Department Manager Interview....Need Help!

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

Department manager inteview is coming up. From what I understaand, they use a selected set of questions. Can anyone assist me and give me a heads up to these questions. We are a new store and the current dept. managers were all hired in at that position and don't have a clue as to the questions.

Thanks in advance....former team lead.

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 497

They are looking to see how you will grow sales in the department. Make certain that you let them know you are also a policy and procedure type of person.

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

Thanks soooo much! My interview is Monday for appliance/cabinet dept manager. I should come up with some ideas on how I would improve sales in the appliance and cabinet dept? How about arranging everything in a maze and we don't give customers the exit map until after they make a purchase? Serious, anyone have any ideas that I might be able to toss out on the table?

What do I need to know about policy/prodedure?

Thanks and I honestly appreciate any ideas, tips or suggestions!

Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 143 Location: Region 1

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

Thanks a ton! I'm wondering about the wording of my answers. I know right now the appliance dept. is having a bunch of issues. The only people in that dept are two specialist and the heat is coming down on them. Both are looking to jump ship as soon as possible.

Pertaining to the wording, should I have exact answers to questions or is generic ideas ok? For example, if asked what ideas I would have as dept manager in appliance department, would I answer:

A: Improve product presentation, increase volume, improve customer service and prioritize training.

OR

B: Actually go in depth about each comment and explain how I would do each and every idea listed. (Boy that would be hard to do within the next 48 hours.)

Are they looking for a self starter or someone who fits and follows the corperate mold already laid out?

You know, I keep reading in my training about mentors. Sure wish I had one. Had this zone when we opened but he walked out the store. Something about the other managers taking advantage of him. Stinks having no career guide. Wish he was still around. A real take another person under your wing type of guy. I was sure to learn alot from him.

Well....I guess I always have you folks! Thanks so far for all the info. Please keep it coming! Anything is better then then nothing...keep the ideas and tips rolling..Thanks!!!

Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 143 Location: Region 1

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 497

They want specifics of when and how you have improved product sales...blah blah blah. You may try pulling a frequent out of stock report to figure out why you're always running out of a certain product. Doing that would help identify why you are always running out of a certain product. The answer could be that there is only one facing of that product yet the non-selling product next to it could be scaled down to a single facing and the higher selling product double faced.

They want self starters who fit into the Lowe's mold. They do not want you to deviate from their wonderful planograms. There are even locations for every single J-hook that is supposed to be on their endcaps and beams throughout the store. They do not really encourage individual thinking. They want to know that you can give direction and that you can take direction.

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

You really can't improve sales in appliances as such. Appliances are mostly a product of necessity. Sales in appliances are driven by a customer's needs, Lowe's marketing and of course pricing.

According to our sales manager and the heat being put on the our appliance specialist, I would have to argue that point. Of course they are now both trying to jump ship to avoid future wrath.

I'm kind of following you. Let me see if I have this correct. While its ok to toss out the normal "I'm going to change the world stuff" at the interview, it's kind of generic because it could pertain to any dept. in the store? I should focus my improvement thoughts specific to that dept? How about this?

A) Product knowledge as a priority.

B) Additional efforts directed towards product presentation and cleanliness.

C) Reorganization of the in stock cabinet aisle.

D) Cross training between the appliance and Cabinet depatartments.

As far as myself:

Almost finished with my Appliance level 1 certification. Extreme interest in becoming level 1 certified in cabinet design as soon as possible. Order Picker certified.

On side notes:

Level 1 & 2 millwork certified. Performed all task (only person in the dept) in Millwork dept. Supervised Lumber associates due to the schedule leaving me ranking team leader in Lumber, millwork and building material most times.

The other team leaders and dept manager is scheduled opposite of me. Of course its something that was suppose to be fixed 6 months ago but never has. How can I word that to my advantage? May be an important issue in my dept manager quest?

All feedback appreciated...thanks!

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 497

The corporate schedule was supposed to have the department manager and the team lead in opposite shifts. You really weren't supposed to be working with the department manager but working on the worklists that they provided for you. The team lead position is pretty much a joke. There wasn't any true type of authority over anyone.

If I were interviewing I would give real life examples of how you improved sales in the Millwork department. You could say that you insured that all product was downstocked and zoned daily. Made certain that any out of stock items were checked on a daily basis to insure that they were on order. You could mention that you also took the inititive (spelling sorry) to help your neighboring departments as well. They don't want to hear that you went over to a sister department and began bossing their crew around. That isn't what being a good manager is about. It's more about leading by example. Did you perform cycle counts? If you did you could certainly make a comment to the effect that you insured accuracy for all product groups while performing cycle counts. If you have an example of some numbers that were way off, now is a good time to use that story. "well, the computer on hand showed that we had 7 storm doors and yet when the customer went to buy one none could be found. None were going to be replenished by the RDC because the cycle count was not accurate. After insuring that the customer could buy the door at a nearby Lowe's (as of course they couldn't wait until we received more) I performed a cycle count of the product and found that another item had been miscounted. I then filled out the cycle count worksheet and had the items corrected in the computer. We then were able to receive the product in from the RDC." That is what they are looking for in an answer. Not the generic...I did cycle counts.

