Mass group interviews for retail jobs

[Toastytoad]

Can anyone help me understand the current lean towards mass group interviews? DD is 19, has had one retail job that she stayed in for 2 years. She left when she moved to uni but is now looking for another PT job as she’s realised the difference between the life style she wants and the life style she can afford. We thought this would be easy as she has experience, reputable high street store, worked there for a good chunk of time and good references, but every interview is 30-60 interviewees. What is this about? How do you navigate these interviews? I recruit fairly frequently at work (not retail so maybe that’s the difference) and can’t imagine how you spot someone in that situation? I appreciate the job market is rubbish for most young people looking for jobs just now but any advice?

This is brilliant advice. I was very quiet and shy as a teen but had to go through a group interview for a retail job. Having a “role” in a group task helps, e.g time keeping or looking out for the quieter people to make sure everyone has space to talk - these are the kind of people skills they are looking for.

How does one speak up in a group setting without interrupting? Because I'm in my late fourties and I still can't get this right.

In retail, most customer interactions are one-to-one, so a group setting is testing social skills that are irrelevant for that role.

Someone autistic will probably be meticulous about stock rotation in a way that the staff at my local Lidl really really aren't (putting the new stock in front of the old stock instead of behind it so that the last couple of items go out of date before they sell, so wasteful, and so frustrating when I want to buy them and realise that the Use By was yesterday).

Just echoing others that say it’s been that way in retail for years. 15/20 years ago I had interviews the same as that for w.h smiths, the Disney store, Asda, toys r us etc
I also think they’re terrible but nothing new unfortunately.

I suppose it depends on the retailer. It’s a long time since I’ve been in retail so will bow to superior knowledge but when I worked on the shop floor at a Saturday job in Next we were a team, yes interactions with customers were 1-2-1 but the group of us working had to work together as a team, communicating as to where staff were needed most and yes that did require speaking up and teamwork. I acknowledge that absolutely not all stores are the same and perhaps team work isn’t always necessary.
As to how to avoid interrupting you pick up on tone and when someone is coming to the end of their point you pick it up and run with it, so they can be tailing off and you can cut in with something like “absolutely hear what you’re saying and I fully agree, perhaps we can take it further”. No one gets in right all the time but after a few interviews you should see what other people are doing and how they cut in, there will surely be someone who does it politely and you can emulate them. You don’t have to be rude doing it.
OP wishing your daughter luck.

Customer interaction may mostly be 1-1 but you often work as a team within the store (so produce are a team, frozen are a team, bakery are a team) and you need to be able to speak up and communicate well in this settings. There are also often situations where you’re dealing with x and something else happens and you have to be able show you can prioritise.

You don’t need to interrupt but be firm and grab a train of thought from someone else - so when they finish, don’t wait for a massive gap but speak up at the end of their sentences.