Party City Interview Questions & Tips

Casual Interviews

For customer service roles like sales associate and cashier, Party City conducts basic one-on-one interviews with store managers or assistant store managers. Interviews are casual and laidback, often beginning with friendly conversations. Initial Party City interview questions feature fun and light-hearted topics meant to gauge personalities.

Possible Interview Questions

Some questions applicants encounter include:

• What do you know about us?
• Can you do the job?
• Who is your hero?
• Describe a time you made a good suggestion.
• Define customer service.

Seasonal Hiring

Halloween represents the busiest season at Party City, and hiring drastically increases in order to prepare for the holiday. Most stores conduct one-on-one interviews for seasonal associates, or "Halloween Experts." For some stores, Party City conducts group interviews in order to screen multiple applicants at one time. Applicants may be asked questions about serving Halloween shoppers.

Management Interviews

Leadership roles at Party City, including assistant manager and store manager positions, require applicants to pass several steps of evaluation. The Party City interview process for managers usually includes phone interviews followed by one or two face-to-face interviews with hiring managers. Phone interviews generally run brief and cover work experiences and career aspirations. During face-to-face interviews, managerial applicants face inquiries into leadership and operations competency. At the conclusion of a Party City management interview, the interviewer may inquire about desired salary.

What Makes Ideal Candidates?

Applicant Traits

Party City loves to celebrate, and the specialty retail chain looks for personable, helpful store associates who enjoy having fun at work. The chain embodies core values of creativity, team work, and inspiration, Job hopefuls should share energetic and team-oriented attributes to gain further hiring consideration. To show favorable personalities, applicants should have fun during interviews.

How to Stand Out

Candidates should smile throughout Party City interviews and provide energetic, enthusiastic answers. Responses should reflect customer focus. If possible, job hunters want to bring up work experiences. Before leaving the final Party City interview, applicants need to express enthusiasm for the prospect of join the team and gratitude for the interview opportunity.

Party City Halloween Specialist Interview Video

Video Transcript

Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Party City Employee: I was a Halloween specialist, and basically I had to get all the costumes for interested customers. You have to write down a call number, and grab the costume, and get ready for them.

Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Party City Employee: The work environment at Party City around that time of the year was pretty hectic, because it’s a popular party and holiday store, so it’s a lot of little kids coming in, a lot of parents coming in and getting costumes for trick-or-treating.

Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
Party City Employee: A typical day, we would come in, we would have to put on a costume in the back, and we would have to sign in. From there, they give you a walkie-talkie and ear set, and you go out onto the floor, and whenever customers would tell you what number they want, you would say that into the microphone, and someone in the back would bring it out for them.

Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
Party City Employee: The application, I remember, was five or six pages long. It was just about references, prior jobs, and during the interview, they asked about strengths and weaknesses.

Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Party City Employee: All the questions were pretty generic. Nothing too specialized. They actually didn’t ask too many questions about retail. It was mostly about personality and work experience.

Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Party City Employee: I would just tell them to expect to be on your feet a lot, and just moving around the store. You’re pretty much just standing up for the entire shift. So, just be ready for that.

Related Links:
Party City Application
Party City Sales Associate