I applied to 7 positions at Nordstrom's Chicago location on a Monday night, and was called for a phone interview by an individual from their HR department the next day. Phone interview consisted of questions like "Why do you want to work for Nordstrom" and "What would you do if someone walked onto your floor," as well as questions about the commission-based sales environment. Apparently having succeeded at the phone interview, I was asked to come in that Friday for a group/open interview day. I arrived on Friday joined by 8 or 9 other candidates, who were all wearing black in some form, and dressed very sharply. It was a diverse group of people- men and women, multiple races and age groups represented. We were taken to a small hallway outside a conference room. Inside the conference room were managers from four departments- Men's Shoes, Women's Shoes, Jewelry, and Men's Sportswear. All of us then got to take turns interviewing with the managers from departments that interested us. Here's the thing: I had only applied to 1 of those departments! So even though my preferences were Women's Apparel or Concierge, I didn't get to talk to anyone from those departments at all! My fellow candidates all had the same complaint. I did tell the HR person that I would like to talk to Lingerie too, and she had the Lingerie manager come down specifically to talk to me, which was really nice. The Lingerie manager was incredibly friendly and the interview went exceedingly well. She spent about 20 minutes talking to me, and asked me questions ranging from "What are your favorite brands of lingerie" to "How do you reach your goals" and "What was a time that you went above and beyond for a customer." I also talked with Jewelry, but that interview was incredibly short and I don't know how that manager could have possibly gotten to know me well based on the few questions she asked. The only interesting question was to try and "sell" a silver bracelet to her. I was called on the following Tuesday and told that they were "moving forward with other candidates" but that I should continue to apply. Well, after 7 applications, a very promising interview, and no luck I am a bit exhausted with applying there! So, downsides to this interview process: 1. Even if you apply to very specific departments, it does not mean you'll actually get to interview with those departments. They will just stick you with whatever managers are there that day, and those are the positions that you're apparently considered for. 2. Based on where you sit in the line of chairs outside the conference room, you might not get as many "turns" as other candidates. I only got 2 interviews in the 2 hours that I was there, while other candidates got 3, which I thought was unfair because it was based purely on chance and where you were sitting. All in all, I really love Nordstrom and thought I did a great job selling myself to them, but didn't get an offer. I am guessing they're looking to hire people who are "career" sales people (i.e. that's what you want to do with your entire life/career in general).

So easy, I went to a job fair and was hired on the spot. They need people in the kids department, that's the easiest section to get into. They just ask about your personality and who you are.