Finance Interview Questions – Job Interview Advice

Whether you are looking for a job during the summer, for the holiday season, or just a job in general, the TJX corporations are a great place to start. They are comprised of Home Goods, Marshalls, Sierra Trading Post, Home Sense, and TJ Maxx. The company starts its employees out at nine dollars per hour. After six months of employment, you are given ten dollars an hour, which is a whole dollar raise! After that, you get raises yearly, ranging from ten to fifty cents. At Marshalls and all of their sister stores, you have to be at least 16 years old to work. The entering pay and raises vary by state, and they are closed for Easter, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Positions Available image source: unsplash Marshalls, like its sister stores, has several positions available to apply for, depending on the location. These positions are part time associates, back room associates, merchandise coordinators, key holders, and salaried managers. Part Time Associates As a part-time associate, you will work less than 30 hours per week. You are responsible for cashiering, "flowing" merchandise (stocking), returning merchandise to the sales floor, price checking, and cleaning the section you are assigned to if you are part of the closing team. You can be put on the markdown team as well, meaning you would be marking items down to clearance. You might also be placed in the back room, to help the back room associates Back Room Associates Associates who work in the back room are typically part timers. They are unloading the merchandise truck, pricing items, filling tanks with products for the stocking team, and making sure nothing damaged gets to the sales floor. They are put in individual sections in the back room, on a line filled with boxes of items they will unbox, according to the area the items go in. For example, pet toys, kid toys, storage bins, and cookware could be section one, while section two could be towels, decorative pillows, and candles. Merchandise Coordinators The merchandise coordinators work full time. They are assigned several areas of the store and are required to merchandise them. They are also required to cashier, price check, and are part of the stocking team. They are paid more than the part time associates. Key Holders Key holders are like mini store managers. They are responsible for the store like salaried managers are, during their opening or closing shift. They are not salaried but do get a pay raise. Key holders have the keys to the store, and like the salaried managers, are running the store, dealing with customer complaints, and locking the store down at closing. Salaried Managers Salaried managers are typically broken up into four slots: the store manager, the two merchandising managers, and the operations manager. Usually the operations manager initiates the hiring of employees. Each manager is salaried and is required to deal with customer complaints, stealing, employee issues, and many other problems. About Marshalls The TJX stores are discount stores, meaning all of their products are reduced from original retail prices to discounted prices. On the tickets, or price tags, they have their price, and then a "compare at" price. For example, a Kat Von D eyeshadow palette is $24.99 at Marshalls, and the "compare at" price is $50.00 at regular retailers. Marshalls, as well as its other sister stores, thrive on its discounted prices. They carry top quality brands like Waterford glasses, Spode dishware, and Cuisinart cookware. They have a pets department, kids department, clothing department, cosmetics department, and have specific areas for handbags, luggage, kitchen-ware, towels, bathroom items, and so on. At the front end or the area of the cashiers, there are dozens of impulse-buy items, like chocolate, mugs, chips, candles, and other tchotchkes. Marshalls Interview Questions Q: Are you available and willing to work nights, days, mornings, holidays, and weekends? A: If you aren't available, be sure to state that during the interview. Marshalls will work with school schedules, regardless of whether it's high school or college. Be prepared to have open availability on weekends, though, because Saturdays and Sundays are a must-have for the company. TIP Ask about how you can put in days off! If you have a baby shower, a birthday, or an event planned ahead, ask to how to put that in as soon as possible! The sooner they know, the better. Q: What are you bringing to the team? A: Evaluate your strengths. Are you a perfectionist? Do you love straight-lining things? Are you good at stocking? Are you good with customers? Q: How would you handle customer complaints or an angry customer? A: Usually, managers won't like the "I would call the manager" response. Always tell them how you, individually, would handle it. Always tell them you'd call the manager after everything else has failed. Q: Describe a time you had to solve a difficult issue. A: Go for something that you dreaded. Something that challenged you, not only mentally, but emotionally or physically. You can tell them about a test at school or the time your car broke down on the side of the road. Maybe you'll tell them about how you decided to flambe your first bananas foster. Whatever the issue, make sure the resolution was memorable. Something funny to break the tension can work, too. Interview Tips image source: unsplash Be Professional! Dress nicely, but not like you're going to an office interview. You'll likely be over dressed. A nice pair of shoes, a fitted shirt, and a pair of jeans should do fine! Be on Time! Don't come late to your interview. Be at least five minutes early. This shows initiative and respect. Be Honest An interviewer can always tell when you're lying, exaggerating, or aren't serious. This can seriously impact your interview. And though it may sound cheesy, be yourself. If you're the right fit for the job, you'll get hired. Ask Questions Don't forget to ask about anything you're unsure of. If you're applying for a full-time job, ask them to explain the benefits. If you're unsure of your starting pay, ask them! Don't be afraid to ask questions. This shows initiative and interest in the job. Make a list of questions before you go in and be sure to mentally check off anything they answer before you ask. When You Get the Job Image by pixabay There are a few things you should be aware of before you walk into the interview. If you aren't comfortable with these things, this company might not be right for you. Credit Cards Image by pixabay When working for The TJX Companies, you will be required to ask customers to sign up for their TJX rewards credit card. This credit card is an instant approval or rejection process, meaning once you enter the information into the register, you'll get an INSTANT response from the bank. If your customer gets approved for the card, they will receive a ten percent off coupon, which they can use at that purchase, or they can save it and use it at your location within thirty days. Please note: They have to use their temporary shopping pass with the coupon. They cannot use a different credit card and still use the ten percent off coupon. Donations image source: unsplash During the course of the year, TJX gets involved in many charities. During the holiday season, you will be required to ask your customers if they would like to donate to Saint Jude Children's Hospital. When natural disasters occur, the company might ask for donations to places like the American Red Cross. Uniforms Marshalls does not have a required uniform, but they have a dress code. No shorts, printed T-shirts, or sleeveless shirts of any kind can be worn. They recently added blue jeans to the "okay to wear" section of the rules, but you cannot wear pants or jeans that are ripped, worn out, stained, or damaged. Some sister stores, like Home Goods, are required to wear aprons. Rewards image source: unsplash Star Cards are scratch off cards you are given whenever you perform excellent customer service, stop fraudulent returns, exercise safety protocols, and other displays of excellence. The scratch off cards can get you a $10 gift card to Marshalls, and even if you don't get the $10 instant win, you can put your accumulated star cards into a weekly drawing. If you win the weekly drawing, you get a $25 gift card to Marshalls. These gift cards can be used in any of the TJX stores and never expire! Sometimes, you might show up to a shift at Marshalls to a break room full of catered food, donuts, or desserts. The TJX Companies loves to reward its employees with free food, desserts, candies, and more. Conclusion Starting out in Marshalls, or any of the TJX companies, is a great way to earn cashiering, back room, or managerial experience. Though the pay varies between states, you can start out at $9 an hour, and after six months, you are elevated to $10. Not to mention that the company loves to reward its employees with gift cards, free food, and other items for continued excellence. Interviews We went over a few major questions you'll be faced with above. Always keep your strengths in mind when going on an interview and be prepared to answer other questions that the Marshalls operations manager might ask. Think about what you might ask someone who was applying to work at your business. Keep those questions in mind. If you keep this Marshalls guide in mind, you can apply to any of the TJX companies and still be prepared. Be confident, ask questions, and enjoy your experience at Marshalls!