CVS Health is the 7th largest company in the world in terms of revenue. They employ more than 300,000 people, majority of them in their retail pharmacy chain (CVS Pharmacy). As you can likely imagine, such a big company is always hiring new employees, for both full time and part time positions. The interview process is slightly more sophisticated when compared to the interview process of their major competitors, such as Walgreens or Ride Aid. Nowadays everything starts with Hirevue interview (video-based), and other rounds follow, depending on the position you try to get with CVS.
They will almost always use a combination of personal, situational and behavioral questions in the interview, and it doesn’t matter if you apply for a job of a cashier, pharmacist, shift manager, or data analyst. Of course, applying for technical and engineering jobs with CVS you will also face technical questions related to your field of specialization, but we won’t focus on them now. In this article I will look at 10 most common personal and situational (behavioral) questions you may face at CVS, while interviewing for most common retail jobs (cashier, pharmacist, shift manager, etc). Let’s start!
Why do you want to work for CVS?
Motivation is important in every interview. The key is to pick two or three things that matter particularly for you, and made CVS Pharmacy your first choice. It can be their mission statement, corporate values, and other rather abstract concepts most big corporations are proud of.
Or you can focus on more concrete reasons, such as a fitting location of their store (near your living place), great shift patterns, recommendation you got from a friend (who works in one of their retail branches and said good things about the team, the working conditions, etc), employee benefits, etc.
Or you can read the job ad again, and pick something that catches your eye or resonates with you. At the end of the day, the key is to convince them that they are your first choice, and that you know why you apply with them, instead of some of their competitors, other pharmacy chains.
Tell us about an obstacle you overcame.
Again it can be anything from work, or from your personal life. Obstacles you faced in your education, or while you tried to achieve some goal in your last job. It can even be health related, or a problem you faced in your last relationship.
We have a great article with 7 sample answers to the question here: Tell us about an obstacle you overcame. Check it out if you aren’t sure what obstacle to talk about in your interviews.
Many jobs with CVS are part time, and if you apply for one, they will for sure ask about your availability. The key is to convince them with your answer that the job with CVS sits high on your list of priorities. Said in other words: beside school and perhaps another part time job you have (if it is the case), you should be available to come to the pharmacy and work at any time.
Prepare a clear schedule for the entire week in advance. Explain the interviewers when you are at school or working, and what hours you can work on each day of the week. Show some flexibility when it comes to working in the evenings and on weekend. They should get an impression that you are ready to sacrifice something for your new job.
The Application and Interview Process at CVS Health
CVS lays out their application process pretty clearly on their jobs site. It is a five to six-step process depending on the position or career area you are applying to.
The process is as follows:
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