How to prepare for a job interview?

Directness and freedom of dress

What may surprise many of our candidates is that we suggest addressing each other by name already during the familiarisation process. Why? We want each party to feel at ease at the meeting, because then we can get to know each other better. We rely on a lively dialogue rather than a rigid interview. This gives the potential employee a chance to get a feel for a substitute for our organisational culture, where even an intern can address our CEO as “you”.

And one more thing. We value diversity and, as a clothing company, we do not follow a rigid dress code. This means that you can turn up to a meeting in whatever outfit you feel most comfortable in.

At LPP, we value partnership and tolerance, which is why we value personal culture and respect for other people as qualities in a candidate. It will also be to your advantage to know LPP, which retail brands we manage and the specifics of each of them. Insights into specific brands or their target groups are always valuable to us.

If you have a portfolio or other materials to present yourself in more detail and you haven’t had the opportunity to send them to us online before, go ahead and present them at the meeting.

Likewise with recommendations. It’s always worth putting in a good word for. Encourage your previous employers or colleagues to post recommendations on LinkedIn, where we can take a look at them.

Getting to know each other

Usually two or perhaps three people attend your interview: HR, Manager and/or Team Leader. This gives you the opportunity to get to know your manager. There will also be plenty of opportunities to ask questions during the interview. Many candidates are apprehensive about what to expect, so we want to dispel some of the mystery. What questions might we ask? Here are some examples:

• What prompted you to apply to LPP?
• Why did you decide to apply for this particular job?
• What is your normal working week like?
• Which tasks do you enjoy the most?
• What is the team like where you currently work?
• Tell us about a major challenge you have faced on your career path and what you have taken away for yourself for the future.
• What do you miss about your current workplace?

However, we hope that this will not be a one-sided interview and that you can learn something from us. Consider some questions that you would like to ask us; there will certainly be room for asking them! The interview should also serve you, and we want you to have all the information you need once the interview has finished. You may find the questions that candidates most often ask us useful:

• work specific: “What exactly would my duties/responsibilities be?” / “ In this position, who would I work with on a daily basis?”
• work tools: “What tools/programmes/systems do people in this position use?”
• development opportunities: “Does the company offer on-the-job training?” If so, what kind?” / “What are the opportunities for development (promotion) within this position or within the organisation?”
• team: “How many people are in the team?” / “What are the positions of the people in my potential team?”
• onboarding process: “What does onboarding look like?” / “How long does the onboarding process take?” / “Who will be responsible for providing me with the necessary knowledge?”
• development opportunities: “Does the company provide any training for the position? If so, what kind?” / “What are the opportunities for development (promotion) within this position or within our organisation?”

With regard to the contract and financial issues, the HR representative will ask you about your expectations during the meeting. You can state a specific amount or a range that is acceptable to you. The target salary offer is only presented to selected candidates at the final stage of recruitment. As far as the contract is concerned – candidates are immediately offered a fixed-term contract.

No surprise

When you attend a job interview, you have nothing to worry about in terms of unexpected things. If the recruitment process requires it, we will tell you in advance if there is going to be a task or test to complete. We will ask you to complete it before or after the interview. The same applies to English. If we need to test your English, we will tell you in advance, not at the last minute.

The most important thing for us is your honesty and transparency. It is important to answer questions directly, to refer to experience. Do not pretend to be someone you are not. Talk about your skills using concrete examples. Talk in detail about your involvement in projects.

During the online meeting, we recognise that sometimes not everything is under our or your control. Sometimes the connection goes down, a pet unexpectedly appears on camera during a conversation, or a baby starts crying in the other room. This will not affect our judgement in any way. Just check all the technical issues before the meeting, and try to find a place where you can talk to us comfortably. If you lose the connection, do not worry. You can always try to connect from another device. Alternatively, we can reschedule the meeting for another time.

Feedback

We usually provide feedback up to a maximum of two weeks after the meeting. However, sometimes the process can take longer, so there is nothing stopping you from hearing from us before we contact you ourselves. Go ahead and write or call. When you receive an offer to work with us, you can also recommend your friends to work with us. After all, we work better as a team!