Table of Contents
Why do you want to work at Gamestop?
Because you have passion for video games and gaming consoles. You know the field, you spend a lot of time playing and learning about games, and will be able to offer an outstanding service to Gamestop customers, because you will talk from the first hand experience of a player.
What’s more, you believe to have decent communication skills, and believe you’ll be able to generate a nice sales volume while working for Gamestop, month after month. Try to talk with enthusiasm when you explain the reasons of your choice. They should get an impression that they are your first pick, and not the last option.
You can also refer to their brand, and their retail stores as a reason of your choice. For example, you can say that you always enjoy your shopping experience at Gamestop, the way the store is organized, how easy it is to find anything, and that they have an amazing selection of games in place, always before their competitors have them in stock. Praising the company for something is always a good idea in the interview…
Can you tell us something more about your working experience?
Any retail or sales experience is relevant. Explain the past jobs you had, and what you did in them. In an ideal case, you should talk about similar duties you’ll have in your new job with Gamestop. Again, it is important to show some enthusiasm in your voice. They should get an impression that you enjoy working, and especially doing things retail employees at Gamestop typically do.
If you have no experience, you should ensure them that you read the job description carefully, and, since you have a shopping experience from one of their stores (or more of them), you know what will be expected from you, what sort of service you should deliver to the customers. At least you believe to understand these things well.
As long as you are confident about your skills, and make a good impression in the interviews, lack of experience won’t be a show stopper.
What is your availability? Which hours can you work?
If you apply for a part time game advisor job with Gamestop, you should know that you won’t work more than 8-12 hours a week. And you will work in the evening (from 4 to 9), or on the weekend. I suggest you to prepare a simple schedule for the week, and suggest at least 4 evenings when you can work (for example Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday).
In a best possible scenario, you may say that you can work each afternoon or evening. This shows the hiring managers that the job at Gamestop has a high priority on your list, and that you won’t prioritize leisure time activities to your working duties. Of course school should have the first priority…
It is also good to show some flexibility. For example, you should not say that you refuse to work on Sunday–because of your religious beliefs. If you said so, they would not hire you. Nobody likes to work on Sunday, but when you take the bullet twice in a month, it means that your colleague can stay at home, and the other two Sundays they’ll pay you back the favor…
What games do you play?
In order to be able to give good advice to customers, you should have an experience of a gamer. Not a gaming addict, though :). Ensure the interviewers that you play some games–the more you mention the better, perhaps say that you enjoy trying new games.
But you should also ensure them that you do not spend 50 hours a week gaming, or something of that sort. That would be too much for them to bear, and the manager would immediately envision your red eyes and sleepiness, and your poor performance in work, after another sleepless night that you spent gaming…
If you are not sure what games are most popular, or what games you should refer to in your answer, you can check the list of best selling video games on Wikipedia.
Pro tip: Try to thing about one key feature, or unique selling point, of each game you play. Something that makes it stand out from the competition, and something you can refer to while trying to sell the game to a customer. You can sometimes do a similar role play in your interview, so you should get ready for it.
How do you imagine a typical day in a Gamestop store?
The most important thing is to show proactive approach to work. Ensure the hiring managers that you won’t wait in some comfy place in the store, perhaps even playing games, until one of the customers approaches you with their question.
On the contrary, you will always keep your eyes open, you will approach customers, advise them on different games. And once they choose something, you will try to up-sell them.
You can also refer to low times, when there are no customers in a store (this does not happen often at Gamestop, but it can happen). Ensure the managers that you won’t just hang around the store, starring to the screen of your smartphone. You may stock the shelves, perhaps dust this or that place, or even swipe the floor–to ensure the shop is neat and clean.
As long as you show a proactive approach to your work, the hiring managers will be happy about your answer.
Role play: Sell me some game.
Most job seekers are particularly afraid of a role play in their Gamestop interview. But there’s no reason to panic really, since nobody expects a perfect sales pitch from you. They just expect you to have some guts (to not refuse the role play), and to show a basic understanding of the fundamentals of a good sales talk. That basically means:
- Ask them questions – sales talk is a dialogue. You can ask them what their favorite games are, or what console they have, or what they are looking for in a perfect game, whether they want to entertain themselves only, chill out, or perhaps also learn something while they are playing. Asking questions help you to discover an ideal game to offer them.
- Keep an eye contact, and talk with enthusiasm. If you are enthusiastic about a game, talking in superlatives, it is much easier to close the deal. And as a good sales person, you should keep an eye contact with your customer.
- Focus more on emotions than on features. We play games because we experience emotions while playing them–adrenaline, excitement, for example, or we forget the reality for a while (which is not always bad, especially when we do not enjoy our everyday reality). In your sales pitch, try to talk also about these things, instead of just referring to the fact that the game is strategic, has 20 levels, multiplayer option, and so on…
As long as you manage to stick to these 3 points, you will succeed in the role play. For more information, check our guide on “Sell me this pen” interview question.
5 other questions you may face while interviewing for a job at Gamestop
- Imagine that a customer is deciding between buying PlayStation and Wii. What pros and cons will you tell them about each of the two most popular gaming consoles?
- Imagine that a customer complains loudly about the service you provided, or strongly disagrees with something you say about a game. How will you react in such a situation? Will you argue with the customer?
- Do you like to set goals for you in work? Tell us about a last time when you achieved a goal.
- If you could improve one thing about Gamestop stores, what would it be?
- After everything we discussed here, do you want to add something, or do you have any questions?
Conclusion, next steps
Interviews for retail jobs at Gamestop belong to interviews with average difficulty. While you won’t face any particularly technical questions, you may face a role play, and you may have to deal with some situational questions (imagine that….; what would you do when…).Â
What’s more, gaming is popular and Gamestop is the most popular video games retailer, hence you will typically compete for the job with other people–that makes your situation more difficult. Try to prepare for the questions, and do some research about your future place of work. The more you know about Gamestop, the easier it will be to connect with your interviewers.
I wish you good luck, and hope you will succeed!
May also interest you:
- How to get a job at Gamestop? – 4 steps guide on securing a job with the company. Interview is just a last step, so if you’re not there yet, you should check the article.
- How to overcome interview nerves – 4 strategies that will help you get rid of your interview stress for good.
- Interview attire special tips – Not sure what clothes to wear to your interview with Gamestop? We have the answers, and we will also give you some unorthodox advice that may help you stand out.
