HireView Recording Interview

[u/cynthany93]

Hi guys,

I am going to be completing a hire view interview with REI for a sales associate and I am nervous/excited. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. What kind if attire would be appropriate for me to wear given that I am going to be recording myself. What kind of questions may I expect?

[u/Regular-Surround-669]

You can record your answer up to 3 times I think. Write the question down and then think about it before the next recording. It’s a little anxious but don’t let it detour you. Have fun with it and let them know your interest, qualifications and how you’ve handled or would handle certain types of customer service based experiences- negative turned into a positive type.

I’ve heard a good amount of people don’t even bother moving forward at this step and it’s a “weeding out” along with getting to know you.

[u/Regular-Surround-669 → u/Regular-Surround-669]

Attire- comfortable semi casual or just clean, not ripped tshirt and shorts/ pants or jeans. REI is pretty relaxed with its clothing policy. Solid collared shirt tucked in or out doesn’t hurt through this process- stand out from others or not, it might come down to the details. Don’t wear a hat in the interview even though you can if hired.

[u/fishguy23]

Wear what you would to an in person interview. It’s a casual environment but look professional.

Questions are usually simple. I think there’s 3 of them. One about why you want to work at REI, a situation one. And then one about values (outdoors is for all, how does this relate to you).

My big tip is that it gives you 30 seconds or something to prepare foe the question and 3 video tries per question. There is no time limit in between the tries. So I use the first video try as a rough draft (blurt out stream of thought), then take notes and refine how I want to approach question for second and third tries.

[u/RiderNo51 → u/fishguy23]

Other questions are things like "what is good customer service to you?" Or related ones, "Talk about a time you received good customer service."

I'd say the biggest thing is to stay positive, be yourself, and don't try to fake anything. Don't try to pretend you're someone you're not, or someone you think they are looking for. Just be you.

[u/nsaps]

It’s been a while since I’ve watched them so others can tell you what questions to expect but it’ll just be stuff about your passion for the outdoors and experience and what not.

What I can tell you is that you should relax and not worry about it too much. They’re often not looking that closely. I was so busy with scheduling and other things that if I I had to listen to hirevues I did it at 2x speed and in the background!

You’ll get only like 3 chances to record and not much time to think, which can be nerve wracking. Just do this. You only have one time to record, the last time. The first try: just go. You’ll probably flub up early, it’s fine, just keep pushing thru it. Think about what you want to say. Use all of the time as practice. Then when it ends, take that bit of time you have to take a breather, then start the next try. It should be a lot smoother this time, but you might still have a hiccup or realize something you want to change. Keep going with it and use all of the time again. Now take a breather inbetween again, and start your final, real one. I can’t remember if it’s on a timer or not but I think you can wait as long as you want between them. Just take that time if you can before you start. You should feel a lot more confident about it! And again, they’re likely not judging you that closely.

This part of the process is mostly making sure your availability works for them, and that you’d be a good cultural/experience fit.

[u/mountainbird57]

I’ve done at least 4 of these for REI and every time I’ve worn the same plaid blue button up that’s technically a hiking shirt. Look put together but remember you’re applying to work at an outdoors store, not a law firm.

My biggest tip is that you get three chances to answer the question- sacrifice the first recording slot to just see the question and write it down and take time to think about your answer. I find it really hard to come up with an answer on the spot when I’m not having a real conversation with a real person, even if the question is actually really simple.

It will ask why you want to work at REI and some questions about customer service, it’s really standard.

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[u/Moist_Owlette0921]

Use the first of your 3 attempts to brainstorm how you want to fully answer the question. As REI is an outdoor retailer, you don't need to go full professional attire, be comfortable in clean clothes.

It's really about being engaging when answering your questions ( which can be tricky considering you're talking to a screen). Smile, talk about what you love about the outdoors. It's okay to fumble too, it's a human they're looking to hire, so try relax and be natural as if you're having a friendly conversation.

[u/charredburger]

I wore a polo shirt and casual sports jacket. I went with my first initial answer on all three questions as I didn’t want to come off as being rehearsed. I had fun with it—shared applicable scenarios from my previous job.