>>33272899 (OP)My missus is in charge of hiring in her area for a big UK clothes retailer so I've heard a lot about the process.
The fact you don't drive isn't a huge issue for an entry level role, its a surprisingly rare thing among applicants to these jobs. In her shop of 7 people only 2 have cars, and it doesn't seem to factor into her choice of who to hire unless it's a mid-level role or higher.
Retail experience again is something you can take or leave when you're offering minimum wage as pretty much all bong retailers do, nobody is job hopping between Next and Decathlon for an extra 10p an hour. If they're getting someone with retail experience they're probably foreign or were fired/managed out by their previous employer.
Competency questions are literally what they sound like. Questions that they ask to determine if you're brain-dead or not. Common sense stuff.
She has a list of questions to ask during interviews but their intention isn't to elicit specific answers - and indeed no correct answers are provided on her question sheet - it's to get the applicant talking openly and at length. This allows her to judge whether the person is literate, polite and capable of basic social interaction.
The long and short of it is, they want people that don't put off customers, and who are unlikely to fuck off immediately after training. If you want the job, you want to come across as polite, sincere, unopinionated and as someone who has bills to pay.
