rue21 Job Interview Tips

How to Get a Job at rue21

The rue21 interview process generally consists of one-on-one question-and-answer sessions. Typically conducted by an assistant manager or store manager, job interviews may last between 15 and 20 minutes. Group interviews also serve as the initial method of screening candidates at some store locations, particularly during busy holiday hiring seasons. Applicants who encounter group interviews may spend as long as an hour in each hiring session, which feature competitive atmospheres where applicants must remain vocal and professional at all times to gain favor over other workers. In contrast, one-to-one job interviews take on casual and relaxed tones.

Common Interview Questions

Hiring managers mostly ask traditional interview questions. Topics covered during each interview include work history, interest in the company, strengths and weaknesses, and availability. Prepare answers for prompts like,:

• “Tell me about yourself.”
• “What do you expect to get out of this job?”

The retail chain also poses hypothetical interview questions to gauge applicant reactions to common scenarios encountered while on the job. Most situational interview questions deal with employee/customer interaction. Loss prevention, store policies, and merchandise lines also come up as frequent topics of discussion.

Following Through with the Hiring Process

As a popular retail chain, rue21 receives employment requests from numerous job hopefuls whenever a position opens up. After submitting the necessary employment information, follow up with the store to check on hiring status. Remain persistent and show a desire to obtain the job. In many cases, the company offers interviews to applicants calling back and demonstrating interest for the position. The average wait time for aspiring associates to hear back from hiring managers may take as little as 24 hours and as much as two or three weeks. Managerial candidates often spend the most time going through the hiring process, while entry-level applicants may submit hiring materials, interview, and receive job offers same-day.

What the Company Looks for in an Employee

Communication skills rank highly among desirable traits for prospective employees. The retailer often tests applicant abilities to communicate effectively by asking workers to sell random objects during the interview process. Communication skills also benefit applicants participating in group interviews. Hiring managers look to individuals who maintain the floor and lead group discussion. Engaging personalities best suit job hopefuls, regardless of position desired or interview format encountered.

What to Wear

Once selected for an interview, dress in business-casual attire or fashions similar to products sold in rue21 stores. In addition to stylish appearances, workers should exude friendly, outgoing personalities capable of making high-volume sales.

Tips for Success

Employees must possess helpful and approachable attitudes. When answering interview questions, speak with confidence and maintain proper eye contact with hiring personnel at all times. At the conclusion of the interview, express your enthusiasm for gaining employment if selected for a position, or await a phone call for a final determination at a later date.

rue21 Stocker Interview Video

Video Transcript

Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
rue21 Employee: For rue21, I basically just worked as a stocker. I folded clothes and helped them open the store when they moved to my area. I worked there for a little while, just folding clothes and stocking.

Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
rue21 Employee: The work environment… it was very friendly. A lot of the other people were very outgoing. Everyone just seemed excited to work there. I think that was one thing that really resonated from the people I worked with. They all just seemed pretty happy to be there. It was a very positive environment.

Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
rue21 Employee: My favorite part about working there was really just making the friends that I made and getting to meet and see people who were actually happy and excited about their job.

Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
rue21 Employee: A typical work day… I would say there was a lot of inventory that needed to be counted and needed to go out. With retail like rue21, there’s constant inventory that comes in with the clothing stores, making sure that the things that are on sale have the on-sale tag, and things that were new were put in their place, finding places for those things to go, and dressing the walls and the mannequins up to make a style that someone would be interested in.

Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
rue21 Employee: For rue21, I filled out an application online, and I went into the mall. I had an interview and I would say the feedback process was maybe about a week or so.

Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
rue21 Employee: For that job, they asked if I had retail experience. They also really wanted to get out my personality, so they asked questions about some of my strengths and weaknesses, how I got along with other people. They asked a lot about how I deal with different frustrations that maybe would come along with working in retail.

Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
rue21 Employee: For someone looking to work with a job like rue21, I would just tell them to be enthused about working at a place like that. If go in with confidence and just a smile on your face, and they see that you’re really excited for this job, – because working in a mall can be fun, but it can sometimes be stressful – and if they see that you have a positive vibe about yourself, then they’re more apt to give you the job. They also like to see you wearing their clothes, so for that interview I definitely wore a shirt from rue21.

rue21 Sales Associate Interview Video

Video Transcript

Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
rue21 Sales Associate: My main job… I was a sales associate. There are different duties that come with that. Most of the main duties at rue21: we have things like we have to meet our fragrance goal, where we have to sell fragrances. Mostly everyone in the store does it, but it’s usually different zones – Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3. When you’re in Zone 1, you are the first person that people see, so you have to interest them in a fragrance, try to sell it there. Zone 2 and 3 also help back you up. It’s that, and you fold clothes, normal retail environment. That’s one thing different about rue21.

Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
rue21 Sales Associate: A typical day, I come in, clock in, then you have a five-minute thing with a manager on duty, the sales goal for the day, fragrance goal for the day, like last year’s goal, any new promotions we have going on. You get assigned to your zone. You’re in Zone 1, you’re doing fragrances, which is usually cash register, and Zone 3 is like clearance and fitting rooms. And that’s about it. Usually you get scheduled to five hour shifts, four hour shifts. You might just get a whole day, you never know. Just depends. The one I worked at, they gave us hours based on how many fragrances you sold, so if you sold more fragrances, you got more hours.

Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
rue21 Sales Associate: I filled out the application. It asked me questions about why I was interested in the job, and things like that. The interview process, I interviewed the hiring manager and the store manager. It was two interviews. They called you back if they liked you for the second interview. After that, you got hired. It was pretty simple.

Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
rue21 Sales Associate: They were mostly pertaining to retail. I know they had a nice little section on why you want to work there and fashion questions, like if you were interested in fashion. Most of the questions were just normal interviewing questions, and the application questions. Everything was pretty much normal.

Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
rue21 Sales Associate: I feel like they should prepare for just working hard with the company, and being a loyal associate. I feel like the job… it doesn’t really… I’m not going to say it requires a lot, it just requires you to be dedicated at all times and things like that. And just have a nice personality to communicate with the customer, and things of that sort. I feel like when I applied, I did a follow-up call to make sure my application was reviewed. I feel like that was another aspect that helped in the hiring process, as well. I showed dedication to the job, things like that, which would be my advice for someone.

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Related Links:
rue21 Application