What type of manager brings out the best in you?

"A supportive management style will bring out the best in me. When I start in a new position, I need my manager to provide guidance when explaining his/ her expectations. As I grow in my role, I'd like my manager to support me by showing confidence in my ability to do my job and giving me additional responsibilities."

When the hiring manager asks this question, they want to know the most effective way to get your very best every day. The hiring manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the existing loss prevention manager and wants to know what management style you will respond to.

Demonstrate your awareness of what you need from a manager by explaining how past managers have supported you and what you learned from those experiences. Explain that you need guidance so you can understand the manager's expectations.

If you caught an employee stealing, what would you do?

"Unfortunately, I have caught an employee stealing. As soon as I realized what the employee had done, I informed my manager. I followed the procedure and pulled the employee off of the floor without disrupting customer service. The employee was terminated, and I completed a detailed report that was sent to senior leadership."

This is a way for the hiring manager to learn about your trustworthiness and honesty. They ask this question to determine if you would respond to the situation differently if a coworker is involved.

Show the hiring manager that you follow the proper procedure even when the situation involves another employee. When an employee is caught stealing, it is important to maintain confidentiality and not share information with your co-workers.

Why do you want to become a loss prevention officer?

"For as long as I can remember, I have been a frequent customer of your brand. Every employee I interact with enjoys what they do, and it shows. I've been a Loss Prevention Officer for three years, and when I noticed you were hiring, I immediately submitted my application."

The hiring manager receives applications from applicants who use this position as a stepping stone to a civil service law enforcement position. They want to know your motivation for applying.

Explain your motivation for becoming a loss prevention officer for this particular company. Examples can include that you would like to help businesses limit their losses or hold people accountable for stealing products.

What do you like most about being a loss prevention officer?

"As a loss prevention officer, I enjoy stopping a customer from stealing. We have a great team of people, and I feel as if I am making an impact every day I report to work."

The hiring manager is listening for answers that indicate what you enjoy most about this position. The way you answer this question may shed light on your strengths as an employee.

This is a great opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the position. Provide insight into what you find rewarding about stopping theft.

Why do you want to work for our organization?

"I consistently see your company as one of the top places to work. I'm a frequent customer, and I am amazed at the customer service that your team consistently provides. I receive your job alerts and immediately submitted when application when I saw that you were looking to hire a loss prevention officer with two years of experience. I have over three years of experience and would love the opportunity to be a part of your team."

The hiring manager is reviewing several candidates who may be a good fit for the loss prevention officer position. It is expensive to hire and train a new employee, and they want to be sure they hire the candidate who will make the company better.

Do additional research about the company. Review the mission statement, and explain how the company's values align with yours. You want the hiring manager to know that you are just not applying to positions to get a job but to make a career.

How would you describe your computer skills?

"In your job description, I noticed that you use Microsoft Outlook to send emails, and all reports are documented in Microsoft Word. I have experience using the same software in my current position."

The loss prevention officer may be required to send emails, complete reports, or run reports through the point of sale system. This question is asked to determine your experience doing so.

Be specific and include the software you have experience using. The job description will list the criteria in the qualifications section.

Why are you the best candidate for this position?

"I noticed in the job posting that you are looking for a loss prevention officer that has over one year of experience in a customer service or retail environment. I have that experience and am confident that my communication and good judgment make me a good fit for this role."

The way you respond to this question provides additional information about what you believe your strengths are. The hiring manager wants to hire a candidate who has the experience required but is also growth-driven to improve their own skillset.

When answering this question, take a confident but humble approach. Review the job description and identify the skills that define this company's ideal candidate.

How would your last manager describe you?

"My manager would describe me as a hard-working individual who displays good judgment in stressful situations. She would go on to say that I am aware of my surroundings and communicate effectively with employees and customers."

When the hiring manager asks this question, they want to know your strengths. They want to hire a candidate who will complement the team and make it better.

This is an opportunity to boast about your performance from the perspective of your previous manager. Mention your strengths, and explain why you are good at what you do.

What are the responsibilities of a loss prevention officer?

