What to Expect During the Hiring Process
After receiving completed applications for employment, OfficeMax spends varying amounts of time reviewing the information and choosing certain applicants to interview. The office supplies retailer can take anywhere from a day to a month to contact interviewees. Once contacted, job seekers begin participation in the OfficeMax interview process, which typically consists of multiple phases and sometimes lasts as long as two months, especially for store manager positions. OfficeMax hiring representatives usually interview candidates on an individual basis.
Initial Phone Screenings
An opening phone screening marks the first step in the OfficeMax interview process for some entry-level applicants and most managerial roles. OfficeMax essentially uses the phone interview to discuss past work experiences and establish the credentials of candidates.
Phone Interview Questions
The conversation may also feature popular OfficeMax interview questions, like: "How have you handled irate customers in the past?" and "Give an example of a mistake you made at your previous job and how you learned from it." After successfully completing the preliminary screening, applicants move forward with face-to-face interviews at OfficeMax stores.
Face-to-Face Interviews
Often the first and only interview for entry-level job seekers, onsite interviews at OfficeMax regularly feature common behavioral and situational questions asking candidates to describe how they would deal with different types of customers or coworkers in difficult scenarios. OfficeMax interviewers also inquire about the specifics of previous jobs, especially while questioning potential managers. Interviewees may need to show basic knowledge of the job requirements by describing the perfect OfficeMax store associate or sales team. OfficeMax often requires both entry-level and managerial applicants to participate in roleplaying exercises in which the applicant pretends to sell a nearby product to the interviewer. Prospective store associates occasionally interview with an OfficeMax assistant manager and store manager separately, while managerial candidates normally encounter up to three additional interviews beyond the initial phone screening.
What to Wear
Business-casual apparel, such as khaki pants and dress shirts, is acceptable to wear on OfficeMax job interviews, though management hopefuls may want to wear something more formal.
Making a Good impression
Maintain an upbeat attitude throughout the interview process and provide clear, honest responses to all OfficeMax interview questions. OfficeMax needs customer-focused team members who demonstrate sales skills and the ability to provide excellent customer service during interviews. Make sure to bring up any experience held in the retail or office supply industry, as OfficeMax interviewers often prefer to hire experienced applicants. At the end of the interview, express enthusiasm to work at OfficeMax and find out when the hiring manager plans to make an official decision.
OfficeMax Sales Associate Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
OfficeMax Sales Associate: So, I was mainly a sales associate, just on the floor or at the cash register. That was what I did like 90% of the time. Sometimes I’d also stock shelves and stuff too. But you know it was pretty run-of-the-mill retail stuff, to be honest.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: I’d say at my store, personally, it was pretty friendly. A lot of the people that are still there even to this day, had been there for a couple of years. And I got along with them pretty well, you know. So I mean at least in my experience, it was pretty easy to get along with the managers and stuff and to kind of just come together as a team and stuff.
Nobody… I mean you definitely got the sense that some people were like “Ah, retail”, you know, it was kind of boring and stuff, but nobody was a jerk or anything. It was pretty friendly.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: I’d say, I guess my favorite part about working there really is the fact that it’s just this low stress thing. I think it’s great for part time, like college students, in that sense because they’re always really great with scheduling and I did a lot in college at the university here, so I needed my weekdays free and stuff. So that was probably the best thing.
Interviewer: Please describe the application and interview process.
OfficeMax Sales Associate: Yeah, application process was pretty standard. I just applied online, got called back. They did a background check. No drug tests or anything. Yeah, just had like one interview and it was pretty casual. It was just in the furniture department and yeah, you know, that was it.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: So that had been like… I got the job in high school and that had been my second job at that point and I felt like the interview is probably easier than my other interview at Menards.
I just remember they asked me like, “Oh, what would you do in this situation if you were selling this?” And like, “What are your strengths with weaknesses?” It really wasn’t any curve ball type of questions or anything. You know, they kind of knew like, “Hey, you’re just applying to be a cash register person. Like this isn’t going to… “We’re not trying to like see if you’re, you know, like the next coming or something.”
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: It was pretty quick. I think they called me back like a week later. I remember that was like the second time I interviewed for them and then I took the job at Menard’s cause they had higher pay originally. Like they paid me like $10 an hour just on weekends.