Always interview as if the person knows nothing about Lowe's business practices. (no snide comments here please, I'm trying to help). Try to stay away from acronyms as much as possible. You'll make a better impression that way. Also, realize that the people with whom you will be interviewing have been watching you your entire career at Lowe's. Odds are that you will have to give an example of a time when you had to handle adversity. A scenario something like: "give me an example of a time when you had to deal with an upset employee. How did you respond? How would you handle it now? What would you have done differently looking back on the incident?" They also give you a question of a time when you had a conflict with another employee. Be honest about this question. Think of a time when you truly had an issue with someone and have that in your arsenal. Also, realize that they do not want you to give them feedback like, "my greatest weakness is that I'm a perfectionist", mainly because that is not viewed as a weakness. They will ask you what are your strengths and areas of opportunity (weaknesses). You could let them know that organization is a slight problem but you are working on it to get better. That shows them that you are willing to alter your current behavior and improve in your work ethics. Each of us can do that almost daily. Anyone who says they always do the right thing is not being truthful.

I'm sorry but I'm a bit chatty tonight so you get really long answers.

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

You may try pulling a frequent out of stock report to figure out why you're always running out of a certain product.

Ski...thanks so much for the awesome tip. Thats a really good idea! First thing Monday morning, I'm pulling that report (if I can find it) and going over some stuff before the interview.

I wish I had more tips like this. Most everyone in the store is new and besides the basic training, we haven't had anyone step in and show us things like this. With me being the one and only person in millwork, I dont know how I would have even learned about performing such a task in the first place. Thank you so much! Besides doing the basics of cycle counting, dowtocking, price audits and general ordering junk....it will actually look like I'm doing something!

Have more wonderful tips that I can use? Anyone else have something to add? May sound like something so simple its not worth mentiong but believe me, I will take all the help I can!

Thanks!!!

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

Ski,

Your awesome! I can't thank you enough! Thanks for taking the time. I owe you one!

I do have one question. Its about the problem with another employee question. Well.....I have this specialist in millwork who pretty much knows everything. Kind of person who has been with Lowes for a long time and pretty much knows how to play the game if you know what I mean. I had two incidents with this person.

Incident one, I realized a lot of the SOS pricing on entry doors was wrong and asked him who was in charge of that. He said he was pretty sure it was me and I should take care of it right away. Later that day our new zone walked by and I hit him up with the same question. He told me it was the specialist. I relayed that info back to my specialist and he blew a cork. Started calling me all these four letter words and how much he hated me blah blah bah. We worked it out by the next day. Should I mention that story to the same zone and store manager doing the interview?

The second incident involved the same specialist. Larson gave us a bunch of free sweeps for the storm doors to give out to past Larson customers needing a replacment. Anyway, I found out this specialist wouldnt mention that fact to customers and would SOS a sweep for any customer needing one. Besides being a $4 SOS item, I felt what he was doing was wrong. Of course we had an arguement over this and was told he wasn't going to waste his time unless it was lining his pockets. We also resolved that issue by me telling him I would take the issue to the store manager if he continued the practice. Can or should I mention that to the store manager and zone doing the interview?

Again....thank you soooooo much!!

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 497

I wouldn't have threatened the specialist. I would have gathered the information and passed it along to the Sales manager (the specialist's boss). You could have asked in a non-chalant way by saying, just wondering if we should continue giving out the sweeps for replacements or should we be charging the customers for free replacement parts? That is how I would have worded the question. I also wouldn't be throwing anyone under the bus to make myself look better. You may want to say that you had a no-name person in the store (try to avoid specifics in this case unless you want to have to file an hr harrassment charge because the specialist was using profanity towards you. That is actually a class A violation and grounds for immediate termination. No swearing allowed.)

Tell the story in slightly more vague terms though. Most importantly they want to see if you'll just go running to senior management or if you will have the sac to just talk to the person and find out the real reasons they are doing what they are doing.

SOS pricing is actually the pricing coordinator's job. Not the specialist in that department. But the specialist had a point that if you as a tl were doing the price audits you should have been able to find the errors and fix them. Missing signs would have been the task of whoever did the price audit.

You can also use an example of how you held your cool and resolved an issue with a customer instead of a coworker. Both scenarios work well.

