Sales Assistant Job Interview Questions and Answers
Being one of the largest UK sectors, sales assistant jobs are in demand.
Even with a large pool of jobs to apply for, positions are competitive. Recently has shown that hundreds of applicants apply for each advertised role.
Employers will either have a recruitment drive (often used when a new shop is being opened in a new area) or rolling job interviews for sale assistant positions that become available as old employees leave.
For recruitment drives, interviewee’s will often have to attend all-day assessments which will include a teamwork task, role play and traditional structured job interview. Interviews for ad-hoc sale assistant roles are often just a one to one or panel job interview.
The traditional interview for both an all-day assessment or ad-hoc interview will often be a 60 minute interview comprising of 10 job interview questions.
To increase your job chances of securing a sales assistant job offer, you will learn the answers to 12 commonly asked sales assistant job interview questions.
This article will help you to prepare and to pass your next job interview in 3 separate ways:
1. You will learn over 12 common asked sales assistant interview questions
2. You will be given an explanation of the type of answer the interviewer is looking for (a guide to what the employer wants you to discuss )
3. You will be given an example job interview answer for each individual interview question, allowing you to tweak this answer, making it relevant to your own experiences.
Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Sales Assistant
Job Interview Question 1:
“Tell me about yourself and your sales experience?”
One of the most common asked questions in interviews normally asked at the beginning of an interview, this question gives you the opportunity to deliver a short statement about your experiences and skills relevant to a sales assistant position.
When answering questions relating to your experience, only discuss skills, experiences and duties that are required in the sales assistant job role.
- Start with a “selling” line that will highlight your main strength and/or achievement
- Keep each point brief as you can explain each point again in more detail throughout the interview
- You want to interest the interviewer and get them to want to know more about you
- End this answer with a reason why you’re looking for a new job
Potential Interview Answer
“I’ve been working in Sales for 8 years. I have a great understanding of selling insurance to the public and businesses. My innovative sale techniques have increased profits by 25% year on year for the past 3 years. I am now ready for a new challenge and with your company having a great reputation, I believe this is the opportunity I have been waiting to apply for”
Job Interview Question 2:
“Why did you leave your last sales assistant role?”
Be positive with this answer and smile – employers like to hear that you left for a good opportunity or reason, a chance to do something special or for a good career move.
- Start the answer with a look back over your previous sales assistant roles
- Explain what you enjoyed about your previous sales assistant position
- Give a positive reason for leaving
Potential Interview Answer
“I enjoyed working at Company Name and really enjoyed the interaction of working with a wide range of individuals-I feel I gained a lot of transferable skills from this experience, which I can use in this role. It was a hard choice to leave but I felt that this great opportunity is the next obvious step for me”
Job Interview Question 3:
“Why did you apply for this sales assistant position?”
Your research will pay off with this question; explain you have always wanted to work for their company and the reason why.
Discuss how your goal has always been to work in this industry as you always wanted to (job criteria) and finally finish by explaining how your previous experience or qualifications will add value to the company.
Potential Interview Answer
“Since becoming qualified my goal has been to work with your organisation, as I believe my vision is in line with your company mission. I have always had a creative side and feel that good advertisement makes a difference for companies looking to be successful. My experience in advertising, my creativity and my rapport with clients will add value to your company.”
Job Interview Question 4:
“Do you work well within a team?”
Some people are thrown when they are asked this question when they are applying for a position to work alone.
Every company works as a team especially a sales team.
Explain how you are a good team player, give an example of when you have worked well within a sales team.
Potential Interview Answer
“A team always works better than an individual as you have a wider skill base and more collective experiences to rely on. You also have the advantage of motivating to achieve goals and targets. Remember TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More. In my last job, I worked as part of a small team dedicated to improving sales, by sharing all our experiences and ideas we were able to come up with an achievable action plan”
Job Interview Question 5:
“Did you get on well with your last manager?”
A dreaded question for many! When answering this question never give a negative answer.
“I did not get on with my manager” or “The management did not run the business well” will show you in a negative light and reduce your chance of a job offer.
Answer the question positively, emphasising that you have been looking for a career progression. Start by telling the interviewer what you gained from your last job
Potential Interview Answer
“I enjoyed my last job, I quickly learned how to multi-task and prioritize work and over the last 3 years, I have seen myself grow. I am now ready to take the next step up the ladder with my career and feel I would suit working for a company such as this”
If you were made redundant, let the interviewer know, this is not a negative!
