Ive got a job interview at IKEA!!! yey...scared!

happymummy24-7 · 15 November 2007 at 9:02PM

Hi everyone,
Im thrilled to have gotten an interview with IKEA-as ive posted before i love the store already so im very excited at the prospect at working there!
I was just wondering if anyone else has any advice for me regarding the interview....ive been a housewife and mum that long that im scared they might throw something at me that im not expecting! My application was quite good so im hopeful that if i looked good enough on paper i might wing the interview...if the nerves dont take over!
Anyway...im so excited that i just wanted to share it with you's and any advice would be lovely!
Thanks,Laura.

RooBee · 15 November 2007 at 9:49PM

Read over the job description and think about how your experience relates to various aspects of the job. Also, Google for some information about the company...it may not be strictly relevant to the post you are going for but it may help you to form a couple of good questions in case you are asked at the end if you have any questions for them. If you feel well prepared, you will feel more confident on the day.

Remember to listen carefully to what is being asked. You shouldn't be penalised for asking to have the question repeated or taking a moment to compose your thoughts before answering. It is also a good idea to have them repeat the question once you think you have finished answering it just to make sure you are sure you have properly covered what was asked.

If you blank or lose your train of thought just apologise and ask for a moment to gather yourself, then continue.

Remember to breathe, especially before you open your mouth to speak. You will sound composed and therefore confident...the natural instinct when nervous is to just open your mouth and let the words tumble out but you will speak too quickly and run out of breath.

Most of all, try to remain calm and relaxed. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview so that you have time to go to the loo, fix your lippy and compose yourself before the interview starts.

Best of luck

Do let is know how you get on.

Andrew_G · 15 November 2007 at 11:07PM

I had (& passed) an interview with IKEA recently.
Nothing to worry about - quite informal, standard questions (resume of your career/hobbies, advantages/disadvantages of team work, etc).
They're keen on flexibility - being able change your hours or to work overtime if necessary, staff who have no strong preference for which part of the store they are placed into.

The two panel members were half my age!

What was funny was that they both had to apologise for Dancing Queen by Abba being played full volume from the room above - an induction apparently!

happymummy24-7 · 15 November 2007 at 11:51PM

Thanks for the advice Roobee..will try to remember to breathe! The funny part about that is my interview is 9.30am and im comming about 15miles in rush hour,now ordinarily im doing the school drop off at 8.50am then taking the baby to the park(having kids minded that day thank goodness!)...........so if i get the job im looking forward to getting a rest,lol.
Well done Andrew G,sounds quite relaxed so that will help me out...ABBA!!!??? well perhaps they will play some Aerosmith if i get as far as an induction day,lol.
I will let you know what happens-its next week so i'll go and do some homework over the next few days!!
thanks,Laura

Bigcammy · 16 November 2007 at 12:13AM

The best advice I can offer, as well as all said above, is to try and keep your hands calm. Interviewers notice fidgeting fingers and it distracts them from what you are saying (sometimes not a bad thing!)

Also look the speaker in the eye, maintain eye contact and if there's a window behind them, try not to get distracted by something going on outside.

Best of luck!

pennypuppy · 16 November 2007 at 12:45AM

Don't ask who's your gardener? (My bruv actually did this when being interviewed as a chemist for a chemical plant)

belfastgirl23 · 16 November 2007 at 2:04PM

I always think that enthusiasm and friendliness count for a lot. Be upbeat. Say how much you love the store. How great it is working with customers. You love having kids around. The products are great. Come across as the kind of person they will want to have in the store. If they're interviewing you then you have all the essential criteria and what they mostly want to work out is if you're the kind of person they want on the team.

Good luck. it would be great to have a few people around who work there and an keep us up to date with deals etc:)

BTW does anyone know what the point of the Ikea Family Card is? Got one in town lately cos you had to sign up to get a catalogue but not sure what it will do for me..

SnowyOwl_2 · 16 November 2007 at 2:37PM

Hello there

I used to work for Ikea in England, albeit a rather long time ago.

The interview I had was with just one person, then a chat with a HR bod. Part of the interview process was a short arithmetic test. I have no idea if they still do that, but better to be prepared just in case. The test was very easy btw, just checking that you can add and subtract really.

The whole ethos of Ikea is that it is a friendly place to work, and they don't go for private offices, PAs, or managers on pedestals etc etc. They aren't at all snooty.

Relax, they won't want to make the interview difficult for you. As mentioned above have a good read of any job description you might have, and relate your experience to that. Also be prepared with a question or two, if you can think of any.

Hope that helps.

SnowyOwl

squidzin · 16 November 2007 at 2:45PM

They might ask something like...

'I see you haven't been in full time employment for some time. What made you leave your last job and why haven't you worked since? What makes you believe you are ready to come back and are capable of doing the job at hand?

As long as you explain about having children etc you'll be fine though.

Don't forget to prove you possess qualities such as ...

Good communication skills (written and verbal).
Able to work off own initial and as part of a team.
Good customer service.
Good customer facing skills.
Able to deal with difficult customers.
Good organisational skills.
Your interest in retail, in particular furniture retail and IKEA!
Reliability, punctuality, flexibility, etc.

Not only will they expect you to state these qualities but may ask you to give examples in the past when you demonstrated these qualities.

I have probably left some points out here, anyone else?

beautifullybroken · 16 November 2007 at 9:11PM

i recently had an interview with ikea and i found the interview to be very random and not the normal standard questions, one of the questions i had was how could you money save in the house you live in and more questions related to the house i live in. Absolutely nothing to do with ikea at all in my opinion.

make sure your ready for the unexpected as i was shocked at the non related type of questions i was asked at the interview

belfastgirl23 · 17 November 2007 at 10:32PM

When is it? Want to hear how you get on

Post us a full report if you get a chance...

Ive got a job interview at IKEA!!! yey...scared!

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