"A loss prevention officer has many responsibilities to ensure that employees and customers are safe. These include patrolling the store looking for any suspicious activity, questioning people, recovering stolen products, and reporting attempted and/ or successful theft."

The hiring manager wants to be sure that you are familiar with the responsibilities and duties of a loss prevention officer. Explaining those responsibilities shows that you have the knowledge and experience needed to excel.

Be sure to include responsibilities that other members of your team handle. You can also include the responsibilities that your manager handles if you are aware of them.

What do you feel is your best strength as a loss prevention officer?

"I would say my best strength as a loss prevention officer is my observation skills. During my shift, I constantly scan the store and keep alert. I try to identify any potential situations before they arise."

Several key qualities make an excellent loss prevention officer. The hiring manager wants to be sure that your strength is one they value highly.

Review the job description and identify the required qualifications. Examples include professionalism, dependability, excellent observation skills, patience, and strong written and verbal communication skills.

What is your preferred method of communication?

"During my shift, my preferred method is verbal communication because I am on the floor assisting employees and speaking with customers. I carry a small notebook and jot down important details to include in the log notes for my coworkers who are either off or working later. For theft-related situations, I use an incident report that I re-read before submitting. I want to make sure it's detailed and has all the relevant information."

This question provides insight into your verbal and written communication skills. As a loss prevention officer, you will communicate verbally with customers and employees. You will also be expected to provide written documentation in the form of reports.

Provide examples to show the hiring manager that you are comfortable with both forms of communication. Explain why these skills are important.

If hired, how do you intend to make a difference with our company?

"I read in your job description that you are looking for a candidate with experience training cashiers on how to identify potential theft. With the guidance of my manager, I revamped my company's current training program. The program has evolved, and I conduct this training for all new hires."

The hiring manager wants to hire a candidate who will contribute to the success of the company. This question will identify the candidates who want to grow with the company.

This question is an opportunity for you to express that you are interested in a company you can grow with and not just looking for a job. Read the job description to determine what characteristics the company is looking for in their loss prevention officer, and explain that you can have those skills.

How would you describe your work ethic?

"I would describe myself as hardworking. I realize that this position requires me to be on my feet the entire shift. Even when nothing out of the ordinary is happening, I keep a consistent routine so I don't miss a step during my shift. I do my best to set up for the next shift and help other co-workers when it doesn't interfere with my responsibilities."

There may be many shifts in which nothing out of the ordinary happens. The ideal candidate has the discipline to stay motivated and accomplish daily tasks consistently.

You want the hiring manager to know that you are the candidate that has the self-motivation to do your best every day, regardless of business levels. Provide examples that show you are hardworking and dependable.

Do people see you as a trustworthy and honest individual?

"Yes, people consider me to be trustworthy and honest. Character is important to me, and I do my best to represent myself well every day. I am as helpful as I can be, and I share my ideas and thoughts with those I work with. I am confident that my current supervisor would say the same."

These are key traits for a loss prevention officer to have. The hiring manager wants to make sure that you can identify and associate those traits within yourself.

As these are important traits to have, explain how you gain trust with your coworkers. You can also include that a previous supervisor mentioned these, or similar traits, in your performance review.

When have you shown great integrity at work?

"Recently, I caught one of our employees stealing. She had been with the company for five years and was going through a divorce. During her shift, I caught her stealing and took her off the floor. While closing down her register, she admitted to what she had done and offered to pay me $100 to not report what she had done. Knowing what she was going through in her personal life, I felt bad for her. We terminated her employment and included the bribe in my report."

The hiring manager is looking for a loss prevention officer who displays good character, especially when no one is looking. At times, this position can be difficult, and they want to make sure that the right candidate has the confidence to make the right decisions.

Provide an example(s) that shows you have good character and will always make the right decision. Explain what that decision was difficult to make and why someone else would not have done what you had done.

Tell me about the duties of your last job and walk me through a typical day.

"When I begin my shift, I read through the previous day's log so I know what happened when I left. I review the schedule so I know which employees are working during my shift and check in with my supervisor. Most days, I follow a particular routine as I walk through the store and will spend more time in busier sections of the store. I position myself so that I can see the entrance and the register.To stay focused, I keep a mental note of which customers were at the register just before exiting the store."

