Do your Homework

Do your homework. Everyone wants to be taken seriously - and that includes us. If you're committed to pursuing a career at Arcadia Group, we'll expect you to know a bit about us before you apply.

With 2,500 stores across the UK you won't have to travel too far to find out more about who we are. Visit a store, take note of what's for sale, who's shopping in the store, how it's laid out and what promotions may be running. All this will help to give you the big picture about our brands.

Sales from our online stores often outstrip even the biggest of our high street outlets. Both they and our group website www.arcadiagroup.co.uk are a rich source of information about us, our brands and how we prefer to do business.

Apply for one role at a time. We're looking for focused candidates who have thoroughly researched our positions and have decided which position suits their skills/abilities.

Back up your claims. Please ensure where relevant you back up any statements you make with specific evidence - give examples of when you've put your skills into practice, give evidence of your actions, tell us why they were effective and don't forget to tell us the outcome.

Check your form. If you're completing an application form make sure you've completed all sections of the form; if you fail to complete all sections correctly this could cause a delay in your application getting to the next stage.

Read it and read it again. Double check all spelling and grammar and get someone to read through the form / CV before submitting it.

Keep a copy of your application safe. If you are successful and are invited along to an assessment centre or interview, it will be useful for you to refer back to your answers / CV.

Top tips for interviews

Dress to impress. We're a fashion business and expressing yourself through what you wear is key to who you are and how you'll represent us. So we don't have a formal dress code for interviews. As long as what you're wearing isn't obscene or offensive it's fine with us, we want to see the real you.

First impressions count. The interviewer will be looking for confident body language; head up, shoulders back and a warm smile. A good, firm (but not crushing) handshake is also a plus.

Eye eye. Try to make as much eye contact as possible, especially when you are delivering important answers about what you have to offer. But don't stare - it makes the interviewer uncomfortable.

Sit up straight. Slouching might be fine in the student union, your local bar or in front of the telly but in an interview situation it says you don't really care about the role. And don't fidget, play with your jewellery or fiddle with pens, keys or small change, it just distracts the interviewer and makes it less likely they'll pay attention to you.

Take it easy. Spend the night before your interview preparing, sit and read through your application and CV. Don't be tempted to go out - an interviewee with a hangover is never a pretty picture.

Mind your language. The words you choose say so much about who you are. Look at the language the business uses and reflect that in the interview. Try to give more than just one-word answers. "Yes" and "no" don't convey how much you want to work here. That said; try not to ramble. Keep your answers succinct and relevant.

Any questions? Don't forget to prepare some questions you'd like to put to us, it shows you've really thought about the role and what it means for you.