I am an online ESL teacher. I am helping a student prepare for a job interview at Lidl (catergory mangement) I have prepraed the following mock interview script, including feedback. However, i need to update it as the student has prior experience in category management and is changing careers. Before he worked at a small grocery store so he has some relevant skills:

""Certainly! Here’s the expanded section for the mock interview and feedback, incorporating elements from your pre-prepared script:

### 2. Full Mock Interview (20 minutes)

Objective: Provide a realistic interview experience covering technical, situational, and behavioral questions.

Activity:

#### Introduction:

- Interviewer: “Good afternoon, Jakub. Thank you for coming in today. Can you start by telling me a bit about yourself and your background in category management?”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Provides a brief, structured introduction.

Prompt if Necessary:
- “Remember to highlight your key skills, experiences, and why you’re passionate about category management.”

#### Technical Questions:

1. Interviewer: “How do you approach assortment planning for a new store like Lidl?”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Responds.

Feedback:
- “Good start! You mentioned understanding local market needs, which is critical. Could you add more details on how you determine the product mix?”

Prompt if Necessary:
- “Consider mentioning any specific tools or analysis methods you use in assortment planning.”

2. Interviewer: “Explain how demand forecasting can impact inventory management.”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Responds.

Feedback:
- “Excellent explanation! Don’t forget to touch on how accurate forecasting helps in reducing stockouts and overstock situations.”

Prompt if Necessary:
- “Try to provide a specific example where your forecasting significantly improved inventory management.”

3. Interviewer: “What is your experience with using data analysis tools, and which ones have you found most useful?”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Responds.

Feedback:
- “Great! You mentioned several tools. Could you give an example of how you used one of these tools in a previous role to make an impactful decision?”

Prompt if Necessary:
- “For instance, how did you use Excel or SQL to analyze sales data?”

#### Situational Questions:

4. Interviewer: “Suppose you find that a product category is underperforming. What steps would you take to improve its performance?”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Responds.

Feedback:
- “You outlined a good approach. Adding a real-life example can make your response stronger.”

Prompt if Necessary:
- “Can you describe a time when you identified and rectified an underperforming category?”

5. Interviewer: “Imagine a situation where a major supplier fails to deliver. How would you handle it?”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Responds.

Feedback:
- “Good problem-solving steps. It would be even better if you detailed your communication strategy with the supplier and stakeholders.”

Prompt if Necessary:
- “Consider mentioning how you ensured minimal disruption to the supply chain.”

#### Behavioral Questions:

6. Interviewer: “Can you describe a time when you had to work under a tight deadline? How did you manage, and what was the outcome?”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Responds.

Feedback:
- “Nice example! Using the STAR method can help structure your answer better.”

Prompt if Necessary:
- “Remember to clearly lay out the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.”

7. Interviewer: “Tell me about a successful project you’ve led in category management. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?”

- Interviewee (Jakub): Responds.

Feedback:
- “Great project! You might want to elaborate on specific challenges and your strategic approach to overcoming them.”

Prompt if Necessary:
- “Detailing the steps and the outcome will make your response more impactful.”

Purpose: To simulate the pressure and structure of a real interview, giving Jakub a chance to practice delivering comprehensive, cohesive responses.

—

### 3. Detailed Feedback (10 minutes)

Objective: Analyze Jakub’s performance, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.

Activity:

#### Structured Feedback:

- Positive Feedback:

Strengths:
- “You provided a clear and structured introduction. Your explanation of inventory management was detailed and insightful.”
- “Your responses showcased a strong understanding of category management concepts.”

- Specific Positive Points:
- “You maintained good eye contact and had confident body language.”
- “Your use of specific examples was very effective in illustrating your points.”

- Constructive Criticism:

Areas for Improvement:
- “While your answer about handling supplier delays was good, you could provide more specifics on immediate actions and your communication strategy.”
- “Remember to incorporate the STAR technique to structure your responses more effectively.”

- Detailed Points:
- “Try to avoid filler words like ‘um’ too much and focus on clearly articulating your key points.”
- “Consider offering more quantifiable results in your examples to demonstrate your impact.”

Interactive Review:

- Role-play Improvements:

Example: “Let’s revisit the question about a time you worked under a tight deadline. Try using the STAR method to format your answer.”

- Jakub Rephrases:
- Situation: “In my previous role, I was tasked with launching a new product category within a month, despite the usual preparation time being three months.”
- Task: “My responsibility was to ensure that all necessary products were sourced, and promotional strategies were in place before the launch.”
- Action: “I coordinated with suppliers to expedite delivery, worked with the marketing team to roll out promotions ahead of schedule, and personally monitored the progress daily.”
- Result: “As a result, we successfully launched on time, and the new category outperformed initial sales targets by 15% in the first month.”

—

Conclusion:

By expanding these sections with additional prompts, feedback, and role-play opportunities, you can provide Jakub with a comprehensive and supportive simulation, ensuring he feels thoroughly prepared and confident for his interview at Lidl.

Feel free to adjust and add more context-specific details to make the session even more personalized and effective for Jakub. Good luck!""