Assistant Store Manager Qualifications and Interview Questions

Job interviews are not a dime a dozen – how your interview plays out has a little something to do with the position you're applying for.

While some questions will be the same for everyone a company interviews, no matter the position, there are specific additional questions that businesses find are important when they're looking to hire people in managerial positions.

If you're looking to become an Assistant Store Manager, it helps to know what that job entails, what experience you need to be qualified, and what questions you can expect to answer while you're in the interview.

Here is an overview of all these items to help you be prepared.

The title Assistant Store Manager sounds just like what it is – you assist the Manager of the business you work at. You may even do their job when you're working opposite shifts or when they go on vacation. It's part of the track you'd go on to become a Manager yourself.

You usually need a few years of experience in a particular business setting to be qualified as an assistant manager, but you don't always need previous managerial experience. You need to be a good mentor, able to lead a team, and you need the drive for keeping a business going (even on the tough days).

Here are some of the actual responsibilities Assistant Managers have on a regular basis:

That's a lot of work to do, and you also need to perform any duties that are assigned to you by your direct supervisor (usually the Store Manager). To qualify for a position as an Assistant Store Manager, you need to acquire some specific skills that will allow you to perform all of the duties listed above.

Skills you should have, prior to applying for a job as an Assistant Manager, include:

To qualify for an Assistant Manager position, you need one to three years of experience doing some of the above things – like communication skills and financial skills. You don't have to have management skills, but you have to have a proven track record of being able to be in charge.

Once you've decided that you want to be an Assistant Manager, your first step should be to tailor your resume to this position.

Even if you don't have any managerial experience, you want to make sure that the descriptions of your previous jobs focus on how you've lead teams, worked with managers to grow a business, been in charge of cash or inventory, and how you've used your superior communications skills (with coworkers, your supervisors, and with customers/clients).

You also need to prepare for your interview a well. This will be the moment when you can prove that you have excellent communication skills, and it will be a chance to explain how your previous employment skills make you qualified as an Assistant Manager, even if you've never actually been in charge of a team of employees.

Here are some of the questions you're most likely to face when in an interview for an Assistant Management position, and tips on how to answer them.

As an Assistant Manager, you will have responsibilities when it comes to staffing the business you work for, and you will also find yourself in charge of dealing with insubordination. That means that you need to be confident and comfortable in the hiring process, and you need to be OK with the firing process as well.

If you've had experience helping with the hiring and firing at a previous job, this is the time when you should let them know about it. If you don't have any experience, you want to show (in words) that this is something you'd be comfortable doing – you understand that this is part of keeping a business running smoothly, and not all employees are right for the job.

All Managers find themselves facing issues with employees some time – not all employees give their all to the job. You may find that you have employees that can never get the job done, or never show up on time for their shift, or even those that always try to leave early. If you let your employees be in control, they will continue to do these things.

How do you talk to employees? Are you able to stay professional even when you're extremely frustrated with an insubordinate employee? If you have anger issues and fly off the handle when you're under stress or pressure, Management is not a role for you.

As a Manager, or Assistant Manager, you are often required to work long hour – it's part of the job. You need to be prepared for that commitment ahead of time. Not only are there long hours, but you will also be working them under stress sometimes (an employee called in last minute, so you have to stay longer to work in their place, or you've dealt with numerous customer complaints throughout the day).

In retail, holidays are extra busy and post-holiday as well – as people come in with returns and exchanges. You may even expand your business hours around certain holidays, which means more hours on the clock. If you're concerned about not having time with your family, you may want to reconsider an Assistant Manager position, especially in a retail setting.

As a member of a management team, you'll be dealing with more than just troubled employees – you also need to be able to handle customers that are upset. You need to make sure that you know how to speak them in a calm manner and in a way that they don't feel like you're talking down to them.

As an Assistant Manager, you may be the only upper management on hand when a customer is unhappy. That means you need to be able to deal with the issue without going to the Store Manager.

How well the employees working for your business do has a lot to do with how well they've been trained by people in upper management. You need to be a people person that can to train and mentor employees starting at all different levels.

Getting a job as an Assistant Store Manager is a great place to start your career in Management.

Make sure that in your current job, no matter how low on the totem pole you are, you're doing all you can to hone your skills.