Job Interview Question 6:
“How would you be an asset to us?”
Think again about the job specification and the skills needed for this role. Have a paragraph prepared highlighting how you will be able to do the job and what you can bring to the team.
Here you have a great opportunity to ‘sell’ yourself. Talk about your unique selling point, this could include your duration in the sales industry, how you always overachieve set targets, how you build rapport with customers that doubles sales, anything that makes you stand out.
It goes without saying that this paragraph should be positive.
Potential Interview Answer
“I’m the type of person who likes to get a task completed; I am driven, hard-working and have excellent time management. I have worked in this industry for 8 years and have made excellent contacts and built good working relationships to will be of advantage to any employer who employees me”
Job Interview Question 7:
“What are your strengths in relation to sales?”
This is one of the most common questions you will be asked.
Give an answer relevant to the skills and qualities relevant to the position you are applying to. The interviewer is trying to find if your strengths match the job.
For example, if you are applying for a job where accuracy is an important issue, one of your strengths could be that you have an eye for detail. It may useful to find different words to describe similar attributes and qualities in order to avoid repetition.
Potential Interview Answer
“I have often been told that I have an eye for detail and that I am very accurate and precise. This was very important during my last role where I worked on large business accounts…(then add example)”
Job Interview Question 8:
“What are your weaknesses?”
Again, another commonly asked question.
A frequent mistake to make when answering this question is to say something negative like “I can sometimes let things get on top of me”. Be positive and sell yourself with every interview question, turn a negative into a positive. For example;
Potential Interview Answer
“In the past, I felt I needed to improve my typing skills because I aspire to be the best I can, I have recently enrolled on a typing course”.
This will show that you can identify your weaknesses but at the same time, you are willing to improve.
Most importantly: do not mention a weakness that is any way related to the job you are being interviewed for! This might sound obvious but it is a common mistake!
Job Interview Question 9:
“Do you know anything about this organisation?”
Often one of the first questions you will be asked during the interview, employers want employees who will stay with the company, this question and answer will show the employer that you know the company’s history and feel they will be a good employer to work for.
It also shows the employer that you think ahead and carry out research. Answer this question with:
- The length the organisation has been operating for.
- How the company started
- What services/products the company offers
- Where they are going (have they won any new contracts)
- All this information is normally found on the internet; on the company home page or about us page.
Potential Interview Answer
“I know a great deal about your organisation, before I applied for the job position I researched the company. I really like how the company started as a partnership company 10 years ago and has grown to a company of 70 staff working throughout 18 countries. You started by operating in a niche market and have now expanded this to working several areas of the same sector this highlights creatively and forward planning, this was one of the reasons why I applied for the position”
Job Interview Question 10:
“Do you think you have enough sales experience?”
If you’re asked this, then the interviewer does not believe you have enough experience. If you have you need to make this clear, explain about your previous experiences and give detail to the parts that are relevant to this new job role.
If you do not have the experience they need, you need to show the employer you have the skills, qualities and knowledge that will make you equal to people with experience but not necessary the skills. It is also good to add how quick you can pick up the routine of a new job role.
Potential Interview Answer
“Altogether I have 8 years experience in this industry, in my current role as a manager I spend a large amount of time selling business to business. I use all the relevant computer packages and understand the importance of double-checking the figures. I have always had an eye for detail and an ability to find errors easily, allowing me to be pro-active rather than re-active”
Job Interview Question 11:
What is your biggest achievement?
We have all achieved many things throughout our lives, from losing weight to passing a driving test. If you make your answer relevant to the job you are applying for.
Talk about how you had a goal you initially thought you couldn’t achieve and then, through working hard, you achieved your goal. Making this goal related to sales will increase your interview scoring.
Potential Interview Answer
“I was once asked to give a presentation, at first I thought I wouldn’t be able to deliver it without embarrassing myself. I wrote the presentation and practiced it in front of small groups until I had the confidence to deliver it to a large group. I was really pleased with the result on the day and I was good feedback from my line manager.”
Job Interview Question 12:
“Do you have any questions for me?”
Good interview questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training and questions on company values, staff retention and company achievements.
Conclusion
Many people are afraid of job interviews. The truth is if you prepare for your job interview, by predicting the job interview questions, you can easily prepare your job interview answers. If your job interview answers highlight your unique selling point, are stated in the positive and are said in a confident manner, then you can influence the job interview to increase job offer.
Interview Preparation Resources.
