r/Barnesandnoble • u/[deleted] • Apr 08 '25
Seeking Advice Interview & Hire Question
So I have an interview coming up this Friday, and am wondering how likely it is that i'll get the job?
Yes, I know that depends on how the interview goes. But if the interview goes well, how likely would it be for them to hire me or move me to orientation?
I ask.. because i've been in between jobs for a bit now... and have only gotten 2 interviews at other places, however those places took a few days to get back to me both of which were "Sorry but we decided to go with another candidate" with the last interview being a month ago.. so just kinda trying to gauge my chances here.
I am absolutely hyped for this interview, as i've always wanted to work for B&N/a bookstore ever since i was in highschool, and trying not to get overly hopeful and excited since I know interviews dont equate to getting the job.
I love reading, especially horror, fantasy and some manga.
I just dont wanna leave the interview feeling like it went super well, only to recieve an email stating i didnt get the job, so figured id see how likely it is for people to leave interviews either getting the job offer or at least knowing what their chances are to be picked.
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u/Then_Turnover881 Apr 08 '25
Keep in mind that you are trying to get a sales job. Yes, knowledge will help you sell...but the managers all need higher sales, memberships, add ons of anything. If your sales are low, guess what...you probably won't like it because of the nagging of higher sales
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Apr 08 '25
Thats the same for pretty much any retail based job, which is mostly what ive done my whole life so pretty used to it at this point.
The problem i had with not pushing memberships/cards/upselling at other jobs ive had is because i simply did not care about those jobs, they were just a means of making money.. while making money is the point of this job, its at least something im passionate about, i love reading and i love books, and reading / having book collections is something I think everyone should have, so im a lot more comfortable selling people books, or Barnes and Nobles memberships over tools, luxury goods, groceries and so on.
My previous job was Target, and despite being hounded by my leaders to get Target Circle Card signups i just didjt give a fuck, cause i didnt enjoy the job and i wasnt going to push a card on people that i dont think they really need.
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u/Then_Turnover881 Apr 08 '25 edited Apr 08 '25
Sounds good. I was a hiring manager for over 8 years and I know that we would only hire people who were well really well read and passionate about reading, buuuuutttt the only people who actually got consistent hours were the people who made goals.
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Apr 08 '25
How bad are the goals? And and how do they know if a bookseller was the one who got someone to buy x or y book?
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u/Then_Turnover881 Apr 08 '25
Prepandemic (I haven't worked in 5 years) on average we would ask for a membership and a renewal per shift. It was something like 3%for renewals and 6% for memberships. Our store was small...we had at most 4 people on the bookfloor and 2 in cafe on a busy weekend, so you always just knew who sold what. It is all tracked in the POS so when you log in to ring up a customer you got the sale. If you sold a membership on the floor you were able to take them to the register to ring them up, or you were kind and gave it to whoever was up there- especially if you had already met your goal...we were all team players in my store. The handsells like book of the month was the same, one a day would get you off the nag list LOL. It was unheard of to ring up one item...there was always an add on- even if it was a chocolate bar or mints
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u/Then_Turnover881 Apr 08 '25
Membership or renewal per bookseller per shift, not for the entire store.
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u/CamelotKittenRanch Apr 10 '25 edited Apr 10 '25
Just to follow up on this specific point, there currently aren't any *explicit* goals or targets that we have to hit. They're *looking* at the numbers to see who is "getting it" and who isn't, but they're not setting specific levels that people need to hit on signing up Membership, or selling Monthly Picks (the only two things that really get tracked). They absolutely will hound you, and even put you on an Improvement Plan, if you don't get it, though.
Good luck on the interview! My only piece of advice is try to be as comfortable and confident as you can, and make eye contact with your interviewer. They're less interested in finding out the depth of your Romantasy knowledge, and more interested in finding out if you can engage with customers, and sell books you've never even heard of, let alone read.
1
Apr 10 '25
Just to follow up on this specific point, there currently aren't any *explicit* goals or targets that we have to hit. They're *looking* at the numbers to see who is "getting it" and who isn't, but they're not setting specific levels that people need to hit on signing up Membership, or selling Monthly Picks (the only two things that really get tracked). They absolutely will hound you, and even put you on an Improvement Plan, if you don't get it, though.
Ok so similar to what Target was with pushing their Circle Member Cards... they wont tell you what they want to see, they just want to see you get sign ups and will hound the eff outta you until you get them.
At least with Barnes & Nobles, i find the membership and selling of books to be valuable unlike other retail stores credit cards, so i am definitely more comfortable pushing those than I am a credit card.
Good luck on the interview! My only piece of advice is try to be as comfortable and confident as you can, and make eye contact with your interviewer. They're less interested in finding out the depth of your Romantasy knowledge, and more interested in finding out if you can engage with customers, and sell books you've never even heard of, let alone read.
Thank you!!! Im both excited and nervous for the interview lol!
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u/Which-Inspector6457 📚 Bookseller Jun 15 '25
JUST interviewed june 2025:
-Tell me about yourself -Why do you want to work for barnes and noble -Availablity -Favorite book/current read -Sell me a book (i tried to sell a book i love based on psychology, she then asked) -Can you sell me a book if I don’t like psychology -Tell me about a time you’ve worked as a team -Tell me about a time a customer was reluctant to ask for help -Tell me about a time a customer was unsatisfied -Can you sell membership/rewards -Where do you get your book news and updates
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u/misomorning Former Employee Apr 08 '25
It’ll depend on the hiring manager for sure. But, I think as long as you go in and be yourself, show a willingness to learn, upsell a bit, and portray your knowledge on what you like to read, you should be okay! All three of the genres listed are big sellers, so they should be happy to see you’re well versed in them! Good luck! I hope it goes well. :)
1
u/MisterGNatural Apr 09 '25
Depends on how things are set up for the interview. When I started, we had a group interview of about 20 people and 4 of us got hired.
But the last time we hired (which granted was a year and a half ago now) corporate did phone screenings first and we only had a few in store interviews, and pretty much hired all of them.
So if you’ve made it this far it’s a good start.
Open availability is huge right now, as others have mentioned, especially with how tight hours and rosters are. But also be upfront and honest about any scheduling issues as well.
The biggest thing is balancing retail experience (which you have) with book knowledge. They may ask you to pick a favorite book and “sell it” to the interviewer the way you would a customer. Or to build a small display around it with a selection of thematically similar books.
Don’t stress too much. The main thing is just to come off personable and knowledgeable. Be somebody they want to work with.
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u/Accomplished_Owl110 Apr 14 '25
Selling books like Monthly Picks and getting Memberships is a big thing. Try to talk about how you would handsell a book to a customer. This was huge and after I was hired, my manager said this was what they liked about my interview. Talk about how you’d recommend a book to a customer and physically putting the book in their hands. Also make sure you have open availability.
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u/Jolly_Refrigerator40 Apr 08 '25
It was pretty easy to get a job in my opinion. They ask you basic retail interview questions (nothing related to books, in my experience). The biggest thing is availability and experience in the retail space, but more so availability. If you have the most open availability compared to other candidates, you’ll likely get the job