Working at Barnes and Noble | interview process & experience
6. What Books are You Currently Reading
You should have in mind that to be employed at Barnes and Noble, you must show the hiring manager that you are passionate about books since those are their main products. You cab mention books of any genre or quality because Barnes and Noble has a variety of those. We also advise you to include one or two bestsellers in your list since most people buy them.
Sample Answers
I am reading Crying in H. Mart by Michelle Zauner, People We Meet on Vacarion by Emily Henry, Gold Diggers by Sanjana Sathian, and a Crookes Tree by Harper.
Tell us about a time you had a conflict with a colleague.
The most important thing is to refer to a situation with a positive outcome. Conflicts do happen, and we cannot entirely avoid them. But as long as you manage to keep your composure, and do not turn the conflict into something emotionally destructive, they won’t have a long term negative impact on your work, or on the atmosphere in the store.
And if this is your first job application, you can say that you will try to be attentive to the needs and feelings of your colleagues, and responsibly take care of all your duties in the bookstore. You will do all you can to minimize the chances of a conflict. And if it happens, you will listen carefully to the other party, try to understand their point of view, and solve the conflict without getting emotional or personal. That’s the attitude they seek from a good applicant at Barnes & Noble.
7. Can You Tell Us About any Relevant Work Experience that You Have
Before freaking out, you should know that you don’t need to have any previous work experience to get a job at Barnes and Noble since the entity offers sufficient training for all its joining staff. However, any experience in retail or customer service will always be a plus in such jobs. You can mention your former employers and refer to a few responsibilities similar to what you will be doing at Barnes and Noble.
Sample Answer
I worked as a customer care representative in a retail store during my years in college. I learned valuable lessons on handling different types of customers, including the difficult ones- some that have greatly helped me in my career.
What books are you currently reading?
Barnes & Noble is a mainstream bookstore, but they sell almost everything, every genre, every quality. Hence it doesn’t really matter what books you refer to, as long as you refer to some. In fact you can say what books you’ve read over the last couple of months. If you mention at least ten books, they will be impressed.
It is always good to mention at least one or two items from the bestsellers lists, because at the end of the day these are the books crowds buy most often, and it is helpful if you know the titles, and can give the shoppers some recommendations. You can also add that you enjoy reading book reviews and critics, so even though you did not read a certain book, you may still know something about it, and be able to give a recommendation to the customer.