You may also chose to mention running a hi/lo report on the entire department. When you do that you find out which products are just not selling. Then as an investigator you find out why. Sometimes the products are mislabeled. Other times they are up in topstock and not displayed at all for customers to purchase. That is actually one of the reasons given for the price audits. Not just to insure that pricing is accurate but that all of the product is down on the shelf to maximize sales. I'm sure I'll think of other tips for you. When I do I'll post them.

Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 143 Location: Region 1

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

Board,

I just bought two coffee makers. I needed one with an automatic timer. The first one I got at walmart during the super friday sale for $15. While it works, its obvious a $15 coffee maker. No additional features, always has a few drops pour out when tilting the pot back up ect.

The second coffee pot was purchased at Lowes. I didn't realize they discounted them so much. Orginal price was $89, my price was $8! Its got EVERYTHING you could want. I thought it was such a smoking deal that I was telling other associates in the area. Come to find out, many of them had multiple coffee pots already. From what they said, finding a really good coffee maker for a smoking price isn't to hard at Lowes.

I guess my problem was, I just assumed Lowes wouldn't or couldn't compete with Walmart. I bought the $15 coffee maker on super friday and just figured that I wouldn't be able to find a better deal. I was wrong.

Your 100% right about pressure coming down from above. Everyone is all of a sudden covering his or her behind. If only everyone was forced to tell the truth during an interview.

Interview Question: How do you handle pressure.

Potential sales manager: I start by writing everyone up. Then move on to constant harassment and threats ect. To motivate them further, I will throw a chair or two at the millwork desk. Fear can be a positive. After all, everyone needs a little positive stress!

Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 143 Location: Region 1

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

Board,

You have a valid point. I thought the same myself. Many items in that area are on the higher end of the spectrum. Its as if Lowes has decided not to try and compete with walmart and cater to a certain customer. Of course trying to argue that point with them is like banging your head against a brick wall. Of course, it could be the reason why we are seeing more and more items in the dept with discounted prices. At the right price, I know I'm influenced to buy a higher end product.

Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 2801

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 497

Term, while you are correct in saying that correcting the inventory levels is the tl's job...many of them don't do it. I'm giving an example that a newbee to Lowe's is able to use for an interview. That is a good example of doing the job right the first time. Many people in my store would look at the COH and then when they find zero anywhere in the store just move on to helping the next customer or going on their break and leave the discrepancy. It shows the ability to follow up while putting the customers needs first. You and I are veterans and this potential new department manager is not. Shows that the job will get done with them at the helm.

Sales manager sounds like that old addage that we all know and love. "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

I'm with you on the "kiss my ass" attitude that the sales manager would get from me.

Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 98

Ski,

You rock! Honestly, I can't thank you enough! I never even thought about correcting any problems. I do pass the info along but had no idea about taking care of the issue myself.

I'm in the small sized store, not to be confused with the small bus. ha ha (sometimes I wonder because all the customers always compare us to the larger store nearby)

Millwork consist of 4 small aisles. It almost feels like overkill to state that I ran a report to see whats going on when a simple 2 minute walk will be suffice. My question, how did you learn all these things? I mean, we got the basics of cycle counting, price audits and stuff but who sits down and explains all the in's and out's? All the reports, what they mean, how you can use them? How do you find out all the information about whats on loweslife and where its found? My store pushes tasking and customer service and not standing around a computer all day exploring whats out there. Who sits down with the team leaders or dept. managers and explains this is what you do and this is how you do it? Who tells you that you have all this information at your disposal and this is where you find it? Who offers advice and tips? Is there anyone at all or is this something where you pick up bits and pieces over the years?

On a a note about the sales manager: Serious, It would be hard for me to go to my sales manager for issues. Another specialist went to him about the same specialist mentioned in my prior post and his response was, "Oh, I'm sure XXXX would never do that." Also, the sales manager is in charge at times and I would hate to be on his bad side. Well, unless I loved unloading trucks, cleaning bathrooms, taking care of the outside garbage and carts when its -5 outside.

I had the luck of another sales manager in our store one day. What a nice guy! Super helpful and very confidence building. Like night and day compared to our regular sales manager. Seems like there are two kinds. Old school type managers who impose pressure and the new school managers who inspire and build confidence. I'm sure most of us prefer the non ex-used car salesmen type sales managers.

Again...that you so much Ski!

Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Posts: 445

In terms of selling I like Dan Kennedy's books but his tactics might be considered rough for Lowes

one of the big things he says is the power of negative preparation. In other words you think of every possible objection someone might have about a given product and know a rebuttle to reject that.

It's like playing football and anticipating a defensive play against you.

factors of size, speed, looks, financing, delivery, warrenty, track record all come into play