Promotions into management are 60% politics and 40% actual work merit. 9 times out 10 the average DM already has someone in mind to be their ADM which makes interviewing for certain positions pointless. A tenured ADM could also be going after that position and they’ll get it over you because...they’re tenured. On a personal level you have to get clearance/approval/support from your DM in order to go after any position. Some DM’s even want approval from your SM. It’s best if you apply on my Nordstrom and then personally reach out to the DM and set up an interview time. After the interview they’ll usually give you a tour of the selling floor and then give you an estimate of when they will get back to you. It took me three tries to get an ADM position and I have a ton of retail experience prior to Nordstrom. The DM I work under had a ton of friends on my team which played a big part in me getting the position.

In person interview with the department manager, asked questions about background and skill level, then gave a tour of the store and the various departments. Once offered position did a background check which took about a week to process