Lagardère Travel Retail Category Manager Interview Questions
& Process

Appel téléphonique RH puis entretien Visio RH, les deux se passent très bien et on me dit que mon CV est transféré au manager pour passer l’entretien suivant mais je n’ai plus jamais eu de nouvelles malgré plusieurs relances.

It was about different things personal and related to my work experience as any interview you need to get prepared and check what kind of questions are the most usual and be yourself.

The interview process involved several stages. First, a recruiter call to understand my takeaways from the job description and my motivations for applying. This call was brief and unfriendly, ending abruptly when the recruiter hung up mid-sentence. Next, a second interview with a different, very pleasant recruiter who made the company seem like a good place to work. This involved standard questions like introducing myself and explaining my interest in the role, followed by an overview of the company and department structure, the job itself, and an English proficiency test. This was followed by an interview with the N+1 manager, focusing on the company's organization, the department, upcoming changes, and team issues. They probed my motivations for the company and the position, tested my market knowledge, and conducted another English speaking test. The fourth interview was with the N+2 manager, revisiting my understanding of the role and company, reasons for choosing this company over competitors, another English test, discussing TR challenges, and market knowledge. I decided to withdraw from the process at this point due to concerns about the management structure (N+1 being interim and unlikely to stay, N-1 described as highly ambitious and challenging) and a feeling that neither N+1 nor N+2 were prepared to train me in the specific business area or market, despite my CV clearly stating I had no prior experience in makeup or as a category manager. It seemed they were looking for someone already operational without the need for training. Overall, the experience left a negative impression, particularly the N+2 interview. I felt frequently contradicted, even on my own experiences, and interrupted. There were condescending remarks like "you seem to have a good head on your shoulders," "you express yourself quite well," "we can tell you don't use English daily," and "I don't know if you're the first candidate I'll put on my shortlist, but honestly, it will really depend on the level of the others because I have doubts." Additionally, inappropriate questions were asked, such as "How old are you?" and "Do you have children?", which could have easily led to "Do you plan to have them?" if I hadn't firmly answered the first question. In summary, numerous red flags made me uncomfortable, not about my ability to perform the job, which seemed clear and interesting, but about the likelihood of being given the opportunity to truly succeed in the role.