I applied through an employee referral. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Nordstrom (Bethesda, MD) in June 2009
Interview
Nordstrom hires from within, you'll generally need to start in sales unless you are going to work at the corporate office.
The online portion of the application is a series of questions to see if you're a possible candidate. Get enough answers wrong and you'll 'light up red' at which point they can't proceed.
The in-person interview was personable and casual although held in an intimidating room.
As a hiring manager I interviewed many prospects and it was generally a series of questions but nothing was set in stone. All answers had to be filled out on a piece of paper and rated for legal reasons. Largely, it comes down to the impression you make.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
We liked to ask people to sell us something during the interview. Whether it was a piece of paper or the table they're sitting in front of. Then if they showed promise walk them to the department and have them talk about an item they had no knowledge of.
Straight to the point if you have sales experience
Be open and honest about your love of fashion and make sure you are customer focused
Easy questions and some managers will make you answer all questions so be prepared for some lengthy questions that are repetitive
Promotion from Sales person. Interviewed with department manager and store manager. I needed my then current store managers approval as well. After the interview with the Nashville store manager, I was offered the role.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Whya re you interested in this role vs a salesperson position?
Sat down and had a conversation for 20 minutes, they asked general questions. Very simple and easy anyone could do it I am sure. Then they offered the job to me immediately