A loss prevention officer needs to be focused and patient because there may be many days when nothing out of the ordinary happens. Describing your typical day will help the hiring manager understand if your experience is similar.

When answering this question, provide an example that shows how you stay motivated when the store is quiet. Demonstrate that you realize there are many days when nothing out of the ordinary happens.

Describe some of the challenges that you faced during your last/ current role? How did you deal with them?

"I once witnessed a customer who put some items in his coat pocket without paying for them. With the support of my supervisor, I approached the customer and talked to him off to the side of the front entrance. When I explained that I noticed that he put a couple of items in his pocket, he started screaming and making a scene. I kept calm and continued to speak to the customer in a controlled tone while we waited for the police to show up."

The hiring manager wants to know how you handle a difficult situation and deal with stress. At times, this position can be stressful because you are dealing with customers or employees who steal from the business.

Demonstrate that you maintain your composure during a stressful situation. Choose an example that closely resembles a situation you may encounter with the company you are interviewing with.

What do you think is the greatest challenge in loss prevention?

"I think the biggest challenge in loss prevention is remembering to treat the customer with dignity and respect. I have been in several situations in which the customer had been caught stealing, and they took their anger out on me. When I first started as a loss prevention officer, it was difficult not to take these situations personally, especially because they were stealing from my employer."

The hiring manager asks this question to determine if your greatest challenge is similar to the challenges they face. The way you answer demonstrates your experience and your ability to improve their company.

Review the job description because it may provide additional insight into the company's biggest challenge. When answering this question, provide a solution to overcome the challenge.

What do you consider to be good customer service? Can you provide an example a time you improved customer service?

"To provide good customer service, I believe the loss prevention officer must know how to interact with every customer who comes into the store. Usually, I am the first person they encounter, and I always provide a warm, friendly greeting. In terms of improving customer service, I worked with different departments to enhance our training program. We learned empathy skills that have helped me interact with customers."

Many companies differentiate themselves from the competition by the customer service they provide. Even a loss prevention officer must be able to define what customer service looks like, even though they deal with customers who are potentially stealing.

For this question, review the job description to determine how the company wants the loss prevention officer to provide an excellent customer experience in this role. It may mention treating every customer and employee with dignity and respect.

Can you explain the most important lesson you've learned as a loss prevention officer?

"Early in my career, I had a vision of what a thief looked like, but, in my experience, people have surprised me. I've dealt with employees and customers from all walks of life who have been caught stealing. I've learned to remain vigilant."

This question is designed to determine your ability to self-reflect. A loss prevention manager that can learn and grow will benefit the company too.

Provide an example of a lesson you learned early on as a loss prevention officer. If possible, choose an example that has benefited you just as much as it has benefitted the company you work for.

How do you determine when to call authorities?

"In my current role, we are required to contact the authorities for situations that involve vandalism or theft of anything that has a value of $500 or more. Previously, our threshold was lower, but we realized we were able to handle those situations internally."

As a loss prevention officer, you will sometimes have to call the authorities. The hiring manager asks this question to determine if you use good judgment when doing so.

This is a good opportunity to demonstrate that you have experience interacting with the police. Explain that you call the police as outlined in your procedural manual.

How would you handle a situation in which an employee warns you about a customer who stole an expensive item?

"I make sure to thank the employee for bringing the situation to my attention and ask why the employee thinks that this customer stole an expensive item. I evaluate the situation and make a decision quickly. When I approach the customer, I have the conversation off to the side and try to be as discreet as possible. I treat the customer with dignity and respect, even if I catch them red-handed."

When the hiring manager asks this question, it is an indication that they train their staff to say something when they see something. Even though the company encourages staff to be aware of possible theft, they also want to make sure that these situations are handled correctly.

When answering this question, walk the hiring manager through your thought process and judgment skills. If possible, use an example that directly correlates to a product similar to the company you are interviewing at.

