Advice on interview (managing charity shop but any interview advice would be great)

Ivy89

Ive been volunteering in Barnardos charity shop since april which i really enjoy. I need a job though so Ive applied and got a job intervview to Manage a Cancer Research shop. I would really love the job , my manager at the moment has been suggesting I go for a management or assistant management position and that she will give me a positive reference . My manager has taught us how to run the shop when shes not in . I know how to enter the information into the computer, use the till, cash up, serve customers , sift and sort out the clothes, steam them and fill out some paperwork( not all , obviously some a manager has to do).
Thing is i'm really nervous. I suffer with anxiety but this year its improved( mainly doing the volunteering) and i know I could manage to run the shop, my dream job is running my own shop so this will be great experience). I know my interview skills are awful though. In march i had an interview ( the one interviewer Was quite rude though) and was basically told when he rang me up afterward that i probably wont ever get a job the way i acted. I didnt act rude or anything it was just out of nerves. I know i dont come across as confident or capable but i am very capable and work hard, i communicate just im a quiet person who prefers to get on with my work, but i do get on well with people. Im also polite and kind and when someone walked into the shop and heard me on the phone she complimented me on my phone manner ans told me she would hire me because of how well i spoke.
Interviews just really shake me up. Any tips you can give me? My interviews on monday with two people, with an area manager i think and another shop manager. Help!

ellie101

hello Ivy, I had anxiety and depression on and off for a while, but interviews set me off even more. I tried a fair few things, however to me it sounds as if you are doing well as you are working and getting glowing references (I wasn't getting anything like that).

To try and overcome my anxiety when interviewing I began by sitting down and writing out all the potential questions, answering them on paper (may be obvious and you probably do this but it helps me get my thoughts in order) and then I'd rehearse saying them out loud in front of the mirror. Also, is there anyone you can meet with or call over the weekend that you could do mock interviews with? Even if you can't get someone that is good at interviewing even saying the words out loud/running through the answers and asking them to feedback on my body language can be useful, I find it helps to steady my nerves.

I also had hypnotherapy..... I had issues with relating to others though as was depressed after a bad couple of years, it did help me, but the tips are usually things I do as part of my interview process, especially if I really want a job.

Night before interview I'll try to wind down, get a bath, no booze, get everything ready, so I'm a bit more chilled out when going to it.

It sounds to me like you are a perfect candidate for this job, so good luck.... let us know how it goes!

Ivy89

Thank you so much for your advice . Ill try out some of the techniques you've suggested. My isssues were pretty much the same . My anxiety was over social situations and over time that caused me to become depressed and make me unable to relate to people. which obviously makes it a never ending circle. This time last year i couldnt go to the shops on my own or get a drive through let alone manage a shop. Thanks to counselling , minor antidepressants and i seriously think volunteering , its like im a new person and this will just help me so much. Thanks again for the advice, i really hope they'll see that i am a really good candidate for it too .

safesound

Hello Ivy (I'm in South Wales too :wave:)
I worked as a charity shop assistant manager for Marie Curie a few years ago, and when I went for the interview I was nervous too but the area manager was brilliant. Its not like normal retail (which is the section I bet the horrible interviewer was in) the management in charity type environments *have* to be nice otherwise they wouldn't get any volunteers :rotfl:
Try to hot up on different types of fashion, the different budget brands etc because one thing I was asked as whether I would know the difference between a F&F top and a Debenhams or Marks & Spencers top. Its not as simple as it sounds because the cheaper end of the market can have some lovely stuff and the higher end can sometimes be really mousy.
Oh and do some research into the charity itself, find out if there are any local offices and which large corporation is sponsoring them this year. They really really like you to be passionate about the cause not just the job so do try to drop any info you find out into the conversation.
Above all try not to think "I HAVE to get this job" because you will put yourself under too much pressure, try to think "well it would be nice but if I'm not successful I'm okay where I am for now"
Good Luck and let us know how you get on

Savvy_Sue

One thing you don't mention you'd picked up in your volunteering is managing people skills, and I'd be surprised if the manager's job didn't include organising the rota, and troubleshooting when it all goes to pot: a volunteer calls in sick, a volunteer does something wrong, a volunteer needs a lot of help and support to learn to use the till etc.

