seasonal associate

assistant store manager

store manager

sales professional

quality assurance analyst

Michael Hill

It's such a shame such a large and well resources company is 100% focused on taking every possible dollar from the customer and has zero interest in staff. Their mantra is burn and churn with a 50% staff turnover rate annually. The expectation from managers is to keep staff on edge emotionally which drives sales in their view as fear creates desperation to get sales. The KPI's are measured after EVERY sale interaction as the manager is required to "coach" which means "discipline" after every guest contact. Also check the terms of the PCP care plan - it says 3 years or lifetime but in the fine print it's value is up to the cost of the item. So if you buy a lifetime PCP on an item for $89 you get $89 worth of repair value and then the PCP is no longer valid. It's in the fine print on the brochure they give you. Don't be tricked by the exclusive "collections" by MH. It's the same as everything else but comes with no discount and has a massive mark up. The best one is the 10 carat gold line, it last forever, NO it's used because when they entered the USA market which has a base of 10 carat all products had to be the same company wide so that's the marketing spin which comes with a rediculous mark up. Also, if you loose a diamond and use their replacement warranty, I would ask for written confirmation that the quality of the diamond is the same as the one you lost. It may look like the colour matches but is the grading the same, example a       H Si2 can look a lot like a P1 of which no-one would know but the value is very different. It's bad for business when you are so focused on the shareholder and everything comes a distant second, lot's of missed opportunities right there.

Massive staff turn over in the marketing Dept.  During my time at least 3 people resigned every week.  There is no opportunity to be creative or trust in your ability to do so.  You are micromanaged by several bosses and departments, then left in an impossible position of try to please everyone after the deadline has clearly come and gone.

They are stuck in the dark ages of brochures in mailboxes and 60’s spoon feed TV commercials.  So if you are in any other part of marketing (especially web related) you will be prioritized last on their agenda.  This includes getting access to quality images, text or anything else. And don’t dare suggest anything, one they don’t care and two you couldn’t get a manger to find 5 minutes for you if you tried. 

But if you are happy to be in an uninspired job with no creativity or trust, this is definitely the marketing department for you as the lower level staff are incredible people and a joy to be around.  I made some wonder friends working there.  They also supply alcohol for everyone, with a full bucket of alcoholic drink varieties available at the door any time of day. Picture working for Donald Draper and you are on the right track. Alcohol and 60’s creativity.

I was a seasonal casual at Michael Hill for the Christmas period. At the initial interview management asked me if I’d like a career beyond Christmas which I was so happy to hear about as like most I need a job to survive and the opportunity for working for Michael hill was exciting.

The pay is very good for retail and I got along with most of my co workers. However management was something else I was micromanaged constantly and told different things by both managers. Who clearly don’t communicate with each other.

I wasn’t trained properly and was expected to just know things which wasn’t covered in my training.

Come the end of Christmas I’m told no we don’t need you goodbye so please don’t believe anything that is promised in the initial interview.
The staff discounts they get are very generous on products but honestly a lot of it isn’t worth it  as in paying full price as it’s poorly made.

Sales associates get snappy too during the festive season as they have insane sales targets too meet.
They reminded me of a bunch of vultures circling around their prey. With customers which is quite frankly just shameful.
I wouldn’t conduct myself like that you can’t force people to buy things they don’t want.



A typical day at Michael Hill was an incredibly toxic and high-pressure environment. The workplace culture was dominated by bullying and a lack of professional respect; I was frequently laughed at, put down, and even physically pushed out of the way on the floor. 

While the feedback I received claimed I struggled to communicate with customers and coworkers, the reality was that I was never given a fair opportunity to speak or help; whenever I tried, a coworker would immediately take over the sale. 

Management was entirely focused on sales stats and conversion KPIs, ignoring the hostile environment. I was even targeted with personal insults regarding my appearance, specifically my ears, which was deeply unprofessional. The hardest part was the mental toll of being undervalued and mistreated daily. 

I did not find any part of this job enjoyable, as there was no genuine teamwork or room for professional growth. The only thing I was taught was how to clean a ring.

