The interview process was definitely different compared to what I was used to. Its more like an X Factor situation with different stages of auditions.

Commence round one:

This consisted of a quick-fire interview about the company and to really discover what your personality is and how it will 'benefit' the company. I did my research into the company and wrote up actual revision cards. Yes I actually had to revise for this interview. About 100 girls turned up for the first stage. Then the nerves really started to kick in. One girl after another were being sent away with a 'no, but maybe try again at a later date', by this point the heart felt like it was pounding right out of my chest! It was time to face the music, I sat there shaking like a maniac and answered the questions with the knowledge that I had been revising till the early hours of the morning. After what felt like forever, (Was actually around 3 minutes) I was told that I had succeeded in the first stage and was invited back to the second round in a couple of days.

Round 2:

The practical round was something you couldn't really prepare for. It started of with an introduction to how you would approach customers and how you can get them to the counter to try out some products. To work with Benefit you have to learn a new vocabulary including the words babes, hun, love etc. This was hard for me as these are just not the words that I use in my everyday life... After this was a series of role play putting what we had learnt into action against the other girls going for the same position as you.... Next it was time to learn about five products that we would be using on the customers they included, 'It's Potent eye cream', 'POREfessional Primer', 'Rebel tinted moisturiser', 'Benetint lip and cheek stain and finally 'They're Real mascara'. The products were easy to apply so I felt confident with this part.

The final test was going out onto the shop floor and putting everything that we had learnt that morning into practice and actually getting the customers back to the counter for you to practice what you had learnt and try to possibly convince them to buy one or a selection of the products that you used on them. I love applying makeup so this wasn't a problem for me it was approaching the customers with the bubbly vocab that I found really hard, I was really struggling and not enjoying myself. Were also being overlooked or in other words marked on what we were doing, I was pulled to the side and told although I was amazing at applying the makeup, I wasn't very good at approaching the customers, by the point she started talking to me I was already at the point of asking to leave as I wasn't comfortable or enjoying myself so I was fairly happy when she basically said it for me.

Conclusion.

If you're good at talking to people with a bubbly vocab and have that bubbly personality naturally with also being good at applying makeup and being in constant conversation with the customer this is probably the best job in the world for you!

Although I didn't enjoy my experience and didn't get the job, I do not hold this against the products themselves and find myself purchasing Benefit products on a regular basis.

Bye for now x