I don't say this to put you off, but it's an area to give some thought and practice to! Good advice to write answers down, but even better advice to practice saying them, too, get a friend to ask you questions and do your best to answer.

natman

Hi,

Well done getting the interview, some good relaxation teqhniques state above.
I have a little system that really works for me for interviews.

1st - there is always an opening question like tell me about you or what skills have you got for the job etc.Dont be afraid to sell your self, in a confident but not in a big headed way............

2nd- my system, what ever questions they ask, always try and do these 3 things - lets make up a question - how do will you deal with a customer who is not happy with a prouct.
1st - explain what you may have done in the past - i.e whilst working for joe bloggs a customer was unhappy with a coat, i took them away to a more private area to discuss the concerns etc etc etc.
2 - explain what your doing now - in my current role in barnardos, i try to be proactive in preventing incidents by highlighting that they only have a certain amount of time to bring a product back, so i try to reduce the conflict etc etc etc.
3 - explain what you would do in this new role - by using my experience i am confident in ealing with a customer that was unhappy, I would try and prevent the issue in the 1st place, then if an issue arose i would discuss the issue privately and keep to the companies rules etc.

All I am saying is - if you can get in the habit of going back to a job, explaining a current role and saying how it would work in the future you will be fantastic!!!

In addition - do a little research on the company and try and guess what questions they may ask you -
how will you try an increase sales, get clothes in, encourage volunteers to apply, resolve conflicts with staff.
One question that a friend had when applying for a charity managers job was - if a genuine PRADA bag came in what would you do? How much would you sell it for etc.
Good luck!! Let us know the outcome.

Hollie_Rose_2

Ivy89 wrote: »

Ive been volunteering in Barnardos charity shop since april which i really enjoy. I need a job though so Ive applied and got a job intervview to Manage a Cancer Research shop. I would really love the job , my manager at the moment has been suggesting I go for a management or assistant management position and that she will give me a positive reference . My manager has taught us how to run the shop when shes not in . I know how to enter the information into the computer, use the till, cash up, serve customers , sift and sort out the clothes, steam them and fill out some paperwork( not all , obviously some a manager has to do).
Thing is i'm really nervous. I suffer with anxiety but this year its improved( mainly doing the volunteering) and i know I could manage to run the shop, my dream job is running my own shop so this will be great experience). I know my interview skills are awful though. In march i had an interview ( the one interviewer Was quite rude though) and was basically told when he rang me up afterward that i probably wont ever get a job the way i acted. I didnt act rude or anything it was just out of nerves. I know i dont come across as confident or capable but i am very capable and work hard, i communicate just im a quiet person who prefers to get on with my work, but i do get on well with people. Im also polite and kind and when someone walked into the shop and heard me on the phone she complimented me on my phone manner ans told me she would hire me because of how well i spoke.
Interviews just really shake me up. Any tips you can give me? My interviews on monday with two people, with an area manager i think and another shop manager. Help!

I used to be exactly the same, I even broke out in some weird sort of rash before on my cheeks when I was nervous for an interview and was in the cab trying to cover it up with foundation on the way there! I had a very bad stomach before on the build up to an interview, in fact, I used to be so nervous I couldn't keep eye contact!

That did change though, I went for an interview and there was me and three men sitting there, looking at me and asking the hardest of questions. I decided to just pretend I was playing the part of somebody who was confident. I learnt from that that there is a lot of con in confidence, and anybody with a bit of acting skill can pretend to be confident, just pretend it's someone you know, act like the interviewer is a good friend and just talk openly, be smiley and happy and make sure you shake their hand and you'd be surprised at how well that goes down. - Another tip, I always found I was stuck with what to answer to certain questions, so I wrote a couple of questions I had been stuck on from previous interviews down and actually remembered what I would say if those questions or anything along those lines came up, and it made me so much more confident. I think the pressure of being put on the spot gets to people and once you no longer feel as much pressure you can just relax and be yourself, because they liked your CV, right? They like you so far, so be yourself and I am sure they will like you..

Remember how you were complimented on your phone manner, and just keep that in mind when you're nervous, and all the other things I mentioned. Good luck!