Describe the last time you conducted inventory or handled a surprise cash audit.

"I help conduct inventory every Monday morning. After the physical count is done, I enter the data into the spreadsheet and identify any discrepancies from the prior week. All cash audits are done by my manager because of how extensive it can be."

Inventory discrepancies are a way to identify potential theft. An experienced loss prevention officer will be able to explain the reasons why.

Include examples to show you have handled both situations. If you do not have experience handling surprise cash audits, explain the reason.

How do inventory numbers relate to suspected loss?

"During my training, management stressed the importance of inventory levels, and the loss prevention team is involved in conducting a weekly inventory. I realized the importance of doing so when my direct supervisor analyzed the report and homed in on any discrepancies that were greater than five or more items. I remember one situation in which several items were not coded correctly in the point of sale system. It was addressed immediately, and the discrepancy wasn't the result of an employee stealing."

Inventory discrepancies are one way to identify potential theft. If you are an experienced loss prevention specialist, you know inventory discrepancies can cost a typical box-store retail company millions of dollars in lost revenue. The interviewer wants to make sure you understand the severity of the issue and demonstrating this to the interviewer will show you take your job seriously.

For this question, provide an example that shows your experience with using inventory numbers to identify thefts. An experienced loss prevention officer has the knowledge to analyze those numbers and address them.

When you witness a customer stealing an item, how do you approach them?

"Last week, I noticed a customer who seemed very nervous and jittery when he entered the store. His behavior was unusual, and I took notice. As he moved through each section, he spent more time looking at the location of the security cameras than he did shopping. When I noticed him put an item into his jacket pocket, I informed the team of what I witnessed and asked a coworker to join me when I approached him. I addressed the customer, introduced myself, and explained what I had witnessed. We brought him to the back office where my supervisor handled the interrogation."

Approaching customers who are stealing, or suspected of stealing, will be a frequent occurrence. When the hiring manager asks this question, they want to know how you will approach the customer and the steps you take immediately before doing so.

As a loss prevention officer, you must inform your immediate supervisor before approaching the suspected guest. Provide an example of a time you communicated with your supervisor and team before approaching a customer suspected of theft.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

"I chose to apply to your company because I have a huge passion for this type of work, and in the next five years, I see myself enhancing my supervisory and leadership skills. I'd like to be a mentor for new hires so I can eventually lead a team"

It is expensive to place job ads, conduct interviews, and hire employees. This question helps the hiring manager understand your motivation for applying for this job.

Reassure the hiring manager that you applied because you are looking for long-term employment. This is a great opportunity to show that you are career-driven and plan to develop your skills and grow.

What programs have you performed as a loss prevention officer that reduced theft?

"In my current role, I helped develop a secret shopper program. We suspected a long-term employee of stealing because his bank was always off, and his returns were missing the proper receipts. With the guidance of upper management, we developed an extensive shopper program, and one of the reports shed light on how the employee was stealing. The same program also showed us where we had opportunities to improve the customer experience on the quieter shifts."

Thieves are always looking for creative ways to steal goods from businesses. The company is looking for a loss prevention officer who will look for ways to combat those new techniques. The steps the loss prevention team took yesterday may not always work tomorrow.

When answering this question, demonstrate that you have implemented programs to reduce company theft as much as possible. The job description will mention the programs the company wants its new loss prevention officer to develop.

How have you made an impact on your team in the past?

"A couple of months ago, we added three loss prevention officers. Our manager was the only one who did all the training, and I offered to help in any way I could. Each new hire worked with me to learn the closing procedures and the proper way to write an incident report."

A loss prevention officer will be required to work independently and with a team. The ideal candidate does not have a preference and can do both as required.

One way to show how you have contributed to the success of your team is to show how you help newly hired employees get acclimated and welcomed. Provide examples that show you took the initiative to make the team or company better.

Describe a time you successfully provided personal assistance to a coworker or patron.

"When passing a customer, I offer a pleasant greeting. Based on the customer's body language, I'll ask if they need assistance or if there are any questions I can help answer."

The loss prevention officer interacts with guests when patrolling the store. The ideal candidate can show initiative aiding customers.

