Here at Prestige Recruitment Group, we recruit for a variety of roles within the fashion and retail industry. Some of our most common roles include managers, designers, merchandisers, sales and marketing and fashion buyers. There are a variety of questions you should prepare for when you have an interview (check out our blog on this here) but here are five specific questions you should definitely prepare for if you want to become a fashion buyer.
1) Why do you love fashion?
This will be one of the first industry specific questions you get asked during your interview, so it’s vital that you are able to explain your reasoning. This question doesn’t seem too difficult on the surface, especially if you have a genuine love for fashion, however you need to be able to literate your love coherently. Your interviewer doesn’t want to hear about how much you love shopping (most people do!) but they want to hear what it is exactly about fashion that makes you want to work in the industry. Bring in some examples and mention some names! Bonus points if you mention the brand or company you are interviewing for. They also want to hear about what you hope to achieve during your time working in the field.
2) What do you know about our company?
This question tests how much you actually know about the company and how much research you have actually carried out in order to prepare for the interview. The best way to answer this question is to do your research! Take a look at the company website, research their history and see how their styles have changed over time.
3) What are your thoughts on our current range?
Again, this is another research question. Make sure you look at what styles and brands they have in the company at that exact moment. Don’t just say lots of positive things – mention something you think could be changed or show some of your ideas for the future of the range. Here’s a great opportunity for you to show some of your industry knowledge off!
4) Who are our main competitors?
Again, this tests your knowledge of the fashion industry. Competitors of brands should be quite easy to figure out, so once you’ve done this, make sure you do some research on those other companies too. When you speak about them in the interview, be sure to make the company you are actually interviewing for stand out in comparison. Talk about what that brand or company does differently to everyone else and why it is you want to work at that company specifically.
5) Tell us about a time you have negotiated successfully
This question is a personal one. When you work as a fashion buyer, there’s a lot of negotiating that will take place. When they ask this question, think of an experience that you’ve had where you have been successful. Use the STAR technique to talk about how you brought success previously. (Don’t forget – the STAR technique is Situation, Task, Action and Result.) If you can think of a situation that would be similar to the roles of a fashion buyer, make sure you mention that. An example of this would be negotiating payment terms and rates with distributors or designers.
If you’re interested in a career in fashion, make sure you get in touch! Our other blogs on fashion can be seen here, so carry on reading!