Goodwill Sales Associate Job Description & Interview
Job Description and Duties
What Does a Goodwill Sales Associate Do?
Goodwill sales associates perform many duties around the store, though store associates primarily focus on customer service. Sales associates at Goodwill greet customers, help them find merchandise, and ring up final purchases.
Other Daily Duties and Responsibilities
Employees with Goodwill often perform other duties throughout the store, such as stocking products, cleaning the store, and sorting through donated items. Goodwill store associates must stay patient, courteous, and accommodating to both customers and coworkers alike.
Salary and Compensation
How Much Do They Get Paid?
Goodwill sales associates often earn attractive pay rates. Workers typically start at $8.00 to $9.00 an hour, but may earn higher hourly wages depending on experience and employment status. Many Goodwill employees work on a limited or part-time basis, anywhere from 15 to 30 hours a week.
Does Goodwill Offer Additional Job Benefits?
Qualified Goodwill workers may earn attractive job perks. Employment benefits with Goodwill may include product discounts, 401(k) retirement plans, vacation time, and insurance coverage plans. Requirements for Goodwill work benefits vary greatly by experience, job title, and employment status.
Next:
Review the Goodwill Application page.
Goodwill Service Associate Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Goodwill Service Associate: Well, my primary job title was a service associate, so basically I ran rack, I hung clothes, I salvaged books. I did a little bit of everything in between. When I had downtime, I would just go and talk to my boss about different ways that I can further improve my learning styles on the job. When I’m presented with a job that I don’t really know well, what’s the best way to go about doing that job?
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Goodwill Service Associate: It’s very relaxed and laid back, but you do need to get your work done at the end of the day. You can take as much time as you want to, but by the time you clock out, you should be pretty much done with all the things that they assign you to do that particular day.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Goodwill Service Associate: Talking to different people because I’m a big talker. I like to just talk and work at the same time. I don’t think it’s a problem with that as long as you get your work done. As long as you do that then you’d be okay.
Interviewer: Please describe the application and interview process.
Goodwill Service Associate: The application process, you had to apply on either goodwill.com or I did mine in person. I just filled out an application and they just basically asked me my work history. What makes you want to come to this job? Why do you feel like you would be a good candidate? Just general questions like that.
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
Goodwill Service Associate: They reached out to me by phone and said, “We like your application. Can you come in and do this pre-assessment interview?” Just asking general questions and stuff like that and then a week later they said, “We want to hire you.” It went really quick.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
Goodwill Service Associate: Probably my persistent attitude because sometimes people are presented with a job that they don’t really want to do. Me, I take on everything and anything that they ask me to do because it’s just a good reference point. When you have to refer back to that boss, they’ll say, “Well, he was able to do all these different things even though that wasn’t part of his job description.” Just being able to just do anything, everything, that’s probably what set me apart.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Goodwill Service Associate: Just have an upbeat, positive attitude because maybe that may not be your longtime, lifetime dream job or whatever, but just get that experience to put something on your resume. Yeah.
Goodwill Store Associate Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Goodwill Store Associate: When I worked at Goodwill, they had me all over the place, doing all kinds of things, learning all of the positions. So, I could help anywhere I was needed.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Goodwill Store Associate: It was extremely busy. They certainly kept me busy with shifting me around to where I was needed. The atmosphere has to do with the work environment, and everyone got along really well there.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
Goodwill Store Associate: Typical day for myself – because I can’t really speak for the other employees, because my position was kind of cobbled together with everything that you do there – so many of the other employees were doing the same thing every day they came into work. But, usually what my position was is to go into the back receiving and take donations. People would drive up, and I would take the donations out of their vehicle, put them in a basket, and bring them inside. We would sort through the basket, and then that would go into another department. The lady that used to work over there would put that merchandise into perspective areas throughout the store where it belonged; toys were here, clothes were there. That’s how that process would work.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
Goodwill Store Associate: That was a two-part interview. Believe it or not, they’re kind of particular as to who they hire. I was kind of a shoo-in because I’m on disability, and usually that’s a key factor for someone on disability.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Goodwill Store Associate: People skills, how well I get along with other people. They seemed like they were mainly focusing on that. That was a main thing, how well I get along with other employees, which is kind of strange, but that was a qualification for the Bureau of Rehabilitation.
Interviewer: What set you apart from the other candidates?
Goodwill Store Associate: My ability and working with the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation. It was they picked up the phone and said, “Put this guy on,” but I also went through the interview process. They did a background check, like almost everyone else does. So, barring all of that, I was pretty much slotted.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Goodwill Store Associate: It’s fast paced, and any job is not for everybody, but for the right person, it’s a pretty good job. There’s certainly enough work, and the work that you’re doing adds a humanitarian aspect. If your heart’s in the right place, and since they’re usually hiring people with disabilities to work in Goodwill, period. They had some people doing community service, but that didn’t have any bearing on me, whatsoever.
Goodwill Sales Representative / Sorter Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Goodwill Sorter / Sales: I was a sales employee and a sorter. So, we had to take in clothes that people brought in from donation, sort them out, put the shirts on hangers, put the pants on hangers, and then go put them out on the floor, and help people look for stuff that they’re looking for.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Goodwill Sorter / Sales: So, there’s working in the back where you sort the clothes, and there’s working on the main floor. On the main floor, you’re interacting with customers. They’re asking you, “Oh, where are the shirts?” or, “What’s on sale today? What’s on sale for this week? Where can I find this? Where can I find that?” And then, I didn’t have cash register duty, but if you were to have cash register duty, then you would obviously have more interaction with the customers, because you would be ringing them up.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Goodwill Sorter / Sales: Goodwill employs a lot of disabled people, so if you worked in the backroom, you got to interact with the disabled workers, as well, and I like working with people like that. So, it was kind of a plus for me; it was a bonus.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
Goodwill Sorter / Sales: Depending on what position you have – if you just have cash register, then you have the cash register – but I had clothing sorter, so I would go in the back first, I’d put clothes on the hangers, then take a rack out, and once the rack is full, you take the rack out and you start putting things on different racks. You put the shirts where the shirts go. You put the pants where the pants go, the sweaters where they go, and so on.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
Goodwill Sorter / Sales: They were hiring, so they had a shortage of jobs. So, I walked in and filled out an application – basic questions: “Where have you worked before? Are you a student?” They just wanted to see what your availability is, and then they pretty much hire you.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
Goodwill Sorter / Sales: I honestly just had a lot more time available probably than somebody else who was applying. I wasn’t going to school at the time. It was during summer. So, maybe that’s why they hired me, but it was pretty basic. You don’t really need to be over the top to work there.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Goodwill Sorter / Sales: To go into the interview, just kind of dress simple – black pants, white top. And, just give them all your honest answers. They ask you really basic stuff, like: “Where do you go to school? How many hours a day are you free? What days are you free?” Whenever you come in, be sure you can work eight hours. Be sure you can work four hours. Take a break for lunch. But, just stay relaxed. They’re pretty cool people.
Sara says:
I worked for Goodwill Toronto over 10 years worked all different position as a store associate like pricer, sorter, greeter and cashier.
Goodwill was my second home, loved the people I worked with.