Failed a job interview at Best Buy.

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So last Wednesday I went in for a job interview at Best Buy I put in 2 applications online and both of those were rejected by the computer because I was not able to fill the hours they needed so at the advice of Best Buy and my vocational rehabilitation counselor I filled out the other applications online and said that I was able to work any time they needed me. I then got called in for an interview and they did not ask me any questions about my technology background or anything like that it was 7 or so questions on things like "describe a time when you went above and beyond what was asked of you and what was the outcome of the event?" I was getting really frustrated one of the final questions he asked was if a person walked into Best Buy and knew nothing about computers what would you do? I answered that I would give them to another employee because I would have a high probability of calling the people idiots.

I know I should not have said that but at the time I could not think clearly cause I was getting very frustrated. So I am wondering has anyone had interviews like that? I'm not really asking what I should do in the future because I am hoping that I can work some stuff like practice interviews with my counselor. I guess I'm also interested to hear from you guys if any of you have ever done retail and you said stuff that made the people weirded out or just didn't feel comfortable talking to you and you heard about it from your boss? Because those are things that I have tried to tell my counselor about and such and reasons why I do not feel I would be good working retail. Hopefully this post makes sense to you it kind of feels garbled up at the moment.

Thanks

Practice these questions and have "stories" already made up to answer them. They're pretty formulaic so you can memorize a few stories and have them at the ready. What you found at Best Buy is what any retail interview will be similar to. I think they're called STAR questions or something like that.

http://www.quintcareers.com/sample-behavioral/

Just be able to give an answer along the lines of "This was the situation" "This is how I handled it" "This was the outcome"

And remember, even if you made up a story about something that happened at your previous job, no one will know for a fact whether you made a customer very happy by checking the back room and finding you had a product in stock for her. As long as you had the job, chances are no one in entry level retail will be calling to check your story. I worked in HR for Target and we never checked previous employers or references. It's entirely about being able to answer the questions.

Yeah this is typical. I went through something similar at a PC Repair shop and I didn't get the job either.

I'm starting to explore the idea of trying to use my skills independently so I don't have to grovel to other people for job.

I'm guessing you figured you already didn't get the job when you said this.

Selling is not about technological skill, it's a completely different animal. Selling is about dream fulfillment and giving the customer an enjoyable experience. Making him/her feel important and wise. And in doing so selling them something that fits into their dream.

(If a customer comes in and doesn't know anything about the product ask them open-ended questions to find out what it is they want to do with the product and what their needs are. Then show them the available options and sell them the best product for their situation.)

Sorry you didn't get the job at Best Buy. Go for Walmart. They're always hiring.

Almost all my Employers and/or their Reps have commented on my Autism, either on how it will make me more suitable for the job, or how it will limit me. Generally, most find it refreshing to finally meet an honest autistic person, one assume they'd heard the rumors that we were out their, somewhere, just biding our time...

Work on preparing for interview question with your vocational rehab coach. The questions you got were typical and you can certainly prepare the "right" response for your next interview.

You should be grateful they didn't hire you. Best Buy sucks.

Retail work is difficult for people on the spectrum. It's very social, and requires not just interacting with new people constantly, but also leading those interactions.
Something like data entry would probably be less stressful.

Two things-

First, think before you speak

Second, don't be afraid to take a thoughtful pause before you answer. Just tell them something like, "that's a good question, let me think for a few seconds." That way they know you're thinking about it and it gives you a little extra time to come up with something they want to hear. Another delaying tactic is to ask them a question to specify THEIR question. While they are answering that you also get a little extra time to formulate an answer

An aspie may be able to sell if they take the approach of figuring out a problem that needs to be solved and then cleverly figuring out a solution to that problem. Customers do appreciate it when someone actually listens to them--as opposed to having a written sales pitch thrown at them.

But, it sounds like you have the wrong attitude for a sales job.

Part of social skills is being able to say what you want to say to the other person without the other person having to ask the right question. Or being able to say the right thing when asked the wrong question.

Ahahaha, you realize that's a huge no-no in retail, right? If you can't hold back the urge to call customers morons, you're going to very quickly get fired.

I see my reply disappeared but I pretty much said the same thing. Even as an Aspie I would NEVER EVER hire anyone who thought a customer was an idiot solely because they were ignorant about computers. My Grandfather was downright brilliant but did not 'get' computers. The correct answer is to try to help them and if you cannot answer your questions, take them to a coworker with higher knowledge. I personally can't stand people who mock my ignorance on subjects I do not have much knowledge of such as high end restaurant food or alcoholic drinks. Even us smart people have some subjects we know nothing about.

LOL!

Once I had a practice interview in college and was so nervous about it that I cried IN the practice interview. They had already prepped us for that and crying was an automatic fail. I guess that's why I did it- like worst case scenario in my head so I found a way to make it happen? Anyway, I guess the career prep lady took pity on me and passed me. I'm sure she had a laugh with the other teachers about it. I didn't mention it to the other students.

Another time I had an interview where I decided that the place sucked and I didn't want the job. I have an incredibly readable face, which is why I get along so well with aspies. No mysteries talking to me. So I just strolled through the interview and tour, thinking, no way am I working here and no way would they hire me. F this place, you know? They called me the next day and offered me the job! The health benefits weren't good enough so I didn't take it, but thinking back I should have. I learned that you need to have an arrogant attitude when you deal with people in that kind of situation.

So I'm not sure you're off that much with your Best Buy attitude. You need to turn left at p*ssed off by their stupid questions and try get to whateverland. Then you can give better answers and they'll think, whoa, this guy must be important! Hire him!

Something similar to me happened at Target a few years back. Needless to say, I never got hired and they sent me an email saying how I wasn't qualified. I didn't even open it because I knew it was a rejection letter. I didn't want to get my spirits down that day. LOL. Anyway, a lot of these companies especially retail ask these generic questions most likely to weed out the people they're not looking for. I personally think Best Buy should hire people with more technical experience like you for example instead of some dummy who knows nothing about technology, which they often do to fill a quota.

Just know that it wasn't your fault. They ask all these teamwork questions to try to trip you up. When I was asked these same things, I inadvertently talked about when I was in school and did group projects which was unrelated to my work experience. That's the main reason why I decided to become self-employed. I'm tired of living by other people's standards. If you decide to go down this road yourself, then I'm behind you 100%.

That's just what I'm trying to do! Knock on wood. LOL. But seriously, I don't want a job to tie me down somewhere. I wanna be like the rich and live anywhere I want.