My day was always just wonderful as I had the greatest pleasure of greeting all the staff wit a happy smile &  as well as when they were leaving each day. They would all get a morning wave 'HELLO' and a 'GOOD BYE' one of an after noon. 

Then I would check any visitors who ere due in and would greet the the same way but also a little more professional manner. I would make sure they were comfortable while waiting & off the tea/ coffee/ or water which they always appreciated - oh as well as I always had a bowl of KOOL MINTS int he reception and they would always say how nice it was ti come to our comp nay and be treated so lovely. I was also in charged of all room bookings & if necessary moving them around at a minutes notice, as well as the catering. 

There really was no hardest part of my job to be honest as I thrive on dealing with the public. the most enjoyable part of my jib was to put a smile on every ones face each day and to treat the them way I would like to be treated.

A typical day at work could be the best day you could have for the week. I've learnt so much from Michael Hill from refined customer service to the product knowledge, as well as a diamond course which I completed in 7 months at home study.
If you have the best manager who inspires you to challenge yourself in an area you didn't think you could succeed, pushing yourself to make budget and achieve more great incentives. Work is always great if you have a great bunch of people to work with as a team.
The hardest part is showing consistency in your weekly targets and hitting them every week, without letting one negative week shoot all your confidence.
The most enjoyable part of the job is giving excellent customer service knowing that the customer walks away feeling great about their new purchase. Also having return cliental because you know you did your job very well with customer satisfaction.

Strange place to work. Standard operating procedures are out of date and non conducive to a happy healthy work environment. Vicious, ruthless sales approach, often embarrassing to perform, but you must adhere. Beware of Daily coaching on the sales showroom floor. Daily KPI's consist of, pcp's,items per sale,transactions per hour, average transaction,daily budget, hourly budget and that is only the sales side of it. If you don't achieve the holy grail of a gold star at the end of the week you will get a red dot- 3 of those in a row and you are on a disciplinary action plan. First of 3 strikes and you are out of employment. Not worthy of the $18.99 per hour pay rate. Extremely high staff turnover, and worse management turnover.
Chasing leads for "VIP" events borders on harassment, brace yourself from abuse from the unhappy customers. 
Occasionally we would get s stunning diamond in, mostly they are mediocre at the best.

Typical day at work opening store and setting up display cabinets and preparing store in general ready for business. I have been with Michael Hill 6 months and being my first position in Jewellery it has been both challenging and rewarding.  They have extensive online training and also coaching in store. I have gained a lot of knowledge about gems and metals which I have found very interesting. The management  and co-workers are all very friendly and I enjoy working with them. The hardest part of the job is trying to Gold Star every week in a store that is quiet and that seems to be overstaffed, it is easier to Gold Star in a busy store which I have done. The most enjoyable part of the job is showing the jewellery to potential customers and finding the right piece for them...making their dreams come true.

I looked after over $450million dollars in Sales, from monitoring and approving the OTB with the buyer, to quantifying and store selection.

I worked closely with the suppliers from when the order was placed till its arrival.

Promotional events - quantifying and re-pricing where necessary.

This was a great job, but unfortunately the culture wasn't for me, Sir Michael Hill didn't rate planners and gave a lot of his control to the Sales team.. KPI's of GM I couldn't take seriously as the Regional Managers had the ability to turn off min needs whenever they felt like it.

I can give more details in person as in this job there was a lot that I needed to do, to be honest finding a similar job with an appreciation for Single mums would be great.

I arrive on a typical day at 8.30 am to set up shop for the day and have floors and benches cleaned ready for our first customer.
From there the day really depends on who comes in to buy what.
We hear different stories form all kinds of wonderful people from all walks of life and help them to find the perfect gift for themselves or others.
I've become much more confident in this role and have met some really beautiful people. The hardest part of the job is when people come in and have just lost a loved one and tell share with you thier exceriences.
The very best part is by far helping someone choose an engagement ring for their life partner then meeting them afterwards and sharing their journey.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Seasonal associate 2 salaries reported	$33.50 per hour
Assistant store manager 2 salaries reported	$77,500 per year
Store manager 1 salary reported	$85,000 per year
Sales professional 1 salary reported	$25.29 per hour
Quality assurance analyst 1 salary reported	$80,000 per year

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