s the corporate culture like? What’s the store’s culture like?

Its easy to be nervous in a group interview. Try not to just select one person to focus on. For nerves, I would always think what is the worst that can happen. Its not a mob trying to take your money, so think of it as practice for the next job you really want. I always like to think that they all like me already because they called me in for the interview. Now I just have to convince them that I have something unique to offer. Think about what sets you apart from you peers. And always have this in mind. They will always ask you what is your greatest assest and your weakness. Find something that you believe you were weak on and how you managed to turn it around.
They want the truth but if you sound unsure about yourself than you put doubt in their minds. Mostly its a personality test. They want to know if you will be the type to make waves or comply and offer some fresh ideas without being pushy. If they don’t select you than think about where you may have gone wrong and prepare for the next interview. Its like the lottery. You can’t win if you dont’ play. Remain positive and so will they. If it doesn’t work than I always felt their was something that they felt may not work well with other people.
Some places rely and the status quo and may not like people with new ideas. And if they turn you down for that reason than no real loss for you.
Best of luck.

Make eye contact with the person whose question you’re answering, and then move on and make eye contact with others. You might want to echo the question for clarity, and it gives you a little time to think.

It’s ok to pause for thought before answering. Don’t let the pressure get to you.

A generally light tone is great, but do give genuine answers. Using humor and being a smartass are not the same thing. On no account should you be sarcastic.

Remember your pleases and thank-yous.

Don’t wear anything low-cut or too short or too tight, apply makeup conservatively, and keep your hair out of your face.

I have not read the above, but here is my answer. I always enjoy group interviews. You get to see how your rapport is with the team. They will probably take turns asking some questions, but it will probably feel less formal than a one-on-one interview hopefully. Container store, retail, is a talking industry, and it is likely it will feel more like a conversation than an interview.

Your biggesr weakness can be that you are tough on yourself and tend to be a perfectionist, very detail oriented, but you think that is what makes you so great at being organized, and why you think you would enjoy working there. A place for everything and everything in its place.

Be assertive, but don’t be arrogant.

What kind of group interview is it? Several applicants and one interviewer, or the other way around?

Do NOT say “I’m a perfectionist”. Say something that you do have a problem with, but explain how you overcome it (e.g., “I can tend to overanalyze things, but I always make a decision when the time comes”). And don’t say bad stuff like “I steal stuff, but only because I’m a kleptomaniac”.

@bob_ : that’s a great question, they didn’t explain but I have a friend who went for a group interview at The Container Store in NY and the way she described it seems like there are a few applicants and one or maybe more interviewers.

@JLeslie : I think I’m going to use that “a place for everything” line… good call!! :) Thanks!

Good luck with the interview today! Let us know how it goes.

@Samantha_Rae It’s an old saying, I didn’t make it up. Good luck.

Hi everyone! so apparently this group interview was different than my friends… it was a few of us, whose resumes were hand picked (about 8 out of 80–90) and they just wanted to introduce us to the company. We watched a short video and learned about the benefits, values, and culture—just overall how they run. We will be individually be called in for one on one interviews if he liked us (I guess? Most of us didn’t have a chance to talk much, just smile and nod). I’m pretty sure they’ll call me next week for the real interview, so I can freak out all over again! Thank you for all of your advice :)

I remember having a group interview back in high school and I hated it! I’ve been to a lot of interviews now and I’ve never had a group interview except that one time.

Why did I hate it? Because you get to see your competitors, everyone was acting super fake kissing butt, sometimes they answer what you were going to answer, and sometimes you think their answer is better.

I would just say be yourself but be very positive, don’t come off as fake. Try not to worry about what others say and stick to what you wanted to.

I said my weakness was that I tend to worry about what others think of me but in a way it can be a good thing because it puts some pressure on me to do a better job and want to let people know that I’m a hard worker and stuff like that lol.