As a loss prevention officer, you will interact with customers many times during your shift. Provide examples in which you do so without taking away from your main responsibility.

Describe a time you went above and beyond for an employee.

"One Sunday afternoon, one of the cashiers had a difficult time managing the flow of the line and ringing in the orders. She was trying to ring up each customer, and the receipt paper needed to be changed. It was quiet in the store, and I noticed some of the people in line were getting impatient. While the cashier was changing the paper, I helped bag the items for the cashier. The cashier continued to check out each customer until she was back in her rhythm ringing in each sale."

A loss prevention employee spends the majority of their shift working independently but will need to work with coworkers as needed. The ideal candidate can do both and will assist without being asked.

Going above and beyond for a coworker shows that you care and want others to do well. Describe an example that shows you helped an employee that didn't take away from your responsibility.

Loss Prevention Interview Questions

Go Back

1. What type of manager brings out the best in you?
2. If you caught an employee stealing, what would you do?
3. Why do you want to become a loss prevention officer?
4. What do you like most about being a loss prevention officer?
5. Why do you want to work for our organization?
6. How would you describe your computer skills?
7. Why are you the best candidate for this position?
8. How would your last manager describe you?
9. What are the responsibilities of a loss prevention officer?
10. What do you feel is your best strength as a loss prevention officer?
11. What is your preferred method of communication?
12. If hired, how do you intend to make a difference with our company?
13. How would you describe your work ethic?
14. Do people see you as a trustworthy and honest individual?
15. When have you shown great integrity at work?
16. Tell me about the duties of your last job and walk me through a typical day.
17. Describe some of the challenges that you faced during your last/ current role? How did you deal with them?
18. What do you think is the greatest challenge in loss prevention?
19. What do you consider to be good customer service? Can you provide an example a time you improved customer service?
20. Can you explain the most important lesson you've learned as a loss prevention officer?
21. How do you determine when to call authorities?
22. How would you handle a situation in which an employee warns you about a customer who stole an expensive item?
23. Describe the last time you conducted inventory or handled a surprise cash audit.
24. How do inventory numbers relate to suspected loss?
25. When you witness a customer stealing an item, how do you approach them?
26. Where do you see yourself in five years?
27. What programs have you performed as a loss prevention officer that reduced theft?
28. How have you made an impact on your team in the past?
29. Describe a time you successfully provided personal assistance to a coworker or patron.
30. Describe a time you went above and beyond for an employee.

Loss Prevention Interview Questions

1. What type of manager brings out the best in you?

2. If you caught an employee stealing, what would you do?

3. Why do you want to become a loss prevention officer?

4. What do you like most about being a loss prevention officer?

5. Why do you want to work for our organization?

6. How would you describe your computer skills?

7. Why are you the best candidate for this position?

8. How would your last manager describe you?

9. What are the responsibilities of a loss prevention officer?

10. What do you feel is your best strength as a loss prevention officer?

11. What is your preferred method of communication?

12. If hired, how do you intend to make a difference with our company?

13. How would you describe your work ethic?

14. Do people see you as a trustworthy and honest individual?

15. When have you shown great integrity at work?

16. Tell me about the duties of your last job and walk me through a typical day.

17. Describe some of the challenges that you faced during your last/ current role? How did you deal with them?

18. What do you think is the greatest challenge in loss prevention?

19. What do you consider to be good customer service? Can you provide an example a time you improved customer service?

20. Can you explain the most important lesson you've learned as a loss prevention officer?

21. How do you determine when to call authorities?

22. How would you handle a situation in which an employee warns you about a customer who stole an expensive item?

23. Describe the last time you conducted inventory or handled a surprise cash audit.

24. How do inventory numbers relate to suspected loss?

25. When you witness a customer stealing an item, how do you approach them?

26. Where do you see yourself in five years?

27. What programs have you performed as a loss prevention officer that reduced theft?

28. How have you made an impact on your team in the past?

29. Describe a time you successfully provided personal assistance to a coworker or patron.

30. Describe a time you went above and beyond for an employee.