So I took that but then it turned out to be kind of, they have a scheduling and stuff, and it was pushing carts outside. So that wasn’t really… That was really good for me cause I’m not really that athletic, you know, and I wanted something for school. But yeah, they called me back pretty much within a week and it was just like a phone call. It was pretty casual.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: Honestly, I mean I came in there pretty clean-cut and I could string together a complete sentence. So I feel like that went a long way in that interview.
Cause I’ve seen a lot of like random people come in there like… You know, I’m not knocking anyone for their lifestyle choices. But they’d come there looking pretty disheveled with tattoos and stuff and you know, just like automatically right off the bat my manager after that interview would just be like, “Can anybody just come in and just do a successful interview?” You know? Like… Yeah.
So I mean if they’re hurting for people they’re not going to be like, “Yeah, you sound dumb. Can’t handle you.”
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: Yeah, I mean, I guess the one piece of advice I would give to people who are trying to break into there is, you know, just show up, introduce yourself to the manager. Look clean-cut, you know? Don’t stumble over every question or come into the interview like drunk or something and you’re totally fine, honestly. It’s not really that a hardcore of a place, I guess, you know.
OfficeMax Sales Associate Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
OfficeMax Employee: My job title for OfficeMax… I was a cashier. My primary duties were to ring customers and assure that they successfully picked merchandise they needed for their home or office.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
OfficeMax Employee: Quiet, extremely quiet. It was semi-upbeat because we did floor changes every two weeks. But, it was quiet and relaxed.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
OfficeMax Employee: My favorite part about working there would have to be training because when I trained, I got to take down the whole back of the store, and I had to put it together myself with a manager.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
OfficeMax Employee: Long and relaxing.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
OfficeMax Employee: The application was online. It wasn’t that long. But, the interview – I was in school at the time. I did a phone interview with a guy named John, I believe. Then, I did two more interviews in store with two different managers because they switched managers after I did my first interview in the store. I liked it.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
OfficeMax Employee: The weirdest question that stood out to me was: “How much do I know about reams of paper?” I froze, but I figured something out to speak on it and answer the question. But, that was the question that stood out the most.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
OfficeMax Employee: If you want to work there, be serious about the position that you apply for because once they put you in it, you’re stuck.
OfficeMax Sales Associate Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
OfficeMax Sales Associate: I was a sales associate, so my primary duties consisted of selling everything on the floor, so printers, paper, a lot of paper, computers. You would just have to have a general overview of everything in the store.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: The work environment was really relaxing. Most paper supply companies office supply companies aren’t that busy, except for back-to-school seasons. So we have a lot of time to get to know your coworkers and enjoy their company. When you go to work, you’re not just there to work, you’re there to be friendly to customers and you get a lot of practice working with your coworkers.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
OfficeMax Sales Associate: First thing you do when you come in is you sign into their system – it’s just your name and password. You get locker in the back of the break room and you put on your earpiece, which is your fast way to communicate with everyone in the store, so if you’re with a customer you don’t have to go answer the phone for somebody. Every day my primary job was when a customer walked in is to greet them, help them, direct them where they need to go, and that’s just what you did unless they had any other questions about the product. And then after that, you have general register duties as well so after you check them out you’re on to the next customer. It’s pretty easy.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: The application process was online. So, you fill out what area you’re interested in, and then you just wait for a call. I got a call, and then went in for an interview with the store that happens to be close to my house, which was nice. I sat down with both the assistant manager and the manager, and they had me do a lot of hypothetical situations. They had me sell them in item in the room, so I would have to sell them a plastic tub and how it would be useful. So they like to see that you’re confident in your answers and comfortable talking to strangers, because that’s what the job consists of.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: They were definitely interested in background work, like other previous employment. I hadn’t had any previous sales employment. I worked with food mostly, so besides that that they like to see personable people because, like I said, that’s mostly what the job consisted of. We had a lot of conversations about my hobbies, education, and family. They wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with them.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: I do think because I was very comfortable with them, I was honest with them about my past employment. I told them about my likes and dislikes, about my previous employers. They were honest with me. They would tell me whether or not they could offer me something.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
OfficeMax Sales Associate: Buy khakis. Be prepared to come ready every day in your uniform and be able to stand a lot. It’s a lot of standing, and you have to be personable. So, if you have a bad mood, you have to put it aside when a customer walks through the doors and be able to sell them whatever they’re looking for. You have to be very good at controlling your emotions and being professional for work.
